1980 Datsun 310 GX review from North America

I have only owned the car for about 6 months, and in that time, I have only had to have the CV joints and axles replaced. I knew this had to be done when I bought the car.

I was looking for a 1980 or older Datsun or Toyota so that I could have great gas mileage, reliability, and be emissions exempt. I happened to find this car sitting in front of someones house, for sale. It is in extraordinarily great condition, and the paint is original and non-faded...blue. I found out that this car had been sitting up on blocks in a garage for 10 years before the prior owner bought it. She had it for 3 years, and then I bought it for $1200.

This car has been very reliable, although I haven't had it very long. It starts every time with no problems at all, and runs fantastic. It has 103,000 original miles on it, has no leaks, and uses no oil. It has AC, but there is no belt on the compressor, so I am guessing it doesn't work right now.

The car is surprisingly comfortable for such a small car, and the seats are nice.

Gas mileage is killer at about 35 miles per gallon.

This car has no dents and no rust anywhere on it. I have never seen another one, and can't even seem to find one on the internet. Mine is the "GX" version which seems to be the "sporty" version of the 310. It looks much cooler than the plain 310's I was able to find pics of. I am fairly certain I won't ever see another one in person, and I live in a large city. Again, the condition of this car is just unbelievable for being 25 years old. I just hope I never need any body parts for it, because I'll probably not be able to find them. From what I can tell, it was only made for 3 or 4 years.

The car does have lots of road noise, and is very small and lightweight. I would hate to be involved in a traffic accident in this car.

This is a 5-speed, and is lots of fun to drive, although pretty slow. Still, I'm not into racing, but rather, bought this car for practical reasons.