1976 Datsun B210 from North America - Comments

Nothing, reliable as an anvil, and about as many moving parts.

A very simple, easy to work on little car.

Great fuel mileage, but not much power.

Odd looking, with battering-ram bumpers. Strange dash design.

Very uncomfortable seats, on long trips had to get out of the car every half hour due to sore back.

Came with skinny, bias-ply tires. Handled very poorly, always felt like it was ready to slide off the road backwards. Uncomfortable stiff ride.

Back seat totally unusable except by Munchkins.

Hard to see out of dinky rear windows.

I liked your article. You were very correct about how reliable the car is and how easy to work on. Gas mileage for me has always been 36-41 miles per gal. Most of the time 40 on freeway and surface roads alike.

Bought the car Jan 12, 1975. Best thing I ever did was buy this car. I am now out of smog (So. Cal., of course). This car runs better than ever (My husband is an auto mechanic.)

I have never found the car uncomfortable (i am 5'2") and have used the back seat for a double bed when camping (the hatchback) The interior is thrashed, but the car is a user. Almost 300,000 miles on it. Only had to replace an engine because I ran out of water when a water hose broke. (we have a spare 76 Datsun we use for replacement parts (a $100 car).

Datsun B210's rule. I will be buried in this car. I get offers to buy this car all the time (fat chance!) I have other cars and they are all a lot older than my bug (Datsun)

Thank you, j. Tanny.

Hi my name is Juan and I'm Peñuelas, Puerto Rico. Last year I bought a 1978 Datsun B-210 in which I called the "bug" because it is small, but it goes almost anywhere (especially in Puerto Rico's mountainous terrain).Fuel economy is incredible in this car and it is so easy to repair, but that is rare because Datsun parts don't tend to break. This is a car that was truly made to last. I think it should be included in the list of greatest cars ever made.

Back in 1975 my father wanted to buy a small car because of the high cost of gas. He went to Fiat and got snubbed by the car dealer so we left. He and my mother went to Datsun. She saw a turquoise B210 sedan and fell in love. My father bought it on the spot and he called it the little Comaccazee. Having served in WWII, owning a Japanese car was still a little unsettling to him. (Funny how he forgot about Mussolini). It had automatic and nothing else. He had only owned AMC's so it was a big step. The reliability rivaled AMC Ramblers. We lived in rural Pennsylvania and the car went everywhere through the snow and ice as well as all the steep hills. It had great gas mileage. The only problem he had with it was the transmission started to slip after four years. It was repaired and then I owned the car and learned to drive on it. (Actually, my sister and I used to steal his B210 before I ever had my license so I knew how to drive at 15). I never had a problem with that car and I drove it to school everyday. We use to stuff 6 of us in it and go cruising for all it was worth. I had the car up to 100 mph once, all downhill of course, but man that car just kept going. Hated the color, but oh well. After my father died we moved to Canada and the car was sold to a neighbour in 1982. From what I had heard in a Christmas card from another neighbour last year, the guy still had the car and was driving in the Pocono's when he had a heart attack, sailed off a curve into some trees and was dead before the car hit the ground. Both he and the car had a great life and went out in a blaze of glory, so to speak. I have looked for a decent one again, but to no avail. In Toronto cars rust out quickly and I don't think the Datsun had a big following in the mid 70's, lots of Minis and Bugs here. Thanks and keep up with the BEE.

I used to enter my B210 in SCCA Solo II races, and was pretty successful with it. The B210 is still a pretty common race car in autocrossing. I could get the stock car up to about 110mph, and with the right tires and stiffer shocks, it handled well too. I got rid of it with 225,000 miles on it.

I had a '75 B-210 4-speed from 1982 to 1986. The 1400cc push-rod engine had 80,000 miles on it and was pretty tired when I bought it. Before long it was being followed by a cloud of blue smoke wherever it went. I imagine the previous owners weren't aware that oil had to be changed from time to time. Top speed on the straight and level was around 85 mph.

I swapped in a used 1300cc engine that had been shipped in from Japan and had none of the emissions junk on it that the previous engine had. What a difference. Top speed was now 113 mph (I was young and stupid back then), but to reach that speed I needed Nebraska.

The transmission was a gem, very smooth and easy to shift. The heater was useless on cold winter days, but not bad when temperatures were above say, minus ten Celsius. I found the seats comfortable, the controls laid out efficiently and the handling not bad. There was some body roll, but not nearly as much as that of the domestic land yachts of the day.

Visibility to the rear was not very good since this car was not the hatchback version, but rather, had a trunk and very wide B-pillars.

I was using it to commute long distances in south-eastern Alberta while working on drilling rigs, and on those long, straight and low-traffic density routes this car was driven at the upper end of its velocity range quite routinely.

But eventually this habit caught up to me and I managed to break the rings on one of the pistons and, given the car's over all condition and value, as well as my large pay cheques, I elected to sell it (for very cheap in light of the required engine work) to an interested individual.

I purchased a used, 1976 B210 in 1984 with 99,000 miles on it. It was a two door coupe with an automatic transmission. Originally orange in color, the previous owner had it repainted silver.

I owned this car for five years. It was odd-looking and slow, but it was the toughest little car I have ever owned and it was the car that convinced me that Japanese cars offered superior quality when compared to domestic cars.

My B210 had one major breakdown - a water pump seized and the head was damaged. I repaired the car myself and drove it for two more years. Aside from an un-repairable carburetor and some rust issues, I cannot find any mechanical fault to complain about.

Because of my experience with this car, I have purchased five Nissan and four Toyota cars since I sold the B210 in 1989. In my opinion, the B210 may have been ugly, but it is one of the best built cars ever produced.

Had a 77 B210, my first new car. I lived in Chicago and the little car would start right up in -20 degree cold, however due to a fuel filter problem which I could never fix in my 3 years owning the car it would stall out when the weather was 80 degrees or above. I loved it though and ran it hard, great gas mileage and yes you could hit 100 mph on the highway, just never kept it there for long. I've had many cars since then, but I think back often to my little red B210 with fond memories.

I just picked up a 1976 B210 from the junk yard. I have no idea why it was there. The thing starts right up, has original paint and interior. Very little body rust. This seems to be a great car, but unfortunately, I do not believe it will last long. You see, I race demolition derby cars, and this little B210 is about to see some head on collisions. I have never run a Datsun before, but my years of derby racing has taught me what to look for, and this car has it all. I am considering finding one with a title to buy and use as a commuter car. Please wish the little B210 the best of luck and the longest life possible.

I bought a 1974 Datsun B210 Hatchback back when I was in college in 1985-87. I remember that when I folded down the back seat I had TONS of room for what I took to college. I was able to put everything in one trip by using the passengers seat as well. When heading to Montreat going up the mountain I would have to down shift often to keep going up, but with the gas mileage I was getting I couldn't complain. The car handled well in the snow and it was a joy to drive. I made some additions to it, truck horns, cb/pa, additional windshield washers that shot water straight ahead and to the left and right. My college friends referred to it as my James Bond car. I had a blast with that car and am trying to get one now, some 20 years later. If anyone has one for sale send me an e mail Markster725@netscape.com Looking for the hatchback manual version.

I just bought a 1974 B-210 Hatchback with original teal paint and dents 360 degrees around. For $150 I could not be happier!

It's a little rocket ship on wheels... contrary to other reports this baby moves out fast and fits my 6'5 frame with comfort! The ceiling is a bit low so I plan to take the hatch window and put it up front where the roof is, slant it up a bit and square off the back end. It's a joy to drive and even though it was moments away from the junkyard the gas mileage is still in the upper 30's. Some laugh and say it's an eye sore, but, this car has the spirit of a Sea Biscuit and I believe more guts than any plastic out there today.

My 16 yr old son just received a 76 B 210 for his b-day from his grandparents. What a beauty it is; all original car mustard yellow, perfect black vinyl interior, auto trans, and it turned 27,000 miles when I pulled in to DMV for new tags! It almost seemed like a sin to cut holes in the door panels for stereo speakers. The little hatchback should provide him years of enjoyment and good economical transport. It makes me consider looking for another for myself.

I own a 1978 "Honey Bee" b 210. My sister bought it new for under $2000. The speedometer stopped working at 350,000 miles, about 8 years ago. Purrs like a kitten. Almost 50 mpg. I finally wore the driveshaft out and now cannot find a replacement bushing that meshes the driveshaft to the transmission. Boo-Hoo. I love this car, but don't know what to do? Any suggestions? Tim 423 821-5815.

My first car was the Datsun 210 hatchback- 1978. The dealer was trying to get me to go with the F10, but I wasn't interested in the front wheel drive and free air conditioning.

We don't see any F10s around anymore BTW.

That B210 was the greatest. It did drive me crazy one summer when it would routinely, predictably stall and go dead, say, when I'd exit the freeway or stop at a light.

Went crazy rebuilding the carb twice, trying this and that, and then found moisture in the distributor cap.

The B210 also ate the wires like mad, too.

Got a new cap and wires and it ran fine.