There is an old Celica from the 80s running around our town with over 1 million miles on it! It’s a white coupe and spent most of its time in Nevada, so the body is still rust-free.
The Sentra started in 1982.
You’re right; the wife of a friend had a 1984 Sentra, but it was still called a DATSUN at that time. I think it was called the “Gloria” in Japan; they had quaint names like “Cedric” (large one), the Cherry, subcompact, the Fairlady! (280Z), and so on.
it was my parents’ car, but I drove it a lot while I was in college and have never duplicated it: a 1967 Volvo 1800E. drove like a bat out of hell, had enough room for an overnight bag in the back; every guy I knew wanted the car; had a five-speed with overdrive shifter and was a lovely deep green. I still miss that car…
Favorite car of all was a 1965 Saab 96 monte carlo.3 cylinder two stroke engine,leather,fm radio with lots of speakers on the huge hat shelf,4 speed column shift,free wheeling lever.The car oozed charecter and was a true porcshe killer,especially down the mountain passes, kick in the free wheel and coast by everything else on the road. Wish I still had it!!! Once even pulled a tow truck out of a snow bank !!!
This wasn’t mine, it was my uncle’s car, but I loved the truck.
'83 Chevy Suburban. It had a 350, auto, positraction, A/C, radio, bench seats, was two tone blue. The only electric window was the one in the tailgate. While it had A/C you almost never needed it because of the vent windows. I loved that the oil filter was about the size of a coffee can.
We had a little john boat and if we took out the back seat out we could slide the boat into the back and not bother with a trailer.
We took it on many milti thousand mile trips. Always in comfort.
The only reason he got rid of it was because it was developing some rust and my aunt nagged him about it relentlessly. He sold it to a couple of guys who were moving to Alaska, who sent us a letter when they made it up there with a picture of the truck. No problems for them on the whole trip.
I would gladly buy another of the same, if they still made them just like they did then. Just drop a fuel injected engine in and leave the rest alone.
To me most trucks now look like they were in a fistfight and lost. They look all swollen with a fat lip.
Though I haven’t heard many nice things about Chevy S10’s, I had a '92 with a 4.3 V6 that I dead solid LOVED. Good mileage, rode well for a pickup, and was good for chores. Kept it 6+ years, sold it beause I live 30 miles from work and got spooked by some minor problems (it was my only vehicle), and regretted it the next day. The second owner got 10 more years out of it.
I guess if we are naming cars that we didn’t actually own, I would name my parents’ 1989 Nissan Maxima. That was when the Maxima was “the four door sports car.” The only car to beat it off the line was another Maxima. The one I was driving was an automatic and the other had a manual transmission.
I certainly remember Datsun. AS I recall, the company was called Datsun rather than Nissan due to WWII connotations in the USA. As for the names, that’s just the society, or ho it’s perceived by the manufacturer. There are some names that have Really Bad connotations phonetically, so it does make sense to pay attention to the name in an export market. I suppose it would have been just a bit too strange to have European given names for Japanese cars.
Some folks brought their parent’s cars into this. And I have a favorite. My parents had a 1964 Model 62 Cadillac. It’s the fastest car I’ve driven. Well, fastest as I recall it. It had a Rocket 429 with 340 HP, and it was a rocket. The car stalled going around corners, though - at least at the speeds a teen boy-racer wanted to go. I never met a car in that era that I couldn’t outrun. I never met a Roadrunner or 440 Satellite, but I had my fun.
Agree; the Maxima was what the smaller Jaguar 340 should have been, but was’nt. It was a real sleeper with a fabulous engine and great handling.
The Japanese always admired the gentle civilized culture of the Victorian British, hence all the quaint English names for their cars. Americans like dynamic and powerful names, so the name “Fairlady” for the 280Z would not cut it in Texas roadhouse if someone asked what car you drove. Similarly driving a Cherry might raise some eyebrows.
The AMC Matador (killer) and Chevy Nova (doesn’t go) were not hot sellers in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries,.
The original T Bird was going to be called the FAIRLANE (a great name for a station wagon), after Henry Ford’s estate. The marketing people rightly objected, since the T Bird was to make a dynamic statement against Jaguar and other spors cars. The Thunderbird, the legendary bird of Northern Michigan Indians was the perfect name. I remember Motor Trend Magazine testing the 1955 first model, and commenting that “it was called after a legend and may create one of its own!” Prophetic words!
Pontiac stole the idea and called their Sports car the Firebird, another legendary bird. I doubt if any Firebird owners were lining up to see Stravinsky’s Ballet (The Firebird) by the same name.
I was curious after I saw you equate the Fairlady Z to the 280Z. I thought it might have been the 240Z instead. It turns out we’re both right. The Fairlady Z continues to be built. Apparently it was available in Japan with a twin turbo in the early 1990s.
Agree, the original version was the 240Z, which became the 280Z, etc. I had a chance to drive a friend’s through the twisty backroads of Ohio’s Mennonite country. A real blast!! It was launched by Nissan to give the Jaguar XKE a run for its money.
92 Nissan Kingcab,averaged 26 mpg,easy to work on,handled and drove fairly well-didnt cost a mint to buy and own-Kevin1969 Datsun 510. Bought the car new for it’s smaller size and lower cost. I did not know it was the"poor man’s BMW". 96 hp SOHC, front disc brakes, independent suspension. Very reliable and fun to drive. My wife liked it too. I t was the only car we ever named, “Mignon”.
This car was the perfect examplethe Japanese were serious car builders. Soon to follow were the Datsun 240Z and the immensely popular Honda Accord. Did Detroit pay any heed? Look at the mess they are in today.
Roger Moore, starring in the British TV series “The Saint” insisted on driving this car, instead of a British car. The white P-1800 became well know and gave Volvo an immense amount of free advertising.
The Guinnes world record for miles driven on a car is also held by the proud owner of a P-1800, with over 2 million miles on it.
My first car, a '71 Datsun 510 wagon. Not sporty like the sedan, it had a solid rear axle, but quick and fun and could haul a lot and you sleep in the back 
. You could even off-road with it. It was so narrow you could put one wheel on the edge and the other on the center hump. Tough and easy to work on. No wonder the Japanese took over the automobile market in the U.S. Oh, and I also love the Fit and my Wrangler!
1991 Buick Regal limited. This was a wonderful car for an 18 year old! I got this car from my parents in '95 and it was great, plush interior installed CD player and the sound system was wonderful, good handler, and fast! The governor stopped the acceleration several times at 120 and it got about 25 MPG till the day it died. It lived a good amount of its life in the mountains of Wyoming and Colorado and rolled right by 4X4’s in the ditch. I drove that car for about 5 years after the odometor stopped at 160,000. There has always been a Buick in the driveway of my family and will be long after they stop making them!
Swollen with a fat lip is a great comment… I really miss body-on-frame truck-based SUVs with front and rear solid axles. Guess that’s why I drive (and love) a Jeep (but not the newest one; back to the swollen lip comment). Those full size GM trucks were tanks, and the small block is such a great engine.