The Datsun B-210 - "Nifty-Fifty"

I just stumbled upon this ad in a book over the weekend and decided to see if I could find it online. Here it is. Circa 1977

The Datsun B210

They advertise 50MPG on the Highway, 37 MPG City. Amazing.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Nov 30 2006, 02:54 PM) [snapback]355848[/snapback]</div>

I owned one, a 1978 "fast back". It was real piece of crap vibrating tin death trap. It was Kelly green. I don't think I ever got over 40 MPG, let alone 50. Did manage to clock over 90K miles even after my wife got the throttle stuck wide open and never thought to just turn the key off for about 5 minutes. It used a bit of oil after that.

Cost $3700.00 - sold it after 5 years and 90k miles for $900.00

I remember renting one of these back in the 70's in Hawaii. No air conditioning, black vinyl seats...man did those seats get hot. As I also recall, that particular car also had a roach infestation problem. Yuck. For some strange reason, I always thought the wheels on the B210 were cool.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JasonCon @ Nov 30 2006, 02:51 PM) [snapback]355847[/snapback]</div>

That seems like incredible mileage for one of those, by '77 it would have had catalytic converters and other fun stuff that some companies hadn't quite figured out. I had a friend that had one of the early Honda Civic CVCCs, their claim to fame was they could meet the pollution standards without cats, IIRC, and it seemed to get high 30s city, low 40s highway.

"They advertise 50MPG on the Highway, 37 MPG City. Amazing."

We had an automatic and a 5-speed version. Both versions were so underpowered with the small 4-cyl engine. I guess the brakes may have been power-assisted but I clearly remember growing Popeye forearms as there was no power steering. The best we routinely managed with the automatic was 25mpg and the high 30's with the manual. I think this was mostly because you had to wrap the rpm's so high to get out of everyone's way and to get up any kind of a hill. Man, as much as those cars tried any kind of an uphill, let alone a mountain in the Rockies, resulted in embarassingly slow uphill speeds. Both were kept until around 1995...they were paid off many times over, they never seemed to break down, and the insurance was virtually nil.

My Father's 5-speed manual transmission Renault Aliance from back in the early 80's claimed 51 MPG hwy and 44 City. And it got it too, or at least pretty close.

But... You had to turn off the air conditioner if you wanted to accelerate at anything greater that a sluggish crawl. And when my father let me drive it to school on cold winter days, I had to run it in a low gear the whole way just to get heat. If I shifted into the right gear for my speed once the vents started producing hot air, then the air would go cold again.

And it was tiny compared to the Prius.

You just made my day. That was my first car and I have looked all over the place to find a picture to show my son. That car averaged in the mid 40's when driving a 70% highway driving. Had air conditioning through the floor board and the dust was free.

Thanks for the memories,
---Kent

I still miss my 1991 Geo metro three cylinder that got 61 mpg even before I knew about coasting to the red light.

Laugh! Mine had a big ol rust hole in the floor board under my feet also! Wouldn't stop running though!

Bruce

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ibcs @ Nov 30 2006, 05:34 PM) [snapback]355952[/snapback]</div>

My second car was a 710, which was more or less a 210 with a bigger
engine. Rear-wheel drive, tin death trap, no weight over the back
tires, grabby clutch -- an absolute blast in the snow! I have no
idea what the MPG was, though.
.
_H*

My second car was a B210 sedan handed down from my parents... I have no idea what its mileage was, gas was affordable back then!

I'm always a sucker for those goofy 1960's-70's option packages...

How about the B210 Honeybee...?!?

[attachmentid=8408]

Still looking for a Mint Sprint Pinto.
[smile]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Nov 30 2006, 04:57 PM) [snapback]355891[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, I had one.

48 HP, no A/C, and 0-60 on flat ground was in the 17 second range.

Going uphill was definitely a zen patience exercise.

However, it was tailgate-proof. No matter how annoyed the guy behind you got, all you had to do was downshift and floor it. It didn't actually go any faster but it laid down a Dark Black Smoke-Screen that would have had James Bond peeing his pants in envy.

And yes, it could easily get 50 MPG+ under the right circumstances.

It's funny. Those were in such demand during the gas crisis that they were being stolen and shipped to Mexico by the truckload. I came out one day and found only a pile of glass and one of my door speaker covers left.

Hi all, I am enjoying this thread, despite its age. I am a former Datsun master technician and would like to clarify the catalytic converter comment above. Actually, only the California market B210's had catalytic converters in '77. The other 49 state cars [right up through the '79 Datsun 210] did not get cats until 1980. I know because I worked at a Datsun dealer back then and had a '79 210 that still was a regular gas car [no inlet restrictor in the fuel filler either]. The NJ state inspection station tried to fail me for removing the unleaded gas inlet restrictor. Of course this was not true, so I told them to look it up in their book. I was right and they passed me on the spot.

For what it's worth, I am entering an Economy Run event this Sunday with my '77 B210 and am expecting to surpass the 50 mpg mark. Stay tuned.

Mike

Who knew that anyone would grow nostalgic over those old Datsuns?!
Mine pre-dated the B-210.

It was a '72 Datsun 1200 -- the boxy sedan body, as opposed to the fastback. With an automatic. A real chick magnet!

Living in western NC, my AM commute started with a steep grade up the mt. I'd floor that baby & creep up the hill at 25 mph. Allowing it to shift into 2nd lost me any negligible momentum that had developed, and I'd be back in 1st again.

But, life was simpler: It was the late 70's, and Ahmedinijad (sp?) was still practicing his hostage-taking techniques.

I was looking for a Datsun wagon of that era, but somehow ended up instead with a 1966 Mercedes sedan with the top half of the engine conveniently located in the trunk. Some assembly required

My brother had one of those. Fantastic mileage. Great car in the summer. In the winter, blocked grill, engine block heater, battery blanket, synthetic oil, park it with the hood in the sun.....and even then, you had one shot -- if it didn't start on the first try, you were walking.