1975 Datsun 120Y Coupe GL from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Driving this car makes me feel so young

Faults:

What hasn't gone wrong? Let's just look at two incidents:

Boiling green water:

An incident that stands out is when the heater core plumbing leaked. Hot coolant spewed throughout the cabin as though a sprinkler was on. Apart from minor burns, totally ruining my slack suit, and lots of inconvenience, there was a short circuit in the electrical system, which resulted in the horn sounding continually with a ominous electrical burning smell being emitted from somewhere inside the dash.

Rust:

As I am a caterer, and am continually on-the-go with delicacies destined for some of Sydney's most exclusive parties, I decided I liked the look of the coupe model; its huge lift back and sleek styling really appealed to me. A pity I didn't realise that this area is prone to rust. It had eaten through the back end of the car, and it was only after I had some people complain about my quiches, that I discovered that they had been eating rust as well as my delicacies. I mean that's really shocking.

General Comments:

My car has space for the kids, the shopping, the pets, as well as being comfortably cool all year round. When I bought the 120 it had this really great little fan attached to the top of the dash that blows air. Keeps me cool all year 'round (takes Datsun to think of that).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 8th April, 2006

10th Apr 2006, 06:26

Hehehe.

4th May 2006, 09:17

Jenelle, time to buy a new car. How about something like a Cordia? You always said you wanted a sports.

6th May 2006, 10:31

If you're a top flight caterer why are you driving around in an old banger like this?

Oh, and a dashboard fan can be bought from most accessory shops for a few dollars. You can fit it into any car you want. You could even fit it into your Datsun so the existing fan will have some company. Assuming, of course, there's enough left of the scabby, 20 year old wiring loom to wire it into.

13th May 2006, 07:26

Update: My lovely 120y has finally gone, I really do miss it. The rust eventually ate through the floor. I noticed the passenger seat started to lean... it almost fell through the floor! My goodness, imagine if one of my friends was sitting in it- I don't even want to think about it.

However, I did grab the little fan from on top of the dashboard... I will have it installed in my new car.

Jenelle.

25th Oct 2007, 09:46

Update: I finally settled, after some lengthy deliberation, on going ahead with purchasing the new car. It's a smart-looking white Corona, and it only set me back $200! Now that's amazing. I've got ALL the features inc. cloth trim and 2 speaker stereo. There is a slight odour of curry to the car... not a problem as it seems seeing as I am beginning to enter into the 'exotic east' as my new flavour sensation in catering. It can only add to the whole fascination of the middle east; I can tell my friends when I pick them up 'smell that... it's the far east'. I am usually countered with oooooh aaaaahs from my friends... need I say more? And I got it all for only $200!

So far I have had nothing, but glowing looks and praise for the Corona. It's a 1984 model and it's still got two of its original hubcaps on it (thanks to K-Mart for the other two). Shine is a bit on the dull side, but I am impressed overall.

Please look under 'corona' for the model year 1984 for more info.

Big hug, Jenelle.

1975 Datsun 120Y GL from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Cheap, but not too bad

Faults:

Head gasket blew.

Seats fell apart.

Lots of rust.

General Comments:

This was my first and last experience with Datsun 120y. Don't get me wrong, overall it was a good car for what it was (cheaply built etc.), and very cheap to maintain. Performance and ride comfort were not good. The seats were really uncomfortable (especially on the trip from Sydney to Cairns). Rust was a big problem - always kept in garage, but seemed to disintegrate anyway.

Only major problem was that the head gasket blew at 120000 kms. Not really the car's fault- I was carrying a 120kg woman in the back on a trip to the Blue Mountains. Should have known when we had trouble getting her into the back seat (had a coupe model) that it may be a problem.

Not a bad car overall if you just drive to the local shops.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th November, 2005