1978 Datsun 120Y 1.2 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

The best car ever made

Faults:

The only thing it needed was a freshen up with a service eg new filters and fluids and I had the seats re done.

General Comments:

The car is so reliable I have not had one problem.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th August, 2006

1978 Datsun 120Y B210 1.2 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

The greatest people's car ever made

Faults:

Needs a small amount of welding.

Seats are sagging.

Vinyl roof is lifting, but will be taken off as it is a rust trap.

General Comments:

Sunny coupe. Purchased from an enthusiast who picked it up from a little old lady. Waxoyled from the start, this one is probably one of the best examples in the UK. Nippy around town, sluggish on the motorway, so I follow trucks in the slow lane, although my girlfriend coaxes speed from somewhere I can't figure. Lead foot I guess.

Attracts more attention than a Porsche or late model Ferrari. I'm not kidding. Kids go nuts over it.

So, slow, not all that comfortable, but cheap to run, insure, fun to drive and will hold its value if cared for.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd May, 2006

12th Jan 2007, 08:36

An update. Had an accident in the car. Needed a new wing which we managed to get brand new (thanks to Datman.) The other car (a Mondeo) came off a lot worse, so I'm pleased with the strength of the little beast.

18th Nov 2011, 08:04

Still motoring along in Sunny, and she gets more and more attention as the years go by. Pity the same does not apply to the owner.

1978 Datsun 120Y from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Attention grabbing

Faults:

Battery went dead.

General Comments:

I loved my Datsun. It was a bit sluggish, but kept on going and going and going...

I thought it was really comfortable too, and so did everyone else that got in.

Looked cool too, funky like.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th October, 2005

1978 Datsun 120Y 1.2L from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Butt ugly. Gutless as. Horrible seats. Easy to push start. Hard to kill

Faults:

Starter ring gear rotated on flywheel. Needed multiple start attempts before she roared (wimpered) into life. I just got into the habit of parking on hills facing down.

Fouled the plugs all the time (but then I was running it on AVGAS)

The Cam and cylinder bores were heavily worn when the previous owner (a work mate) bought it. He pulled it down. Decided it wasn't worth investing in repairs, and just reassembled it. The plan was to just thrash it about till it died.

General Comments:

The 120Y is the ugliest car I have ever owned.

I knew the motor was about stuffed, as I saw it disassembled about six months before. It had survived those six months so I figured it was worth NZD $450.

I got posted to Pilot Training squadron (Piston powered aircraft) so I ran the Datsun on AVGAS for the next 18 months. Think it got super twice. The Lead fouled the plugs, but then we had a plug tester and sandblaster so they just regular cleaning.

Couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding. Really, really gutless car.

Sold it for NZD $550 when I emigrated. A year later my old man ran into the new owner in the pub and he was raving about how reliable it was.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd January, 2004

12th Jun 2008, 08:41

Good Man!

So you had the ugliest 'rat' car too! We boys, a long time ago now, used to use one as a field car (toy). It was sludge gray. The laughs we had torturing it! It received every flavour petrol we could lay our greasy little mits on.

The tyres were down to the canvas, the seats were torn to pieces and the boot was full of broken glass and soiled clothing. It stunk like a cross between a public loo, a petrol station and an arm pit.

It was indestructible though and we even used to play a very stupid game whereby, one of us would don an old crash helmet and tear around the field whilst the others took pot shots at him with air rifles! Ping, twoink, pow.

The other daft game was for three of us to hang on to the roof whilst the pilot attempted to shake them off. I couldn't drive very well at the time as I hadn't passed my test and so took to driving under trees in an attempt to scrape them off! The pain, the pain. Poor car! Great!!!

1st May 2010, 22:16

Haha! That's incredible, just brought a 78 120y, my dad used to play the same stupid game with his, mates on the roof. Hood surfing? Haha he got a mighty hole in his back from that, but that's OK right? Haha looking forward to driving my 120y for years to come!