Good morning! We’ve made it to the end of another week, and as some of you have surmised, we’re back looking in the Golden State for our final pair – though, due to circumstances beyond any of our control, maybe not quite where you expected. Today is also going to be one of those rare days where you get a “both” option in the poll, because I think you might want it.
Well, that trashed Corvette yesterday went over like a lead balloon, as I expected. But kudos to the 21% if you who were brave enough to choose it! You could be right; there might be a salvageable Corvette (or one hell of a Lemons race car) hiding under all that crap. And if someone decides to find out, please let us know. That’s a story I could easily pitch to the powers that be.
Myself, I’m sticking with the majority and playing it safe with the Caravan. I’m no fan of the 2.6, but I can probably get it running well enough to take to car shows, where a bone-stock first-gen Caravan might be appreciated. And if not, a turbo/manual swap might be fun to try.
All right; it’s time for the big reveal of my stupid theme for the week. As some of you already figured out, we went from Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Tacoma, Philadelphia, Atlanta… and you would expect today would be LA. But that poor city has enough to deal with right now without someone poking around looking for cheap old cars, so we’ll skip it and head straight to northern California, where I’m told the girls are “warm.” (I suspect they average 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit there, just like everywhere else, but whatever.) Today’s cars are the same low price, and in roughly the same condition, and complement each other so well that I suspect you may want to vote for both. Let’s check them out.
1982 Datsun 720 ST – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.2-liter overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: San Francisco, CA
Odometer reading: 200,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
Once again, here we have one of my favorite little Japanese trucks: the Nissan/Datsun 720 series. These little wonders aren’t as refined as the later Hardbody and Frontier, but they’re built like tanks, and they have attitude in spades. This is an earlier example, when the taillights were still below the tailgate, and the hood still had black plastic louvers. And, more importantly, before “The Name Was Nissan.” This one still just says Datsun on the badges.
The very earliest 720s were powered by the old L20 four-cylinder, but this one is new enough to have the twin-spark NAPS-Z engine, displacing 2.2 liters. It has 200,000 miles on it, but it runs great, the seller says. It was just tuned up, has new brakes and tires, and the timing chain and water pump were replaced 20,000 miles ago.
This is the sporty ST model, which features bucket seats, a center console, a tach, a sporty steering wheel, and those graphics on the outside. It’s a little rough inside, but not bad at all for the age and mileage. The seller says everything works, and they claim it has air conditioning, but I see neither a button on the dash nor a compressor under the hood. It does have power steering, though, which is a luxury for a little truck like this.
The outside isn’t perfect, but it’s rust-free, and it has good patina. The bed has been coated in spray-on or roll-on bedliner, so it should be ready to earn its keep. And of course, it has those wonderful rope cleats on the outside of the bed.
1990 Volvo 740 GL – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.3-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Sonoma, CA
Odometer reading: 250,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
How do you follow up a popular boxy car? If you’re Volvo, you make an even boxier one. The 740 was supposed to replace the 240, but the 240 stubbornly refused to be put out to pasture, and actually outlived the 740 by a year. This body style was originally sold as the 760, with the infamous PRV V6 under the hood; this 740 features Volvo’s lower-powered but far more durable “redblock” inline four.
You could get this engine with a turbocharger, featured in a wonderful series of magazine ads, but this one is naturally aspirated. Moreover, it’s backed by a four-speed automatic, which is a bit of a letdown for enthusiasts, but at least it’s a good reliable automatic. This car has a quarter of a million miles on it, and it runs beautifully. It has a bunch of new parts including a new timing belt and rear brakes.
The 740 was a step upmarket from the 240, and it’s just a little bit nicer inside. This one is in very nice shape, it looks like, and the only thing that doesn’t work currently is the air conditioning. It could use some new door seals, the seller says, but that’s about it.
It has aftermarket wheels, which I like, and add-on chrome trim on the wheel arches, which I’m not as crazy about. But since it’s a California car, it’s unlikely they’re hiding any rust. The paint is faded, and the clear coat is of course falling off, but it’s straight.
I actually like both of these cars well enough that I hesitate to pit them against one another, but that’s the name of the game. They’re $3,500 each, but honestly, I think buying them both would be seven grand well spent. If you agree, I’ll give you the option of choosing both. If for some reason you don’t want either one of them, tough. You’ll just have to wait for next week.
(Image credits: sellers)
I love both. I had a little bit later 720, which said Nissan on its tailgate. It was a King Cab and I had a neighbor who had a Volvo 245 wagon, but not nosed into the garage door like that one did. I never drove their car. But I think they were both just sturdy vehicles of their era. Unlikely to do something to take a lot out our wallets. My Nissan didn’t and I don’t think their Volvo did either.
I never had a Volvo, but I did have a Saab 9000 Turbo. It treated me well and I sold it after a couple of years, what I paid for it. So…. better than my BMW experiences went.
The truck! I see it with 4-5k of junkyard add ons like a 5.3v8, t56, f-body disc brakes, cheap flares, and 15” bronze wheels w/ 275s at each corner. Road trip?!
I guess technically, the 240 outlived the 740 in the US, but a 940 was the same thing with a very few updates – in fact for the wagons the ONLY differences between a ’91-92 745 and a ’91-92 945 was the seats, and that you could get a 16V redblock in the ’91 940GLE but not the 740, as there was no 740GLE anymore. 7s and 9s were sold side-by-each for two model years, then the 940 went to 1995 in the US, 1998 elsewhere.
That said, I have had ten 7/940s and they are fantastic cars – albeit OLD cars now with OLD car problems. So I have BTDT, time for something different – the wee Japanese pickup for me. If the 740 was a wagon different story though.
Useless Volvo trivia – the North American-spec 1990 740 has front end plastic, grill, headlights, and hood that are different from the 740s that came before (they had four sealed beams) and the 740s that came after that look the same, and all of it is unique to that model year. But interchangeable if you change all of it, other than the edges of the hood won’t line up quite right with the edges of the grille.. I manage to own all three flavors of 1990 740 – 8V, 16V, and turbo, all sedans. The 16V was the best of the three, albeit by far the most expensive to maintain and most delicate.
I learned the truth of that last paragraph for myself when I lightly crunched my ’92 745T and located a ’90 744GLE parts car with a snapped timing belt. (I hope it wasn’t yours; this one was wine red and in southern New Hampshire, stuck in the woods for a few years as of 2010-11ish.)
No, my ’90 GLE was dark blue. And met it’s end when an 8″ tree limb fell on it during a bad storm while parked. Not only bashed in the roof, but bashed in the sunroof so the car flooded badly from the rain. Belonged to my former roommate at that point.
That car was a survivor – she had the radiator neck snap off, and not knowing any better drove the thing 10 miles home from work with no coolant in it. It survived.
Amusingly, the ’90 Turbo belonged to Dan Roth who also posts here. He sold it to my OTHER roommate, who sold it to me, and I sold it to my kid brother. Another good car, annoyingly my mother traded it and the ’90 8V that I had given her in on a horrific Dodge Caliber for kid brother. Without telling me, or I would have put a stop to it.
I believe I recall you mentioning recently that your mother’s V70 is being replaced (or already has been) by a Kia Soul? Mostly just so it won’t be a worry, from my recollection, but based on that last paragraph, I wouldn’t judge you at all if there was just a soupçon of spite involved. 🙂
The 740 was many years ago now. The V70 was mine, I gave it to her when her Camry drowned in the hurricane two years ago. I could deal with the occasional old Volvo issue, but every single little thing resulted in a panicked phone call to me. NOT having to deal with that was well worth the cost of a Soul. No spite involved, and she picked the Soul after we looked at and test drove every car on the market under $30K. It is a perfect fit for her needs. Great car really, if all you are looking for is good basic transportation. The Caliber experience taught her to NOT buy cars without consulting me, and she hasn’t since. That thing was an absolutely epic fail.
Getting rid of the Volvos was not a bad decision, they were very old cars at that point, it’s the way it happened that was stupid. I could have sold them for far more than the $400 that the dealer gave in trade for the pair of them on an overpriced heap of dog poo. At the times, the cats alone were worth more than that. And that Caliber would have been the best Corolla I could find for the money.
The only vintage trucks I am interested in are 4×4. Your tastes and interests may vary.
The Volvo takes my vote. That’s one clean car for the price.
The price is a sign of the times though – 15 years ago you could have gotten one nicer than this for <$1500, because I did, a couple times. Wagons no less.
I wanted to love the Datsun but my Spidey sense is tingling. I see no evidence of A/C and that ignition switch looks pretty janky. Instead of keys does it come with a screwdriver? I’ll take the big, beige, boring box, which is inevitable anyway.
Owned a 1984 720 4×4 for several years until 2019. I got the engine rebuilt at 280K because it was burning oil and the head also had a small crack next to a coolant passage. Otherwise the engine still had power and ran okay, no rough idle nor valvetrain sounds.
Considering this one had recent timing and water pump service it should be alright.
Regular oil changes are all the difference, but due to it’s age I’d also make sure to do the cooling system as it’s a weak point on these and the head / HG are unforgiving on these.
Other than that it’s a great truck and the price is too good to pass on it.
I don’t like that Volvo so I’m not going with both, but it sure sounds like a good deal to someone else.
I’d also get rid of that Hitachi carb, it runs lean and it doesn’t like tuning. Had to get that one rebuilt but if I had to get it done again I’d have gone Weber for a couple hundred more.
A pair of SUs will get the job done much simpler and maybe cheaper than a Weber.
Just read Datsun is rust free and runs great,that’s good enough for me.
If I had to pick one, it would probably be the Volvo, even though I have a big RWD Panther sedan sitting in my driveway that I should get back on the road. It’s probably easier to fix air conditioning than to source appropriate parts for a period-correct retrofit. But I don’t, so both.
Both, a actual truck with a bed you can use ,and a rock solid Volvo DD.
Almost went both, but I would never drive the Volvo, so that would be a waste.
Datsun of course, though I’d rather hold out for a bulletside King Cab or a 521 glider to EV-convert.
Both! Part of this is nostalgia, as my mom had a 240 in the early 70’s and I had a 620 in the mid-80’s. I have very fond memories of both of those, and the two together would be a great combo.
Would prefer a long roof Volvo, but you don’t need a wagon if you have a pickup, so Both for the win!
I finally gave in and chose both. Normally I always choose one or the other- if I did that it would definitely be the truck though
Of all the cars and trucks I’ve owned, the Datsun 720 I drove in high school in the late 80s is one of the few “ones that got away”. I sold it when I left home for college, and still wish I hadn’t. It was manual everything, including the front hubs.
Would I DD it now? Nope. Mine had no AC which is a nonstarter for DD’ing now. Would it get me to Home Depot and trailheads for weekend chores and fun today? Absolutely. With 2″ of lift, my little 4WD 720 ate up jeep trails like Rico pass, Yankee Boy Basin, and the infamous Black Bear. It wasn’t great in the snow unless you had a couple hundred extra pounds of sand or scrap metal in the back of the bed. However, with some extra weight in back and studded snow tires, even scary winter drives like Red Mountain, Lizard Head pass and Wolf Creek pass went from an exercise in stupidity to “a long drive to go skiing”.
The world needs more minimal trucks and that little 720 survivor needs a good home.
Most 30+ years old vehicles no longer have a working A/C but mine did after having the lines and compressor overhauled. My passengers were thrilled when they hoped into my 35 year truck with cold A/C. I daily-ed it for a couple years before selling it (which I regret to this day)
Both. But if I had to choose… Datsun.
Thanks for the nostalgia-inducing link to the “Yes, It Will Fly” ad. I remember cutting that one out of Motor Trend and tacking it to my wall as a kid. Next to it on my wall was an ad from Saab, showing a head-on shot of a 900 on two wheels.
Still chose the Datsun. ♪ “We! Are! … Driven!”
720 all day if I didn’t already have a broken pickup in my garage
Waiting on replacement GM sheet metal bolts to replace all the rotten/rounded ones I’m removing 🙁
Would like a pick’em up in my driveway cause I daily a Mustang.
I like that Datsun and might consider it if I were closer. But I’d save the other $3500 to work on it. The Volvo is pretty nice, but not something I’d maintain in addition to the truck.
Both of these are overpriced for what they are. So I’ll go with the Datsun since it’s a manual.
Also – the Volvo is pretty trucky, so it’ll help scratch that itch, too. Get a cheap utility trailer from Harbor Freight and you’ve basically got even better function than the pickup.