1980 Datsun 210 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I bought a new 1980 Datsun 210 2 dr sedan in WNC in early 1981 during a job relocation as I was driving a rented Chevette (horrible was being kind) and the Datsun 210 deal fell into my lap at the area’s Chevy dealer, that also owned a Datsun/Nissan dealership in the area. I wanted a Corolla but the nearest dealer was much farther away, so they made me a price I couldn’t refuse. The car was reasonably comfortable and handled better than the comparable Corolla but the 1.4L A14 engine had issues almost immediately with stumbling, missing and was very underpowered. It took about five trips to the dealer before it was resolved by me at home. The same engine was used in the Canadian car but the Canadian didn’t have a catalytic converter and used leaded fuel initially, unlike mine. The carburetor on mine had several ports for fine tuning that were factory sealed, requiring them to be drilled out. The dealer couldn’t do it due to emissions laws. I drilled them and the dealer did the adjustments. Once it was finally adjusted, it ran fine but still weak but was dependable. One thing I didn’t like about the car was road noise. It was like it had no sound deadening or sound insulation, even though it did but was useless. It did get around 30-35 mpg, which was great. I kept it for four years. For how little I paid compared to a base Corolla and got GMAC financing, it worked for me and my situation at the time.Dec 01, 2024