Driving A BRAND NEW 1983 Nissan Truck With Under 800 Original Miles!

[@TheCarCrazyGuy]

I purchased a new 1983 Toyota truck. It was essentially the same configuration with no amenities as well. As a 21 year old I was happy to have it. I spent $5900 back then. Boy times have changed.

[@LukeEdward]

“Girl times” have changed, too.

[@jpquebec123]

My dad had a 84 Toyota, by 89 it was rusted through. Yes times has changed, luckily.

[@horseathalt7308]

@@jpquebec123 LOL well you live in the rust zone. If you didn't that truck would have lasted and still be working on the road today!

[@michaelholden6096]

Still driving my '89 toyota pickup only complaint is that it's a 2wd but i still love driving it around town great on gas also.

[@JasPlun]

The 1985 720 4x4 ext cab I had cost $8500 I just sold it last year. 40 years old still all original running great. I take that back on all original I replaced the Carb with a Weber Carb gave it more HP and it ran much better, but gave it worse gas mileage. I also put a set of mag wheels on it, but had the original steel wheels when it sold they got a complete truck. It had 136k miles on it and still ran fine it was never used as a hwy truck though, but saw a lot of trails through its life. I would buy one in a second right now if you could buy one new still.

[@markmonroe7330]

I wish somebody still make "normal" sized trucks. Saw a new Tacoma next to a late 90's Chevrolet 1500 the other day and the Taco looked "bigger" and actually massive next to it. The hood on new Chevrolet trucks is literally chest high on a 6" adult male now.

[@aerynlovell4754]

You guys seemed surprised that Nissan would build a 2WD as their first truck built in the United States. However, what you guys are too young to understand is that until sometime in the 2000s, 4x4 trucks were rare. When I was a kid, I only met two guys that had 4x4s because they worked in remote locations that didn't have any roads. Most people drove a 2WD truck, and in the winter or on muddy dirt roads, they would put tire chains on to get similar traction to a 4x4. In the summer, my dad worked on road construction and had a 1980s Chev 2WD farm truck with Mud Terrain tires on the back for maximum traction and street tires on the front. I saw him drive through deep mud with a 2WD truck and never felt the need to buy a 4x4. My current truck is a 2WD Canyon, and I put M/T tites on the back and H/T tires on the front like the farm truck that I remember from my childhood. You guys also mentioned that in the comments people say they want a more low tech truck. John Hennessey, in an interview, mentioned a new trend in car customization that he called Retro-Mods. There is a dislike or hatred of modern technology in vehicles because it constantly beeps at you and is as annoying as possible until you do what the computer wants you to do. The traction Control system in my 2016 Canyon would flash on the multifunction screen when it detected wheelspin. I live in Canada and in snow you need to spin your tires sometimes to maintain momentum and avoid getting stuck. But the traction control system would cut input from the gas pedal when it detected wheelspin and the truck would stop and I would get stuck. So I removed the fuses for the traction control system and now the light will flash but it can't interfere with my decisions as the driver. I also want analog gauges so I will need to build a new dash and replace the gauges, and infotainment screen. When John Hennessey mentioned Retro-Mods I was surprised because I thought I was the only person that hated the annoying technology trends in modern vehicles.

[@Jonatan_SE]

That old truck is about as basic as a truck can be, cool! Tommy and Kase are good at these types of comparison videos, keeping it interesting even if the vehicle isn't the 'most' special in the world. They have that great chemistry that makes for good talk, whatever the subject. Keep it up!

[@Sertsch]

I like the interior of the old Nissan. The new one looks like Matchbox (not as bad as other Brands and models but still).

[@horseathalt7308]

*I'd love to buy one of these brand new with a manual transmission, you could actually afford to buy it, and it would last forever if you didn't live in a rust prone area!*

[@tethyl]

As the owner of a 1984 720, I really appreciate seeing one of these without crumpled front fenders and a bent front bumper.

[@coffee838]

the reason you saw that is because the ones without them were sold for cheap for their unreliability by responsible people before 30k mi. then the people who bought them cheap, literally like a year after it came out, are poor and stupid.

[@Randythesavage777]

This was a time when anybody could afford brand new trucks 😅

[@horseathalt7308]

Bingo. The 1983 was everything MOST people needed in a basic pick up truck, and you could actually afford to buy it in cash and still pay for all your other bills. USA has become a third world country today. Only the rich live well.

[@saxonrains]

Yea I bought a brand new s10 in 88 for 9k lol

[@kevinbarry71]

One thing you guys might not be appreciating, because you're too young to know this, back in those days trucks like that weren't sold so much on their utility; they were sold much more as cheap basic transportation. Which is very often how they were used

[@30smsuperstrat]

Back in the 80s, dads didn't have to hang out with the family except for vacation, church, holidays, and graduation. They could drive their truck to work, go fishing, and hang out at cheers to watch the game all in their non family truck.😂

[@LifeAfterLosing]

Those were the days

[@kevinbarry71]

Back in those days rear bumpers were optional on just about every pickup truck.

[@30smsuperstrat]

Exactly. I remember my dad looking at the bumper display at the dealer, for which one they would install on his new Chevy truck. And if he wanted, he could have ordered one from JC Whitney to install himself.

[@AkioWasRight]

Today, we employ bumpers to protect more valuable components in an accident. But since tailgates and tail lights were simple to replace back then, bumpers had nothing worth protecting. If you got into a minor accident in the rear, you just went to a junkyard and replaced parts for less than the cost of a new bumper. That or you just just hammered out whatever got tweaked. For most truck guys from yore, the bumper was more of a finishing aesthetic piece. You didn't care about damage to the truck.

[@andrewsmith9575]

Wow! Nice to see a manufacturer can keep a collector vehicle running! I loved working on these back in the day as well. My big question is, how long today’s vehicles will last compared to the older ones. The pathfinder in front of you were SO popular back in the day here in Colorado. Worked on a ton of those as well. A great vehicle to work on along with the customers that owned them. Can’t think of a better way for two automotive journalists to appreciate what was going on back in the day. Wonderful to see Tommy and Kase embrace the vintage vehicles. Another true TFL classic!

[@acalthu]

We had a JDM 720 double cab until 2001. It was diesel powered by the SD22 engine. Ours had factory AC, and a rear chrome bumper. The tail gate however didn't have a handle like that, it had the older catch loop lever style handle on either side. It's still running to this day, as I see it in my village every now and then. It also had the three spoke sports steering wheel. I believe the trim was SGL.

[@cowboy4299]

I’d buy a new 720 in a heartbeat build it

[@llg3pe]

The only “luxury” feature on the ‘83 is the automatic transmission.

[@horseathalt7308]

Few people buying that truck would have opted for the automatic, most of them were sold in the USA with the manual transmission.

[@davidnuxoll7074]

The public has been asking for a similar sized truck for a couple years. Current D41 is too long for my garage so I’m staying with my D40 frontier

[@325xitgrocgetter]

1983...I remember the ad campaigns during the change from Datsun to Nissan...with the ending statement of "The Name Is Nissan!" From what I recall, many of the options were dealer installed, like the radio, door mirrors and air conditioning. The 1980s was a great time for small trucks and they were perfect for the college student...low price, small foot print for parking and great for hauling your stuff when moving out of the dorm or apartment at the end of the semester. The only issue that impacted life spans...road salt, as these weren't the most corrosion resistant at the time.

[@jimmorrison9656]

When I was 19 in 1983, I had a job delivering medical supplies in a Datsun just like that. I drove the crap out of that truck. It took it and then some.Great truck.

[@smithjones1906]

18:15 Claim by Case is clearly incorrect. The overwhelming majority of these rusted back into the dirt. They are _not_ still around. That's what makes the one you guys drove so special...

[@horseathalt7308]

Not true in the Southwest. No rust to speak of there.

[@cowboy4299]

I like the Zcar in the rear view

[@kevinweeks-b1s]

A truck back then was a working truck todays trucks are suv's with a bed no one uses if you had a 4x4 back then it would look the same inside but without carpet just wash it out with a hose

[@AkioWasRight]

Blue is the most underrated interior color. More new vehicles should offer blue interiors.

[@golfbravowhiskey8669]

I still have my 1984. It's badged Nissan. I bought it in 1986 used with about 20,000 miles on it that's when I broke out cable splicing as a contractor, I used it for seven years until I became a company employee for the telephone company. It was very basic just like that one except it was four-wheel-drive and still didn't have a passenger side mirror It's been a great truck it just stays on the ranch now with square bales of hay stacked in it Think the odometer reads right at 240,000 miles on the original engine and transmission minus one clutch and a few starters

[@SurlyriderBilly]

Need to take a look at that Pathfinder as well

[@LifeAfterLosing]

The type of truck I would love to get brand new. I do like the Frontier, but a cheap and simple truck that doesn’t take up a lot of room, would be great to have.

[@horseathalt7308]

*Austere is GOOD, especially when it means low cost, and less to break and fail over time!*

[@30smsuperstrat]

When I was a freshman in high school (88-89), my boss at my summer landscaping job drove a Datsun badged truck in those exact colors with a manual transmission, complete with an 8 ball modified to screw onto the shifter.

[@kevinblock2307]

That truck is awesome

[@alienc3]

My father bought a brand new 1984 version of this truck with the SD25 Diesel engine in it. It was the first vehicle I drove when I was learning how to drive. For the time it was a higher spec'ed model as it was a King Cab with the 2 jump seats behind the front seats, the front seats had head rests built into them, and I seem to remember they were bucket seats as opposed to the bench in this model. It didn't have 4WD or the top radio (was an AM radio with one speaker on the driver's side) but thankfully had the 5-speed manual. It was the slowest vehicle I've ever driven and I've driven a Hyundai Pony with the 1.4 engine and a Pontiac Firefly with a 3 cylinder engine and and automatic. If you started up a hill from a stop it struggled to get to 80kph and that was holding it in 3rd gear. If all you ever had to do was drive it in urban traffic where you never had to get over that speed it wasn't that bad. Beyond 80kph it had a hard time maintaining speed on any sort of grade. The biggest issue with those trucks was the rust, the box rusted out after only a few years and the rest of the cab followed soon after. That engine though provided you had a decent battery would start right up no problems at all. Would have made a fantastic woods truck if I had somewhere to use it for that purpose. And unlike modern diesels this one was loud, it shook the truck at idle, if you revved it out at all it sounded like it was going to blow up and on cold starts it rolled to coal for a good few minutes until it warmed up!

[@OldThomMerton]

There really isn't much to match the Missan these days . . . the Nissan is a compact truck, built in the US to avoid the Chicken Tax. Maverick and Santa Cruz . . . maybe more light trucks comming. I see a first Gen 4-runner and a early Z car in that same convoy that you drove old Nissan. PLEASE, tell me that you had a chance to drive those?!?!?!?!? Great job as usual, Tommy and Kase!!!

[@brantschenkrealtor]

My brother and I used to drive a 1988 Nissan Pathfinder. It had two doors and a tire carrier also had a button to stiffen the shocks. See if you guys can find one of those to review!

[@waynesmith-r8c]

i love the old truck

[@kevinbarry71]

It is old versus even older

[@sidney-kt6zu]

Why can't we get classic vehicles as an option for sale in today's time?

[@JasPlun]

I owned a 1985 Nissan 720 4x4 it is all original still on the road today I saol it last year because parts were becoming very hard and I mean very hard to find for them. You mostly had to buy junk truck parts and rebuilt parts to keep them going, but it lasted 40 years all original!

[@matthewprather7386]

One of my high school classmates had a King Cab version of this exact truck. Manual transmission though. Worked fine.

[@andressaucedo7992]

In other markets outside the U.S. they still make basic "cheap" trucks like hilux, nissan np300 or nevara, rangers, and other brands. That are Just a single cab, Long bed, manual Windows and you see them everywhere

[@palebeachbum]

I love these classic new car reviews! Please keep them coming. The size and simplicity of that old Nissan Datsun appeal to me. I loathe how fussy, big, and expensive modern "small" trucks have become. That said, the new Frontier is my favorite midsize truck. It looks handsome and rugged. I like the simplicity. I like the standard V6 instead of a turbo 4 like the competitors. Nissan did a fantastic job overall.

[@l.cfootman3259]

Hey guys, that engine series with the two spark plugs per cylinder was referred to as " the NapZ engine'! Nissan offered that similar engine in a few of their cars in the early 80's. Keep up the good work guys!!

[@heint8169]

Simplicity, I love it

[@scottenser464]

That is a doable wall . In the 80s and 90s it was common for pickups not to come with back bumpers. You paid extra for it

[@marcusgarvie4758]

Think they just stopped making the datsun (stacked headlights though)in Iran, affectionately know as nissan blue I believe.

[@stevenrogers2457]

I had one with a 4 speed, it wouldn't win any races, but it was reliable as heck

[@wompa70]

Going through basic training in 1989, my battalion sergeant major had one of these. It was a tan short bed version. No idea what year it was.

[@GCMoto97]

Having that cubby flap is rare. The radio is usually in that spot.

[@RobertRichardson-c9o]

I would rather have the older Nissan!

[@roberthopkins2494]

The last time I saw that much blue in an interior was my 79 Olds Cutlass Supreme

[@richardkafka5625]

Build that 720 now and I'd buy one. Just clean, basic transportation!

[@horseathalt7308]

YES! It's what many people need and what we can actually afford! I'd buy one tomorrow if they made it brand new today!

[@charleschin2612]

I wonder if them 2 guys know that that little 2.4liter, 8 spark plugs engine was a beast when it's modify and could take alot of tuned up to outperform many similar vehicles back then even today it's still faster than the average street cars with some good modifications .

[@daveflibotte6962]

It would be interesting to find out, what it would take to make a truck similar to that 83, but with all the now required equipment, i.e. airbags, crumple, zones, backup cameras, etc.

[@horseathalt7308]

*Most of those 1983 model trucks would have been sold with a manual transmission, even in the USA*. In that form they were actually very peppy to drive!*

[@secondcreekworkshop3908]

Regular cab, check Long bed, check Perfect I will take it.

[@poweredbyrice5708]

Progressed? Yeah worse mpg, not even a small truck anymore, giant heavy whale, can't repair, full of junk to go wrong and fail.

[@waynesmith-r8c]

100%

[@horseathalt7308]

Absolutely. Oh and they are unaffordable, even the cheapest new trucks cost far too much. Bring back that 1983 build it today and they will sell tons of them in the USA.

[@whatdoyouexactlymeanbyhandle]

@@horseathalt7308the EPA:

[@eggdogtim8593]

Nissan wouldn't let them take out that gem if they didn't try to sell some new trucks

[@c0ldyloxproductions324]

Tbh, the frontier being the last gasp of a naturally aspirated midsized truck, its the cheapest midsized truck you can buy run, and probably the easiest to work on under modern standards, its also the smallest midsized truck rn too

[@85bigGMC]

I’m only 4 minutes in, is that a single windshield washer dispenser on the hood? 😂

[@johnrossi6212]

Love when you guys get to review the pretty much new older vehicles. Was that an old Pathfinder in front of you when making the one turn?

[@gregholloway2656]

18:25 I suspect if there was a truck for sale today for $10k, it would sell like hotcakes, regardless of how base/crappy it is.

[@ectofix8447]

Looks like you were in Smyrna TN. Welcome to Tennessee! EDIT: Oops! You said where you're at in the end of the vid. So, near Nissan's corporate headquarters in Franklin. Their factory is in Smyrna.

[@RippenGriff]

Waiting for the Alpha Wolf EV truck.

[@jamesonpace726]

Hard to watch such youngsters blather about times I remember clearly. -sigh- ....

[@horseathalt7308]

Yeah, they are terrible, and whiney about those vehicles manufactured back in the 1980s and 90s. Somehow we bought and drove these vehicles and were generally happy, and we survived without all the stupid safety nannies.

[@steverohde1520]

This is a classic hiccup truck. Wish they sold this type truck today.

[@BeansMcGriddle]

Datsun is Nissan! Nissan is DATSUN!!!!

[@deecivic]

Classic !!!

[@Fydron]

I wish i could still buy new utilitarian cheap simple pick op or van because modern cars are just way too expensive and full of crap i will never have any use at all.

[@Maximusfoisey]

They don't make them like they was

[@horseathalt7308]

True, those 1980s and 1990s Nissan vehicles would last forever as long as you didn't live in rust prone areas, and you could actually afford to BUY them, not just lease.

[@Jflux69]

The Old One is way better. I hate four doors. I'm Tall, the king Cab is enough.

[@LukeEdward]

Kase 22:57 so you’re saying Ford Maverick?

[@horseathalt7308]

Ford Maverick isn't even a REAL truck, and it still ain't cheap for what you get.

[@horseathalt7308]

*$50,000 USD* Not Awesome, OUTRAGEOUS!*

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Nice 😀

[@muhammadadly9092]

H-hi!

[@TheCosmicGuy0111]

Vroom

[@horseathalt7308]

*The new truck is an over priced, over complicated, over weight, less practical joke*

[@paulmadkow9143]

Just picked up a new 2024 Frontier. Pretty basic truck for mid 30s. Everything you need, nothing you don't.

[@horseathalt7308]

It's NOT a basic truck. The price is unaffordable for most buyers today even in the USA.

[@paulmadkow9143]

@horseathalt7308 one. You don't know anything about the spec of my truck. If you think mid 30s for a new 4x4 truck is unaffordable, you need to take yourself back to the 70s my man.

[@horseathalt7308]

@@paulmadkow9143 I will, your truck is over complicated, over complex, over priced, and less practical than the 83 in the video. The MSRP for the top of the line 720 4x4 was $9,050 USD. The fact is that when you included insurance and other needs today your 2024 truck is outrageously priced and unaffordable to purchase for most buyers today.