"Dottson"

[WhoIsTheLeader]

This is a crazy clean 1985 Nissan King Cab pickup. Except the seller clearly isn't very familiar with the brand.

Enhance!

If only the original owner had bought the car earlier, the original dealership hat included would have told the seller how to sell/pronounce that name.

Speaking of, it's pretty cool.

Here's the link if you'd like to take a look at it. It's a very cool truck.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/marietta-1985-nissan-mega-cab/7237717682.html

5k seems like a good deal on a rad 4x4 80s truck you don't see every day. You'd pay triple that if it were a Toyota.

[sony1492]

@whoistheleader must be getting old if all the beater farm trucks are worth money again

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@sony1492 Well, not much money compared to a beater farm truck 4x4 Toyota. And this one is only worth something because most were beater farm trucks.

[Shop-Teacher]

@whoistheleader Wow, that is cool. NP.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@shop-teacher It's a great hat that includes an entire truck!

[Mark Tucker]

Had one in college (regular cab, though). Loved it. Would love another. In fact, it's about the only truck I'd give up the forest service truck for...

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@mark-tucker Well it's hard for it to be further away from where you are and stay in the country so the forest service truck is safe. . . for now.

But just saying. . .

[SilentbutnotreallyDeadly]

@whoistheleader Five thousand American dollars for a Datsun 720 4x4? Err no....nope...uh uh.

The really important question is how has this survived? I remember seeing one disintegrating like the movie special effects in real life on Parramatta Road back before the turn of the century.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@silentbutnotreallydeadly And a month ago there was a similarly pristine tan 4x4 that was for sale. No idea what they did to keep it this nice but the fact that so few have survived I think increases the value of this one.

[onlytwowheels]

A friend's BIL bought one new, had the big 4x4 decals and stripes on the side. Rusted out in five years, like they all did in this area.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@onlytwowheels 'Nissan handles the rough stuff'*

*briefly

Too bad this one didn't have the cool decals. Admittedly there was a reason these didn't stick around as long as their Toyota counterparts but I'd argue that makes this one cooler.

And I'm looking at the ad text and it says the front is the business end. I'm inclined to disagree.

[onlytwowheels]

@whoistheleader The Toyota's of that period were just as susceptible to rust. An elderly neighbor's truck had significant rust after 3 years of limited use, but so did another neighbor's GMC. A coworker had the area above the wheel wells repaired twice in 5 years on his Toyota. Everything that guy owned had to look like new, which is probably why he started getting a new car every 2 years.

[Albino Kangaroo]

I learned how to drive stick in one of these!

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@onlytwowheels said in "Dottson":

@whoistheleader The Toyota's of that period were just as susceptible to rust. An elderly neighbor's truck had significant rust after 3 years of limited use, but so did another neighbor's GMC. A coworker had the area above the wheel wells repaired twice in 5 years on his Toyota. Everything that guy owned had to look like new, which is probably why he started getting a new car every 2 years.

Significant structural rust basically only happens here if it has spent time up north. You'll get some surface rust occasionally if the paint flakes off but if it's painted it'll be fine for many years. Some cars have trouble with water entrapment and that'll rust but it'll happen slowly and only in limited spots. The idea of having to replace sheet metal in 5 years is totally strange to me. At least rust-proofing is generally much better now so there's a lot less of that.

[onlytwowheels]

@whoistheleader Rust proofing has certainly improved, which helps cars last a bit longer in these parts. The problem areas are where the road salt and sand gets trapped. Frequent washing of the underside and wheel wells are necessary to minimize corrosion. Areas that can't be accessed during washing are doomed.

Subaru's, the unofficial car of Maine, generally start rusting where the rear quarter and rear bumper cover meet.

The Chevy Silverado is the best selling truck in Maine, it rots everywhere!

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@onlytwowheels It takes a special kind of bad rust proofing for me to regularly notice rust in Georgia. I usually see a Silverado with see through doors and bed around every other month here. I remember once seeing one with duct tape holding the door skin on taking up two parking spots at Walmart, presumably to avoid door dings. I don't know how you're supposed to puts things in the bed if the sides are perforated.

Though cars like Tacomas that have bad chassis rust and not body rust are dangerous as not everyone checks the underside. My friend bought an extremely rusty 4x4 4Runner from his family for a pittance as one more northern winter would have made it structurally unsound. For $400 it isn't terrible and it just works but it's also a rusty no AC truck so it isn't worth a dime here. Too rusty to offroad and too uncomfortable to commute in. Looks great from 10 feet though.

Surprisingly, I very very rarely see surface rust on 2000s Mazdas. I know the bodies on those basically disintegrated on contact with salt but I always see them entirely free of surface rust.

[onlytwowheels]

@whoistheleader Maine has strict regulations regarding chassis and body rot, as well as brake line rust. That Silverado would never pass annual inspection, neither would the Impreza. There is a guy at work that has a Ram 1500 that is nearly as bad as that Silverado. His state inspection stickered expired 2 years ago.....
He will drive it until he gets caught, then will have to decide whether to fix it or scrap it.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@onlytwowheels My guess is that a ticket and scrapping it is much less than the cost of fixing and registering it. Pretty sure I know what will happen.

[A Former User]

@66p1800inpieces I taught my son to drive stick in one of these. He was 6 at the time. Mine was the easiest shifting manual I have ever driven.