So, Why did you buy a Roadster?

[MSmethers]

Thouroughly enjoying this thread. Some great stories. Mine is not very exciting, but different than most thus far.

I've always been a Muscle Car guy. GTO's, Camaros Etc. About 2009 a buddy came blasting up in his 67 1600 with a huge grin on his face. I thought, hmmm, cool car, kinda cute. He started collecting a couple others for spare parts and parked one at the shop for a while. I came across a 94 V6 Camaro for next to nothing and said to myself, Self, that would be a unique drivetrain for that Roadster sitting in the corner of the shop. Talked to my friend and we struck a deal. Flash forward to today, I've got a $26K (so far) car worth ??? that I've never driven or even sat in. But hey, it's the journey, not the destination right?

[pletch]

Mike, your statement below may have been my two cars I was trying to sell a few years back.. was the low windshield red 1600 and the other a 2000 purple with a white stripe?

While visiting a friend in Pleasanton I stopped in to a classic car dealership to take a look at 2 there for sale. IIRC a low and a high windshield car.

[ReddTrain]

I love convertibles. Always have...always will. My first "choice" car purchase was a '99 Sebring (in '02), and I really enjoyed driving around with the top down and the wind rushing through my hair. Of course, it was a Sebring - it had rattles and glitches and was more of a headache than it was worth, so I moved on to a more suitable car (a Toyota Matrix)...but the itch for a convertible to drive never left.

For several years I watched evilBay, looking for a play car - something with a drop top on the cheap. Originally my thought was to get some overlooked late 50's/early 60s big American iron and restomod it to enjoy...but I couldn't find what exactly I was looking for. Then, about 15 months ago, I saw a Roadster...and I just knew that would be what I would buy when I got some money. My dad had a 510 when I was small, and he loved that car.

Long story short: The money came through. I joined 311s. Someone here posted a CL ad for a car outside Portland. I flew up, saw it, loved it, bought it and had it shipped. Now I just have to do the niggling little things to get it legal, then start driving it. (Or, alternatively, I need to fall into even MORE money, have it restomodded up to what I'm dreaming of, paint it #655 off-white (the color of my dad's 510) and drive the wheels off it.)

tl;dr: Jumped in the Pacific without knowing how to swim.

[bikermike]

Mike, your statement below may have been my two cars I was trying to sell a few years back.. was the low windshield red 1600 and the other a 2000 purple with a white stripe?

It was around Aug 2008. I remember a black one and a red one at Specialty Sales.

[woton121]

When I was a kid, my dad brought a XKE back from England when he got out of the military. We used to ride around in the parcel shelf area and I loved how I could see the sky while in a car! I loved that car and would have bought it from him when he sold it if I had the money. In high school I was given a Fiat spider that didn’t run and was a real POS, but I tried to get it running to no avail. It met its maker, and I bought a VW squareback. That same year (1984) one of my good friends pulled up in a 2000, with bright yellow paint and some matching mesh rims, I was so jealous! My squareback was no match for this beauty. I wanted one, had never seen one, and had no idea that Datsun made a convertable. After high school my dad decided he needed a new car, his '71 240Z that he bought new was just getting too old for him so he sold it to me for $1.00. I drove the heck out of that car.
After getting married and having kids, it was clear that the Z needed to go…to storage!
In 2006 the kids were growing fast and I decided it was time to get the Z out of storage and start to work on it again, figured it would just be a project car and a weekend driver. While working on it, I found E-bay and was very excited about the availability of parts. I have learned of course that e-bay is not the best resource, but in my searches, I came across the roadster.
The memories came flooding back and I had to have one! The search was on. In 2007 I found a 66 in Reno, contacted the guy and borrowed a truck with a rented car hauler. The next day I was the owner of a car I knew nothing about, that didn’t run, and that I couldn’t afford at the time. I was able to get it running and fixed quite a few things here and there, but it will always be a WIP (work in progress) until I win the lottery! I blame my dad for the disease, it all started with the E Type and ended with the Z that is still in the restoration phase!
Good times!

[gmagana]

Looks like this posting might become habitual I bought my Roadster in 1983, I never saw one except in a catalog by Rallye. The back cover had a real cool one with Panasports, red in color and I just had to have one. The catalog was at work and I found out it belonged to a coworker who had six kids. The roadster he had was broken down, had been sitting for many years. I took a look at it and had to have it, being 17 at the time My Dad said no, but I persisted and ended up buying it. I have had the car since then and still enjoy driving it whenever I can find the time. It turns out the car was a 67.5 2 liter, I didnt realize the significance of this until after the Modesto club pointed it out to me. The car is now completely restored and is a weekend toy.


Incidentally I remember being with Alvin the day he looked at his Roadster in Modesto and yes he had to have it. Incidentally the Modesto club still meets for Coffee every Tuesday to this day.

[Datsun.David]

I saw my first Roadster at a used car lot outside of Buffalo, Wyoming, covered in snow... I was on an ill-conceived dead of winter road trip from Calgary, Canada to Denver, Colorado with my dumb ugly twin brother, in his 1972 Toyota Corolla. This was 1990. We were 18. Shortly thereafter, the Toyota ended up upside down in a snowbank, the roadster cleared from my recent memory by the bath of milk I received when the cooler exploded on my head... Rolled the Corolla back on it's wheels and found our way to Denver in one piece, slightly funky smelling (see milk above). The next roadster was going the other way down Macleod Trail (major thoroughfare in Calgary), me in my 74 260Z. I pulled a U-turn, frantically, and chased down a slightly bewildered muscle car junkie, who had bought it on a whim (69 SPL with 2L drivetrain).... with a 67.5 2L parts car... This was 1995. I asked to buy it. He said no, but took my number anyhow. Called me back a year later and I went and bought it that day. $3500 for both cars. Sold the 67.5 10 years later (#558). Sold the little red SPL 2L last summer. With the considerable indulgence of my wife, bought my restored 67.5 2L after a long drawn out negotiation, which had me give up and buy another 69 2L in the meantime. (When I say considerable indulgence... I mean CONSIDERABLE.) Finally, I have the 67.5 and I am picking away to make it perfect for me... but I intend to drive the heck out of it to Kelowna for the Matsuri this May long weekend!

[zippy67roadster]

It was 1983 and I was 13. Our family had always been into Datsun/Nissan's mostly because they were really cheap in western PA. I saw one when we were driving to my grandparents and when I pointed it out to one of my older brothers he said that it couldn't be a Datsun because they didn't start making cars for the US until the 240Z in 1970. As we passed it and he saw the Datsun on the side badge he was shocked. After that I swore I would own one. Fast forward to 2009, I spotted one on Craigslist here in Las Vegas and without telling the wife went and saw it. It came with a spare car the PO was putting an SR20 in. I haggled for a couple of days with the guy and then he told me it was sold. I was crushed. The next week was Valentines day and that morning the cars appeared in front of my house. My wife had bought it out from under me and gave it to me as a Valentines Day present! I knew then she was a keeper, the wife not the car. i now have a second 67 that is a vintage race car project and a 70 parts car. I am looking to by a half year 1600 this weekend so it's official I'm hooked for life.

[pletch]

THAT IS A AMAZING STORY!!!!

you have my vote.....

[dbrick]

THAT IS A AMAZING STORY!!!!

you have my vote.....

Mine too. My Wife just said she would do that for me, so if anyone is selling a nice car, PM me for her email address.

[DaRoaster]

I've always been into 60s cars, particularly roadsters. I almost got a Austin Healy Sprite when I was 16. The first Datsun Roadster I saw was light blue and parked at my girlfriend's neighbor's driveway back in 1992. The styling was striking and unique, and I always wanted a car like it, but at the time, I was into American cars like the '65 Ford Thunderbird, and '65 Chrysler Imperial. My first Japanese vehicle was a 1967 Toyota Stout, and I drove it daily for years, with its original 1900cc motor, a generator, and 4-speed column shifter.
I took a '68 Cougar on the California Melee in 2001. There were 50 other cars on that rally, and one was a white '68 2000 Driven by a guy named Dan. At our destination in Fort Bragg, he had it parked next to a '68 Ferrari Dino. As I considered the practicalities of owning a Datsun versus a Ferrari, Dan offered to let me drive the Datsun. I did, and after that, I was hooked, and searched and waited until I was ready in 2006. I answered a craigslist ad for a white 1970 1600. It was really late, but I got a reply right away. I made arrangements to get it the very next weekend, and got a friend to drive out to Stockton with me in my truck, which was necessary because it came with a hard top, a soft top, and a spare set of stock wheels. I test drove it and knew it was the one for me. I was pretty lucky, He was getting calls for it until I got it. It was a beautiful sunny day and I drove it home.
I've since found out that it was originally red. I'm the third owner and I've been keeping it running since and I drive it as much as possible.

[Gregs672000]

Love this post… my story starts with Datsun Pickups, namely a ’73 620 1600 which was my second car (first being a ’72 Toyota PU which developed a blown engine quite quickly). It came with a Weber downdraft and that started the whole “performance” thing. From age 16-21 I learned everything automotive on that wonderful beast, eventually changing to SUs, then an L-18 with a cam, port matched head, MSD, lowering, exhaust, a 200sx dog leg 5 speed, etc etc. I knew about Roadsters from the Nissan Comp catalog but had never seen one in person.

At age 21 I transferred out to Washington State University in 1984 and while driving around there got passed by a cool looking silver car that said “atsun” on the front (missing the D). I chased the car down, only to find that the owner was selling to the passenger and they were on their way to have the car inspected. It was absolute LOVE at first sight, and I told the owner he was crazy to sell the car. I drove away, twisting inside and knowing that ‘someday’ I would have one.

Well, fast forward about a year… it’s the dead of winter and I am walking home from class. All the parked cars are completely covered in snow, just white humps on the street. For some unknown reason (divine intervention?) I decided to take a different route home, walking down the street adjacent to me, with the houses connected by back yards. This was actually out of my way, so to this day I have NO idea why I did it. I happened to notice these interesting taillights sticking out of one white hump parked next to the house one up and almost connected to my back yard… and there sat the Datsun! Long story short, the sale had fallen through, and for good reason, as the engine, body and brakes were shot. Apparently the car had sat there ever since, and I had no inkling it was there. I contacted the owner and purchased the car, later dragging it home by tow bar all the way across the state (the bar broke in the driveway!). Earlier I had contacted Rallye Roadster, writing in my letter (note, it was an actual letter printed on a daisywheel and sent with a stamp!) that the title said it was a ’67 and I was thinking they didn’t make them that year. Dan informed me of its rarity, later confirmed by the frame number (588).

Pure Love got me through the first frame off resto, first engine build, first bodywork experience etc. It introduced me to some great people, starting with Gordon Glasgow, another ’67 2000 owner. By luck I scored a complete Solex/cam set up, comp springs etc from a guy who was getting out of Roadsters for cheap. Then it was off to California (Long Beach) for grad school, just me and the Roadster. Drove it to Cal with 80 miles on the engine, blasting down 101 and seating the rings. On the way there I almost killed myself at warp speed while driving around a logging truck that was turning and taking all lanes… thank God for the paved shoulder. From there it was Shasta #3 (back in the camping days), Solvang and then an eventual return to the Northwest after a great send off by my Roadster friends. As I have said before, all my friends, which span across the country and into Canada, have since come from this car and that fateful day… 25+ years of fun and connection that just gets better and better thanks to this list and the wonderful people on it. The thought of ever selling the Roadster has never crossed my mind... may as well sell my soul. Will always love the Roadster and what it has done for me.

[nissantoy]

My story begins in late 1971. A friend of mine came by with his 68 (sold as a 69) 2000, complaining that it would not hold an idle for more than a couple of minutes. He had been at a shop that told him they knew how to adjust su carburators, after reading the manual he had and looking at the car, I told him I would try. After a couple of hours of checking and adjusting and idling I had it fixed (ya sure), and off he went, only to come back. So another hour of checking, adjusting, and idling again, off he goes for the second time, only to come back a third time, telling me to get it as close as I can, he is going to park it at the local mall with a for sale sign on it. I asked him how much he wanted for it $1000.00, I offered him $800.00 and he took it, could not see it going to a stranger. Now the idling problem is mine, time to really investigate the problem. I checked the plugs, wires, cap, rotor, valve adjustment, fuel filter, and a dozen other things, only to check spark advance last (should have checked that first), timing mark was floating all over the place. Off comes the cap, rotor, advance plate to find advance springs laying in the bottom of the distributor, off to datsun, and back with weights and springs, problem fixed. For the next 30 plus years the car has seen dozens of modifications, different wheels, seats, engines, solexes, webers, and paint jobs, and never have been stranded, best $800.00 I ever spent. I liked the car so much i bought two others, one for the engine and trans, and other parts, one for a second daily driver, which I managed to destroy.
I love these roadsters so much I got my sons involved with them, one of whom you know Kevin D., and I have created a monster!

Today it sits in its final configuration, custom body works, s14 sr20det engine, custom interior, 17inch wheels, 300zx front brakes, toyota corolla rear discs, factory posi unit, and a ton of fun.


nissantoy

[notoptoy]

^That's beautiful, any more pics??

[nissantoy]

Picture 013.jpg

As requested more pics