New roadster owner

wineguy · Post by **wineguy** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 8:36 pm

Hello All,
I'm the proud owner of SRL311-12264. I've had roadster blood in me, since before birth. My parents both had roadsters when they dated in high school. Dad orange 66 1600; Mom silver 67 1600. When i was about five my parents got another roadster to restore. Parents got divorced- no more roadster. Love for roadsters never went away, "Hell" i tried to buy one in highschool; for my first car; mom said "No!" Well two months ago, i bought my car; that i had seen sitting for several months. The car had been garaged for 8 years. Has new top, carpet, seats, painted 10 years ago, tires, it was a steal. Owner said he never could get it to run. Three hours later, it fired up, had a state inspection 3 days later, Amazing what new plugs & clean the carbs will do! Its a life long dream! I will post pics soon.
Looking forward to shasta next year!!!

JoeK · Post by **JoeK** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 8:56 pm

Congrats on the new ride, you'll no doubt have many great adventures.

Enjoy

Post by **S Allen** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:19 pm

Congratulations on the new addition. If you stop at just one you will be lucky.

They are addicting.

Steve

Minh · Post by **Minh** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 11:11 am

S Allen wrote:Congratulations on the new addition. If you stop at just one you will be lucky. They are addicting.

Steve

So, true!!!

Ldino21 · Post by **Ldino21** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 10:28 pm

They multiply faster than rabbits!!

I am on Roadster numbers 7 & 8 now!!

Lou Smaldino
66-1600
67-2000

SLOroadster · Post by **SLOroadster** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 6:41 pm

Welcome to the club. So far I only have one, but only because I don't have any money to buy another one but the one I have is pretty cool. Someday I will find a 67.5 2000 and have $$ to buy it.

Will

wineguy · Post by **wineguy** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 7:24 pm

Whats really bad, is i've only had this one a few months. I'm looking to buy another one, some when one is being restored, i have one to drive. Is there some kind of 12 step program for this? I may need that number.
Chuck Barnes

G---- · Post by **G----** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 11:51 pm

I've only had my 1600 a few months, but I'm already fighting the urge to add a 2000 with 5 speed to the stable.

DatsunBucky · Post by **DatsunBucky** » Thu Jul 01, 2004 8:09 pm

wineguy wrote:Whats really bad, is i've only had this one a few months. I'm looking to buy another one, some when one is being restored, i have one to drive. Is there some kind of 12 step program for this? I may need that number.
Chuck Barnes

We are Roadsters. Resistance is futile. You have been assimilated.

SLOroadster · Post by **SLOroadster** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 1:42 pm

Its calling your name. Seriously the 2000 is where its at. 1600s are neat and great for just looking good around town, but if you want to have the old school incarnation of a Honda S2000 than the 2 ltr is where its at.

Will

Post by **S Allen** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 2:41 pm

Will,

I hate to disagree but the 2 liters are not all that.

There is nothing wrong with a well tuned 1600 engine. The 1600's run pretty darned good and are just as fun to drive on a twisty road. 1600 parts are cheaper and easier to get as well. Just my opinion but I could not stay silent. No 2 liter vs 1600 war please.

Every one is entitled to their own preference. You like the 2 liters and I like the 1600's. Now, I would not mind scoring a 67.5 2 liter but that ain't ever gonna happen unless I get real lucky!

Steve

Post by **ppeters914** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 7:15 pm

Hmmmm, just started looking for a '66-'67 1600, but after reading all these comments, maybe I better stop before I start!

One advantage, if you can call it that, is that I don't have a garage so I can resist the call of the Please Restore Me cars, lol.

Pete

Post by **spl310** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 9:17 pm

WARNING!!! LONG WINDED AND FULL OF OPINIONS!! IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED REGARDING ROADSTERS, PASS ON THIS ONE...

Pete,

The best advise that I can give you is to figure out exactly what you want. Color is not important - don't waste time figuring that out. You need to decide if you want a low windshield or a high windshield. 2 seater or 3 seater. 1500, 1600, or 2000. Stock or modified. Nearly perfect, or daily driver quality. While you are doing that, start putting money into a separate savings account - like a car payment. Go to Datsun shows and ask every question that you can think of - even the ones that you feel may show your total lack of knowledge or understanding - so that you can get the perspective from owners. (take ALL of their opinions with a grain of salt - they ARE biased even if they say that they are not.) It would be good to come up with a list of likes and dislikes of each model from an aesthetic point of view as well as a driver point of view. Try to drive or ride in as many as you can - remember that no two cars are alike, so you are trying to get the "flavor" of the car there - not an absolute feel. Do a separate pro/con list for the driving (note on that list as much detail as possible about the specific car and maybe even the conditions). Get the book Fair Lady by Phil Brooks - it is a must read and very informative.

Once you have it narrowed down to those two lists, boil it all down to figure out which cars show up highest on the list. That will give you the baseline from which to search. Now, once you start actually shopping, there is one important thing to consider - this should be the rule for anyone buying a special interest car. BUY THE BEST, MOST COMPLETE CAR THAT YOU CAN FIND. Specifically, you want a solid, rust free car with all of the hard to find pieces. The drive train is not of primary importance, neither is the color. Color can be changed, and it does not appear to affect value of these cars. Drive trains are pretty easy to change and correct as well (the 2000s will be big money - the 1500s next and the 1600s pretty cheap since forklift parts can be used).

A lot of folks are searching for the 67.5 2000s. I am going to go out on a limb here and give you my biased, but based on experience, opinion. (This may be offensive to some folks, but this is the truth folks!) When you get right down to it, the 67.5 2000 is just another Roadster. Yes, I know all of the technical reasons that it is collectible, and I too was sucked into the mystique of it all - hence owning two of them. A few days after dragging the second one home, I was standing in the kitchen looking out the window at the pair of them and said out loud "they are just roadsters - why am I wasting all my time chasing these while I have let so many nice cars pass by..." Good thing my wife was not around - I would never live that down.

The reality is that the 67.5 is a complete compromise car. Nissan was trying to satisfy the US safety concerns and made a lot of changes. Six months or so later, they redid most of the car again. As a result, there are some goofy things about the 67.5. The ignition switch is not well thought out and is not as easy to use as the earlier or later versions. The dash - while being the more vintage looking flat dash - was made more homely by dulling down darned near everything except the glass on the gauges. (if they could have put non-glare glass in there, they would have done that too I bet. Thanks Ralph Nader and the other "safety" folks of the day). The seats are not that comfortable and the headrests are of dubious use as a safety device. The seat latch releases are a PITA to get to since they are at the bottom of the seat and the door jamb is in the way. Due to the hype, the values are higher than a most other comparable Roadsters (race cars and other special cars not included in that statement) Since the car is a production line change, there is a lot of stuff that folks will tell you should be on the car, and that the car is not correct if it isn't there, but that may not be true. For example, the first 70 2000s had the complete early 1600 exhaust with the twin tips (except the manifold of course), but most folks will tell you otherwise. Purists will have fun with those cars. If you want to chat about them some time, perhaps we should start another thread where I can offend even more people...

The 1500s are very vintage. They feel dainty. Parked next to a 1600 or a 2000, they give the illusion of being smaller even though they are essentially the same size. While I have not driven a single carb version, they must be pretty tame. The dual carb model is a good tourer, but it will not set any land speed records. These cars feel really good, but they also feel like they will snap if you push too hard. They are becoming rather rare too. There are very few 1500s left. A lot of folks think that the 67.5 2000 Roadster is the lowest production of all. The reality may be that the TRUE 65 1500 (the two seater 1500s) have lower production figures. There are certainly less of those left.

The early low windshield 1600s have one of the most beautiful dash boards of any sports car ever produced - period. They feel pretty indestructable. They are not blindingly fast, but they are plenty fun. While driving, they have all the "right" sounds, smells and feels of a vintage sports car. If Nissan had never made the 2000 drivetrain, the chrome dash 1600s would be the high water mark. The go fast version has unfortunately eclipsed these cars.

The late low windshield 1600s are pretty much the same as above, but with a less attractive dash, but better safety devices (most notably the brakes). They still feel good, plus you get visors (that are almost, but not quite useless) Some of the changes look cheap compared to the early cars - the door release handles, the mirror, the plastic ash tray knob (not all of the 67.5s had plastic, but some folks will tell you that), and the dulled down interior trim. The 67.5 2000 is pretty much the same, just faster and has another gear. A remarkable number of these seems to have survived - both 1600s and 2000s.

The high windshield cars "feel" different. The dash height is not that much greater, but it looks it. These cars feel more "modern" due to the moulded dash and the trim console. To me, these feel more like a daily driver interior since they are a bit more plush. These just seem to be a bit more refined, but they really aren't. They feel more solid than the early cars in some respects too. They don't feel as hairy chested over all. (yes, I know that they can go fast, and some of the fastest 2000s out there are Giraffe haulers, but this is about feel - not hard numbers)

The ride of all roadsters is pretty stiff. Like an oxcart some have said, but some cars had softer springs than others. Parts are drying up - the trim, sheet metal and go fast parts are going first, while drive train parts will be following. These cars are horribly under valued for what they are. They are fun and good examples are best left stock. (stock being either as delivered, or with vintage options) Less than good examples are good candidates for updating, but who knows why you would want to spend $5000 to upgrade the drivetrain, another $3000 to put in a stereo and custom interior work - maybe even power windows and other such nonsense - only to end up with a car that will be a surrogate Miata or Z3. If you want to get air conditioning, plush seats, a top that actually keeps water out, etc, do yourself a favor and buy a late model sports car. In the long run, you will be happier. If you want a vintage sports car - with all of the good and bad that comes with that decision - the Datsun Roadster is a hard to beat value proposition right now.

Those that want to flame me, set your flame throwers on ROAST and have at it!

DatsunBucky · Post by **DatsunBucky** » Fri Jul 02, 2004 11:34 pm

No flames from me, Sid.

Post by **ppeters914** » Sat Jul 03, 2004 1:58 pm

No flames either. Just a big thank you. You have done an excellent job of summarizing almost all the responses I have received since my "Hi, I'm new to the list..." post on the datsun-roadsters newsgroup.

I was obviously uninformed in my "looking for a 67.5 2000" request. Currently, I'm focusing on the '66-'67 1600s. That may change once I can actually touch, poke, and drive a few. Colour may not be important, but a red one would be nice. <g> It also needs to be mostly complete in daily driver shape because I don't have a garage. Heck, I don't even have a driveway -AND- park on a hill!

I wish I could attend Shasta 2004, but the National Model Railroad Association convention is in Seattle this year July 4-11, and my group is part of that.

I would think that someone would be at Shasta selling Phill's book plus I could get Phill to sign it, lol. Since that option is not available, is there a "best place" to get the book? I notice it's not available on Amazon.

Cheers.

Pete

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