According to its seller, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Nissan 4X4 shows “pride of ownership.” Let’s see if it would take swallowing one’s pride to pay its asking price.
Opinions were split on how well the design of yesterday’s 2008 Audi TT has held up over the years. Some of you commented that the design still looks funky fresh, while others felt it’s as stale as Jo Koy’s Golden Globes monologue. There wasn’t quite as much discord on the Audi’s $8,000 asking price, though, as that enjoyed a solid 60 percent Nice Price win.
I think we can all agree that, when it comes to driving something old and sort of beat up, trucks get a lot more leeway than cars. A few scrapes or a mismatched fender on a pickup simply gives the impression that it’s getting the job done. Any car with such war wounds offers the same appeal as a head of unruly hair in need of a comb.
This 1984 Nissan 720 4X4 has just such that “can-do” and “has-done” appearance. Admittedly, it has some rough patches here and there and the obligatory non-matching front fender, just so you’ll know that it’s not afraid of a bit of good, old-fashioned work. That simply adds to its rough-hewn charm.
It also has a long bed, an extended cab, and a locking work box, so it’s pretty much up to the task of hauling stuff when out on the job. According to the ad, the truck comes with 203,000 miles under its belt, but with both the body and undercarriage in “good shape for the year.” It rolls on a set of black-painted steelies wearing reasonably new tires with modestly aggressive tread, which should be good enough for light off-roading. There’s some rust on the bodywork, but nothing too alarming, and the chassis below appears solid and remarkably clean.
The cabin features blue cloth buckets out of a later truck amidst a sea of brown factory-installed plastics. Just like the exterior, the cabin comes across as well-used but also well-kept. The dash, headliner, door cards, and trim all look to be intact, with the instrument cluster even offering a tach. Extra gauges live in the center stack, right below the climate controls and a modern aftermarket stereo head unit.
The drivetrain is workman-like, too. Under the hood resides a 103 horsepower Z24 2.4-liter SOHC four with an aftermarket Weber carb and matching tiny air cleaner. Those of you who are S30 buffs will notice that this truck shares the same under-hood light in the corner next to the brake booster as was used in the Z cars.
Behind the engine and the light is a five-speed manual backed by a two-speed (high/low) transfer case for the 4×4 system. That system has get-out-and-do-the-twist manually locking front hubs but does offer the luxury of an independent front suspension featuring torsion bar springs.
Per the seller, the truck “starts right up, shifts good, and works well, like many of these 80’s survivor compact pickups.” It also comes with hitches front and back for towing (half-ton capacity) and winching and comes with a removable winch for the latter efforts.
The seller closes the ad by vowing that the truck has not been abused, claiming the clean-title truck shows “pride of ownership.” That pride comes with a $5,900 asking price (winch included).
What do you think about this old but seemingly still-in-the-game Nissan and that $5,900 asking? Does that feel fair, given the truck’s description and appearance? Or does that price put this work truck well past time to retire?
You decide!
Denver, Colorado, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Stephen Wolfson (again!) for the hookup!
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