More like in the `90s or 00s. These cars are absolutely revered by what I'll call the Twenty-and-Thirty-Something-Retro-Ricer community (or TTSRR for short). Older Japanese iron is really gaining traction in the collector-car community and will likely only continue to do so.

_

Not to hi-jack, but one thing I can see commanding the high prices on nice (restored, or resto-mod) buses, is they ain't cheap to restore!!!!!! Often, lots and lots of cancer! Lots of bits and bobs.

EDIT: I don't actually want a restoration! I want a driver with the usual mods...even a 15 window or a dual cab.

Gotta expand your hijack.

I may have shared this long ago in another thread but it's such a great stat I have to here as well.

About thirty years ago I was in the basement of an antique shop (back when they weren't all pristine, and carried all sorts of cool stuff) and, while ferreting through a stack of old car rags, came across one with a road test of one of these old buses. I can't remember the exact numbers, so please allow me some literary license on those, but I do remember one stat very clearly.

0-10: 4 seconds
0-20: 11 seconds
0-30: 18 seconds
0-40: 25 seconds
0-50: 40 seconds
0-60: Unattainable

I almost bought the magazine for that last entry alone. Wish I had.

_

This is about right. I had a 63 VW crewcab pick-up that I bought for $275 in 1985. Top land speed was 45mph.

You guys saying a bus won't go 60 mph did not start on a tall enough hill.

I can't see a dime going for that sort of coin unless it is the V-8 one that Pete Brock built

Except that one just did - and there were four pretty serious bidders vying for it.

_

I always had larger displacement engines in my air-cooled VWs.

looks cool to me, id have a hotrodded 510 wagon in stead though

Maybe that's the reason why it's now expensive.
Maybe this is the only one left on the planet
The rest went to the crusher.

I have hit the trifecta.

Threads on 510, Capri, and early. Z

I had all three.

510 was my high school grad present. Sold my Mustang and Dad picked up half the remaining amount.

Added Minilights, Koni, headers, and a tuner kit (jetting and advance)

Tried for the SCAA. look. I got close.

It was a ton of fun but more importantly it was indestructible.

It make me wonder what the heck has 'changed' so much during the interim of time that we need to navigate our daily drivers like maniacs.

Yesterday someone took a full second (and no more) to accelerate from a red light. The guy behind honked a toot, tailgated and blitzed around, but only to have our entire group take a time out at the next light. The jerk was probably 30 seconds late to get back to his inconsequential ritual habit of no consequence where he would once again spend ten eagerly remaining hours for the rest of his night, busily fomenting the ulcer which will eventually lead to his demise.

In fact, nothing has changed.
-Traffic has gotten much worse than the VW-camper-on-a-hill days and any cultural self-centered egotistical passive-aggresive perceived need to become impatient with the next random on the street person is statistically much less than before.
-For example, I just sat in rush hour traffic for another 10 agonizing blocks and watched as a pedestrian sauntering on the sidewalk disappeared off into the distance while the cars all primed themselves for the next 30 foot race to the next position in line. What a waste of human capacity. But now humans need a central computer babysitter and an self driving car to spoon feed ourselves?We are really that lazy and incompetent?
-The entire perception of needs vs. reality is artificial.

I say bring back the slug bug days.

Especially when you consider what you can get in a BMW 2002:

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1972-bmw-2002tii-19/

I had a '72 510 wagon back in college days (1977) then another '80 510 wagon after the first one gave up the ghost. In spring of 2016 I got another 510 but this time a '71 2-door sedan that had been tweaked a bit. Like driving a big go-cart.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517622289.JPG

• L20B 2ltr engine with single 44Mikuni sidedraft,
• 5-speed 280Z transmission.
• Previous owner cut a coil off the front and rear springs to lower the ride.
• 13x7 Libra wheels and 205-60R13 tires.
• BRE fiberglass flares
• boxes of spare parts with the sale
• Ferrari yellow (I think) over original burnt orange

I have since updated to:

• dual 40DCOE Weber carbs,
• a mild cam from WebCam.
• electric fuel pump, can-style fuel filter, low pressure fuel regulator and -AN fuel fittings.
• rebuilt the head with larger intake valves, steel valve seats, bronze valve guides
• 3-row radiator and dual Spal electric fans

Soon will be updating some more with:

• 280ZX close ratio 5-speed
• 280ZX front spindles with coil-over kit
• coil over kit for the rear
• Wilwood brake upgrade kit.
• competition style header with 2.25" exhaust and Flowmaster muffler (no fartcan)
• 15x6 Panasport wheels on the front and 15x7 on the rear
• rear sway bar
• rear adjustable camber and toe

Be it Porsche or Datsun, it never ends. Always something to improve handling and performance.

That's a beautiful 510 Coupe you have there! Panasports just look so right on them!

I had A 23 window transporter in the late 60s. Bought it cheap with a blown 40hp motor. Slow as molasses in January but it would do 65 mph on a good day. They go for stupid money these days.
If I remember correctly the Datsun 510 kicked ass in the Trans Am under 3 liter sedan class after Porsche’s 911s were declared “not a sedan.” I would love to own one, but not at that price.p The amount of work put into that car may make it worth the money to someone without a tool box.

No problem.
We old men can just hire some dedicated and smart teen who wants to make a bit of pocket change but really wants to learn.

Oh wait. Those people do not exist anymore.

With the prices I been seeing I'm tempted to list my '64 on BaT!
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517626872.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517626916.jpg

my 911s stablemate

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1517625657.jpg

After a 25 year break from 510s I decided to go back in time and build the one I wanted, where I left off as a kid in the 80s. Through the course of the build a friend was reminding me how bad these cars were back when we were young, everyone should keep this in mind.

I've observed a few $30,000+ 510s change hands as these notable examples hit forums pretty quick. A couple were bone stock preserved or restored, others were modified to the gills. In stock form (been a looooong time since I drove one) they had the depth of a mgb, a grocery getter and nothing more. Of course the fun begins with mods but I'd dare to say they are a weekend cruiser at best, or maybe I'm just over the hill.

Had a 71 in high school, bought for 300 sold when i got my 72 2002 at the end of high school for 500. The 2002 was only 2k. Man have they gone up

Nice. I'd have that.