An awesome car. However, JDM cars of this era are a tough sell in the U.S unless you live in a liberal county in a place like Salem, Oregon, where a car like this can be legally titled/registered. For a California buyer, getting this thing legally licensed for the road would be a huge pain, and it’s not worth much as a static display piece. Unless you’ve got a big living room and a fetish for 80s cars. The money offered was a bit low. I don’t think this one is worth more than 6 or 7 thousand in real dollars at the present time.

eBay #150076286205
1966 Nissan Patrol. Number of Bids: 4. 14 photos. Location: Victorville, CA. Mileage: Unknown.
Original California black-plate Nissan Patrol in “used” condition. Seller describes the truck as running great, “all there except soft top”. 1 of 975 imported into the country. This one looked more like a “driver” restoration project... straight and relatively clean, but needing a good scrubbing (especially underhood!). SOLD AT: $4,000 DATE: 1/9/07.

Considering what some FJ40s are going for these days, this Patrol can be considered well-bought, if not a relative bargain. The Patrol is much more scarce (and less well-known) than the Landcruisers, and the black plates really gave this one some appeal. Look for Patrols to appreciate in the coming years.

eBay #200064760431
1972 Datsun 510 2-door. Number of bids: 35. 24 photos. Location: San Francisco, CA. Mileage: 120,000.
An older modified autocrosser with auto-x history dating to 1973. Service records from new, current owner has had car for 16 years. 2-liter with adjustable suspension, dogleg 5-speed, huge 16x8.5 custom Monocoque Racing wheels, fiberglass IMSA-style box flares. Simply a gorgeous car. SOLD AT: $7,300.56. DATE: 1/9/07.

This 510 wasn’t for everyone, with its huge wheels and box flares. Normally I’m not a fan of this look myself. But this car was cleanly done and had just the right flavor. Offered locally at $5500 before it appeared on eBay, I’m kicking myself now that I didn’t go after this one. Well bought and well sold, this car is likely to appreciate.

600s (of any make) are pretty useless cars in modern day America, with their pitifully small engine capacity. It takes an adventurous soul to navigate modern freeways in the tiny Z600. However, other micro cars are hot – people are bringing in beater Fiat 600s from Italy by the boatload. The Honda should be much more sturdy – perfect for parades or a trip to the local coffee shop. This car should have brought $1000 more.

Is it just me, or is it odd that sellers of cars like this one feel compelled to include the clause “never raced”, as this seller did? With the rather skimpy ad text and the even less conclusive photos, the high bid should have been accepted.

Honestly, I’m surprised the seller refused this money. How much do they think it’s worth? And what are you going to do with it if you buy it? Drive it past the 10k mark, and potentially destroy the value, or put it on a pedestal and look at it? Don’t get me wrong, this was a great example... but can it go much higher?

Given the fact that this was a 4-door, and it was all the way up in Indiana, with only one photo included in the listing, this seems to be a strong result to me. What’s a good 2-door in California worth?

Old Celicas are starting to command real collector attention, and they are starting to show up in the vintage car magazines. Prices are creeping up, and while most collectors are looking for the earlier 1971-1974 cars, the later GTs can’t stay this cheap forever. Well bought, especially if the new owner intends to drive it.

I was attracted to this car initially because of its great paint and graphics scheme. You don’t see factory white cars often and the factory graphics package is rare (the MR2 I had back in high school had this). If this car had been closer to my half of the country, I might have been a player. Great buy

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