Hey everyone,

My names Sam, I'm 19 turning 20 and would love some advice on a few things. Ever since I was a kid I have loved Datsuns. My grandma had an awesome 1200 utility which she used to pick me up from primary school in regularly and I hoped to one day drive myself. When the time came I was told it was too dangerous to have as my first car (lack of airbags etc) and that I did not have the money or mechanical ability to repair and maintain an older car.

Now that I have a steady income and my job has taught me a little about engines ( I live and work on a boat) I am looking at purchasing a 1600 that already has the hard work done (engine conversion etc). The questions I have are :

- Would the engine/electric/mechanical maintenance for someone with only little experience be difficult to manage? ( I am very willing to learn )
- Roughly what would I be looking at in terms of cost for insurance at my age / what are other drivers paying to have there car insured?
- I live in Perth, is there much help available for newbies if something goes pear shape?



I realise these questions may seem a bit stupid, but I'm a little nervous about buying a 1600 and ending up completely in the deep end out of money with a broken down Datsun that I can't afford rusting in my backyard so any advice is more than welcome.

Many thanks
Sam.

As long as its carby and not efi or turbo you should be right.
They are very easy and cheap to work on mechanically.
You are in the best place here on the forum if anything does go wrong here is the place to ask.
Buy yourself a decent workshop manual and a few tools.
Servicing is easy and so long as it isnt turbo insurance should be fairly cheap.
Do it, dont listen to the worrywarts who care about no airbags. Just drive carefully and respect the car for what it is, a classic...

Generally an older car is cheaper to maintain than a new car - that is, when something goes wrong it is cheaper and easier to fix & a lot of the time you can do it yourself. The only issue is that it tends to happen more often

Insurance-wise, the best I can say is to (a) shop around and (b) be 200% honest now AND if anything changes. Anything you don't tell them about fines/modifications/whatever might "save money" or help you get "insured" but that generally means that when a claim happens they find out and you have actually wasted money on buying insurance that won't cover you. 95%+ of the time when you hear "fricken insurance companies" it is actually a problem from someone not giving correct information or not bothering to read what was sent to them.

When selecting a car, make sure you choose the one with the absolute least rust possible. And be aware that a car with nice paint can often have more rust (that you can't see) than one with older paint and a few small marks.

Don't put a turbo conversion in it just yet, you're insurance premiums will be through the roof, not to mention the guy on the other end of the phone will have a big smile on his face. Phone around for insurance quotes. Shannons, Just Car, GIO etc etc. Everyone is different. Plus EFI and turbo add ons just add a whole new headache when things breakdown.

Unfortunately, Perth is the furthest away from most of the major datto scenes (Adelaide...Sydney...VIC etc). However you can join plenty of datsun groups on facebook, ask a million questions on ozdat.
Go to the References, FAQ & tutorial section on here, download all the related 1600 Manuals you can. These obviously come in so handy when things go pear shaped.

A naturally aspirated engine in a 1600 will give you plenty of power and fun to begin with. You mentioned engine conversion, so you mean a 2 litre right?

Save up some cash, throw an exhaust on it, new shocks, then buy some good tyres. Great street fun.

_________________
1600 with FJ20 & Simmons. something different.

Stop worrying.
You will be happy in years to come to say your first car was a Datsun 1600.
Buy it, thrash it, do your burnouts and other crap that a 'nearly 20' year old does in their first car.
That's your job.
I'm old, so it's 'my job' to complain about it when you do!
Just don't hurt yourself or any one else ok.
Good luck.

Ha , awesome comment. I agree .