Curbside Classics: The First Mini-Pickups: Datsun's 1964 320 1200; 1967 520 1300; 1969 521 1600

The Toyota pickup has become such a dominant vehicle in its class worldwide, its easy to assume that it was always that way. Not so. It was Nissan’s little Datsun trucks that essentially invented the modern mini-pickup genre, and was top puppy in the US for well over a decade before handing over the throne. In fact, trucks were the only vehicle that Datsun imported for quite a few years, and made its reputation with them. They’re a significant piece of automotive history, and many are still hard at work, at least hereabouts.

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  • MaintenanceCosts Most of the article after the blockquote is Posky laboring mightily to somehow blame this clearly anticompetitive and oligopolistic conduct on the big bad government.I look forward to some of the usual commenters explaining to us that, actually, the oil industry is a cuddly teddy bear and the real villain is people trying to sell us cars that don't use oil.
  • Bd2 A modest price bump for one of the better if not the best vehicle in it's class. And it's a very good deal still considering the Front wheel drive competition over at Lexus to name one. These Genesis vehicles are more like BMWs of the 90s but with better styling.
  • Dave M. What???? Big business taking advantage of us? I thought it was all Biden's fault!?!
  • OA5599 Now if we could only get Toyota to change BZ4X...
  • FreedMike You mean the petroleum market is manipulated and doesn't respond to normal supply/demand? No way. Can't be. This, folks, is why electrification is important - the only reason why the petroleum industry gets away with this is because they were the only game in town for over a century. That has GOT to change or we'll keep getting ripped off.