What's up with 510s?

General Discussion about the Datsun PL510
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510tdi
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What's up with 510s?

Post by 510tdi »

Most 510 fans probably noticed the Bring a Trailer auctions that brought big $ for an original and a beautifully modded car. I was thinking those sales might open a flood-gate but it seems it's done the opposite. No more dimes on BaT auctions, nothing on Ebay, local CL nothing, and, like usual, nothing new on The Realm. Any theories?
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bertvorgon
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by bertvorgon »

We love our cars! Money does not replace that.
"Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague wish for something salty" - Peter Egan

Keith Law
1973 2 Door Slalom/hill climb/road race / canyon carver /Giant Killer 510
1971 Vintage 13' BOLER trailer
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funwithmonkeys
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by funwithmonkeys »

As Keith said we love our cars. It would take a very large amount for me to even consider selling mine.
If no one from the future comes back to stop you from doing it then how bad of a decision can it really be?
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by 510tdi »

That's very cool you guys! Of course I wanted to think that but thought I was being unrealistic. Maybe it is as simple as that.

Also, It's like selling your house when the market's high. You make a bunch on the sale but when you look for a new place to live, guess what?
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PoorMtnKid
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by PoorMtnKid »

I was flirting with the idea of posting mine on BAT for a while, I eventually did and they wanted me to place a reserve so low that I was not willing to do it. I posted it here a month or so back, still up but not activley trying to sell. I just want to get an R33 GTR in 2020 when they are open for impoort to the US. If the car sells by then great, if not I will just need another garage!!!
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qwik510
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by qwik510 »

BAT has gotten "too big for their britches" and now get more cars to sell then they have the space for. So they want to ensure that they collect both the listing fee and the buyers fee of 5%.

They try to get everyone to sell at no reserve or a very low reserve.
They had Brad (seller of the $45k modded 510) set his reserve at less then half of what the car sold for.

But they have a good following and the sales usually go through, unlike eBay.
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DonnieDatsun
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by DonnieDatsun »

I'm actually thinking of BaTing mine. I love it.. but I want something I can drive every day and this car is too original to go to town on when someone might appreciate it. But like has been said, I'm worried I won't be able to find a 510 to replace it. Catch 22.
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okayfine
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by okayfine »

Fall (or, end of summer) isn't typically high time for sales of hobby cars, either. For many people, it would go right in the garage for winter. So timing is a factor.

There also are not that many polished, finished, proven cars like Brad's, which is most of the reason his car brought big money. And one car does not prove a price jump, as you could have had just a couple people in a bidding war over that particular car.

Prices have increased, dramatically, but the market may also be shifting away from the "SoCal" shiny SR20DET car of compromises towards more DD or stock-based cars. A stock car isn't going to command $40K+, yet, but would certainly get higher than a car with lots of money in parts but poor execution.
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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TheHeretic
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by TheHeretic »

When I sold the white one for $32K I set a reserve at $18K. They didn't baulk at that for a second. I agree with okayfine, that the market is shifting away from the SR20/KA24 engine swaps to original or mildly modified stock-looking 510s.
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by 510tdi »

I'm really glad to hear you had a good experience with BaT.
I appreciate you guy's wealth of knowledge and experience but why do you say the market's moving away from modded cars when the white '69 2 door sold for $45K in April? I'm assuming that car was not what you'd call a car of compromises though.
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okayfine
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by okayfine »

When I hear the phrase "SR20DET 510," what I think of is the typical high-dollar SoCal build. This may just be because I live in SoCal and all the shows for all the years have sort of held these as the pinnacle 510. And for a long time, they were, at least when looking at sale prices. The "meso" 510 sort of built here on The Realm. High HP modified SR with no torque and big lag, no wipers, no heater/defrost, etc.; cars that rarely get driven because of those compromises and others like the $50K+ that was used to build them. Form over function cars, which are absolutely not exclusive to 510s - every model has them.

Brad's car was an SR car...but it didn't look the part. It looked stock, if you weren't a 510 anorak, but had SR power and EFI reliability. Brad had also put huge miles on it, so the car was beyond proven. I'd love to know what the new owner is doing with it, but I'd suspect he's driving it like Brad did.
Because when you spend a silly amount of money on a silly, trivial thing that will help you not one jot, you are demonstrating that you have a soul and a heart and that you are the sort of person who has no time for Which? magazine. – Jeremy Clarkson
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SteveEdmonton
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by SteveEdmonton »

okayfine wrote:There also are not that many polished, finished, proven cars like Brad's, which is most of the reason his car brought big money.
I think this is a big part of it right here. When I built my MGB-GT it was mostly stock, but even so the "sorting" took months of head-scratching, experimenting, and trial-and-error. The toughest issue to resolve was a persistent rubbing sound from the rear of the car every time I turned left. After eliminating half a dozen other causes, it turned out that one of the brake drums was slightly too wide, so that when cornering forces were applied, its inner edge was rubbing against the backing plate. A simple fix-- once I invested the time to eventually track it down!

Now I'm finding that sorting my 510 is even more complicated due to the much higher number of mods I'm making. They're almost all "period-correct"-- L20B with twin SUs, roadster clutch, 280ZX 5-speed, 280ZX struts & brakes, etc. But even so, there's an endless amount of fiddling, modifying, adapting, and fine-tuning to get it "just so." ln fact, this is almost all I've done on my car in the entire past year. Tuning the engine, adjusting the suspension and ride, removing squeeks and rattles, mounting and hooking up auxiliary gauges, fiddling with lighting, sealing openings & crevices... Some days I wonder if it will ever end.

It's one thing to slap on a sticker that says, "Built Not Bought." It's another thing to finish the car to the point that people who look closely, or go for a ride with you, will actually be willing to buy it for top dollar (like Brad's car) because of the close attention that's been paid to all those final details.
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Re: What's up with 510s?

Post by 510tdi »

Thanks for the great clarification Julian and excellent reality check Steve.
That's the kind of feed-back that makes this an excellent forum.
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