1987 Nissan Van
S/N JN8SC26SXH4018504. 120k miles. “Turbocharged 2.0-liter SR20DET inline-4, 5-speed manual transmission, welded differential, white paint, maroon cloth upholstery, 14-inch basketweave-style wheels, lowered suspension, right-rear sliding door.” Condition: 2+. SOLD AT $16,538. Bring a Trailer, 4/24/24.
Few Japanese vans were sold in the U.S. in the 1980s. The Toyota Van was the most popular, as over 170k were sold and they are still fairly easy to find. Mitsubishi sold 23k vans here, and the Mitsubishi Van is scarce today. But the rarest of all is the Nissan Van. While Nissan did sell 33k of them, problems that led to four recalls have made them nearly impossible to find. Plagued with overheating problems due to the small engine compartment and leaking valve-cover gaskets, Nissan Vans were prone to engine fires. Nissan started offering a buyback program, and once it was expanded by a class-action lawsuit, it eventually led to nearly all of them disappearing. I have read that there are fewer than 150 still registered today. This alone would make this sale interesting, but on top of that our subject car has had an engine swap. Its turbocharged SR20DET comes from the updated Nissan 240SX, a popular tuner car used for drifting. These motors have gone up in value over the years, with people wanting to upgrade their earlier 240SX KA24Es or Datsun 510 owners looking for a more-modern swap. These engines alone sell for $6,000, so it’s no wonder this van sold for as much as it did. With the turbo motor, its low stance and wonderful condition throughout, I still think it was well bought.
1998 Nissan Stagea RS Four
S/N WGNC34110826. 114k km (71k miles). “2.5-liter turbocharged straight-6, 4-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, 16-inch wheels, roof rails, HKS exhaust system.” Condition: 1-. SOLD AT $13,016. Cars & Bids, 4/19/24.
Nissan introduced this wagon to compete with the Subaru Legacy. If you like the concept of an R33/R34 Nissan Skyline wagon, this is about the closest you could get. It’s actually a pretty popular modification to put the R34 GT-R front end on this generation Stagea, and the Skyline and Stagea share a lot of similar engine components. In Japan, a Stagea in this trim level sells for around half the price paid here, as there are a few other higher trims that would be more desirable. The 260RS Autech version from the well-known Japanese tuner comes equipped with Brembo brakes, BBS wheels, upgraded body strengthening and suspension, along with the twin-turbo 2.6-liter RB26DETT. The seller did well here, but the buyer now has a car already imported and titled in the U.S.
1994 Toyota Pickup XtraCab DX
S/N JT4RN93P0R5103733. 73k miles. “2.4-liter inline-4, 4-speed automatic transmission, red paint, gray cloth upholstery, 14-inch steel wheels, power-assisted front disc brakes, drop-in bedliner, sliding rear window, A/C, cruise control.” Condition: 1. SOLD AT $12,999. Bring a Trailer, 4/21/24.
We will never again see these sorts of trucks offered in the U.S., as updated CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulations effectively killed the incentive to make vehicles of this size. This Toyota Pickup is relatively small and light, and with just a 2.4-liter 4, it can get about 21 mpg combined. But the rules changed in 2011, such that the “footprint” of a vehicle is now factored into its fuel-economy target. So if Toyota were to build a comparable model today, it would have to get more than 40 mpg, which is why there are no longer any new small trucks for sale here. This means Toyota Pickups of this era (and small trucks from other carmakers) remain desirable, especially with lower mileage. These trucks regularly sell in the $10k–$20k range (with four-wheel-drive versions carrying a bit of a premium) and it’s been like this for the past five years. This one was both well sold and well bought. ©
