In the 1970s, American truck buyers equated size with strength — if it didn’t ride like a barge and drink fuel like one too, it wasn’t a real truck. Then the Datsun pickup showed up, ran 200,000 miles on basic maintenance, and quietly dismantled every assumption Detroit had spent decades building.
The Little Truck That Rewrote the Rules
The argument Datsun made wasn’t sentimental. It was an engineering argument: strip the weight, tighten the drivetrain tolerances, and you get a truck that works harder per cubic inch than anything rolling out of a Michigan assembly plant. Lower curb weight means less stress on every component under load. A smaller engine turning relaxed RPMs lasts longer than a big-block flogged daily. Those principles explain why so many of these trucks are still running today — and why they’re now commanding real money at auction.
Whether you’re hunting a classic Datsun to restore, trying to understand why prices keep climbing, or deciding between a 620 and a 720 for weekend use, the history tells you exactly what you’re buying. This covers the full Datsun truck lineage from its 1955 origins through the iconic 620 and 720 eras, current collector values, and how it stacks up against the Toyota pickup that became its fiercest rival.
Where It All Started: 1955 Through the 520 Era
Nissan built commercial pickups under the Datsun name essentially from the company’s earliest years — the lineage runs from 1955 to 1997, longer than most American nameplates lasted. That continuity reflects a manufacturer that never treated the small truck as an afterthought. You can trace that commitment through the Datsun Pickup heritage record at Nissan Global and the preserved examples documented in Nissan’s Heritage Collection.
The Datsun 520 series, produced from 1965 to 1972, was the truck that first landed in American driveways in meaningful numbers. It arrived with a 1.3-liter engine and a curb weight under 2,000 lbs — numbers that made fuel stops feel optional compared to a full-size Ford or Chevrolet burning through the same dollar at roughly a third of the mileage. The mechanicals were deliberately overbuilt relative to the weight they carried, which is the quiet foundation of the longevity reputation these trucks established early.
The honest trade-offs: cab space was tight, payload was modest, and hauling a full cord of wood in one trip required a bigger truck. These were honest work tools, not comfort vehicles. For buyers today, 520-series trucks are increasingly scarce, parts availability is genuinely thin, and sourcing body panels can become a multi-year project. Approach any 520 as a collector’s restoration challenge rather than a practical daily driver prospect — the asking prices are rising to reflect exactly that reality.
The Datsun 620 Pickup: America’s Compact Truck Turning Point
The Datsun 620 pickup arrived in 1972 as the direct successor to the 520 and 521 series, and it’s the truck that broke American resistance to compact pickups at scale. Sharper styling, a more refined interior, and a 1.6-liter engine that delivered real-world reliability at exactly the moment gas lines were forming around the block made it an accidental cultural phenomenon. In the U.S. market, the 620 picked up a nickname — a name Datsun leaned into with marketing that played toughness over size rather than economy as a consolation prize, and it worked.
The specification reality: the 620 offered roughly 1,000 lbs of payload capacity and fuel economy in the high teens to low 20s MPG in real-world driving. Against a 1970s domestic half-ton returning around 10 MPG and requiring more frequent service intervals, those numbers were genuinely disruptive. The J16 engine — a 1.6-liter overhead-valve unit — became the mechanical foundation of the 620’s reputation. Simple enough to work on at home, durable enough to outlast owners who weren’t meticulous about service schedules.
For collectors, the 620 is now the sweet spot of the classic Datsun truck value market. Clean, rust-free examples have crossed $20,000-$30,000 at auction, with survivor trucks in documented original condition commanding premiums beyond that. Driver-quality examples in solid structural shape typically trade in the $8,000-$18,000 range depending on region, originality, and documented history. If you’re actively tracking the market, current Datsun 620 auction and private-sale data gives you a live read on where prices are moving and how fast.
The Datsun 720 Truck: Refinement Without Losing the Plot
The Datsun 720 truck ran from 1980 to 1986 and represented a genuine capability expansion. Available with a 2.2-liter diesel option, a king cab configuration that added meaningful storage behind the seats, and 4WD that performed reliably in mud and snow, the 720 broadened what the truck could credibly be asked to do. This was also the last generation sold under the Datsun name before Nissan retired the badge and unified the lineup under its own nameplate — a transition that still creates confusion when buyers order parts today. Know your generation, confirm your engine code, and verify fitment before purchasing anything.
The Z22 engine — a 2.2-liter gasoline unit — became the 720’s defining mechanical story. Documented examples running well past 200,000 miles on basic maintenance appear consistently in owner forums, often with service records attached. That’s not folklore; it’s a small-displacement engine running within its design limits, kept cool, and doing exactly what it was engineered to do. The diesel variant added torque and extended fuel range, at the cost of a parts ecosystem that requires more intentional sourcing today.
One expectation to calibrate before purchase: the 720 king cab’s rear jump seats were technically seats in roughly the same way a folding chair is technically furniture. Adequate for gear, occasionally acceptable for a small adult on a short trip, not appropriate for regular passenger use. If you’re considering a 720 as any kind of family vehicle, recalibrate that expectation during the evaluation process, not after the title transfers.
Current values for 720s in driver condition typically run in the $5,000-$12,000 range — lower than comparable 620s largely because supply remains higher and collector nostalgia for the Datsun brand skews toward the earlier generation. That gap represents real value for a buyer who wants a usable truck rather than a show piece.
Datsun Truck vs. Toyota Pickup: The Rivalry That Defined an Era
The Datsun truck versus Toyota pickup debate was the defining compact truck argument of the 1970s and 1980s. Both were Japanese, both were reliable by domestic standards of the period, and choosing between them was something mechanics took personally. The comparison still matters today because it directly affects what you pay at auction and what parts ecosystem you’re committing to for the life of the truck.
Specs and Value Comparison
| Model | Years | Engine | Displacement | Rated Payload | Est. Fuel Economy | Current Fair-Market Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Datsun 620 | 1972-1979 | J16 (gasoline) | 1.6L | ~1,000 lbs | 18-22 MPG | $8,000-$35,000+ |
| Datsun 720 | 1980-1986 | Z22 (gas) / diesel option | 2.2L | ~1,200 lbs | 20-25 MPG (diesel higher) | $5,000-$12,000 |
| Toyota Pickup (comparable gen) | 1972-1988 | 20R / 22R (gasoline) | 1.9-2.4L | ~1,000-1,200 lbs | 18-24 MPG | $10,000-$40,000+ |
The honest verdict: Toyota’s trucks — particularly the Hilux-based pickups sold in the U.S. — generally offered slightly more interior refinement and a stronger dealer and parts network by the mid-1980s, which is a meaningful part of why Toyota won the long-term market share contest. But Datsun and Nissan trucks held a genuine edge in mechanical simplicity and engine longevity during the 620 era specifically. The J16 is a less complex engine than the Toyota 20R, and less complex engines forgive owners who are not meticulous about maintenance intervals.
For today’s buyer, Toyota pickups from the same period typically run 10-20% higher at auction on comparable-condition examples. A solid Datsun 620 or 720 is often the smarter financial entry point if you’re comfortable sourcing parts through specialty suppliers and Japanese domestic market parts networks rather than walking into a dealer. The parts ecosystem for these trucks has matured considerably online — it simply requires more intentionality than a Toyota restoration does.
What the Legacy Actually Means When You’re Buying Today
The Datsun pickup lineage didn’t end in 1997 — it evolved into the Nissan NP300 Navara, sold globally in multiple markets today. The engineering principles that made these trucks durable are still being refined in production. When you’re looking at a 50-year-old 620, you’re not buying an orphan; you’re buying the earliest expression of a design philosophy that Nissan never abandoned.
Here’s how to use that history as a practical buying framework:
- If you want the collector’s choice with upside: The 620 is your truck. Original-paint survivors and documented low-mileage examples are still being discovered in dry-climate garages, values are climbing steadily, and the 620 has enough cultural recognition to hold attention at shows and command premiums at sale. Budget for a proper rust inspection — not a visual once-over, but a lift-and-probe evaluation of frame rails, cab corners, floor pans, and bed mounts. Surface rust and structural rust are not the same problem, and the asking price will not always reflect the difference.
- If you want a truck you can actually use: The 720 is the pragmatist’s pick. More payload capacity, better ergonomics, a diesel option if you want torque over rev range, and a lower entry price. The Z22 gasoline engine is a genuinely durable small truck powerplant with a well-documented service history in the owner community. Plan to use it accordingly and it will reward that approach.
- Rust is the non-negotiable issue on both generations: A solid truck from Montana, Arizona, or New Mexico is worth the cost of travel to inspect in person. A coastal truck with frame questions is worth walking away from regardless of asking price or how clean the paint looks. Know the difference between cosmetic and structural before you make an offer — on these trucks, that distinction is where buyers win or lose.
If you already own one of these trucks, the community around them — owner forums, JDM parts suppliers, and a growing domestic restoration network — means you’re not navigating a head gasket replacement at 250,000 miles alone. The knowledge base is deep, parts sourcing has matured substantially, and the people who work on these trucks tend to be the kind who actually understand what they’re working with.
The Datsun pickup didn’t just prove that compact trucks could survive American work conditions. It proved they could outlast the assumption that bigger was categorically better. The full Datsun truck lineage stretches across four decades and multiple continents, and the collector market is finally pricing that engineering legacy the way it deserves. If you’re buying now, you’re still ahead of where these trucks will be in another ten years.