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Potentially buying my first 510, could use some advice


cmsuter

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So I found a 510 near me and I just don't know enough about these cars to know what's scary and what isn't. I have read through the "Buying a 510" thread and have gotten a bit better of an understanding, but I would like to post the ad here and see what you guys think (Link below). I am pretty car savvy (worked one quite a few hondas) but have never worked on one of these. It seems like it may not take much (in the grand scheme of things) to get it running. I am assuming right off the bat it will need everything flushed and cleaned, probably some hoses replaced, battery, brakes, all that jazz, but maybe some smarter people than me can enlighten me a little more. Thanks!

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/1971-datsundoor/6523394879.html

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That car could be a nightmare to register. You want proof that it's out of the system before paying due to no title. Make sure he has a proper bill of sale from the original owner to him and get one from him to you, in case it's in the system. If it's out of the system, you'll need a vin verification and bill of sale from him to you to get it registered, this is actually the easiest way. Now on to the car. Vinyl tops in humid areas can literally rot the entire roof, you're going to want to poke and prod around looking for weak spots. Any bubbles in paint is cancer that will need fixing. Look at the floor and make sure it's repairable. From the pics it looks decent but you need to scrutinize it with zero emotion involved and be ready to pass on it if you see anything you're not comfortable with.

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I'd not buy this one. If you wanted a beater to drive around as is, this could be okay. But it's an Auto, so the fun is gone. The rust at the base of the rear windshield is deterring to anyone looking to re-build. Also it indicates to me that every door will be rusted at the bottom. A where that water settled will be rusted. I'm guessing sitting outside through storms didn't do the metal any favors. A restoration shop could grab this to fix or part out. A first time 510 owner would typically have a bad experiance (if they were wanting to fix it up. Also, the vinyl top is always trouble in rust prone states. But it sure looks good.

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^^^ these guys bring up good points but I think 2k for a one owner car that isn’t hacked to death ain’t bad in my opinion. It’s next to impossible to find rust free or even low rust dimes in that price range these days. Plan rust repair in the budget. 5-speed swaps aren’t too hard for an average gearhead.

I do agree on prodding the vinyl top to hunt for hidden rust but you may be surprised. Vinyl is not a guarantee of rust underneath but it does raise the odds.

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Automatics are survivors because you can't drive the shit out of them. I've driven an automatic and you give up real quick trying to make it do things. They just get driven. $2K is a good price, expect to put another 2 to 3K into it. A good fix up mechanically.

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Go look at it, take some pictures of it.

 

Look at the floors, rockers, definitely the vinyl top, front frame rails, on both sides.

 

$2000 is a steal. I've heard it's been on CL on and off for a year. That might tell you something about the car.. but maybe not. Only way to know for sure... go poke around it.

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This is all super helpful! I am definitely looking for it to be a daily driver but I fully accept it's gonna take a bit of work to get it that way. Thanks for all the advice everyone. I called him and he said that he lives in California and the car is at his friends house in Atlanta but his friend is a construction contractor so he travels a lot which makes it difficult to sell. Which sounds pretty sketchy. How am I supposed to get a signed bill of sale if he isn't even there? The fact that he isn't there and there is no title (even though in Georgia it isnt required for a car older than 1985. I'm definitely having second thoughts. Its just impossible to find a good condition 510 for under like 7k haha

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Make a deposit, take the car and begin the registration process only to pay the balance upon successful title transfer. If there are back fees, these come out of the balance. Get it in your name before you put any work into it. I did this to get my project car and it saved me from $800+ in back fees. But that's here in CA, not sure what your state's process is.

 

I'd pick it up for 2k. Offer a grand deposit and see what happens.

 

Also, +$2-3k to get it going might be high but better to err on the high side. And don't think you'll get it dailying by a set date... life, $$$, and scope creep are no joke.

Good luck!

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This is all super helpful! I am definitely looking for it to be a daily driver but I fully accept it's gonna take a bit of work to get it that way. Thanks for all the advice everyone. I called him and he said that he lives in California and the car is at his friends house in Atlanta but his friend is a construction contractor so he travels a lot which makes it difficult to sell. Which sounds pretty sketchy. How am I supposed to get a signed bill of sale if he isn't even there? The fact that he isn't there and there is no title (even though in Georgia it isnt required for a car older than 1985. I'm definitely having second thoughts. Its just impossible to find a good condition 510 for under like 7k haha

It's a legit sale, the guy lives in modesto I think and I remember when he bought the car. 

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So what do I do for the bill of sale if he isn't there to sign it? I'm feeling a little better about it. I don't mind putting the time and money into getting back together. I can't really imagine it's going to take much to get it at least running.

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So what do I do for the bill of sale if he isn't there to sign it? I'm feeling a little better about it. I don't mind putting the time and money into getting back together. I can't really imagine it's going to take much to get it at least running.

Call a registration service and ask what you need to get. They’re often easier to deal with than dmv, the fee they charge is more than worth it. I went that route with my new 510, never stepped into dmv and had my title 8 days later. The guy could mail a bill of sale to his friend with his portion filled out, then you just fill out the rest when you pick up the car.

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So I called the DMV and apparently it doesn't matter that it is no longer registered in GA. All I need is the Bill of sale to register it in SC just like I would any other vehicle. I will have to fill out another form due to lack of title but aside from that it seems pretty painless. She also said there won't be any backfees or anything because it hasn't been registered in SC so it won't matter. 

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So I called the DMV and apparently it doesn't matter that it is no longer registered in GA. All I need is the Bill of sale to register it in SC just like I would any other vehicle. I will have to fill out another form due to lack of title but aside from that it seems pretty painless. She also said there won't be any backfees or anything because it hasn't been registered in SC so it won't matter. 

 

Just have the owner mail the guy that has it now a signed bill of sale. That way when you go guy it, you have it there in hand.

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It looks decent for an east coast car.

 

My advise would be to look through the project/build threads link.  You will be able to see where others started, as well as pictures of common rust areas.

 

http://community.ratsun.net/forum/6-project-datto/

 

Or, like others have said, run while you can!

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So I passed on it. It is in way rougher shape than the ad depicts. Not really his fault, since he has never even seen the car. A looot of rust. No ignition, huge split in the dash, about half of driver side floor board is missing from rust, trashed back seat, the front end looks like it ran up on something at some point. Almost everything will have to be redone on this car. The motor seems fine and structural parts seem ok, but every body panel has at least one hole from rust. Great start for a project. Just more than I am looking to take on.

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Well for an old car that's been out probably for a long time that's more than likely normal. But once you get one they are addicting. I have several myself and can not stop passing one up when I see one (not many around these days to see). I have changed out two auto's to stick, not much trouble if you have all the parts. Anyway good luck on your search for one. I'm glad I got mine when I did way back. And they are a blast to drive.

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So I passed on it. It is in way rougher shape than the ad depicts. Not really his fault, since he has never even seen the car. A looot of rust. No ignition, huge split in the dash, about half of driver side floor board is missing from rust, trashed back seat, the front end looks like it ran up on something at some point. Almost everything will have to be redone on this car. The motor seems fine and structural parts seem ok, but every body panel has at least one hole from rust. Great start for a project. Just more than I am looking to take on.

Do everyone a favor and give a detailed list to the seller of what is rotton and damaged on the car, he's been trying to sell it for a long time. I know he's never seen the car and in fact bought it sight unseen himself.  Since hes been trying to sell it all over the place, I'd hate someone to get burned by his lack of factual description. 

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So I passed on it. It is in way rougher shape than the ad depicts. Not really his fault, since he has never even seen the car. A looot of rust. No ignition, huge split in the dash, about half of driver side floor board is missing from rust, trashed back seat, the front end looks like it ran up on something at some point. Almost everything will have to be redone on this car. The motor seems fine and structural parts seem ok, but every body panel has at least one hole from rust. Great start for a project. Just more than I am looking to take on.

 

Hey it was worth a look!

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Do everyone a favor and give a detailed list to the seller of what is rotton and damaged on the car, he's been trying to sell it for a long time. I know he's never seen the car and in fact bought it sight unseen himself.  Since hes been trying to sell it all over the place, I'd hate someone to get burned by his lack of factual description. 

I actually offered that to him. I told him if he would bend on price I would take it but he told me "I have a friend who said if you don't buy it he will so I can't bend on price". So I passed, but I took sooooo many detailed pics and offered to send them to him if the deal falls through and he wants them for selling purposes and when I texted him a couple hours later to offer that he informed me that his friend had bought it. So maybe it was a sales play, maybe it wasn't. but either way he was done with me haha. 

 

But yeah I definitely plan on getting one. I am currently selling my Scion XB. So as soon as I do that I can afford to maybe try to get into one that isn't quite as much of a project. Oh well... some day!

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I actually offered that to him. I told him if he would bend on price I would take it but he told me "I have a friend who said if you don't buy it he will so I can't bend on price". So I passed, but I took sooooo many detailed pics and offered to send them to him if the deal falls through and he wants them for selling purposes and when I texted him a couple hours later to offer that he informed me that his friend had bought it. So maybe it was a sales play, maybe it wasn't. but either way he was done with me haha. 

 

But yeah I definitely plan on getting one. I am currently selling my Scion XB. So as soon as I do that I can afford to maybe try to get into one that isn't quite as much of a project. Oh well... some day!

Yeah, I doubt it sold, it's still on craigslist. post up the pictures on here if you can. for 2k still not bad, depending on how soft the vynil top felt. I bought my last rusty 2dr rolling shell for 1500 5 years ago. I don't think pricing are going to go down any time soon. 

 

 If I were to buy a project 510, my main concern would be how complete the trim is and the condition. It gets expensive quick trying to piece it together a 510.  fixing rust is a lot less work.

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