How rare are the 720 Diesels?

[SWFL]

I'm thinking of getting a 720 Diesel for my brother, so he doesn't have to deal with smog. I don't need the engine or any of the Diesel stuff, just any Diesel titled 720, it can even be a crashed or rusted out parts truck. How hard are they to find at a reasonable price?

[620slodat]

I don't know about the 720 gasser, but the 720 diesel is not very common. The diesel is also not very well known, as in most people don't know it is not very powerful, or very conducive to having a turbo put on it either. Wayno is the resident expert on the diesel.

 

Don

[SWFL]

Not interested in running a Diesel engine at all. Even most other engines like a 1.9 TDI. I just need a shell for registration/titling purposes.

 

If I was going to run a Diesel, I'd only run a fully cast iron Mercedes 4 or 5 cylinder.   

[bottomwatcher]

Where are you located? Your name SWFL and Florida would put you in my wintertime neck of the woods. Pine island near cape coral. Good luck finding a diesel around there. I took my 720 up to my summer residence in Maine. Driving an old vehicle in Fl is an unpleasant experience. Fine as an island car but as far as a going to town vehicle way too many assholes on thier phones texting and riding your ass. Highway? Forget it. If you aren't doing 80 by the time you are entering the highway get ready for the middle fingers to start flying. I couldn't imagine driving a diesel 720. I blame it on all the New York Riffraf that has infested the area. Floridians are taught to despise New Yorkers from an early age. I do have a couple new York friends but still refer to them as yankee scum in an endearing way. Then I go to Maine in the summer. I become the "Southern" scum go figure. Not a New Yorker by chance?

[mikecaleb]

I owned a 1981 datsun 720 diesel a few years ago. A man out of Atlanta ended up buying it. Said he was shipping it back over seas to be restored. Thought that was pretty neat. I've seen a few for sale since then around northern Alabama. Just gotta keep an eye out.

[SWFL]

3 hours ago, bottomwatcher said:

Where are you located? Your name SWFL and Florida would put you in my wintertime neck of the woods. Pine island near cape coral. Good luck finding a diesel around there. I took my 720 up to my summer residence in Maine. Driving an old vehicle in Fl is an unpleasant experience. Fine as an island car but as far as a going to town vehicle way too many assholes on thier phones texting and riding your ass. Highway? Forget it. If you aren't doing 80 by the time you are entering the highway get ready for the middle fingers to start flying. I couldn't imagine driving a diesel 720. I blame it on all the New York Riffraf that has infested the area. Floridians are taught to despise New Yorkers from an early age. I do have a couple new York friends but still refer to them as yankee scum in an endearing way. Then I go to Maine in the summer. I become the "Southern" scum go figure. Not a New Yorker by chance?

 

Sarasota and the Detroit area. My daily in Florida is a beater $500 1985 Civic sedan. Apparently you've never driven on 4 between Tampa and Orlando. 90-100 mph to zero and back to 90-100 mph in around a minute, multiple times. I love all the cars with the AP stickers over there.

 

I worked in Maine for 2 years around the Portland area recently. I believe the Massholes are the worst.

 

I don't want to drive another Diesel unless it's a SHTF/EOTWAWKI situation. I just need a Diesel titled 720 to build. It'll be gas with an automatic.

[SWFL]

2 hours ago, mikecaleb said:

I owned a 1981 datsun 720 diesel a few years ago. A man out of Atlanta ended up buying it. Said he was shipping it back over seas to be restored. Thought that was pretty neat. I've seen a few for sale since then around northern Alabama. Just gotta keep an eye out.

 

What price range do you see them going for?

[bottomwatcher]

22 minutes ago, SWFL said:

 

Sarasota and the Detroit area. My daily in Florida is a beater $500 1985 Civic sedan. Apparently you've never driven on 4 between Tampa and Orlando. 90-100 mph to zero and back to 90-100 mph in around a minute, multiple times. I love all the cars with the AP stickers over there.

 

I worked in Maine for 2 years around the Portland area recently. I believe the Massholes are the worst.

 

I don't want to drive another Diesel unless it's a SHTF/EOTWAWKI situation. I just need a Diesel titled 720 to build. It'll be gas with an automatic.

Ha. Yep my daily in Florida is a 2003 highlander with 250k on it.  I got for free from an elderly friend. It needed more repairs than it was worth if you paid a mechanic. Anyways life is too short to drive 4 and it might get shorter along that route. I have to commute to Jax once a month so I go north of that disaster before heading east. Still get jammed at the 75/4 intersection then again at MLK. The level of disfunction down there is why I took my Datsun to Maine. Mostly rural and coastal roads I can drive at the "stately speeds" the datsun was designed for. Mostly trips to one of the local beer gardens.