Would you drive this? 1997 Nissan Hardbody

Would you drive this truck?

1997 Nissan Hardbody King Cab XE 4×4 5-Speed - It's powered by a 2.4-liter inline-four paired with a five-speed manual transmission and a dual-range transfer case. It's from an era when Nissan was more competitive and didn't concern itself with CVT transmissions or weird faux suede seats.



Nissan (then Datsun) had developed quite the following for their trucks with the 720 pickup truck. The 720 was introduced in 1978 as a 1979 model, and it replaced the Datsun 620. The 720 was a no-frills pickup truck that was offered with few options, and only one configuration. It was a popular work truck for fleets and families. It competed well with the Toyota HiLux and Isuzu Pup. It turned out that people liked the idea of a small, practical pickup.

So as a consequence, all of Nissan's competitors (General Motors, Toyota, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Ford, even Dodge) aggressively improved their offerings in the compact pickup market. Nissan had to redesign the 720 to stay competitive. This was particularly true in hot pickup truck markets like Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Nissan started developing the Nissan Hardbody pickup truck in San Diego, California in 1983. The design team wanted to build on the success of the 720, but expand it's appeal by offering more engine options, a larger cab, and optional seating for up to 4 people.

The Hardbody was the first truck Nissan designed in the US. It went on sale in 1985 as a 1986 model in most markets. It was sold in Japan as the Nissan Datsun truck and in Australia as the Navara. It was available in a standard and "king" cab (extended cab), and came with a range of 4 cylinder engines depending on the year and market, but the most popular was the 2.4L I-4 (KA24E) borrowed from the Datsun Z sports car. The VG30i 3.0L V6 engine was also offered in the Canadian and US markets, but wasn't particularly popular.

The Hardbody was eventually replaced by the Frontier in Nissan's lineup in 1998, making 1997 the last year for the hardbody. By then, the truck had been updated with modern safety gear and more powerful engines, but it remained a reliable and affordable workhorse for Nissan and their loyal fans. Between the two trucks, the Hardbody is widely considered to be a Nissan classic. It's slab sided design, character line, and "no nonsense" styling has turned it into a popular used vehicle for truck enthusiasts.

The example below is a low mileage truck that sold for about $11,000. You can find them for cheaper than this, but their prices do appear to be going up.












Similar to the GM T400 half ton trucks, the Toyota pickups, and the Isuzu pickups....most Nissan Hardbodies from the early to mid 1990s were well used (often abused). It's difficult to find them in good condition.