When the average joe could maintain his own car

Remember when cars were simple to work on? And the Datsun 1200 was arguably the easiest to work on of all 1970's vehicles.



And you didn't need to be an electronics engineer to tune it up. All the spark plugs were within sight, everything is easy to do. I can even pick up the entire engine by myself! The Datsun 1200 was the least expensive car sold in USA in 1972, got the highest fuel economy, and perhaps the least expensive to maintain. You couldn't lose with this little car.

Does any manufacturer make a car like that today? Yes...

• 2007 Nissan LDV 1400 is a pickup (el camino-style) version of the Datsun 1200, manufactured by Nissan South Africa. It even has a carburetor!
• In the 1990s, India's Premier 118NE had the same engine as my 1972 model, the Nissan A12 engine and same transmission, however the body was based on a Fiat design