I went for a little drive today to see where this garage I'm gonna take my Maxima to get aligned was at.

I got there and what do I see sitting in the weeds but a Maxima Wagon!!

Body looked in decent condition but they had already closed.

Tomorrow I'm gonna head over and take some pics, and if it runs and the price is right, I just might buy her.

Anyone else on here own any 2nd gens??

Did they make wagons in 1st gens?? This one looked like a 2nd but I'm not too sure...

There were 810 wagons (both 77-80 & 81-84 - model years), IIRC. I'll see if I can "google up" some pics.

Little find while looking

Quote »With the 240Z, which it introduced in 1970, Datsun (a.k.a. Nissan) proved that it could build a vehicle so good that it would sell on inherent virtue rather than price advantage. But the sports car market is a fairly narrow one — hard-core enthusiasts can make a car a success while seeking characteristics most buyers would never even consider. Midsize sedans, on the other hand, need broad appeal and advantages that are instantly apparent even to buyers who don't know the difference between a carburetor and a carbohydrate.

While the 1977 810 was the largest sedan Datsun had ever sold in the United States, it was also a move toward the deepest part of the American mainstream. It wasn't just another Asian alternative to cheap American sedans like the Chevy Nova, Dodge Dart or Ford Maverick; rather, it's comparable to the well-equipped mainstream Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Mercurys of the day. It was also sophisticated enough to challenge such Europeans as the BMW 3 Series and Volvos 240- and 260-series. And it still had a price advantage over most of them.

Of course, Datsun wouldn't stay Datsun and the 810 wouldn't stay the 810 — but you knew that by the title of this Generations piece.

First-Generation 810: 1977 to 1980

"Datsun has recently introduced what may well be one of the best buys so far in 1977," wrote Road & Track in its April issue of that year, "the 810 four-door sedan." For a magazine known for its muted praise, that sort of comment amounts to an emotional outburst — Road & Track loved the 810.

There was, after all, a lot to love about the 810. First there was the rear-drive chassis that featured an all-independent suspension consisting of MacPherson struts up front and semitrailing arms in the back. Then there was the engine, which was the same 2.4-liter, single-overhead-cam, 12-valve, straight six used in the original 240Z, but equipped with Bosch fuel injection rather than the old Z's carbs. Rated at 154 gross horsepower, it was making something like 125 hp using the "net" SAE standard that was by then the accepted way of expressing engine output. The standard transmission was a four-speed manual, while a three-speed automatic was optional. Nothing revolutionary, but good stuff nonetheless.

a Sure, the 810 still used drum brakes in the back and a recirculating ball steering gear, but this was still a relatively sophisticated package built around a solid unibody structure. And with a base price of just $5,099, at a time when the four-cylinder BMW 320i started at $7,990, the 810 was a raging bargain, too. A five-door station wagon version was also offered, but it used a solid rear axle on leaf springs instead of the independent rear suspension.

"So, all the mechanicals of the 810 are tried and true, both in design and use," continued Road & Track during its first test. "What makes the car excellent is the blend of all those components. The six-cylinder engine transforms the car from the usual four-cylinder sedan where all the get-up has gone to one that gets up and goes. We noticed the markedly different performance as soon as we picked up the car and confirmed it during our acceleration testing: 0-60 mph in 12.2 seconds, which puts the 810 in a class with the Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT, BMW 320i and the Ford Granada five-liter. The time for the standing-start quarter-mile run was an equally impressive 18.7 seconds at a speed of 74.0 mph….

"The pleasing blend of proven components extends to the 810's handling characteristics as well. There is mild understeer and no abrupt transition during hard cornering as with many cars that use semitrailing rear suspension. Nor does it switch to oversteer if you back off the throttle during a tire-squealing turn."

So what about the exterior and interior design of the 810? Well, the cabin was roomy enough for a 183.5-inch-long car on a 104.3-inch wheelbase. And by the humble standards of the day, it was a well-appointed interior that featured such advanced technology as a quartz digital clock! But the exterior was pretty darn hideous.

Basically a scaled-up version of the awful styling then infecting Nissan's smaller sedans, the 810's shape managed the bizarre trick of being both overstyled and fully anonymous. There was a half-hearted attempt to make the car look upscale with the big, upright front grille. But that's as far as the tasteful styling touches went. The tail looked like it had been backed into a puddle of molten red and amber plastic. The 810 also wasn't particularly aerodynamic, and at least a few critics noted that the wind whistled around the A-pillars.

The inherent goodness of the 810's drivetrain, chassis and overall package, however, was apparently enough for it to overcome the dreadful styling to become a solid sales hit for Datsun.

Datsun barely touched the 810 for 1978 with the addition of power steering as a standard feature about the only significant change. Hey, no one was buying an 810 without power steering anyhow. However the 810 did pick up a major competitor with the introduction of the similar-specification Toyota Cressida that year. A two-door coupe version of the 810 was new for 1979 along with the adoption of four rectangular headlights in place of the four round ones that originally framed the car's face. The coupe used the same 104.3-inch wheelbase of the sedan and featured both small side-quarter windows that rolled down and large opera windows in the C-pillars. Furthering the 1970's penchant for tackiness, the coupe's interior featured a plaid upholstery fabric that was among the creepiest ever conceived. But again, under the skin the 810 shone; Datsun's new 280ZX used essentially the same suspension as the 810 under its sleeker sports car bodywork. The coupe also got a five-speed manual transmission swiped from the Z car parts bin as standard equipment. The 2.4-liter six was unchanged and now carried a 120-hp net rating.

What worked so well under the sedan continued to impress critics under the coupe. "We doubt anyone will mistake the 810 coupe for a BMW or Alfa," wrote Road & Track. "A bargain? Well cost is a relative thing. But where Datsun is concerned, it is still the most important factor."

However inflation and the plummeting value of the U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen made the 810 more expensive and less of a value in the market. Throw in the fact that the quirky styling was now aging and, no surprise, sales suffered.

Halogen headlights and cruise control were new options for the 1980 810 coupe, sedan and wagon, but the rest of the car was essentially unchanged. Why bother when there was a new 810 on the way? And that second 810 would prove so good, it would outgrow its own name.

Second-Generation 810/Maxima: 1981 to 1984

There was nothing radical about the second Datsun 810, but it was cleanly styled and handsome in a way the old 810 had never been. In the early '80s, that was enough to make the car a hit.

In general specification, the 1981 810 didn't differ that much from the old one. The suspension still used MacPherson struts up front and a set of semitrailing arms in the back. The engine was still the same fuel-injected 2.4-liter SOHC straight six ripped from the Z car and it still made 120 hp. A five-speed manual transmission was now standard, but it still sent power back to the rear wheels. And the brakes were still discs up front and drums in back. However the steering gear was now a rack and pinion design.

While the sedan was still the heart of the 810 offerings and the station wagon was kept around for family-type buyers, the coupe was killed off since Datsun was now selling the 200SX to that niche.

America's new 810 was actually a revision of the four-cylinder Japanese-market 910 with the biggest change being an additional 3.9 inches of length spliced into the nose between the firewall and front wheels in order to accommodate the longer six-cylinder engine. Of course Datsun could have called the new car a 910 here in America as well, but why throw away what brand equity had been built for the 810 nameplate?

Compared to the old 810, the second one's 103.2-inch wheelbase was 1.1-inch shorter and overall length dropped by 0.6 inch. The newer 810 was also marginally wider and the interior was roomier. The cowl was significantly lower as well, dropping its waistline noticeably and increasing the size of the greenhouse. And the new design eliminated much of the irksome wind noise that plagued the original.

The 810 was offered in two trim levels, with "Deluxe" representing the base model and "Maxima" at the top of the range — which marked the first appearance of the Maxima name. "The Deluxe comes with a five-speed manual gearbox (the automatic is optional), an interior done in basic vinyl and a rudimentary set of instruments," explained Road & Track during its first test of the new 810. "Buy a Maxima, the model we tested, and you must take the fuzzy upholstery materials and the complete instrumentation, but can't have the five-speed manual. We'd prefer being able to order a Deluxe model with the full set of instruments or a Maxima with a good vinyl or perhaps even leather upholstery."

"The Maxima is loaded for American bear," wrote Car and Driver during its first road test of the second 810. "Gimmicks, comforts and competences are everywhere, and delivered in a very handsome package. The new 810 has gotten the sort of face-lift that snugs up lines without stretching too tight. The old 810 was just as much fun to drive, but it was unrepentantly gawky. The new car gathers a better grade of stares." They also noted the Maxima's most controversial feature — "a little artificial voice that will scare the wee out of you in the middle of the night at the Texaco station in Chetopa, Kansas, by whispering, 'Please turn out the lights.'" That's right, the 810 Maxima was in the vanguard of that oh-so-'80s fad — cars that talk.

Another early-'80s fad was the diesel engine and the 810 got one of its own midway through the '81 model year. The 2.8-liter diesel six was rated at just 80 hp. That's wholly inadequate against 3,100 or more pounds, yet at least a few were sold anyhow.

Road & Track measured its 810 Maxima traipsing to 60 mph in 12.3 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in 19.0 seconds at 75.5 mph. Solidly competitive for the era and enough to make the new 810 a hit even though the Maxima's price was just a few bucks short of $10,000.

For no apparent reason, the 810 name disappeared with the coming of the 1982 models and all of Datsun's biggest sedans and wagons were now known as Maximas. This was also the year when Datsun began its transition to using the "Nissan" brand name. So both names appeared on most of the company's products.

Substantive changes to the Maxima were slight, however. The instrumentation graphics were revised, new velour upholstery was installed and the headlights were now quartz halogen units. The Deluxe model was also gone as all Maximas were, well, Maximas.

For 1983 the Maxima got a new grille and slightly revised taillights, but the most significant change was that a new four-speed automatic transmission replaced the old three-speeder. Also the station wagon got a new four-link rear suspension.

In a giant (and legendarily disastrous) eight-car comparison test conducted in Mexico, Car and Driver was unimpressed by the '83 Maxima. "Both the Toyota Cressida and Datsun Maxima are growing whiskers which are especially noticeable with so many fresh faces around," it wrote. "Rear drive consumes an uncomfortable amount of their cabin space, both cars have gone a bit soft around the edges, and the typical plethora of buttons and gadgets has reached the point of sensory overload. Japan's strong points are still technically advanced powertrains (the Cressida's earned a perfect 27) and reasonable price tags."

The Nissan name change was complete by the 1984 model year and the unloved diesel engine option was dropped, but except for some slight trim changes and audible wear warnings from the front disc brake pads, the Maxima soldiered forward pretty much unchanged. But not only would this be the last year for this generation Maxima, but it would be the end of rear-wheel drive for the line as well.

Third-Generation Maxima: 1985 to 1988

About the least changed thing about the all-new 1985 Maxima was the styling. "This year," wrote Car and Driver upon its first test of the new car, "taking note of the Teutonic philosophy which holds that higher efficiency in all things means higher performance in all areas, Nissan has shrunk the Maxima's wheelbase by about three inches to 100.4. At the same time, the adoption of front-wheel drive, a transverse V6 and a 181.7-inch overall length has added about an inch to legroom. Headroom within the unit body has also grown an inch or so, and the trunk has swelled to 15 cubic feet." Still, with its square cut lines and blunt nose framed by rectangular headlamps, it was recognizably a successor to the previous Maxima.

There was nothing exotic about the new Maxima. The suspension once again relied on MacPherson struts in the front and now used them in the back as well. Finally, the front disc brakes were joined by a set of discs in the rear, too. The fuel-injected 3.0-liter V6 was the same SOHC, 12-valve unit installed in the rear-drive 300ZX sports car, and it fed either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transaxle. As ordinary as that engine seemed, its 154-hp output was a vast leap forward for the Maxima — a full 34 hp more than before. And that meant this car was seriously quick for its time, as Car and Driver's five-speed-equipped Maxima SE ripped from zero to 60 mph in just 8.4 seconds and completed the quarter-mile in 16.5 seconds at 80 mph.

Both the Maxima sedan and wagon returned to start the front-drive era. The sedan was offered both as a base "GL" and sportier "SE," with the wagon coming only as a GL. The GL models had the automatic transmission standard, while the SE came only with the manual.

The new Maxima was, on the whole, an impressive advance. "Nissan has made a bold and risky move from rear drive to front drive in its flagship sedan and hasn't stumbled in the process," wrote Car and Driver's Don Sherman. "To the contrary, the new Maxima is worlds better than the machine it replaced. The handling is decent, the ride is fine and the usual torque-steer and steering-kick gremlins are nowhere to be found. My compliments."

With such a solid start for the new-generation Maxima, about the only change Nissan made for 1986 was the addition of an anti-theft system.

A slight wedge was added to the front grille for 1987 and the Maxima line was reconfigured to be offered in either base "GXE" or sportier "SE" trim. The SE was now available with either the five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. For 1988 there was a new optional "Sonar Suspension" system that adjusted shock damping based on road condition information gleaned from sensors.

By this time, the first front-drive Maxima was played out. The next one would be a greater step forward than even Nissan could have imagined.

Fourth-Generation Maxima: 1989 to 1994

If there's one thing the 810 and Maxima hadn't been until this fourth generation, that thing was beautiful. The new 1989 Maxima sedan was downright pretty. And it was bigger. But it was no longer available as a station wagon.

"The new Maxima was designed with the U.S. market in mind," wrote Road & Track at its introduction. "In fact approximately 90 percent of total production is expected to be exported to Yankee shores. Unencumbered by Japanese size requirements and tax penalties, Nissan's designers had the flexibility to create a substantially larger Maxima. Compared with last year's car, it's 6.3 inches longer, 2.4 inches wider and has nearly 4 inches more wheelbase. 'We first asked ourselves what interior dimensions would be necessary to provide sufficient space for five American adults to ride in comfort,' says Hiroyuki Shiratori, Nissan's senior manager, product planning and marketing group No. 3. And you know, when the senior manager [of] product planning and marketing group No. 3 talks, people listen."

Coincidentally (or maybe not so coincidentally), the '89 Maxima's 104.3-inch wheelbase was identical to that of the original '77 810's. But the '89 Maxima, at 187.6 inches from nose to tail, was just over 4 inches longer overall than its ancestor.

Despite the growth in size, this Maxima carried over much of the previous-generation Maxima's established engineering. The suspension consisted of struts both fore and aft, and the 3.0-liter V6 still had SOHC heads and fed either a four-speed automatic or five-speed manual transaxle. The engine did get a boost up to 160 hp, and an electronic antilock braking system was available on the SE's four discs (GXE models reverted to rear drums). It was detail and tuning changes combined with radically improved ergonomics and appearance that made this Maxima a car Nissan could call a "Four-Door Sports Car." In fact, the carmaker called it the "Four-Door Sports Car" so often that it put little "4DSC" stickers on the side glass.

"The interior is where this sport sedan differs from the competition," enthused Road & Track about the '89 Maxima SE. "Immediately commanding attention are the gauges. On the Maxima SE model, they have a vintage-car look with white faces and black markings, a treatment that's different yet doesn't compromise readability…. When darkness falls and the instrument panel lights come on, the gauges assume a negative image — white markings against black backgrounds. In either mode, they're easy on the eyes."

Car and Driver rounded up six import sedans for a comparison test and rated the '89 Maxima SE "a strong fourth, just one point out of third and two points out of second." Where did it come up short? "Unfortunately," the magazine concluded, "the Maxima's chassis isn't as capable as its drivetrain. Our Maxima, fitted with 205/60HR15 Toyo tires, could do no better than 0.76G on the skid pad, a mediocre performance for a modern sport sedan. Moreover, the suspension is on the soft side, requiring a gentle touch at the wheel to keep the car from bobbing around." The magazine also measured its Maxima SE running to 60 mph in 8.8 seconds and turning the quarter-mile in 16.5 seconds at 84 mph.

With this Maxima a solid hit for Nissan, it was not surprising that only a few trim changes were made to the car for 1990. The Maxima's sideview mirrors were slightly redesigned for 1991, and there was another round of trim changes, but that was about it.

A new grille and minor trim changes were part of the 1992 Maxima. But the big news that year was the adoption of new aluminum DOHC heads for the iron-block 3.0-liter V6 on SE models — putting four valves over every cylinder. That change pumped output up to 190 hp and the SE's suspension was tweaked to make the best use of it. Those changes vaulted the Maxima SE to the top of Car and Driver's desirability list — in a three-car comparison with Toyota's Camry SE sedan and Ford's Taurus SHO, the Maxima SE won. "The SE romps from zero to 60 in 7 seconds flat," Car and Driver gushed, "and fails to match the SHO's 141-mph top speed by only four mph. Its braking and road-holding figures wind up within a hair-split of the others, and they all tied at 20 mpg on a rollercoastering Ohio trip."

Nissan celebrated the Maxima SE's new dominance by installing a standard driver-side airbag in the car for 1993. Otherwise the status quo was maintained. The company didn't change much about the car for 1994, either.

Though it was at the end of its production life, this generation of Maxima was still attractive and beloved by many buyers. But the world marches on and there was a new Maxima coming.[/quote]

Very interesting!!!

By that article, the 3rd gen Maxima is actually the 4th. Thats weird.

I've been looking for pics and just from seeing the regular 84's to 88's compared to the previous years it looks like its the newer Max's.

I have some bad news.

I went there today for my appointment and the Maxima was hauled off to the crusher.

The guy informed me it was a southern '87 or '88. The undercarriage was immaculate. It had been sitting there for 6 years now. The owner never came to collect it. He got sick of it sitting there and unfortunately got rid of it the morning right before I got there. I was sad. He told me he would have given it to me for free!!!

Oh well.

A day late (well, hour and 20 minutes) and dime short.

R.I.P.

Too bad you couldn't snag it.

2nd gen Maxima wagons were great looking.1st gens were less attractive, and had the disadvantage of a solid rear axle (necessitated by the low floor of the wagon rear) compared to the sedan's IRS.

Still, I'd love to own either.

For visual comparison, the 1st gen wagon had a more angled hatch (forward-swept glass section like modern wagons) where the 2nd gen was more square.

PBfrEAk wrote:Very interesting!!!

By that article, the 3rd gen Maxima is actually the 4th. Thats weird.

Every once in a while I run across an article like that. The late-70s model might have been the first gen 810, but it wasn't the first gen Max. "Maxima" didn't appear on the cars until 1981. It wasn't a true solo model until 4 years later.Regardless of names, I would LOVE a ~'79 810.

Rex wrote:There were 810 wagons (both 77-80 & 81-84 - model years), IIRC. I'll see if I can "google up" some pics.

Only two wagon pics I have, along with 60-something sedan pics. I have a thing for the 1st-gen Maximas.

i got an 85 maxima wagon ill try to put up some pics

i really couldn't ask for a better car than a 2nd gen maxima wagon, you cant go wrong with buying one, theyre very rare though