Read this message-or else!

npca-strausz · Post by **npca-strausz** » Sat Jun 03, 2000 4:12 pm

Lets get some more activity on this message board. I want at least 10 posts a weak! I know there arn't much of us out there, but I'm sure you can all come up with things to bs about. I will give you all something for starters. Have you ever wondered why so few patrols were sold? This is a very puzzling thing to me. It seems to me that the patrol is just as well equiped as the landcruiser was in that day and age and I am sure that many more landcruisers were sold from 62-69. Was the patrol more expensive? Did nissan's advertising suck or something. (or was there any advertising at all?) Datsun was selling quite a few cars towards the later part of the 60's. So why couldn't they sell the patrol? Well if any of you have any ideas be sure and respond. I hope to hear from you all soon. =

npca-alex · Post by **npca-alex** » Sat Jun 03, 2000 9:45 pm

This is what I have heard, I am not sure it is the truth, but this is the story I've gotten, from 2 different sources now I believe. At the same time Nissan (Datsun) began to import the Patrol, Toyota began to import the Land Cruiser. I do know that the the Land Cruiser was a little more affordable, not a lot, but it was cheaper. Anyway. Datsun had their pickup, the 510, and other passenger cars it was importing, Toyota had their pickup, the Corrolla, and a whole bunch of other passenger cars it was beginning to import too. I believe that there was some sort of agreement that Datsun would back off on the Patrol and their pickup and let Toyota corner the market with the Land Cruiserand their pickup, and in return Toyota was supposed to ease off on the passenger cars so that Datsun could go all out importing their passenger cars. Toyota went bad on the deal and their passenger cars like Corrolas, Coronas, and the like took the market away from 210, the 510, and what later became the Sentra (especially since Datsun was a little higher priced than Toyota, not much, but enough). By this time the Patrol had been taken off the U.S. market, and the U.S. had new specs to meet, and Datsun was not about to go back and redesign the Patrol for U.S. specs to try break back in on this market which was already settled into the Land Cruiser and Toyotas in general.I know what you mean about wanting more postings, I check every day and when I see that the number of new ones for the week is no more than when I last saw it, I log off bumed out. Well, we are now at nearly 80 members (76) and we seem to keep growing, maybe once we get more people we will get so much chat going on this board we won't be able to keep up.

npca-joe w. · Post by **npca-joe w.** » Thu Apr 05, 2001 4:05 pm

Hey Alex, I recently heard the same kind of reasoning as to why the Patrol didn't make it in the US after '69. I heard that it specifically involved the importing of 240Zs, and Toyota saying it wouldn't introduce a competitor if Nissan backed off the Patrol. So we must be onto something here. It makes sense. On another subject, I don't know too much about the rear axles, but I can look in my service manuals and see what the pictures show. I totally scored on some Patrol parts a couple of weeks ago, I got a complete front end and Transmission, as well as 3 Rochester carbs, Brake Drums, fly wheels, bellhousing, some cosmetic stuff and bunch of odds and ends, but not much for the rear end. I might possibly have one side of a rear axle, but it doesn't have a sleeve. I'll have to check it against the books. Joe W.

npca-jahdavebob · Post by **npca-jahdavebob** » Sun Apr 08, 2001 1:22 pm

Well, I have spoken with many people in botht he Nissan and the Toyota organizations and found that Toyota agreed not to import their sports car (competition for Nissans 240z and 260z) in return Nissan would no longer import the far superior Patrol and leave that market to Toyota and the Landcruiser. Toyota the F^%$#'d Nissan on the deal just a few years later.Dave

npca-ryan_mcginnis · Post by **npca-ryan_mcginnis** » Tue Apr 10, 2001 2:59 pm

I read in a recent issue of four-wheeler, in which they reviewed some of the articles they have posted in the past that the reason Patrols didn't do well was because Nissan concentrated on their passenger car line with their advertisments to a very large degree, and severe neglect was given to the patrol line as a result.....

npca-alex · Post by **npca-alex** » Tue Apr 10, 2001 10:04 pm

Patrols were also THE most expensive 4x4 at that time which might have had something to do with it also....

npca-jeepy · Post by **npca-jeepy** » Sat Apr 14, 2001 12:55 pm

I have heard about the Patrol being the most expensive 4X4 at the time and that the dealersreally pushed the cars and the smaller truck over the Patrol. I am not sure if it had to do with profits or some agreement with Toyota.Either way, the Cruiser folks don't have a clueas to what they are missing out on! Cruisers are fun, but Patrols are far superior in everydepartment!-Jeffjeepcj_6@yahoo.com