Latest trip to Brasil '12 - Not one Z

[Mike]

So, I just completed a long-overdue vacation in Brasil. I'm sitting in the Sao Paulo airport and decided to post a message about what I saw. Which was absolutely NOTHING related to Datsun. While I saw some very interesting classic cars in Brasil such as old VW Beetles, Passats, Buses, and a few Toyotas... I didn't see any kind of Datsun on the road.

Now what I did see was a culture that really knows how to take care of their cars. Although most of the classics I saw were daily drivers, I noticed that most cars are very expensive and people tend to take better care of them. The daily-driver classic vehicles looked like they could go another 10 years. I saw a few of the modern Nissan vehicles, but, there wasn't a big presence in the country. Most of the vehicles in Brasil are Pugeot, Mitsubishi, VW, Ford, GM, Renault (Nissan brand), and a few of the cheap Korean brands.

I did see an ad for the new Z in a magazine, but the price was out of this world. $R230k, which is about $135k USD!! Although I was in a more wealthy "vacation-type" region (Florianopolis), most of the cars they consider high-end were BMW 3-series, and a few of the lower-priced Mercedes. Considering what the new Z was priced, I couldn't imagine what these cars fetched. I never saw a Z.

Looking back, I did have a few conversations with people (in my poor adaptation of the Portuguese language), and have been told that Datsun never really made an appearance in Brasil. The car just wasn't marketed here in the 70's and 80's. I probably mentioned that before in my other posts, but, I figured it would be relevant to talk about it here.

I definitely have another opinion about the US market. Meaning, I think we have the greatest opportunities in the world to play and experiment with our cars at an affordable price. Trying to budget and play with vehicles like we do, I would compare the Brasilian experience much like trying to play with the latest supercar in the USA. Next time you see a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Nissan Skyline rolling down the street, you'll have much more opportunity to actually own something like that for yourself in the US... It would be completely out of reach in Brasil. Let alone, you probably would never drive it on these streets fearing the next highway speedbump would destroy the front end.

Keep your head high and pray for the poor ol' motor-head chaps in countries like Brasil. While I have my opinions about the government and their cause behind these high prices, I'll leave that for another day...

Mike

[72 OJ]

In Venezuela , Brasil's neighbor , the Datsun brand was not marketed in the 70's or the 80's . The Z and 510 did not exist on their roads. Interesting is that the mid 60's Nissan Patrol was a popular off road wagon used in agricultural terrain ( this had to do with a government subsidized program at the time )and also very popular with the late 60's and early 70's Hippies of the time in Caracas the capital city.

Edited March 18, 2012 by 72 OJ