I’m still a little stunned when I think about how I haven’t really been able to drive my usual go-to daily driver, a 1990 Nissan Pao, for over a year. That’s because in October of – holy shit – 2021, I smacked into a big, stupid deer, and while thankfully my kid Otto and I were fine, the deer was forced into early retirement from the being alive business, and my little Pao had its face knocked in pretty severely. Over the weekend, I finally got my automotive pal back, and I’m absolutely thrilled. There’s still one issue to resolve, but it’s minor, and it hasn’t dampened my excitement, even as it dampens the engine bay. So why did it take over a year? Well, I’ll try to explain.
Before I do that, though, I have to just take a moment and geek out about how happy I am to have this car back and how much I’ve missed it. I’ve wanted a Pao ever since I saw one in some car magazine in the late 1980s, when it was just a show car. It felt like absolute, impossible unobtainium to me at the time, not even a forbidden fruit, because if something is forbidden, then that means there’s at least a chance you might encounter it, and be told, hey, let go of that. But a Pao? To a kid growing up in North Carolina in the ’80s? It may as well have only been sold on Mars.
But, time is a funny thing, and before I knew it, it was the late 1990s and early 2000s and I was in Los Angeles and I saw a Pao – most likely not exactly fully legally imported, but I’m no snitch – around where I lived in Los Feliz. All my old ardor rekindled, and while it took a while, I finally got to have my very own Pao, a car that somehow embodied the plucky, friendly, rugged-yet-cute ethos of cars that I’ve always loved – at the end of 2017.
Okay, so it took over daily driver duties from my beloved but aging Beetle, and all was great. Until the deer, which I smacked into after driving the Pao with my kid and I three hours into the mountains with no problems at all; it was at night, near home that the wet smack of venison happened.
Right after the wreck, the insurance adjusters looked at the car and it seemed, incredibly, to be mostly body damage. The engine was mostly fine, save for the A/C condenser and some hoses. Or so they thought.
Finding parts wasn’t easy, and I had to order a hood from Japan – the hood was cheap enough, $150, but shipping was $600. Headlight and grille came via a Pao shop in the UK, found via the Pao Owner’s Group on Facebook. It looked good as new again! Well, maybe the hood color didn’t quite match how the fenders faded but you know what? I don’t care at all about that. Just part of the character of the car.
Most of the major bodywork was done pretty quickly and well, but the body shop wanted to send the car out to someone else to have the foglamps re-installed, and that’s when it all went to feces.
See, nobody seemed to notice a pinhole radiator leak, so on the trip to the shop to do the electrical work, the car overheated, cooked the head gasket, and all of the associated problems that brings. So now it needed a new radiator, new head gaskets, the head needed machined, all that. And, if the head’s going to be off, I’d be crazy not to replace the timing belt, which was last checked during, I think Emperor Akihito’s reign, which I’m told is how Japanese dates on these stickers work.
My insurance was actually great; since the damage was caused by the initial wreck, they covered the mechanical work, too, so thanks for that. The problem was finding a shop to work on a strange car. I found a willing shop, but despite good intentions, the car sat for months and months with no one getting to it at all. To their credit, they eventually realized they’d never get to it, and paid to have it towed to a JDM shop I didn’t realize was in the area: Omiya Motorsports.
While it still took a while, mostly to get parts sourced and shipped, Omiya was familiar with the little 987cc Micra engine at the heart of the Pao, and got a nice aluminum radiator, new timing belt, water pump, gaskets, all the stuff. Plus, they fixed a leaky brake cylinder and replaced the control arm with the bushing I’d made from garden hose years ago. Oh, and replaced the tire that the garden hose bushing caused to wear all wrong.
The carb adjustment was tricky, and I’m still getting used to how to best start it when cold, but once warmed up, the little guy runs like a top, with all of those 52 horses so very eager to help out. I forgot how easy this car is to shift, with a clutch as light as just-baptized marshmallows and a satisfying little shifter. The car is just a featherweight little gem, fun and easy to whip around. I missed it so much.
It does need a good bath and cleaning, of course, and sitting for a year made the driver’s side window roll-down stiff, so I need to pull the door panel and see what’s up there. Oh, and there’s a pinhole leak in one of the radiator hoses, which is an ass-pain, but easily fixed. I’d rather have gotten it back and not had to deal with a spray of coolant mist and billowing steam, but, well, nothing can be too easy, right?
One exciting detail is having a nice set of big, yellow foglamps back, because I love big yellow foglamps, for reasons I can’t begin to completely understand. I had toyed with keeping the one surviving original lamp and a small, clear, mis-sized one, but I’m happier with these nice big Hella yellow fogs. They even have covers, which give the car a sort of comical rally-look:
I’m just thrilled to have my car back. A year is a long-ass time to be without your car, and while I’ve enjoyed driving the Yugo and The Marshal around a lot, I’ve missed this little affable weirdo so much. You know, the fact I had other cars to drive at all is likely also a factor in the slow pace. I wasn’t ever without something to drive, so that definitely takes the time pressures off, which is, of course, good and bad. Good to not need to rush anything, especially when sourcing parts from across the world is involved, but sometimes a firmer deadline does help get things actually, you know, done.
It feels a little weird driving on the right again, always turning on my wipers when I want to turn, adjusting to the 52 horses after being spoiled by the Yugo’s ravenous 67 horsepower, but I’m falling for its charms all over again.
Welcome back, buddy.
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So nice it’s back!
I feel exactly the same way about the Nissan Figaro, as you do about it’s Pike family member, the Pao. I’ve just always wanted one, ever since I found out they existed, and finally got my own in the spring of 2018.
“A clutch as light as just-baptized marshmallows” is an example of the sort of writing that persuaded me to pony up for an Autopian membership.
Congrats, Jason!
I’m close to knowing the feeling myself. I finally have all the cash I need to get the truck’s engine out of the shop, and then I can spend a weekend at a friend’s dropping it in.
Its a good feeling to know the end is in sight
Congratulations Jason, good for you! Hope you get lots of joy out of that little fucker.
Idk how long the warranty lasts on the bodywork, but there’s some issues with your headlights; one side is visibly not aligned like the other one. In that straight on shot, you can see the trim ring centered under the hood arch (driver’s side (usa driver’s side)), and on the passenger (usa) side, it’s pushed rearwards under the hood, with a visible gap underneath to the center/grill area.
Sucks about overheating, glad it wasn’t worse. I’m surprised you didn’t have the valves blessed when the head was off; there’s something super satisfying about light, small, underpowered cars with a bit of a tune/extra power. Cheers man, happy you’re driving it again. If one radiator hose is sus, I’d order every single coolant hose and just do it all at once so you’re not stranded. Cheap and takes a couple hours, good insurance.
Someone locally Saturday-night-drives a Figaro, and thanks entirely to Jason’s celebration of his Pao, I was able at least to faux-knowledgeably exclaim, “Hey! There’s one of those Nissan Pike’s Peak cars!” (I doubt anyone with me saw through my facade — but they all gushed over the car.)
Welcome back, Pao!
As for the year on the sticker, it is Heisei 28 (2016, during Akihito’s reign) and not Showa 28 (1953, during Hirohito’s reign).
I guess we can say similar things here in the UK, like “My car was last washed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth!”, which could mean less than a year ago, but sounds much cooler.
What an interesting system. Is this terminology used in everyday life in Japan? I guess business would run on the ‘normal’ year system.
Yes. It is used concurrently with the Western calendar, so there are lists of the years at places where you have to fill out official forms (DMV, city hall, etc.).
NEVER Nissan, BUT….
…but!!! This one breaks the rules. I love this car. I’m so happy you have your friend back. It’s going to bring you such joy. The yellow fogs are chefkiss.
Never Nissan…but the 240z, 280zx, 300zx, 350z, 370z, 400z, Xterra, Frontier, Pao, Figaro, S-Cargo, BE-1, Sentra SE-R, Juke Nismo, Cube, Stagea, Skyline, Pulsar NX……
Sometimes your favorite band sells out, but they still have some good current songs and a killer back catalog.
Good analogy, but Nissan is like Aerosmith to me. Everybody seems to love them, they have been around forever, they produce good music, but I hate them too. Just like Jason says, the love for cars is irrational, as is the hatred.
Funny thing is, you forgot one Nissan I DON’T hate, the Stanza. I’d drive any Nissan that ends in “0”, but only if it was free.
Remind me not to take advice from you on either cars or music. 😛
Glad you’ve got it back! Enjoy that weird little guy!
Pao, Pao, Pao on the highway,
cute as it can be.
Pao, Pao, Pao on the highway,
watch out for that d…!
Omiya that’s a wonderful little car! So glad you’ve got your baby back, Torch. Our Fiat 500e (aka “Blueberry”) is a very similar color and size and we just love it so much! I didn’t realize how close in size they were until I looked it up just now: exactly the same wheelbase (90.6 inches) and the Pao is actually 5 inches longer than the Fiat. But my little porker outweighs the Pao by nearly 1400 lbs! It makes up for it by having more than twice the horsepower for a slight edge of 26 lbs/hp vs the Pao’s 30.
Anyway, happy driving and stay away from those car-crazy ungulates!
Makes my Blueberry (3-door Yaris) seem decadent, with its 96.9″ wheelbase and ~22 lbs/hp (well, 225k miles ago…)
That said, I bet your Blueberry’s quickest to 30 MPH any day of the week.
I’m surprised a deer could ruin that tough corrugated hood. That’s like someone I know discovering his RAM pickup’s big bumpers are chromed plastic. He’s felt emasculated ever since…
“replaced the control arm with the bushing I’d made from garden hose years ago.”
Did they keep the control arm for you? That would be a good souvenir.
“nice big Hella yellow fogs”
Hella. Cool.
Hella cool.
Life is short. Drive weird.
Glad the Pao is back! Now we need that sweet sweet Chang Li content. The masses crave it!
I feel this in my very bones. I’m mere days away from getting my JDM 1987 land cruiser HJ61 back from well over a year of rust repair and paint work. I can’t wait to keep turning on the wipers while trying to turn after a year of driving boring ol USDM cars.
There was a house near me with a Pao parked in the yard for several years. I never saw it move and eventually it disappeared, hopefully to a good home.
What was rather baffling was that this was in California, where import cars like the Pao are essentially unregisterable even under the 25 year rule. No idea why it was here in the first place, but that may be why I never saw it go anywhere either.
I hit a deer coming home from when the Steelers lost the SB last time they were there a decade plus years ago. Took it to the Insurance recommended place. Was told 10 business days. I purchased 0 deductible but no rental car insurance. Well kept getting excuses. After 3 weeks the shop agreed to cover the rental. Regulars on this site will know i can be persistant. But the final straw wasnt sending the original replacement hood back because of damage before they would send another one bur at over a month they needed a cheap fog light and were searching junkyards. I lost it. I went down to see the boss. They said everything but that light was done. Called them on it. We went to the back building. No headlights installed, parts still in boxes, still several days work. I told them bitch tomorrow the guy works on this all day. And if the part isnt in you overnight a replacement your cost. Took pctures sent to insuranxe company. Not sure who paid what but i didnt pay a dime. Of course crappy work hood is losing paint the carbon fiber hood section blew off years ago.
Back in the early 90s I had a Lancia Beta Zagato, it got hit in a parking lot and insurance dragged it off to fix it. It was in the shop for nearly 2 years as they couldn’t get parts and they tried to write it off at a much lower price because it was 2 years older- I did get it back but the engine spun a bearing at 32000km, probably from sitting in the shop with acidic old oil in it
I’m sorry for your loss.
I hit a deer in my 2010 RX-8 about a year into ownership. The insurance company fixed it ($12k or so, I was afraid it was going to be totalled) and it was great to get it back after about a month. It’s still my daily,.rip deer..
If you’d saved the deer for the dinner table you could’ve had Bunged Pao Venison.
“If you’d saved the deer for the dinner table you could’ve had Bunged Pao Venison.”
You monstrous bastard! Take your upvote and think about what you’ve said, sir.
COTD. There it is.
*slow clap morphing into a standing ovation*
I salute you, Sir!
“the driver’s side window roll-down stiff, so I need to pull the door panel and see what’s up there”
Before you tear the door card off, try pouring a dribble of ArmorAll down the window tracks to see if that frees it up a little.
No you want a non petroleum possibly lithium based or oil smears for life.
I know you’re glad to have that gem back. Your insurance company sounds above average. The fog light covers are…perfection.
I feel like they need to be the smiley face covers.
I buy KC Daylighters just for the smiley face covers. They are the best.
So glad to see the little Pao is back! Definitely my favorite Pike Factory car…I even did some RedBubble art of the awesome gauge cluster design in the Pao because of the many cool retro touches! 🙂
Now if only the housing market would slow down enough that I could afford to get a home of my own so I could finally import a FIAT 126p EL from Poland 🙁
Liked for “Redbubble art”. That’s where I got my Rambler t-shirts (and many other non-automotive ones). I have some Fiat 500/Cinquecenta t-shirts wishlisted, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.
I drive past Omiya once a week and swear to God first time I saw it had the thought ‘wait is that Torch’s Pao? Naaaah has to be fixed by now, must be another baby blue Pao based in Apex or Cary.’
Also totaled my wife’s Leaf hitting a deer in October 2021 so like clearly the area deer were on a mission to eradicate Nissans from the local roads at all costs.
Maybe the deer were Ghosn supporters?