Hipster’s Delight: 1989 Nissan Pao
The term hipster is tossed around as a descriptive or a pejorative — but when applied to goods, there are a few requirements. First, the item needs to be strange or unusual — think Reed’s Ginger Brew instead of Coke/Pepsi, and next the item needs to be overpriced, like a $12 IPA. Therefore, if you were looking for the perfect hipster car, this 1989 Nissan Pao seems to fit the bill, find it on Craigslist offered for $9,400 in Baltimore, MD. Tip from Torrance.
The Nissan Pao was part of Nissan’s Pike series (Be-1, Pao, Figaro and S-Cargo) and was only available in limited quantities for the Japanese domestic market (JDM, YO!). Fortunately, many have found their way onto these shores and are traded regularly in the $5-7k range depending on condition…unless you are a hipster and then you might want to pay $9k for one with some funk on the inside.
However, this is one of only a handful of these things that I’ve seen with a manual gearbox, most seem to have been equipped with the fun-smothering slushbox….so maybe this isn’t as overpriced as I thought.
See another way to out hipster the Millers? tips@dailyturismo.com
My Pao story was published by the lovable boffins at The Truth About Cars a couple weeks ago. It's noteworthy that I noted my disdain, nay loathing for referring to them as 'hipster' cars in that piece.
thetruthaboutcars.com/2016/09/poor-prior-pre-purchase-planning-promotes-pao-problems/
A p.o.s. used-up PT Cruiser is a hipster car. A p.o.s. Aztek is a hipster car. Grandmother's hand-me-down whatever is hipster car. A Pao – is a Pike Factory product that pre-dates that word's entry into the popular lexicon by twenty years. It's a Pao. Just Pao.
Sorry. Hipster-anything triggers me. Just the mere mention of IPA gets me upset. Carry on.
Do hipsters prefer to shift their own gears? I suspect not but hopefully someone can jump in with some insight on this.
Well, those of us with an older circle of friends know that one variety of Hipsters, the "Hip-replacement-sters" often wind up having to give up shifting their own gears.
I'm a big car guy, I drive an F-150 and, my wife drives a Caddy and I've own '50's era Buicks and Chevies. But…I used to see a grey/green Pao in the parking structure where I work out and they are drop dead cool/. The car brought a smile to my face every time I saw it. So don't hang the hipster label on this car, call it adorable maybe, but definitely not hipster.
I'm a big car guy, I drive an F-150 and, my wife drives a Caddy and I've own '50's era Buicks and Chevies. But…I used to see a grey/green Pao in the parking structure where I work out and they are drop dead cool/. The car brought a smile to my face every time I saw it. So don't hang the hipster label on this car, call it adorable maybe, but definitely not hipster.