2+ Datsun Cars for Sale in South Africa

One lonely listing on the classifieds pretty much sums up Datsun’s situation in South Africa. Once Nissan’s answer for cash-strapped first-time buyers who couldn’t quite stretch to a Suzuki Swift or Toyota Agya, Datsun arrived with big plans: undercut the market, go head-to-head with Renault’s Kwid and the ever-present Polo Vivo, flood the roads with cheap, functional city cars. Yet that solitary used GO at R149,950 is all that’s left—a relic marking the quiet exit of a brand that never really took root. No new stock, no official dealer network, just one stubborn private seller still hoping for a buyer.

The GO hatchback was Datsun’s sole shot here. Five doors, compact petrol engine, and running costs designed for those grinding through Jozi’s taxi-choked mornings or Cape Town’s endless Main Road. Step inside and you’re reminded this was a price play first and foremost—hard plastics, old-school physical buttons, barely any padding, but, on paper at least, it ticked the affordability box. Datsun’s range stuck to hatchbacks and petrol, sidestepping the Kwid’s pseudo-crossover gimmicks in favour of straightforwardness and a whiff of Nissan’s reliability. That matters if you’re putting your last rand into your first car. Still, the GO always felt like the backup plan, not the main event—stripped-back value, not a choice you’d brag about. Datsun needed time, cash, and a bit of local flair to build loyalty. It never got any of that.