---
title: "Obscure Nissan S-Cargo Commercial ‘Van’ Listed for Sale in California for $8,995"
description: "Slow and shaped like its name."
date: "2019-12-25"
modified: "2019-12-25"
authors:
  - name: "James Gilboy"
    job_title: "Contributing Writer"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/james-gilboy"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/31557/nissan-s-cargo-commercial-van-pops-up-for-sale-in-california-for-8995"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "For Sale"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Nissan News"
tags:
  - "Nissan"
  - "vintage"
---

# Obscure Nissan S-Cargo Commercial ‘Van’ Listed for Sale in California for $8,995

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2019/12/1989-nissan-s-cargo-2.jpeg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

In the late 1980s to early 1990s, Japan's swelling economy bore some odd automotive fruit. Some, such as the Nissan Skyline GT-R, were just to the world's taste while others—like the [Mitsubishi Chariot Resort Runner GT](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/30213/the-1995-mitsubishi-chariot-resort-runner-gt-is-the-lancer-evo-minivan-of-your-dreams>)—were too bitter to be commercially successful. Nissan's tiny S-Cargo van fell into the latter category for reasons obvious, but the reasons that made it unsellable during its short production run are the ones that make it a wheeled treasure today.

![message-editor%2F1576862620886-1989-nissan-s-cargo-3.jpeg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1576862620886-1989-nissan-s-cargo-3.jpeg>)
*1989 Nissan S-Cargo, *Toprank International Vehicle Importers**

One of the car world's first [manifestations of neoclassicism](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/28646/how-post-irony-will-bring-about-the-chrysler-pt-cruiser-revival-movement>), the S-Cargo was Nissan's nod to light-duty Citroën 2CV delivery vans, which were recognizable for their vaguely snail-like silhouettes. 2CV "fourgonettes" and S-Cargos shared roughly similar roles (that of a *small cargo* van), but the latter was an obvious riff on the former; it was both a caricature of the 2CV's already gastropodous styling, and its name, a play thereon, referencing the famous French delicacy of *escargot*. Nissan wasn't coy about what it had made, either, as it hid snail motifs on both the mud flaps and hubcaps.

![message-editor%2F1576864409358-1989-nissan-s-cargo-4.jpeg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1576864409358-1989-nissan-s-cargo-4.jpeg>)
*1989 Nissan S-Cargo, *Toprank International Vehicle Importers**

With a footprint about the size of the [Fiat 500](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/29645/fun-sized-fiat-500-hatchback-removed-from-us-lineup-along-with-cabrio-abarth-models-report>), the S-Cargo was on the small side for a utility vehicle, even with its rear seats folded (it ostensibly sat up to four people). Its cargo area *might* fit a smaller home appliance, like an oven or washing machine, but a refrigerator is out of the question. That's probably why the S-Cargo oozed its way to an estimated 8,000 to 12,000 sales across its entire production run that lasted just three years (1989-1991).

![1989 Nissan S-Cargo](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1576865981233-1989-nissan-s-cargo-5.jpeg>)
*1989 Nissan S-Cargo*

*, *Toprank International Vehicle Importers**

![1989 Nissan S-Cargo](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1576865999425-1989-nissan-s-cargo-7.jpeg>)
*1989 Nissan S-Cargo*

*, *Toprank International Vehicle Importers**

![1989 Nissan S-Cargo](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1576866007031-1989-nissan-s-cargo-6.jpeg>)
*1989 Nissan S-Cargo*

*, *Toprank International Vehicle Importers**

![1989 Nissan S-Cargo](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1576866015054-1989-nissan-s-cargo-8.jpeg>)
*1989 Nissan S-Cargo*

*, *Toprank International Vehicle Importers**

Despite its minimal curb weight of between 2,097 and 2,141 pounds, the S-Cargo's powertrain meant that it would also have to creep down the road. Its single-cam, twin-carb, 1.5-liter four-cylinder made just 84 horsepower, some of which traveled to the front wheels through a three-speed automatic transmission. Odds are nobody ever told that joke about the snail buying a sports car with the S-Cargo as its subject, though if the S-Cargo had sold better, one can't help imagining a Nismo variant with the turbocharged, 113-horsepower E15ET ([and a fittingly huge turbo](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/31540/this-gigantic-turbo-thats-rated-for-5500-horsepower-exists-and-of-course-you-need-it>)).

![message-editor%2F1576866644126-1989-nissan-s-cargo-9.jpeg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1576866644126-1989-nissan-s-cargo-9.jpeg>)
*1989 Nissan S-Cargo, *Toprank International Vehicle Importers**

S-Cargos are rarities no matter where you are in the world, and if one came up for sale in good condition, its price would almost be irrelevant. Fortunately, [the one that just surfaced for sale in California](<https://www.importavehicle.com/vehicles/345/1989-nissan-s-cargo?utm_source=Toprank+IVI+Inquiries&utm_campaign=69a1470964-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_12_17_08_57_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e109092eb8-69a1470964-290280777>) is listed for under $9,000, so if a car that looks like a snail and is as slow as one appeals to you, don a snail costume [like Remi Gaillard](<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHCxdlZ7G18>) and ooze your way across America for a test drive.

![message-editor%2F1576866917803-1989-nissan-s-cargo-10.jpeg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/content-b/message-editor/1576866917803-1989-nissan-s-cargo-10.jpeg>)
*1989 Nissan S-Cargo, *Toprank International Vehicle Importers**

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## Author
James is a former staff writer for The Drive. He has changed the conversation around electrification, debunked misinformation online, and become a prominent hunter of what he calls "automotive cryptids."

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/jamesgilboy>)