Faults:

The car has been very reliable up until recently, note the mileage.

Cracked/leaking exhaust manifold replaced with extractors.

Back shocks replaced, made a huge improvement to handling.

Fuel pump replaced twice.

Original starter motor has recently been refurbished.

Idle control valve replaced.

Gravel damage to disk brakes.

Alternator replaced.

Water pump replaced due to leak.

Rear engine mount replaced.

Replaced reverse light cable in gearbox.

Minor rust repair on firewall.

Leaking gearbox/drive-train seal.

General Comments:

At 290,000 km, the car was still able to pull 17.1 seconds for the 1/4 mile.

The cars maximum speed is around 190 km/h.

Extremely reliable engine, doesn't leak oil or use oil.

I have been able to access most parts around the engine with limited tools, great for general repair work.

The disk brake guards are more useful in trapping stones in between than not.

Cheap on gas, ~13 km/litre (96 octane)

It is going to be hard to give the car up when it really packs it in.

Faults:

Driver's power window control not working.

Engine needed replacement after oil-changing regime not followed.

Air conditioning not working.

Rubber engine mounts prone to wear.

Rear shocks needed replacing.

However given the age and distance travelled, these problems are to be expected.

General Comments:

The seats are so comfortable, and the performance very impressive.

The suspension is very smooth yet firm enough for cornering.

Great for long trips, overtaking is a breeze and even around town is relatively easy to park.

The reliability issues I've had are, I feel due to a combination of poor maintenance by previous owners, and the actual age of the vehicle itself, rather than the design itself.

Having said that I've never had to buy exhausts, radiators and such like, as I have had to do with other makes of cars of similar age.

I've heard complaints from people in the back that there isn't much headroom and sometimes they can hit their head on the rear windscreen after going over a large bump.

Has a huge petrol tank and windscreen washer reservior too.

Otherwise I've been happy with it.

Faults:

Only trivia; the remote door lock switch on the driver's door, remote release for the fuel flap and the remote switch (on the brake pedal) that locks the transmission in park.

Oh! And a new battery and set of spark plug leads caused by careless servicing.

Lastly, a complete set of tyres (the old ones all had legal tread but were suffering from perishing cracks from advanced age!

General Comments:

For the price and despite the age, this low mileage model represents fantastic value.

It is smooth, comfortable, quiet (amazingly so considering the frame-less windows), economical (35mpg), and has plenty of power for normal use.

However, the lowered roof of the pillarless hard-top body restricts the rear seat to children or small adults.

We were also warned that the Nissan transaxle doesn't stand up well to towing.

Faults:

Nothing much ever went wrong with it (unlike my old Subaru), the Nissan is a fantastic car that only died after a crash. A sorely missed reliable friend.

Had a drivers seat strut welded up once (for free). No other costs in 4 years at high mileages with regular servicing. Didn't even use much oil.

General Comments:

The SGS is the bargain basement company model, but mine was a joy to own, although air-conditioning was missed.

The twin-spark 2.0L engine overtakes like a rocket, but provides decent economy and never, ever stops.

Only the seats were a bit sloppy by the end of it.

A conservative looking car that hasn't dated badly and is just the medicine for a family who don't want to spend a fortune on maintenance and repairs.

The only performance drawback is the lack of a limited slip differential in the SGS - making it loose grip on loose surfaces like steep gravel driveways.