Faults:

Electric mirrors don't open and close correctly.

General Comments:

We bought a cheap Honda Civic in 2012 because they are well known for reliability. However, the lack of automated features like central locking, electric windows etc, were becoming a drag to live with. So we decided to sell it and start looking for a better car.

We found it with the Cefiro! Super reliable, smooth 2L V6 with an equally silky automatic transmission. Entry level luxury interior. Electric everything, including auto headlights and power/snow gear ratio control. This car has been a really great buy. Definitely an upgrade over the Civic in all categories excluding MPG (but not by much).

Nissan has setup the transmission to give torque where needed for combined city/highway driving. This is certainly no sports car, but it's not trying to be. It's an entry level luxury cruiser without the hefty price tag (bought ours for $2800).

This car is nearly perfect for us, but this is what I wished Nissan could have added:

- Reversing sensors (the car is big).

- Better quality speakers.

- Cosmetically, average to look at.

With plenty of these cars around, spare parts will be easy to come by (if it ever breaks down) and the car also has a cam chain, so no expensive belt replacements. The boot is massive!

As you can tell, I love this car and there are plenty of great points. The best point is the value for money!

Don't buy a Civic or a Corolla, buy a Cefiro (also badged as a Maxima).

Faults:

Water pump failed at 220000 kilometers.

Central locking goes mad at random times.

Tachometer goes mad, or doesn't go at all. Sometimes it gives false readings.

Air conditioning system needed re-gassing.

A few interior trim panels were absent.

Quite a few dash bulbs were blown.

Intermittent coil pack failure on the engine, which was quite difficult to isolate and cure.

General Comments:

A whole lot of car for a tiny outlay of money! I paid very little for it, and the bodywork and motor are absolutely immaculate.

Regarding major work; all I have had to do to this car is replace the water pump and a few other niggly things, and I did a white LED conversion on the dash lights, as I couldn't source any replacement bulbs.

The engine is slightly too small for the size of the car, but having the five speed manual gearbox makes the most of the power, which helps a lot.

Finding replacement interior fittings for the manual model is very difficult, and if you find the parts, they can be very expensive, as trim for manual models is rare and unusual.

Typical Nissan electrics are terrible, but if you are happy to be persistent and fault-find, you can slowly but surely cure those ills.

For long distance cruising, this car is unbeatable, as it uses hardly any gas, but comes along very smartly. It is too easy to break the speed limit!

Overall, I am very happy with the car, and it suits my purposes perfectly.

Faults:

Camchain tensioner worn out @ 195000 KMs.

Water pump also blew @ 195000 KMs.

Radiator leak @ 201000 KMs.

Ignition switch worn out @ 202000 KMs.

Remote locking acts funny when the weather is cold.

General Comments:

Overall an awesome car to own. Repairs are not excessive considering the mileage and age. Nice cruiser, gearbox very smooth, comfy seats even in the back with lots of space & luxury. Enough get up and go to overtake everyone you want.

Cornering not bad considering weight and suspension. Revs nice and smooth, gearbox shifts back exactly when you want it to.

Although it did have some problems, it never let me down. I drove it for 2 weeks with a blown water pump before I discovered something was wrong, no overheating whatsoever.

Fuel economy reasonable if driven sensibly. Does 1 L / 11 km on highway. Little less in city. Overall a good buy. Lot of car for the money. Generally very reliable.