Faults:

What hasn't gone wrong with this lemon - The gear stick didn't snap, & the doors didn't fall off... That's about all that didn't go south with this dog of a car.

The 1988 model came with inherent problems that I'm only able to assume were rectified in later models (see below for details).

Problems - Engine rebuilds, heads constantly blow (inherent fault), engine mounts (inherent fault), exhaust rattles free at the baffle (inherent), all dials stick, then die, all electronic extras died (age related), computer board constantly glitched & sometimes needed replacing (inherent), all running gear replaced (age related)...

I could go on, but I'm sure you get the general idea.

General Comments:

The two huge inherent design faults with the 1988 Pintara are...

1) Overheating, due to the exhaust fan being underpowered. This has resulted in one engine rebuild. The other engine rebuild came when the dials stuck & recorded a perfect engine temperature, when in fact the car was cooking. The dials eventually died completely, & never registered revs or temps etc - Pity the odometer didn't die as well, Murphy's Law; I guess I must have driven over a couple of nuns or a leprechaun at some point.

The 2nd biggest inherent problem is the dual fire spark plug system... What can I say, this is a dog of a design fault, & from what I'm led to believe, it was discontinued in the 1989 Pintara for obvious reasons.

I've owned a number of cars in my time, & the 1988 Nissan Pintara 2.0 EXE was the biggest, juiciest lemon of them all. It could suck $$$$ from an empty pocket, & my conclusion was that it was designed by a mechanic who needed the extra work... Nissan failed with this dog of a car.

But on the upside, it was comfortable to drive when it was on the road.

Faults:

Odometer never worked.

Reverse Lights don't work.

Speedometer drops out if I rev it too fast or when it is out of overdrive.

Hole in the muffler which is wear and tear.

Gear changing is soft which is wear and tear, but if not thrashed she will last forever.

Side vinyl (on door) has shrunk, but I think that is due to me and window cleaner because I was removing a bad tint job.

Rear brakes padding wear and squeals..

Hand brake pad non existent (which was like that when I bought it).

Back suspension started to creak (something loose) which is wear and tear, but was re-tightened.

Washer leaks : (so its always empty.

Defroster does not work because it was damaged taking off the dodgy tint job.

General Comments:

My baby car can move when she wants to she has up and go and purrs.

Fuel consumption is great.

Comfortable to drive.

Roomy with a good size steering wheel and rear view mirror.

Reliable steady and hardy car and does not rattle in the car - its smooth for a car its age.

Fantastic condition, looks nice.

Air con works just consumes a lot of fuel and makes her sluggish.

REALLY REALLY good heater!!! for winter and unfortunately summer. Hot car.

Consumes very little water/coolant even in summer.

Faults:

Transmission slips and leaks.

Speedometer works on and off.

Back drivers side door won't close properly.

General Comments:

I'm pretty happy with my Pintara it is fairly economical and reliable.

Its not the quickest car, but good enough for what I need.

I would recommend one for a first car because they're cheap and easy to get parts for.