1997 Nissan Pulsar LX 1.6 petrol

Summary:

It is a very good car for the amount of money I spent on it, $600 AUD

Faults:

Nothing mechanical.

The speakers are completely ruined from normal use.

General Comments:

So far I have owned the car for just over a year.

Mechanically it is amazing; from what I can tell it has been regularly serviced. The only thing is the exterior. Fortunately there is no rust at all, but the paintwork is like 600 grit sandpaper, and has a matte finish due to neglect.

The seats have no tears, and for 230000 kilometres it is doing well. The ride height is comfortably high, and even the LX version still has things such as air conditioning and a good speakers system, but now the speakers are completely ruined, so they have had to be replaced.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd June, 2015

29th Nov 2018, 11:21

They have cooling issues and crack heads.

1997 Nissan Pulsar SR-V 1.5 petrol

Summary:

Basic, reliable, and economical car suited for the city and surrounds

Faults:

Nothing yet. Apart from replacing oil filter which was due. Considerably improved the fuel economy after the change.

General Comments:

Compared to other cars I have owned the steering is very light and easy especially in comparison to European cars. So good for elderly or beginner drivers.

Interior looks much better than it is. A lot of plastic and other cheap materials are used. Seats are nice and comfortable, although the back seats are better for 2 kids as not much leg room.

This model is quite sporty looking inside and out with a little bull bar on the front.

Brakes are good compared to other 1.5 litre Japanese sedans and hatchbacks I have driven.

Body roll around corners not bad although I would choose one with alloy wheels and wider tyres (mine doesn't have either).

Quite good acceleration especially when it get up near 100 km/hr.

Apparently likes thinner oils (5W or 10W) and regular oil changes because of the chain cambelt (no need to change cambelt every 100K - a great feature of some Nissans like this).

Noise from the road and muffler worse than average.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th February, 2006

1997 Nissan Pulsar Autech 2.0 petrol

Summary:

Absolute screamer!

Faults:

I have only had the car 6 months now and have had no problems at all.

General Comments:

The car is from aftermarket tuner Autech which means it comes standard with 180hp SR20DE, performance exhaust, fully adjustable suspension and stabilizers both front and back. Basically a road car that wouldn't be out of place at your weekend track meet.

It also includes a body kit that could be said to err on the side of outrageous.

I previously owned a Celica turbo and in many respects this is a faster car which is saying a lot. The car is really only hitting it's stride around 5500rpm, but in saying that has plenty of low down torque and can easily be driven economically.

Perhaps the only gripe would be that because of the race suspension you almost require a mouth-guard when driving on bumpy roads, however that is a compromise I am happy to make.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th April, 2004

21st Jun 2004, 01:30

Hey dude I was just wondering if you have dyno tested your ride yet cause I'm getting different HP ratings for that particular model.

7th May 2005, 22:13

Hi there.

I have a 96 Autech Pulsar and I have been struggling to get information on it. How much info do you have? Could you email it to me?

Thanks.

Sarah.

1997 Nissan Pulsar Plus LX 1.6 Fuel Injected

Summary:

Great car, reliable, fast, and good looking :)

Faults:

Nothing yet, slight exhaust resonance can be heard however I hear this is something to do with the heat transfer plate under the car, and that it is inherent with Pulsars.

General Comments:

I love this car, After having the Corolla for over 4 years (which didn't have a/c or power steering) this is like a dream to drive.

It has great pickup, I could do 100km/hr in 2nd gear with it still having space to go before redlining.

It handles extremely well, and the power steering provides enough responsiveness while maintaining the light response.

I find the a/c can take a little longer than my mum's Excel to cool the car down although this may have something to do with the fact that my car is metallic black :) and that it is a bigger car.

The car is comfortable to drive. There doesn't appear to be much leg space in the back seat as both my girlfriend and I like to have our seats back a bit, but it isn't too bad.

Braking performance is good and the pedals are very responsive.

Living in Australia and being from the country the car is required to travel at high speeds for long distances. While I haven't done that much driving in it yet, it does appear to sit very comfortably at 120km/hr or the speed limit.

My model has the spoiler and alloy wheels. Along with tinted windows and the colour the car looks very sleek and sporty.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th October, 2003

19th Nov 2003, 22:45

I own one of these babies as well however a 98 model.

As mentioned, they are great cars and very reliable. One thing, however, which is a little annoying is where the engine is revving to at highway speeds (110k/hr). 110k/hr gets you 3500rpm in 5th! Yes that's not too bad considering the redline is 6900 but the ga16 is a fairly noisy engine and eventually becomes annoying.

6th Feb 2010, 20:38

I have just wrote my red manual 97 Pulsar off. And trying to find another car like it is impossible :( It has been fantastic for performance and reliability.

I have done 290000kms, and it still had the power as new, and I do push it to the limits. My mechanic says it will never say die!

Only thing is when the air/con is on, it will take quite a bit of power from it.

And I've had NO problems with it! I've had to replace the clutch cable when it hit 9 years old, and regularly adjust the cable, as is very common with a Pulsar.

It looked great, easy to park and has a small turning circle. Very economic on fuel, but has a bad rating in accidents.

All up, I loved it so much I will miss it very much :(

20th Jul 2010, 04:07

I have a 97 Nissan Pulsar. It is a great car, but I am having some problems at the moment. It won't idle steady and won't start when it gets hot. I love this car. I wish they could work out what is wrong with it, any ideas?

In reply to 20th Jul 2010, 04:07

24th Apr 2013, 17:07

Maybe it's an alternator or battery issue?

7th Apr 2014, 01:05

Best car I ever had. Mine just got written off and has sadly gone to car heaven with 310 000 km on the clock and still running strong. Mechanically sound car, cost me very little over the years. Better than all the new cars being churned out now (just with less safety features - well, no real safety features actually). Given the choice I would still have it over a more modern alternative.

In reply to 20th Jul 2010, 04:07

20th Oct 2014, 03:31

Could be the airflow unit - a known issue with Pulsars. You should be be able to get a refurbished unit. It will get worse...

1997 Nissan Pulsar SLX 1.6 litre

Summary:

A good first car

Faults:

Flat tire

Air filter

Central locking (keypad)

General Comments:

Nice car to drive The seats are OK and the air con is good.

The sound system is cheap, very cheap and can't sound good to save it self.

The steering is light n' easy.

The cabin is gloomy and plasticky!

The engine has a good sound when revved hard and is a bit noisy when driven normally.

The auto is a bit clunky when changing gears.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th May, 2003