2001 Nissan Pulsar LX 4 door 1.6L QG16DE twin cam 16V

Summary:

A great small car that's cheap to own

Faults:

Only issues other than the paint pealing on roof and trunk lid has been the sparkplug coils.

All were replaced at 400,000km because of failure leading to the engine missing and loss of power.

Central locking failed due to the console switch breaking.

General Comments:

I bought my 2001 N16 as a non-functional car from a old lady who had the drive shafts replaced and the mechanic did not refill the transmission with oil. This caused the transmission to lockup and needed towing.

I repaired the damage and got the car driving again. I was very surprised by the little car and how well it drove. It was smooth, quiet and comfortable to drive.

The engine was very peppy for a 1.6L and the 5 speed manual was just a treat to use. The engine has been very reliable, and with 700 to 800km per tank, it's wonderfully good on fuel.

With 450,000km on the odometer it is starting to show its age. Nissan have done a wonderful job on its design and engineering as rust is very minimal for a car of this era.

Would I buy another Pulsar? Yes for sure. The N16 series 1 has a great engine and is very reliable and cheap to run, though it could have more power from the Japanese QG16DE with NVVT, but it handles both city and country driving very well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd May, 2024

2001 Nissan Pulsar

Summary:

Dangerous

Faults:

The Nissan Pulsar sometimes won't accelerate to more than 30kph, and I have to pull over and turn the car off before it will accelerate properly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 22nd January, 2015

22nd Jan 2015, 19:47

Get it fixed. We all know that anything since the Model T was designed to run faster than 30km/h, clearly something is wrong.

2001 Nissan Pulsar Q Hatch 1.8 petrol

Summary:

Good value, solid small/med car

Faults:

Only faulty central locking actuators in all four doors. Involved a couple of visits to the dealer to rectify because fault was intermittent.

General Comments:

Dealer servicing has been fantastic and reasonably priced.

Would have liked lumber support for the drivers seat. Nissan added to the car when it was updated in 2003.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th February, 2004

21st Oct 2010, 00:59

My vehicle has been recalled numerous times. The paintwork is chipping away, despite the vehicle being garaged all its life and only used as a second family car. Seems to be a problem with this model vehicle.

In reply to 21st Oct 2010, 00:59

17th Aug 2012, 04:53

I have owned one the same for the past 12 years, and have not had central locking problems as some have.

Definitely had problems with 3 panels around the rear of the hatch with paint peeling and chipping off.

Never had a more than reliable car, done 230,000 klms and still running strong. Serviced every 5000 klms myself, the only repairs done were radiator cleaned at 200,000 klm and new front brake pads (disks also, as I can't get the old ones machined here). That is it; absolutely nothing else.

I definitely love the Pulsar. The only thing is that the indicator stalk is on the LHS of the steering wheel (European design thing, which takes time to get used to). The sedan is normal, but didn't come with 4 wheel disks or dual airbags at the time.

2001 model didn't have ABS either, but later models had ABS.

If they still made the N16 pulsar Q hatch new, I would definitely buy another one.

In reply to 21st Oct 2010, 00:59

16th Aug 2014, 09:00

I am really happy with the performance of my Nissan Pulsar 2001, however I have HUGE issues with the paintwork. There are a number of areas including the roof where the paint is simply peeling off back to bare metal. Need to investigate what can be done to fix this problem. Love the car, but crying over the paintwork.

In reply to 16th Aug 2014, 09:00

21st Jul 2015, 21:02

Thanks for your comments on the paintwork of your Pulsar. I have the 2002 model and it's been a really good car, although I have only just reached the 100,000 and it's been garaged the whole time.

Mine is peeling off in chunks at the rear of the hatch and I'm wondered how you went with repairing it? It looks terrible, but I'm concerned if I get it repaired, it will start peeling off elsewhere and send me broke.

Cheers, Michelle.

In reply to 21st Jul 2015, 21:02

11th Jan 2017, 03:51

Hi Michelle, in response to your comment regarding your Nissan Pulsar:

My wife and I inherited a 2001 euro model from a family member with 55000 km on the clock and owned from new. We still own it and drive it all the time. It now has 96250 km on clock and goes like a charm with regular servicing.

It's reliable as anything, but the big downfall is as you mentioned, how the paint is constantly peeling off. Joke? It just flies off ha ha! The faster we go in it, the more paint flies off.

How did you solve the problem with your paint? Did you approach the dealers, and if so, did they help?