1998 Nissan Primera SX 1.6 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Such a lot of car for the money

Faults:

It got dirty, but it was a pleasure to clean it. No it's had no faults.

General Comments:

When I first saw this car, with only 17000 miles on the clock and the appearance inside and out, I thought it was to good to be true. When I looked at the price on the windscreen £4300, I thought someone's having a laugh, when I saw the service history and spoke to the previous owner about the car, I snapped the salesman's hand off. This car was bought from a main dealer too. What a deal, I had been about to pay £5995 for an S reg Astra; this was a far superior car.

The test drive confirmed it's superiority, and as a bonus I had all the bonuses of the SX spec: Sunroof, air-con, alloys, electric windows, power steering, ABS, alarm immobilizer and a very nice sound system. I was also happy with the £700 for my old Volvo.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th December, 2002

1st Feb 2006, 07:29

UPDATE TO ORIGINAL ENTRY.

The car continues to give great reliability and performance, apart from annual servicing and tyre changes, I have had to have replacement front discs and pads, offside outer CV joint and boot, 17/08/2005 Total cost including labour and V.A.T was £270. The mileage was 36,749 at the time. I use NISS-TEC Ltd my local Nissan specialists, they are not a Nissan dealership, but are all mechanics from a Nissan dealership that are no longer in business.

The car itself is as good as the day I bought it, thanks to the T.L.C that I apply to it. It serves me well and I ensure that it always looks its best. The bodywork and pearlescent paint finish, is holding up extremely well this is down to the thin film of Pledge Bees Wax that I apply after each wash.

The car is now 8 years old, and I can see me keeping it for another 5 years.

10th Dec 2009, 15:55

Update to the first 2 entries.

The beloved Primera is now nearly 12 years old now, and I still love the car.

No faults to report.

It is by far the best car that I have ever owned. I am very reluctant to change the car as I don’t know what other make would give me this reliability.

The latest Nissans are not anywhere near as good, now that they are part of the Renault group.

1998 Nissan Primera GX 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Subtle, fun, fast and cheap

Faults:

Nothing major yet.

Rear hatch needs a hard slam to get it shut, probably just the catch needing adjustment.

Slight movement in the driver's seat base when braking hard - disconcerting, but should be easy to fix.

Some of the black trim tape on the rear vertical edge of the driver's door/window has lifted and rippled slightly - needs fixing to stop water getting underneath.

General Comments:

The two litre engine feels very un-stressed; this is one of the best motorway cruisers I have owned. The car is deceptively quick once the revs get above 3000 rpm - typical of a 16V engine I guess.

Handling is excellent, with the ride on the right side of firm.

Fuel consumption is very good for the size of engine and the weight of the car - I'm consistently getting high 30's mpg.

The interior design is a bit bland, although all the controls are clearly laid out, and the choice of colour for the plastic in mine is an acquired taste - sort of bluey/greeny/grey; OK, it co-ordinates with the metallic green bodywork, but black would have been much more understated. The plastics don't seem to be of a particularly good quality, and some bits (the trim around the handbrake) wobble when touched.

The equipment level is pretty good (I believe the GX trim level is bottom of the range for the 2.0 engine? I could be wrong), although electric mirrors should be standard. Air con, ABS, electric windows, remote central locking etc. The previous owner had spec'd some lovely Nissan alloys, too, which I've never seen on another Primera. As someone else has mentioned, I was surprised that the air con needed charging after 30000 miles.

The seats adjustments are awkward to use, but do allow for an excellent driving position once you've got them right.

Things I don't like: the vast turning circle! I'm surprised only a couple of other people have commented on this -it is AWFUL! I'm used to driving a Suzuki Baleno (stop laughing at the back), which has the smallest turning circle in its class, but even so, doing 6 point turns is irritating.

Overall - great Q-car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th September, 2002