Faults:

Alternator a couple of times because of stereo.

Replaced worn struts to improve handling.

Timing Chain at 136000 miles.

Brakes every 2-3 years.

General Comments:

I love my little car soooo much! It has never let me down and is by far the best vehicle I've owned including my 2004 Sentra SE-R spec V. I liked that car too, but I think the 1989 is superior as far as bang for the buck!

Faults:

When we bought it, one strut tower needed to be fixed.

The exhaust began to leak just before we sold it.

The brakes needed to be repaired one year after we bought it (But they do tend to wear out when you use them...)

Both C/V Joints were near the end of their lives for the whole time we owned the car, but we didn't replace them and I think they're still in use today!

The Speedometer read 10% faster than the car was actually going, which I actually liked, it kept me from speeding.

General Comments:

We bought this car so we could put our truck away for the winter. We paid $500 Canadian for it in the summer of 2003, and drove the crap out of it for two years. When the safety inspection came due in 2005, we really didn't feel like fixing the exhaust on it, and we were looking for a change, so we sold it to a friend for $250. They're still driving it today, and they love it even more than we did.

Nissan definitely did something right with these cars, they're cheap to run, cheap to maintain, a great little car for city or highway driving, We couldn't have found a better car for that price if we tried. I would get another in a second if I found one!

Faults:

Catalytic converter cracked and broke.

General Comments:

I had the catalytic converter removed and the exhaust system straight piped (there are no emission tests in Alberta). It's a bit loud... but you should see the thing fly now!!!

Faults:

With 215,000 miles I have only had to do standard maintenance.

Fluid changes (oil, coolant, and brake), tune-ups (spark plugs, cap, rotor, etc) tires, and brakes.

The largest non-scheduled repair was a thermostat that went out at 205,000 miles.

General Comments:

The car is ugly. I absolutely hate driving it. It has no power steering, no great acceleration. There is no "cool factor" to this car at all.

It is also uncomfortable on long drives.

However, I cannot find any good reason to get rid of it. It gets terrific gas mileage and it has no mechanical problems. I will likely drive it forever.

Faults:

Nothing mechanical has ever gone wrong with the car.

Exterior has rusted through on three out of four doors due to leaky window seals.

Dash lights has completely gone out.

General Comments:

The car has absolutely no power at all. Going up hills on the highway you have to downshift and floor it. At night I have no interior lights, I bought a tachometer and put it on the dash and go off the engine revs.

I bought the car for $20 off my sister a few years ago and all I have had to do is put tires and a battery in it. The car sat for several years and has always ran great. The car has been in the family since around 60,000 miles and the only other thing done to it was a clutch.