1986 Nissan Stanza Wagon from North America

Summary:

I love this car, it's got a lot of character and it's got a Nissan heart, so it'll run forever

Faults:

Fuel injectors gummed up, car would not run! 249,000.

Water in headlight.

Sliding door gets stuck occasionally.

Parts are almost impossible to find nowadays.

General Comments:

Very comfortable seating.

Roomy interior is great for hauling kids.

Sliding doors are heaven for loading and unloading bulky items.

Gas mileage is great.

Unique body style was way ahead of its time, xB anyone?

Quite perky pick up for a 4-cylinder.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th January, 2009

1986 Nissan Stanza Wagon from North America

Summary:

I love it!

Faults:

Needs VC joints.

Needed exhaust gasket and muffler.

Needs struts.

General Comments:

Extremely comfortable. Great gas mileage. Good runner. Handles really well.

This is my second one. I paid 75 dollars for this one and it's in great shape body wise. Just needs a few mechanical repairs. I'm thrilled with this one.

I still have my other one. It's a two door. I feel bad for not driving it more often. It runs better mechanically, but the body isn't in as good shape.

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

Review Date: 3rd October, 2008

1986 Nissan Stanza Wagon from North America

Summary:

Car has better use in a junkyard.

Faults:

Fuel gage stopped working. Had to use the trip odometer to calculate when I needed gas.

Overheat gage stopped working.

Hole in muffler around 127,000 miles. (made car sound really loud)

Since it had a metal fuel tank, metal was rusting and chipping off into gasoline.

Spark plugs constantly needed replacing.

Sliding door got stuck open-would not budge.

Radio burned out.

Air conditioning didn't work.

Heat didn't work.

Interior trim between door and window was falling off.

Exterior paint rusted badly.

Transmission finally went at 130,000 miles.

General Comments:

If I drove it on a highway, it shook and smelled funny if I went over 55mph.

Car jerked BADLY when it automatically switched gears.

Car stalled countless times.

Car wouldn't start countless times.

Car is extremely ugly looking.

Not dependable- always left me stranded.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th July, 2003

26th Aug 2003, 20:08

No one has ever produced a car as ugly as the nissan stanza wagon.

29th Sep 2003, 19:05

I would love to hunt down anyone who says something bad about the Nizzan Stanza Wagon and beat them with my shift stick. This is simply the cutest son of a gun car ever made. Has more personality than your mom, buddy! 130,000 miles and going strong...well, still going at least. She's my little Stanza Wagon, you don't know what I got!

1986 Nissan Stanza 4wd wagon 2.0 EFI 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Ahead-of-its-time design, built like a small brick, economical

Faults:

(mileages approx)

150,000 miles -- Power steering gear bad at time of purchase. Replaced and aligned. Also engine temp. sensor replaced. Rear hatch release/fuel filler door release cable is broken, but never repaired (too much labor).

160,000 -- replaced front brake pads, had to obtain one replacement rotor, turned the other one.

180,000 -- had all 4 (front and rear) CV axle shafts rebuilt. (needed new boots and re-lubed)

190,000 -- installed used power steering pump; original was "groaning"

200,000 -- installed used injectors and injector rail as a set (one of original injectors was leaking from housing)

215,000 -- when replacing timing belt, found right-side motor-mount had failed. Replacing this also "cured" a 2'nd-gear synchronizing problem that I'd noticed.

220,000 -- "head pipe" flexible coupling failed in front of catalyst; replaced. also gaskets at front and rear of catalyst blown out. New ones from dealer are metallic construction. Also pipe from catalyst to rear muffler has rusted through (but not fixed yet).

225,000 -- installed heater core and heater mode cable; original cracked and leaked steam. And 4-way flasher switch sort of "crumbled" while trying to replace heater core.

Also had (unknown mileages) several radiator hose failures, thermostat failure, valve cover oil leak, bad rotor and spark plug wires.

General Comments:

Handling is quite acceptable for a small 4wd vehicle, other than somewhat annoying under-steer. Handling is quite stable on icy/snowy surfaces (though it's only part-time 4wd, so can't use 4wd on "mixed" dry and slick roads).

Ride is better than other small 4wd vehicles I've driven, though road/tire noise can be higher than desirable.

Adequate power, except perhaps in 4wd, where sometimes an odd "rumbling" is audible, some sort of resonance?

Interior still looks very good, despite vehicle's age, though I wouldn't want to take an extended trip (front seat bottom padding is getting more than "firm")

Sliding side doors are "neat", though don't really add to vehicle's usefulness (and have an annoying tendency to light up the "door ajar" light, even when apparently closed).

Biggest complaint: weak defroster just isn't up to high plains ice & snow. Despite new (dealer) thermostat, dealer checks, replaced heater core, rechecks of all control cabling, new water pump, etc. Defroster blows lots & lots of warm air, but somehow just can't keep windshield clear, especially at driver's eye level and higher.

Most impressive: 226,000 miles and still running like a top; minimal oil consumption and reasonable mileage (25-26 miles per gallon commuting, some-times 28-30 miles per gallon highway)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th March, 2003

4th Feb 2004, 10:26

Do you know where can I find rear shock absorber for this car?

(Nissan Stanza Wagon 1986 4WD)

Thank you.

12th Feb 2004, 07:37

My 1986 also needs a rear strut. Otherwise the car has been the perfect mountain commuter car. I call mine the mole.

16th Feb 2005, 22:19

Hi! I have owned many Nissan Multi's (Canadian name) they are great and any one who has one will agree. For me I like the four wheel drive models best.I have a 1987 4x4 loaded even power door locks (all 5 doors) thus was a great addition I added myself. To the guy west defrost problem make sure you have control set to outside air not recirculate, buy.

1986 Nissan Stanza sedan 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

A beautiful and reliable car, I would recommend it to anyone

Faults:

I had to replace the water pump at 78,000 miles. Left tail light lense needed to be replaced. worn tires.

General Comments:

This car is extremely quick for a four cylinder engine. I won a race against a mustang with it. The car is one smooth ride, and is comfortable to. My interior is in great condition, and the car has many extras. The exterior looks great with a shiny black paint job, and only one scratch where a hub cap hit on the freeway. Handling is great, even at high speeds.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th May, 2002

27th Jun 2006, 16:26

I got a 91 Nissan Stanza. It's a very nice ride, loaded with options, power everything, fast 2.4L engine that decimates all, and it's also a sharp looking machine. Highly recommended to anybody looking for a sweet ride or a base car to modify and race!!