USED Nissan Primera Saloon (96 - 02)

My car

I actually have a P10 LX from 1996 and bought it to learn to drive with. I find the car very enjoyable to drive; the steering and suspension talk to you plenty and let you know what the road is doing; the car is economicl and spacious and is very tolerant of my occasional lapse in clutch control! All in all, an excellent vehicle and I am glad I chose one for my first proper car.

My car

GOOD POINTS

Great handling (can't understand those who say it is dull) - it out handles any bog-standard mondeo, vectra out there. Steering is superb; albeit with a dreadful turning circle.

Great gearbox that likes to be rushed - this just aids the driving experience. 5th gear long for decent motorway refinement.

Decent engine - nothing to right home about but it likes to be revved and never uses any oil. Like any Nissan engine it's not slow if you keep the revs between 3,500 and 4,500 - trust me.

Great quality - spent £130 on a rusted rear section of exhaust; and that's it!! Few blown bulbs and the front wipers to replace - wopeedoo.

NOT SO GOOD / AVERAGE THINGS ABOUT THE CAR

Ride quality is average; but then owning less than a Jaguar in Edinburgh and you REALLY notice the cobbles and numerous pot-holes

Refinement is average

MPG is average: minimum 28mpg in town up to 45 for the B-road stuff

Practicality is not great due to being a saloon - but I think the boot is odd shaped too. Back bench is good though.

Looks aren't dreadful but not exactly exciting. Mine is metallic blue so its a wee bit better!

Cheers

DC

My car

My car is reliable, but that's about all you can say. It's very dull to drive (though the handling is not too bad). The 1.6 seems very underpowered, it felt like there was more power in my previous 1.2 Fiat Punto.

Being a saloon, practicality is rubbish - my wife can fit more in her Fiat Panda with the seats down than I can! Fuel costs are adequate for the size of the car - I get about 40mpg, although parts can be expensive.

I would only recommend this car if you are only interested in reliability - it will start faultlessly, but that's about its best feature.

My car

I have owned my Primera Sport + for two years now, and never had a problem with it. As whatcar.com recommends, mine was a low mileage fleet car and I must say it was a good buy.

It may not do wonders for your image, but I value its reliabilty more than anything. The only bad thing about my car is its turning circle. Executing a three-point turn is daunting, since it may end up a five-point turn instead.