1989 Nissan Sunny ZX review from UK and Ireland

This car has required the following work:

Bodywork renovation.

New plugs.

New coil tower.

New water pump.

Co2 Setup.

Timing adjustment.

Power steering pulley adjustment.

The 1.8 Twin Cam engine inside these cars requires the attention of a specialist mechanic, you shouldn't mess with it yourself. If it's good you won't need to.

The engine doesn't have a coil and spark plug leads. It has a wiring loom and four independant coil towers directly on top of the spark plugs. These coil towers start to fail after about 90,00 0miles but on the bright side when one goes it is progressive and the car won't grind to a standstill. They cost £75 each.

If your buying one check the following areas:

Put your finger inside the rear wheel arches against the sill below the door and check that the body hasn't corroded below the big lump of mud you'll pull out.

Check the base of the pillars against the sill for rust and go to a tyre dealer who will lift the car so you can check the rear underbody for corrosion around the suspension.

Check the tailgate of a rust spot at its centre near the locking catch hoop (if it isn't rusting you've found a really good one).

Check the PVC at the outer edge of the drivers seat because it splits indicating heavy wear.

Driver it for at least 15 miles and finish on a fast road and listen for noises resembling pinging above 6,000 rpm.

Finally take a mechanic who will do a compression test. At 80,000 miles, 170-185 means it's most likely good, 200 plus means it's probably burning oil.

These cars shouldn't use any oil or water at all.

Only use synthetic oil.

Good ones are fantastic, but if you don't want something to fall in love with, you just want a car, don't buy one.

They handle well, at high revs they're aggressive and at low revs they're respectable work horses.

Great looking future classics. £1200 is the right price for a good one at 80,000 miles.