Not reliable
I do not like this car. It always breaks down and there is a breeze through the door handle.
Don't like it.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 28th April, 2009
Nice car
Well besides CVs, suspension arms, and brakes, it's quite hungry for tyres due to 200bhp attacking the front wheels; damn, I wish it had an LSD.
I got this car with a weird gearbox, CVT, never heard of it, but I was amazed, it revs straight to the engine's peak power; you look at the tach, and nothing's happening, and then check the speedo and you're passing 100-110-120.
This car has a black top version of the sr20, called sr20ve; amazing motor, spins past 5000rpm with the Tiptronic gears, and it goes berserk!
Acceleration off the line is superb, 0-100 is dealt with in under 8 seconds.
Seats are very nice, tinted windows, 4 airbags, half leather seats are quite European like.
I'm happy with this car, not many visits to the AA with this.
In 2002 I thought I was a handful with this Primera Wagon, now they're everywhere, every 10 cars, you count, 2-5 are Primeras.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th December, 2008
Excellent all rounder
Car was a bit sluggish when bought, but a new airflow sensor cured it. £300 from Nissan and £38.50 on eBay!
I've owned over 200 cars, and this is one of the best!
Very quiet and smooth on the road, and easy on fuel.
If you want a good car for little money, buy one and not a Laguna, Mondeo or Vectra!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 6th July, 2008
I love the Sport Primera, it's durable in Africa.
I recommend getting an original Bosch MAF (airflow meter). The ones on eBay don't work very well in my experience.
Original ones can be purchased reasonably cheaply, as they are refurbished and available on an exchange basis for about £80.
Some cars had a Hitachi MAF, which is much more reliable.
Bosch ones start to deteriorate at 60,000 miles, and the engine light comes on. This may fool you into thinking the oxygen sensor is faulty, but these are very reliable.
When fitting a new MAF, it may take the car a little while to settle down again, due to the car's computer adapting to the new values.
Apart from the turning circle - A brilliant car
When we bought it the aircon didn't work properly - It was a bodge repair - that took about £150 to address.
This is a great car to own and drive - My only gripe is the turning circle of the car is absolutely terrible - I own a 1995 Nissan Primera and I could turn it on a 5p! the new version just can't do the same thing! Unbeliveable!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 5th February, 2007
A great all rounder
Slight knock from front left suspension. Will get it checked out at next service.
I wanted a car that looked refined yet sporty and wouldn't cost the earth to purchase.
I love the looks of this car, I was impressed with the quality of the finish.
The seats are really comfortable too and the car is a delight to drive.
The GXE model comes with a high degree of equipment, eg air bags, cd/tape player, 6 speaker stereo.
I like the attention to detail that Nissan puts into their cars. You can rest you hand on the transmission whilst adjusting the volume, and the petrol flap has a clip to stop the fuel cap from rolling away when re-fueling.
However, some bad points are that I find the turning circle a little wide, and performance is a little average from stop.
Also I had expected the car to perform a little better in the fuel economy department, this is not helped by the fact that 98 octane premium grade fuel is required.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th April, 2004
Hi there I have got a 1999 Primera Gxe and after having 1 I really learned to enjoy it. it's comfortable economical (get around 650k's to a tank) and its peppy. I definitely agree they are great cars.
Hi there; my wife has a 2001 GXE.
We were told by the dealer to use 98 (octane gasoline), but on the Japanese car catalog website, it was stated to use 91. With 98, the performance was reduced and the fuel economy was poor, but with 91 the car feels better. It can do 672kms for a full tank on 91, and a shocking 451kms on 98, but it is a great car; much better than my 2004 Mondeo, which frequently has problems.
My review update for the above car:
Still going strong after 270,000 km. 13 years old.
Body is very good, no rust. No paint discolouration.
No major problems apart from usual wear and tear items below.
Don't want to sell this car because it's so reliable, good body, looks almost as good as new when it's cleaned and polished.
Gets serviced once a year. Never needs anything doing to the engine.
Air conditioning still works well.
Chain driven, so doesn't need cam belt re-doing.
However, here are the wear and tear items over the past 10 years. In my opinion it's needed very minimal repairs over this period.
Has gone through two starter motors.
Rear shock absorbers.
Power steering and auto transmission fluid re-flushed.
Needed part of the radiator repairing.
Seems to have re-occurring brake issues, brake pads wear, calipers need adjusting, rotors skimming or replacing etc etc.
Needed new car alarm zappers, as the old ones wore out.
Thanks for your comments, The car runs really bad on 91 though. And can't run on bio fuel blends such as Gull over here in NZ. However, it needs a minimum of 95, not 98.
Thanks for your comments, The car runs really bad on 91 though. And can't run on bio fuel blends such as Gull over here in NZ. However, it needs a minimum of 95, not 98.
Same car, 310,000km.
Still going.
Just had rocker cover gasket replaced.
Right front control arm replaced.
Transmission needs a service; will probably get it done next year.
Still like the car, looked at changing it, but they all drive like stodge, and the CVT gearboxes on the new cars are awful!!!
The car was sold in 2017. Quite honestly I'm really regretting it!!
16th Nov 2011, 10:14
Not a good review above.
Nissan Primera is a fantastic car!!