Faults:

Rubber door seal needed replacing.

Suspension bolts replaced under recall (see my review)

General Comments:

Early built car, but generally excellent.Comfortable, fast and very quiet. Wonderful seats and instrumentation.

Dealer service not so hot, after sales that is.Friendly, but slip shod and lazy, this was a disappointment, but clearly not the car's fault! It has decided me to change the car.

Anybody buying a new Primera will be more than satisfied and be a proud owner.

I sold it today as I've decided to buy a new model Volvo S40 2.4i have to wait for it, but offered a superior trade in by the dealer.

Faults:

Nothing whatsoever so far.

General Comments:

This is the new shape Primera with a six speed manual gearbox.

The car was delivered on a Friday and the very same day I started to drive from Finland to the UK and France, during my one month holiday the car covered 6000kms and performed faultlessly, not bad for a car that's factory fresh and running in!

It is extremely quiet and in 2.0 litre form fast as well, at 150kms/hr all you hear is the wind noise.

It handles very surefootedly and the seats and driving position are excellent and very comfortable on a long haul.

Initially, the centrally located instruments seem bizarre, but they very soon grow on you and are quickly mastered and logical, it's so good to see a manufacturer offering something different and better.

I read an article or two in the British motoring press about the Primera and sometimes wonder if motoring journalists actually DRIVE the cars they write about? Some complained about the Primera's 6speed box, mine's perfect. Others doubted the ergonomics, they should try a VW Passat for overated ergonomics out of sight switches and very dubious reliability, mine at least.

The cabin is original and I think attractive, the only complaints I have is why no analogue clock and there's no pull down handle on the boot-lid a ridiculous omission. Overall fit and finish is very high.

I like the shape of the car very much indeed and believe me the headlights give an excellent field of vision, an important point here in Scandinavian winters.

I'm very pleased indeed with the car and the dealer network, fuel consumption is high on this engine as it's a heavy car 1470kgs, but it's fast, quiet accelerates well and is refined. I expect reliabilty to be high too even if it is Euro built rather than Japanese. Strongly recommended all round.

Faults:

Rearmost exhaust muffler broke down pretty soon.

The alternator died after a month.

Due to the age there is some (still very little) rust in the underbody.

Performance could be better, but there is a decent power available at lower RPM.

General Comments:

This car is an exceptionally beautiful one and it is in good condition both inside and outside.

Cared for, lowered 45mm,195/50/15 tyres, Gray metal shine colour, darkened, etc.

I like this car and I will be very sad to give it away when the day comes.

Faults:

None.

Rust starting to build up in the tailgate after 7 years.

General Comments:

Very reliable.

Comfortable and powerful enough for long travels on highways. Roomier than many competitors. 'Oldfashioned' engine; noisier and higher fuel consumption for the power than the competition.