Faults:

The burning smell from AC/heater.

Dashboard freezes sometimes.

Service engine soon light came on a few months after I bought the car (at 135000).

General Comments:

I loved the car when I first bought it with 133k on the odometer. It's my first car, and I find it very reliable.

Besides the fact that it's not very cheap on gas, it didn't cause any problem until now. I know that the car is quite old, but what's up with the freezing dashboard? And the burning smell?

I was gonna go to check it as soon as I get some money for it, but a few days ago the "engine service soon" light came on and scared the hell out of me.

I'm going to see a mechanic next business day... But I don't think I will be able to pay hundreds/ thousands for the fix.

Faults:

The A/C compressor pulley bearings went bad and caused the main serpentine belt to burn. (Luckily I was just pulling onto my block when this happened.) It cost me a new AC compressor.

It needs an oxygen sensor replacement to pass emissions testing.

General Comments:

This has been a great car; lots of power and performance is good. I like to turn the traction control off and have fun driving like a maniac.

The car has been super reliable, and in the 5 years I have had this car, it has never left me stranded.

Faults:

We bought this car back in 1999 as new. Never had any problem until few months back when it started hesitating (misfire of cylinders), which have over time gone worst. Especially when idling or low speed acceleration. Testing turns out it's misfiring and replaced all six coils for $350. Now, it's been 3 weeks plus and it runs great again.

General Comments:

Engine is very smooth.

Acceleration is great.

Ride is comfortable.

Appearance of the body is good and sporty (no aging).

Powerful engine.

Faults:

Rough idle while still under warranty. I took the car to the dealer several times, but told there are no error codes. Finally, when I reached the end of my warranty, I told the Service Manager if they can't fix it I'm going to trade it in on a Honda. This got them to call Nissan American. Behold, they must have known about problems with the coils that do not show an error code. They advised the mechanics on what to do. They kept the car 4 days (provided me a loner), and got 5 of the 6 coils to show an error. They replaced all at no cost.

It has proven to be the best car we've ever purchased.

After 120,000+ miles the knock sensor failed. I changed it myself for a total cost of < $300, that included the 18" extension and other tools I purchased.

At 132,000 miles the O2 sensors are failing. I'll also replace them myself.

General Comments:

Nissan had already stopped production on their "Z" models. The Nissan Maxima in 1999 had the same motor. Advertised as having the heart of a "Z". For its time, 190 HP was something.

The car is stylish, very comfortable to ride in and accelerates well. The cloth interior looks great after 10 years. The rest of the interior has held up well also. No cracks in the dash, nor any wearing off of the black on the radio selector buttons like I had with my 2006 Civic.

My son has been the primary driver the last two years.

She now has over 132,000 miles and going strong.