1988 Nissan Silvia S13 K's Turbo 1.8

Summary:

Nice

Faults:

Rust (not serious), turbo, clutch, usual stuff for this car. Was bought second hand and the previous owner cherished it, it is in very good condition.

General Comments:

Pretty well known car in the "tuner" world. But I bought this Silvia as one that was a hard find - as original as possible.

Nice to drive but not as fast as you might think. Easy to get the rear end to step out in rain however, you have to be careful.

Nice interior, though not as comfy as you might expect. Seats are quite hard, but they have probably collapsed a bit - it is well over 30 years old!

Reasonably economical for its age and performance.

I'm quite a fan of Nissan's from this time period - I plan to keep it as original as possible, I am not into drifting or mods. The car will be kept as its value for one like this will only rise and rise!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd March, 2024

1988 Nissan Silvia 1.8 turbo

Summary:

A rear wheeled drive dream drive

Faults:

Is it supposed to have central locking?

Nasty amount of rust inside the tailgate and stupid foam spoiler is looking rough.

Brake calipers sticking and making a Nasty noise and vibration on the steering wheel!

I find the driving position very low, but nothing a cushion won't sort out.

I think the dump valve is sticking, I'd really appreciate some help tweeking the car if any silvia experts are out there who could help please phone 01243 782871

General Comments:

Great car and apart from it not being very fast at the moment this is one car I am prepared to spend a few quid on and tweak.

I'd like some help if possible as I don't even know where to find the dump valve!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th August, 2003

1988 Nissan Silvia 108 turbo

Summary:

Sexy, fast and fun, fun and more fun

Faults:

So far so good - nothing has happened yet - mind you I have only had the car about a week!! So time will tell on that one.

Mind you I could do with a more comfortable driver's seat.

General Comments:

I got this car for my Husband to travel to the station in - but having had it a week I have fallen in love with it big time - It fast, beautiful to look at and so much fun to drive - I had forgotten driving could be such fun - I am really enjoying it - and despite that 'F' reg it looks wonderful when parked up and makes heads turn as I drive along - its made me feel young again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd February, 2003

3rd Nov 2005, 04:11

Hello

I have to agree with you that this is a fantastic car. I also own a Nissan S12Silvia and I have to admit that this is going to be my car for life.

Best regards

Paul George

St.Helena island.

1988 Nissan Silvia ZX 1.8i turbo

Summary:

Fast, reliable, but hard to find in good condition

Faults:

The fuel pump relay needed replacing at 112,000 miles.

General Comments:

I've fitted a K&N inductor kit to the car which makes a lovely sound during take off.

The turbo has had a bleed-off fitted to increase boost pressure and the safety valve has been blocked off as it isn't really required.

The standard method of cooling the transmission fluid (using the bottom of the radiator) has been replaced with a dedicated ATF cooler unit mounted behind the main radiator.

The car is running at around 170 bhp and handles brilliantly. Good tyres are essential.

Large exhaust to be fitted soon, as the standard exhaust is pathetic!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd November, 2001

1988 Nissan Silvia ZX Turbo 1.8 turbo

Summary:

I love it

Faults:

When I bought the car in June 2001:

The air conditioning did not work.

The central locking had given up the ghost.

The radiator was leaking.

The fitted alarm/immobiliser did not work.

The pop-up headlights refused to flash and refused to switch to high-beam.

General Comments:

I bought this Silvia to replace my previous one which had been written-off on a wet roundabout trying to avoid a stray dog. All those stories I had heard about the Silvia being a handful in the wet, which I had come to question because I had tested the theory and had found it easy to control the oversteer as it started, came home to roost. One piece of advice dear reader, never, ever emergency brake in the Silvia, in the wet in the middle of a turn! You will never catch it.

Due to the fact that I kept my old Silvia for spares, most of the faults with my new Silvia were fixed over a weekend. The only expensive repair was to the air conditioning system which due to lack of use had to be completely changed; £1,205.59, OUCH!!

Since buying the car I have fitted: a K&N 57i air filter system; high performance ignition leads; a turbo-timer; 17" BK alloys with 225.45 tyres; changed the front shocks to coil-overs and up-rated the rear ones, plus added stiffer, lower springs all round.

I cannot recommend this car highly enough. When I bought my first Silvia I was on the lookout for a coupe 2+2 body-shape, rear-wheel drive, fast and not so common car. I was going to buy a new car but the majority were front-wheel drive and the two or three that were rear-wheel drive were either very common or the wrong side of 40K.

I now have a car that is rare, fast, easy to make a lot faster, easy to work on, and because it lacks all the gizmos of modern sports cars that control and prevent everything from wheel spin to oversteer, it is a real joy to master and play with on track days.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd September, 2001