Faults:

Fault with left headlight due to a problem with the cable - possibly due to age as it was about 20 years old.

Sometimes wouldn't start first time in wet weather.

Disc brakes were pitted.

Rear suspension had gone.

Anti roll bars were corroded.

Brake and/or fuel pipes were corroded.

Quite a fair amount of rust on wheel arches and the doors.

Needed 4 new tyres as they hadn't been changed in about 15-20 years!!

General Comments:

This was my first car, and I bought it in April 2007 for a bargain at £100 off my neighbour. I was also the third and last owner of this car. It was on an E-plate in faded red (almost going pink) and had all the basics I need to start with such as a steering wheel, tyres, mirrors, windows and a charming retro 80s digital clock! As it was a Nissan Sunny, I thought it was going to be something slow and my mates sniggered at it, but I admit it was a mental thing, gently tapping the accelerator and it would literally fly!! It was a real hoot to drive, even it did leak and rattled and squeaked so much inside you would think you were driving an old bus instead!

It was cheap to insure, good on fuel and managed around 46mpg, which was good as I regularly commute to college, and that's about a 30 mile round journey where I live! A minor problem was the radio didn't work very well, so most of my journeys were spent singing on my way as I couldn't listen to any music!

Problems listed above were mainly due to age, also the fact there was little TLC when I got it, so it was hard to keep up with.

Sadly, 3 months after I purchased it, it had failed it's MOT miserably and so, it had to go, not least because I had a ordered brand new Ford Focus, but the repairs was 3-times more than the cars value.

For a car that people sniggered at, I still miss this car, as it was rather fun to drive!

Faults:

Absolutely nothing!

General Comments:

Had this van when I was a student and it served my purposes admirably.

Changed the oil twice and air filter once and that was it.

Each year I took it to the same garage for the annual MOT test and both me and the inspector were amazed that nothing needed to be done - his only on going concern was the condition of the brake pipes that were showing (after 15 years) signs of minor corrosion.

As well as being my daily mode of transport, returning 35mpg, I built an extension on my house and carried everything I needed in the back - and still nothing broke!!

I paid £100 for it, spent nothing on it (bar consumable items) for two years and got my money back - unbeatable budget motoring in my opinion.

Faults:

The central locking did not work when I bought it and still doesn't, but I won't spend any money getting this fixed as the car only has two doors.

The no charge warning light comes on at low engine RPM. I think this is related to the next problem - I got in the car one afternoon and there was a total power failure with not even the warning lights coming on. I have had this problem before with other cars - the leads connected to the battery terminals were loose. The screws on the terminals were corroded so I temporarily fixed this by giving the connections a couple of bashes with a large spanner. After that, power was restored and the no charge light didn't come on for a while.

The drive shafts clonk loudly when approaching full lock at low speeds. Hopefully they won't decide to separate themselves from the rest of the drive train anytime soon.

When trying to maintain a constant speed at part throttle the engine 'snatches' as if it were misfiring. The problem goes away when more throttle is applied - the engine then pulls smoothly.

The car 'wanders' at high (70 MPH+) speeds on the motorway. Since I doubt anything significant has been replaced on the car, this could be down to worn shocks or steering joints. I'm not going to spend any money to fix this either, so the answer to this is to not go above 70.

The front brakes need relining and the timing needs adjusting, but these are routine maintenance items.

General Comments:

I bought this car for 180 pounds as a stop gap until I can afford something newer. I think all of the problems it has are as a result of neglect from previous owners.

I had one of these before, which was had been much better looked after. These cars have good acceleration due to reasonable engine power and light weight, and will reach 120 MPH.

The car has a low profile, low centre of gravity and short wheelbase, which means that the handling is excellent with very responsive steering. While I wouldn't dare test the limits of my present Sunny coupe due to the condition it's in, I had a blast with the previous one on twisty back roads. The steering provides lots of feedback and you know how much grip you have left. That, combined with the revvy nature of the engine makes the car feel like a mini racer.

The gearbox is still good with no crunching when changing gear. The throw of the gear lever is short and the gear change has a precise feel to it.

In terms of comfort, they are not very good. Both Sunny coupes I have had have been very noisy at anything above 50 MPH. If you want to cruise at around 80 MPH then think about wearing earplugs. It's that noisy - you certainly won't be able to hear the stereo very well or hold a conversation without shouting. Space in the back is minimal and only suitable for children on a run.

My TPFT insurance cost me over double what I paid for the car (London address, 31 years old, 5 years NCD). Insurers don't seem to like these cars.

Overall, this car was a great banger buy. While I'll definitely be buying something better (probably a Primera) when I can, it'll do until then or until something major goes wrong with it.