Faults:

Garage mistakenly diagnosed a blown exhaust manifold gasket. When I took it apart to replace it I found that it was actually a blown turbo gasket that was at fault (14 quid for a new one).

The clutch is on it's way out now, at 75000 but that's to be expected. An AP Racing 4 prong clutch is cheaper than the standard Nissan item (200 quid). Same goes for most parts, uprated ones are cheaper than Nissan ones.

Other than that, just tyres, brake pads/discs (standard ones suck) and other "consumables".

General Comments:

I've uprated the supension. Fitted an HKS exhaust, K&N filter, turned the boost up to 14psi, got a Norris design chip for it and there are still heaps of mods still to do. This car has so much potential. Even stock, this car out performs almost everything in it's class (in the dry). Look after this car and it'll last forever (that means regular oil changes and sort out the rust under the rear spoiler).

Faults:

Not really the car itself, but I had the alarm and immobiliser rewired after a previous owner did a crap job of installing. Nothing mechanical has gone wrong, yet. New front discs and pads were £250 fitted at Nissan dealer.

General Comments:

Amazing performance from the 170BHP engine, capable of 150MPH (on dial). Great whistle from the turbo. Unbeatable value for money - I paid £3000 for my H reg example, with full Nissan history, new turbo, new air-con, new clutch and new exhaust manifold. Any period car magazine rated it very highly when compared to its equivalent priced competitors such as an MR2 or Corrado. It undercuts these by approx. £2000 on current prices but completely wipes the floor with performance. As others have mentioned, notchy change in 1st and 2nd when cold, annoying water problem when boot hatch is opened in wet weather. Seats a bit uncomfortable after long journeys. Always let the engine warm up before driving hard and always let idle 2 mins. after turbo has been running for extended periods for increased turbo life.