1991 Nissan 200SX Turbo from UK and Ireland - Comments

Nothing, starts without even touching the accelerator.

The tyres were pretty worn when I got the car, I haven't got round to changing them yet... to my regret. I accelerated round a roundabout and went into a powerslide which was awesome fun, but when I tried to steer into my exit I completely lost the back-end and did a 180. The ABS brakes kept me on the road, and there were no other cars about, but please, please, PLEASE do NOT mess with rear-wheel drive until you know how to handle it, it's great fun, but you could end up wrapped around a lamp-post if you don't know EXACTLY what you're doing. I learned this the easy way, I'm begging you to do so too. Get an experienced friend, get him to teach you, take a supercar course, whatever. Until then, accelerate only in a straight line.

If something does (God forbid) go wrong, don't bother with Nissan, shop around, and you will get better parts for cheaper prices (Turbo Technics, Supertune, TDI etc).

The pop-up headlights are very eighties/early nineties, but they have a certain old style charm to them. The front profile is beautiful, the bonnet bulges in a rather muscular way. Open the bonnet and you get an idea where the car gets its power from, every square inch is taken by up by the engine.

Side profile is very attractive, although again slightly dated looking. The car looks best when viewed from an angle, standing at one of the corners and taking three or four steps back. Then the sleek aerodynamic lines take on a menacing undertone, which is strongly enhanced if you choose a darker colour. I selected dark metallic grey (anthracite to be pedantic), which I feel suits this car the best. Red's a bit tacky, dark blue is okay, but doesn't go well with the red tail light panel, and black looks like a Knight Rider attempt (Although I was tempted by the idea of getting a black one and installing a red strobe in the bonnet).

The interior is very nice, by no means luxurious, but definitely comfortable. Superb driving position, excellent bucket seats which hug you round corners, and loads of leg space for the passenger and driver (I'm 5'11). The back is roomier than most 2+2 coupes, and I can fit two reasonably big people, but I wouldn't recommend it for long journeys. Cool dashboard display, fantastic air-con, excellent general layout, an ash-tray that just begs you to smoke etc.

Okay, on to the main part:

Driving & performance. Below 3000 rpm, the car purrs innocently, smooth drive, soft clutch, quick but gentle response to a touch of the gas. As soon as the needle hits three thousand revs.... all hell breaks loose. You hear a sound like an aircraft engine which is the turbo coming in, and the car just blitzs forward, sucking you back into those superb seats. Parkers guide wasn't kidding when it described this car as "boy racer's delight, explosive acceleration and turbo", you will SLAUGHTER everything else on the road (including the BMW Z3, MGF, Mitsubishi FTO, Integra R-Type, Prelude V-Tec... the list goes on). Only cars of the Supra/Skyline/Porsche class are beyond your reach. First gear's got the most G-force, but second and third gear is where you do most of your accelerating. By that point, all the other cars are tiny specs in your rear-view mirror, and you're going about 95. You can break the national speed limit in second gear - if you're so inclined. When you think that this engine was designed ten years ago, you appreciate what wizardry Nissan have at their disposal. Gear changes require a bit of practice, but once you gain that are incredibly smooth. The clutch is very soft, the throttle potently responsive, and the brakes superb.

One of my favourite things about this car is its understatedness. It looks mildly sporty, but very few people are aware of the monster hiding beneath the bonnet. And when you blitz off into the horizon, they're like WTF?!

There are quicker cars, yes. But there is no better mix of performance, comfort, and reliability for anything near the price. The amount of fun I'm having for a paltry £2500 - it doesn't get much better.

This is also an excellent learning car, with its turbo and rear-wheel drive providing an excellent stepping stone onto more advanced machines. After about a year, I may move onto to its bigger brother the 300ZX, or perhaps a Skyline or a Supra. But for now, the 200SX is more than adequate to terrorise the roads with.

Just a short comment to make on the comparison of the 200SX with various road cars. Firstly, the writer compares the SX to cars no "boy racer" would even attempt to drive. Comparison of the SX to the likes of a BMW 325i, Prelude 2.2i VTec, Imprezza, Sunny GTi-R, etc... would show that the SX is just an ordinary man's car. If anyone is looking for a proper fast car for a reasonable price, I would go for a Supra or 300ZX. If you can't afford them, save your money and wait till you can!

Brilliant!!!!!!!!

From the blue underwear wearing heiffer.

In reply to the first comment of this review, the SX is not an ordinary man's car at all, it is only a little bit slower than the 300ZX and costs far less it, the 300ZX is so heavy that it slows it down by a large amount. The 200SX is a much better buy for a cheaper price and comes with ridiculously amazing performance and enough comfort to keep people happy. So, I recommend the cheaper 200SX rather than a Supra or 300ZX, as the 200 will give both a very good run for their money.

Hi, this is the writer. I appreciate the feedback, do keep the comments flowing.

1) Thanks Ms Blue Underwear Wearing Heiffer, you're brilliant too.

2) As regards the first comment, the Imprezza aside (that's an unadulterated supercar), the 200SX destroys the cars you've mentioned. I know because I've personally beaten each one - last night I beat a BMW 325i off the lights in first gear, slowed down to 15mph, let him go past, and then beat him in second gear as well. I've also eaten RS Turbo's (the stereotypical boy racer car) for breakfst. The 200SX has awesome ability, and the way in which this ability manifests itself - raw power causing explosive suck-you-back into-the-seat acceleration, frisky rear-wheel drive handling - is why the car should be and is categorised as a boy-racer in the guise of an executive coupe.

The 300ZX is an excellent car, and the Supra is just out of this world, but a decent 300ZX costs three times as much as a 200, and is only 0.8 seconds quicker to 60mph, while a decent Supra will cost as least five times as much. Besides, trust me, you want to upgrade incrementally - the average driver will kill himself with 326 bhp of Supra in his inexperienced hands.

Further to the writer's comments, I fully agree with his follow-up notes.

The 300ZX and new (big-winged 165mph monster) Supra ARE quicker cars. Both are 3 litre turbos (Supra has two - but that's just being greedy!) and are just under a second faster to 60 than the 200SX (by virtue of their sheer size/weight, granted). At you venture beyond 60mph, however, they will show their mettle as the much more powerful engines are bound to do. HOWEVER, the writer is correct in saying that the 200SX is not a million miles behind.

The bigger cars are several times more expensive to buy, cost a fortune to run (just compare tyre prices - they can be frightning) and the insurance..... oh, the insurance!

A 200SX, on the other hand, is very, very quick in it's own right. Comments re: Messrs. 325i and RS Turbo are correct. If push comes to shove they won't catch you (and if fans of either car are reading don't say you will - because you won't). Yeah, sure, modify either of them and that would be a different story. Modify a 200SX, travel back in time!

The 200 isn't just quick on the 60mph dash. The mid and top range stuff is equally stunning.

The previous correspondent, who suggested waiting for the bigger cars, is right in having his own opinion and I would be wrong to say different. He may, after all, disagree with my comments - how about commenting back?

However, I must say that the 200 has all the power you could reasonably (and unreasonably) use on a road. Forget top-end. Who's going to do 165mph on a public road? I can't wait for the first person to say 'me'......

I've clocked 150mph in my 200 on an empty dual carriageway (with revs to spare) at 3.00am ONCE. That's quick enough, believe me.

To summarise, unless you either earn absolutely pots of money or don't have a mortgage, the 200SX cannot be beaten for performance per pound.

If you fall into one of the aforementioned categories and can afford to run a 3-litre turbo, why not go further and get a second-hand 911 or and old Ferrari etc.?

At the end of the day, when it comes down to sub-7 second, 140mph+ cars it just comes down to what you can afford.

Rip.

I totally agree. My dad drives a 200SX and has done since 1992! It's on its second engine and 3rd turbo now! Performance is exhilarating. Even the acceleration in 5th at 100mph is impressive. I think it gets a bit twitchy at speed but my dad (34 years driving experience) doesn't notice.

Overall, a cracking car if you can afford to run it!

Hi guys, this is the writer.

Thanks for the comprehensive comment Rip, almost as long as my actual review! I'm still relatively inexperienced with the 200SX, so I'd very much appreciate being able to ask you a few questions - my e-mail address is awais.sheikh@db.com.

One minor point: the Nissan 300ZX is Twin Turbo, not single, the major difference between that and the Supra is that one of the Supra's turbos is operating from 1000 revs or so.

I appreciate what you're saying about Porsches and Ferraris, but the Japanese cars are far more robust and reliable, and more receptive to modification, 600 bhp Supras (I nearly bought one) are not uncommon and will match the F40 - Ferrari's greatest ever machine, for acceleration and speed. Meanwhile a Skyline R34 will get from A to B as quick as a 911 Turbo. Having said that, there's a rather huge difference in status between the Italian/German dream machines, and what are, in comparison, budget supercars. Boils down to personal preference - if I had a choice between 100k of Ferrari 360 Modena in my drive, or 100k worth of souped up engine, full bodykit: silver Supra, dark metallic grey Skyline, or black TVR Cerbera (love the retro styling), I'd take the latter three.

But dreams aside, the 200SX is more than enough right now. I can't actually use any of the power on tap most of the time, only at night on A-roads etc. Went up to 135 mph the other day, the car was begging for more, but I lost my nerve.

200SX's are awsome, I bought mine a year ago and it has never let me down. It will beat anything of similar value, 150mph for £3000 is excellent, modifications are plentiful.

Nobody has mentioned a company called Norris Designs (check out their website), they are 200SX specialists and top blokes with tonnes of knowledge on these cars. I took mine there for a Janspeed exhaust and K&N filter fitment, A MUST!!! The induction noise is AMAZING and the mid range pick-up is awesome, bring on the next tuned-up Nova or RS Turbo, they are wasting their time and money, a standard 200SX will wipe the floor with them.

Once again a truely awsome car, next stop a 300ZX... sounds much more the part...

I must agree with the last comment, Norris Designs are a must for any 200 SX owner in SouthWest England cos they are very helpful and supply anything you want for the car. The bodykits that they stock are obscene, especially the GTR style spoiler. I'll also say that the 300ZX is a monster of a car and will blow away a 200SX, but I would not want to own one for a number of reasons, one being the cost of having to run it would be stupidly expensive - with a twin turbo 3 litre engine the petrol will be hundreds a month and I imagine that if anything went wrong with it then the cost would be ginormous.

Same with the Supra, the 200SX is a cheaper to run and cheaper to insure car and in my eyes is a much better option cos they are not very well known by many people, but will beat any idiot who wants to race you except for most other proper Japanese sports cars and some modified motors in the UK. But I am happy with my little 200SX and will stick with it for a good few years yet I think.

You can get a 200sx for under £3k and it will without a doubt be the cheapest and fastest car you will ever buy. I would so recommend one, but be careful in the wet and roundabouts and change the oil lots. I have a new model now and its not £5k better than the old one!

I have owned a 1990 200sx for 2 years now and find it to be very reliable and have had absolutely no mechanical faults with it (and I drive it hard!).

But one thing you MUST watch out for is rust around the rear spoiler. I suggest you change it for a different type (see Norris Designs), it'll work out cheaper in the long run.

As many of you will know Nissan 200SX tuning parts are harder to come by than the usual VX, Ford VW etc parts, though given patience can be found. Be aware many suppliers / tuners ARE buying parts from other sources and making a few quid (10%) at your expense!. It pays to shop around or even import yourself. Internet a MUST!

I feel obliged to write, because everyone else has.

I bought my 200sx for £2850. It looked absolutely mint. However, after about 2000-3000 miles, with an oil change and service upon purchase, the engine sounded rough. So I put it in for a service - warped crank, worn pistons, worn cams, leaking turbo etc, so a new engine was needed. DON'T GO TO NISSAN!!! I had the engine done by Nissan, and although amazing quality, it cost me a lot more than I needed to pay. (43 quid/hour labour - blighters!).

With respect to every body elses comments, I can do nothing but mirror them, for the money, I wouldn't think of anything else. Maybe a Rover Coupe Turbo (0-60, 6.2 for 3-4 grand) not bad, but no RWD.

I've had all sorts of cars in races (in the dry) - Golf VR6's, RS Turbo's (why would anyone buy one of them??), BMW 325's and yes, sorry BMW drivers, 328's as well. My car is completely standard, and I love it. Anyone have any ideas on different turbos? I want more!!

It's great to read some of these comments. I am not a 200SX owner though. I've just seen one at a local used car dealer. If anyone can comment on the deal or not, to help make make my mind up.

The car in question.

Red J plate Auto, FSH, Full MOT, 100k on the clock, Body seems OK, Dealer, not the best place to get a car around here, but they don't often come up locally. Up for £1995.

Why I'm thinking about one?

Performance for the price. Fast and yet rear seating and a boot. I Love the looks and my mother has always worked at a Nissan dealer, so I've always wanted a 200SX or 300ZX, but with a mortage and a broody wife, don't agree with spending a fortune on a set of wheels.

Can anyone aomment on this car and its suitability for someone like me?

AB.

I would recomend a s13 200sx to any one. Cheap affordable power with good looks to boot! Watch out for dodgy turbos around 80000 - 100000 miles because you are looking at £1000 to £3000 to replace it.