1987 Nissan 200SX XE review from North America

Poor factory finish in general. Thin paint.

Noisy, drafty and rough-riding.

High glare in uncoated front windshield glass.

Warped rear windshield glass around defroster wires.

Sagging front seats poorly made and very uncomfortable.

Upper inside door panels poorly fitted and pulling out of the frame.

Way too much play in the unsafe seat belts.

Extremely noisy speedometer. Speedo assembly cracked and replaced for $646.00 (major mistake on my part).

Oil leak.

Exhaust leak. Extremely heavy, colorless exhaust. Highly noxious and toxic.

Timing belt failure.

Distributor failure.

Worn CV joints. Hard shimmy on braking.

Cruise control failure.

Sun roof motor failure.

Slow windshield wipers.

Weak rubber window seals with rattling rear window.

Weak rubber seals around front window and trunk. Trunks leaks in the rain.

Trunk release failure.

Gas tank release failure.

Cigarette lighter failure.

Removable radio/tape deck failure. Pioneer brand.

Bought from a friend as a local transportation car because it hadn't given her any trouble and was decent-looking. Cost: $1,300.00. Owned for 3.5 months and will be towed to salvage soon. Won't even start. Good body style, but mechanics at a major Nissan dealership said it's not worth the high cost of required repairs, which can't be guaranteed.

It handled adequately when first purchased, but performance declined steadily.

Easy on gas and oil, but an extremely expensive speedo repair wiped out that advantage.

Probably a hot little car when new, but based on personal experience, I emphatically do not recommend buying a 1987 Nissan 200 SX XE for any reason.