1993 Nissan 200SX review from North America

Intake valves stick, needed replacement.

Poor design caused alternator to fail often. Water pump failed three times during my ownership. Thermostat housing overheather several times causing thermostat to stick closed causing engine overheating. A/C compressor to low to ground causing bearing failure several times. Transmission valve body failed twice. Oil pan leakage due to poor engine design. Poor wiring cause years of short searching. Poor design of sun roof caused leaks. O2S burns out often due to poor design to exhaust. Went through starters like it was in love with someone else!

Replacment parts expensive to buy through the dealership.

I bought this car from a guy I know who worked in a small tech shop when I was 18 for 5,000. At first this car took my breath away. It has a very nice look, inside & out. Ergonomics of drivers compartment is very well done. When I started to have to work on the car, that is when I noticed how bad of a design the engine compantment was in. The upper radiator hose is prone to leaks, and for some reason they decided to place the alternator under this hose. Which caused many alternator blow outs, corrosion of belts, ect. The thermostat housing is exposed to excessive heat which causes thermorstat problems (stock closed mainly). Replacing the thermostat becomes a knuckle bleeder. The housing is mounted to the side of the engine, instead of being on top. You only have enough room for one hand. So holding that thermostat, with the gasket, and the housing down in this little area, really makes you want to hurt some engineer! They could have at least placed a lock in surface for the thermostat, so you don't have to hold everything together.

In order to replace the transmission filter, you must remove the valve body.

Which as anyone knows about transmissions. That if just a small piece of debris gets in there, it then becomes a teardown job.

The A/C compressor is too low. Which causes just a little flood to dry out those bearings!

The starter is not held in with the normal two bolts from the front. It has one front, and one back. Which means you have to get a six foot extension and a friend to help guide that socket over the transmission bell housing and onto the bolt.

This car was so bad, that I used to leave the keys on the seat and the windows down, and still no one would touch it!

I work everyday in the field on automobiles and trust me when I say this

"When you buy a vehicle that was not made in the USA, you are going to pay more for parts, and to get it repaired. Plus, they might not last a lift time like an American vehicle will."