1994 Nissan 200SX review from UK and Ireland

At 30,000 miles, the engine displayed alarming power reduction - usually when overtaking... which was nice. The dealer said 'this was a known problem' on cars made during 1994, and was caused by premature valve guide wear. They also said that the manufacturer would have made this problem a 'recall issue' - but as it did not affect safety (oh really?) it was left that the work would be done free of charge if an owner noticed the problem. This meant brand new valves and 2 days off the road.

At 33,000 miles, the turbo went. The car had a full service history (I was only the second owner) and it had always been allowed to cool down properly before switching off the engine. My dealer said that he'd known turbos to go as early as 18,000 miles! The bill for a new unit and labour came to £1,300 (plus 3 days off the road), but luckily, the car was still under warranty.

Over anything other than a really smooth road, the interior rattled badly - especially the poorly designed sunroof.

The boot would often let in pints of rainwater, depending on how the wind was blowing at the time - despite a new seal.

The interior mirror fell apart at 40,000 miles and I was staggered at the cost of a new one. This comment applies to all parts needed for this car.

I'm amazed at the general praise that is heaped on this car on this website. Although it was good (but not great) fun to drive, it did not live up to its superb looks and this model is seriously underpowered, in my opinion. What were Nissan thinking, putting such a small engine inside such a beautiful looking car? A 3.5 litre V6 or V8 would have been much more like it!

The handling is not up to the look of the car either, as it suffers from the usual Japanese trait of over-light power steering. A big improvement would have been a switch to turn it off altogether.

The combination of the steering, very little weight at the back and rear-wheel drive made the car a handful in the wet, and hopeless in the snow. A rear-mounted gearbox would have been much better.

Dry handling was much more enjoyable, but the light steering still took the fun out of things at speed.

The interior (considering the price of the car when new!) was a disgrace, especially the uncomfortable and unsupportive seats.

The car ATE tyres, discs, pads and exhausts - DO NOT buy one if you're looking for cheap motoring! Fuel economy wasn't bad, considering I used to drive with 'enthusiasm'.

My comments may lead the reader to think I was glad to see the car go, but I kept it for 4 years, it never actually broke down on me... and I STILL miss it, 18 months after selling. If the car had been better equipped in term of power, handling and comfort, I'd still own it today.