1990 Nissan Pintara Executive 2.0litre EFI Inline-Four SOHC 8-valve from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

OK for someone on a budget, but I recommend looking elsewhere

Faults:

Headlight circuit issue. Did temporary home repairs on it, never bothered to take it to an auto electrician.

Improper after-market stereo install, causing brake light circuit short. Never bothered to get this attended to either, just pulled the stereo fuse.

Rocker cover gasket replaced at 247,000km.

Driver's seat support bracket broken, backrest leans to the left.

Driver's seat runners broken, seat stuck in most rearward position.

Started to burn oil at 254,000.

Timing issue, idling problems, timing advanced from factory five to seven degrees.

General Comments:

The car is not bad to drive. The steering has a lot of feel to it, which is nice, and the brakes work very well.

The brakes do become an issue when you approach the limit of aggressive braking though, as they lock up very easily.

The interior is very nice, the dashboard looks nice for a car of these years, the seats are very comfortable, and the steering wheel is nice.

It handles like you would expect from a cheap family sedan.

The 2.0litre 83kW 168Nm (111hp 124ft/lb) in line-four provides adequate acceleration, but it does like a drink, usually averaging 15L/100km (15.8 mpg).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 21st May, 2006

1990 Nissan Pintara TR.X KA24e from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

A high performance bargain

Faults:

It has needed new struts in the front, but what do you expect 13 years from original is doing OK.

General Comments:

This car is quick and handles like it's on rails.

And gives some cars with bigger engines EG Faclons and Commodores of the same age a run for their money and its only a 4 cylinder.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th April, 2003

1990 Nissan Pintara GLi 2.0 petrol, 8 spark plugs from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Reliable good looking car

Faults:

CV boots needed replacing,

CV's worn,

Leaking Boot,

License plate light failure,

Drivers seat broken,

Distributor worn out,

Exterior mirrors mechanism broken inside,

Faulty tape player.

General Comments:

This car is not as quick for a 2 liter as I thought it might be. It struggles up hills and sometimes gets dragged by a 1990 Ford Laser 1.6 with 300,000 K's. Quite disappointing. It is dark red which is a very hard color to keep clean. It is reasonable on fuel, but is better now with a new distributor, rotor and leads. Suspension is good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th September, 2002

23rd Jun 2003, 01:25

I have heard from a few sources that Nissan Pintara / Ford Corsair models are known for leaking boots. However, I have never been able to find a solution described anywhere. Owning a 1989 model, which is now passed down to a child, I would still like to solve this problem, especially in this rainy winter! Can anyone help or comment, please?

2nd Dec 2003, 04:58

I don't know much about the leaking boot, but I was just wondering if the Nissan pintara 1988/1989 have any sport side-skirts that can be purchased? I have seen spoilers, but never side-skirts or full body-kits? Can someone please help me? Matt, Adel, SA, Au.

20th Apr 2004, 17:48

I recently bought a Nissan Pintara a few weeks ago. It is a good looking car with a slightly grunty engine. However it seems to struggle up hills at times, but otherwise it is very reliable car.

Problems experienced: Problems with the air con, odd noises from the clutch.

Good things: It is a sporty looking car, good on fuel, and can have a lot of mods done to it to make it look unique.

21st Mar 2012, 20:43

I have had a Corsair (same car, different badge) for almost two years now, and it hasn't been bad, apart from me almost killing it when I had to jump start the thing. The ignition system and computer essentially crapped itself, and it took forever to get fixed.

Its done almost 200,000k's, and now the CV joints need replacing. It's fundamentally good for a P-Plater and has a lot of guts left. However, if problems start, it may be wiser to let it die in peace, as parts are hard to find.