1988 Nissan Pulsar Q 1.8 EFI from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Great reliable economical first car

Faults:

At 146ooo kilometers I had to replace my power steering pump.

General Comments:

That minor problem was the only problem I have ever had with this car since I got it. It is very reliable and never breaks down. I have driven very long distance with this car and performed spectacular for a 17 year old hatch.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th May, 2005

18th May 2005, 01:44

Very reassuring comments.

1988 Nissan Pulsar NX XE 1.6 from North America

Summary:

Awesome!

Faults:

Changed the transmission.

Bad CV Joints.

Broken driver door hinge.

Small oil leak.

General Comments:

This car is the mother of fun cars!!! I bought it after driving it and found that many Pulsar lovers feels the same way.

I bought it for about $1150 (which is a bit much, I know). But the engine was in good shape along with the body and interior. I wanted a fun second car to drive back and forth to work and now I got it!

I was at the gas station yesterday when a guy came over and told me about his Pulsar he used to have and how much fun it was to drive. The weather is getting warmer now, so I will be going T-top soon. Good speed, great look and no car payment! Who can ask for anything more?!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th April, 2005

2nd Dec 2005, 12:20

My 88 Pulsar also has a broken driver's side door hinge. Well actually the door that was originally on the car was fine hinge-wise, but it had some major damage, so I replaced the door altogether. The new door (which is in much better shape, and also the same color!) has a broken hinge, and I haven't yet figured out how to change that... how did you work that?

1988 Nissan Pulsar XE 1.6 from North America

Summary:

A very sexy underrated 80's car

Faults:

The most recent thing that went bad was the starter, that was replaced for a lot less than a mechanic wanted. I did the installation myself.

The oxygen sensor went bad, this was due to that fact that when I was installing the new starter the battery wasn't disconnected and the battery lead touched the starter. it was completely my fault.

When I first got it, the radiator was leaking. That was replaced by my father and I for the price of the radiator.

The head gasket blew right after the new radiator was installed, that was replaced by my father and I for little money.

The lifters are starting to tap. I'm working on getting that fixed as soon as winter blows over.

General Comments:

I love this car to death, even though it's only the smaller engine that was put into these, it's still has some get up and go to it, even after 17 years of service.

The cabin is extremely spacious, I'm 6' 2" and I fit into this little car very comfortably. The back seats however leave something to be desired.

The outside is in great condition except for a couple rust spots around the car and the rocker panels are rotting through. Also, the previous owner popped the gas door in an automatic car wash. There is no gas door anymore.

It is kinda loud in the cabin, but I recently put in a nice stereo system so I rarely hear anything.

The T-tops are a great addition to the car, I'm selling it this summer and I am feeling so bad about letting it go, it was a blast when the weather was warm.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th January, 2005

28th Mar 2005, 09:53

Oooh, an '88 Pulsar with rusted out rocker panels and a missing gas filler door.

Sexy?

Yeh, like Kathy Bates in a thong bikini is sexy!

6th Nov 2008, 21:49

I agree, very sexy car.

Different strokes, folks.

1988 Nissan Pulsar Q 1.8L EFI from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Wonderful car if you can find a reliable specimen

Faults:

Where do I start?

Engine Computer x 4 (replaced by dealer trying to explain ECU light)

Air Conditioner x 2 (compressor failed, then hoses)

Dash Cluster x 2 (odometer stopped then tacho)

Radio x 3 (wouldn't scan stations, then wouldn't store stations then stopped altogether)

CV Joints x 2 (noisy)

Gearbox x 1 (rebuild)

Engine (rebuilt then swapped with another)

Power Steering (leaky)

Car Alarms x 2 (int. going off, stopping motor while driving)

Oil Lines from Gearbox to Radiator

Fuel Lines (Split)

Fuel Tank (Split)

Plastic Trim (broken)

Hatch (leaky)

Door Locks x 2 (won't lock)

Window Winders x 3 (break when closing window)

Seat Adjusters x 2 (1 seat dropped all the way back)

Lumbar Support Adjuster

Brake Calipers (loose causing clunk)

General Comments:

Hmmm.. What can I say... LEMON!

This car cost us time, money and heartache. Luckily we bought it from a (hard to deal with) car dealership. The car would be booked in for a day and would stay for upto 2 weeks, only for it to return back to the dealership only hours later with further problems. I wanted to keep the car as I thought it would be reliable when some of the "little" things were fixed. I bowed to the pressure and sold it for a Pintara.

When it went properly it was a wonderful car, being fuel efficient and having plenty of power for its size. The car was inspected by the motor association here and passed with flying colours (even though I found minor faults with lights etc).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th April, 2004