1999 Nissan Primera GX from UK and Ireland - Comments

Lights failed, brake problems, tyre wear, paint problems.

Harsh and uncomfortable ride, excessive road noise, fussy auto box, poor and flimsy build quality, generally disappointing.

Not a car I can look forward to driving, feels more like a washing machine.

Also poor attititude from the main dealer to the point of being aggressive and argumentative.

I would not buy another Nissan. I heard in Nissan circles that it's known as a 'plastic pig', I can see why.

I don't agree, I have owned five Japanese cars before and they all drove superbly and were reliable. The best car I ever owned was a 1986 Nissan Laurel C32, it was superb. This isn't even in the same league, even my old Rover 820 was a better car. I don't know if it's because it's made in England or not, but I certainly wouldn't buy another Primera.

I have one of these cars and I have to say I disagree with everything you have said. The handling is excellent, build quality is top notch and I have never spent a penny on the car except service items and tyres and exhausts. The car is 6 years old with 80,000 on the clock. I use to drive Vauxhalls but I have had 3 Nissan's and I think they are on a different level to everything else of similar price.

Have to agree that the GX is a total waste of money. I have the GTSE and find it to be the best car I've ever driven. You really should have outlayed slightly more cash at the start and you would have enjoyed your driving experience a lot more. You can't really expect to buy a standard model such as the GX and expect the performance and handling of a GT.

So what's the difference then? It would take an awful lot to improve this car!

Crap, crap and more crap... I drive a supposed performance Nissan, I'll re-phrase that, I have driven a performance Nissan for approx. two weeks out of five months since buying.

Dealers are crap, attitude and technical know how are attrocious which is out of order considering how much they charge for parts and labour. Someone told me recently that Nissan are basically the Ford of the Japanese car world... after owning a performance Toyota I can see why!

Never again, a relative owns a 100NX and swears by it, but dealer couldn't diagnose a grinding noise coming from the front of the car when braking. Turned out to be brake pads worn low! Also conned into a having wiring loom in the engine bay replaced, first thing tried on me and after looking further a field this seems like the Nissan money maker with other people being stung also.

Could go on and on and on... nevermind Ford, more like Skoda c1970's.

Tsk tsk, children!

Listen up.

This is for the grieving owner of what can be called the Black Sheep of the family.

You have obviously been given that once on a blue moon, badly put together car.

Remember these things are mass produced, and sometimes one slips through the net.

And as for the dealer, kick his butt and don't take no for an answer. If all Don't take it out solely on Nissan.

OK you've had a raw deal, so blame the dealer. And write to Nissan UK about him. Simply make as much noise as you can. Don't condemn an otherwise fabulous car

Nissan are good cars, and 99 out of 100 owners swear by them. As do I.

Very strange comments about the handling, as I have owned several Primera's and they all handle like they are on rails, and reliability has been top notch. As has been said before, it appears you had a Friday afternoon car. If you want real unreliability try a Ford, they're a real challenge to own.

This woeful story sounds too bad to be true, but I guess Friday afternoon cars do still occur.

I owned a Nissan Primera 2.0 SRi from April 2001, until February 2005, and that car gave me nothing, but pleasure from the moment I first drove it until I said a sad farewell. It was very fast, and it stuck to the road like an ink-stain to a piece of blotting paper (or words to that effect). She was ultra-reliable too. The only time that car failed to start first time, was when my fingers accidentally slipped off the the ignition key.

Performance was brilliant. She would lose all, but the fastest BMW's on a winding road, and would easily do 115 MPH in 3rd gear. Remarkably, the car was quieter at 120 MPH than at 80 (not that I drove at those speeds in Britain naturally).

Fuel economy was very good for a 2 litre engine. She would return nearly 40 miles per gallon if driven carefully. She was comfortable, and spacious enough for five adults, and loads of luggage.

Servicing costs were very reasonable, even at the main local Nissan dealership, and that was chiefly because nothing ever needed to be replaced except minor things like the occasional windscreen wiper blade.

I would certainly have bought another Primera had Nissan not replaced a great car with a mediocre one, and the latest incarnation saw me move away from the brand altogether and opt for a Ford Focus C-Max to my great and eternal regret. Now the C-Max really IS a pile of junk! I am just about to lose that thing after just 15 months in favour of a brand new Mazda 3 2.0 Sport in the hope the Mazda will give me back some of the qualities my old Primera had. I want to go back to a car that puts a smile on my face rather than a stain on my underpants!

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Had I known 15 months ago what rubbish and disappointment lay in store, I would have kept my trusty old Primera which looked and drove a treat. I would have lobbied Nissan to produce an updated version with the old car's qualities and running gear, but without the French connection in the form of the latest model's questionable looks.

I go along with the others contributors I'm afraid - my Primera was nothing short of fantastic. I just wish I could buy a brand new Nissan Primera 2.0 SRi today.

Tad, Cambridge UK

I couldn't of said it better, I agree with the above totally!!!

Nissan Primera 2.0 EGT and SRI are the best cars still going. The SR20DE engines are really powerfull with 150hp (EGT) and you stick a K&N airfilter kit on there along with a Powerflow exhaust system for even more power, trust me you will blast away leaving BMW 320i, Vauxhall Vectra, Fors Mondeo etc. behind. They are real head turners. I have owned mine from year 2000 and I love it.

BMW 320i are always losing against mine :) although my dads got one. My Primera EGT is the most powerfull car I owned from my previous car a VW Golf III and a Nissan Almera 1.6 which was a bit slow and had a lack of power. If I still owned my P10 I will be so much happier until that stupid man in a Vauxhall Vectra drove into it.

I then bought another EGT from a freind who now owns a Vauxhall Vectra 2.0 SRI with 140hp. My new EGT saloon in silver paint and has the same looks including the Red top 2.0 twin cam 16 valve SR20DE engine with only 35000 on the clock, and with full leather interior. This is my new project with a lot more plans on my list with similar modifications. My future car will be a Nissan Skyline GTR R34 because I got some money saved up to splash about and this P10 will be passed onto my brother and hopefully he will look after it.