1985 Nissan Pulsar NX from North America - Comments

Engine blew out at 90,000 miles. Had to be replaced.

Transmission had to be rebuilt twice.

Fuse box melted.

Striping around windshield rotted away.

Driver side windshield wiper flew off car into parts unknown during a violent rainstorm on a highway.

CV boots have rotted.

Axle broke.

Wheel bearing went bad.

Carburetor had to be replaced as there is no one left alive who has any idea how to rebuild one.

Fuel filter went bad.

Catalytic Pre-Converter went bad. Boy that was a fun one to fix. When it went bad exhaust backed up and blew out a gasket and broke a bolt off in the engine.

Floorboard is rotting away.

Had an electrical short, but I traced it to the brake light and fixed it.

The headlights don't sit down flat anymore. One sits a little higher than the other when they are turned off.

The heater/AC no longer works without a loud, horrifying, grinding noise.

Crank Arm Sensor went bad and that one drove me nuts trying to figure out what it was.

Replaced the shocks and struts. Suspension is still a joke.

Heat shield around the catalytic converter has half melted away causing the car to make a loud banging sound when I drive around which now officially makes me white trash.

Distributer cap split.

Thermostat stuck shut.

Folks the list goes on and on.

I have to be honest. This car is seriously old so these problems are to be expected. I didn't expect, however, to lose an engine at 90,000 miles. Over all I really hate this car, but it's so old I can't fault Nissan. I'm sure they had no intention of anyone actually still driving these cars more than ten years after they were made. For those who don't know better let me put it like this, the Pulsar is Nissan's version of the Ford Escort. In other words, if someone tries to sell you one run far in the other direction. Having said that I must admit Nissan does make good cars and I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Nissan in the future. I'll just stay clear of all their Pulsar/Sentra type cars. I think I'm going to paint flames down the side of my Pulsar and put a big skull on the hood because "camp value" is the only value this car will ever have.

The car doesn't maintain itself... It all depends on it's owner. Treat it like a POS, yes that;s what it'll be. I've had a 280z 2=2 for 20 years it sits just like I left it. My Nissan Pulsar NX I Totaled & rebuilt from frame up, pieces of other cars new parts & used parts. When I finally got rid of it, They were clueless of it's history until I told them. I can thank Nissan/ Datsun for that.Oh yeah My 85 Pulsar was a beater that's how it was when It was given to me.

Sounds like a lack of "regular maintenance" to me. I started with one Pulsar originally intended for my daughters first car. Now I have three kicking around and find them a lot of fun and very easy to maintain. They all have over 200,000 trouble free klms and after replacing the exhaust on all three (expected maintenance given klms) they show no intentions of leaving anyone stranded.

I don't know about pulsars, but sentras are excellent little cars. My fathers lasted 250,000+ miles, and the engine is still strong. Maybe you just got a badly abused car.

Pulsars are mechanically (engine-transmission-chassis) identical to the Sentras.

I bought a 1985 Pulsar new in September of 1984. It was my first and only brand new car. I drove it for nearly 10 years and 110,000 miles. I had replaced the clutch once, and it needed replacing again, so I traded it off instead. I loved that car. When I traded it in, the engine still purred like a kitten.

The only thing besides "regular" maintenance is that I had to replace the muffler about once a year. I think that speaks more toward the quality of the muffler. By contrast, I now drive a 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis that still has its original muffler.

The Pulsar was a lot of fun to drive. I wish I had a car just like it now. My license plate was "Pulsar 1." Very cool.

One of the things I liked about the Pulsar is that everything on it came standard including the sunroof, remote trunk release, bucket seats, folding back seat, flip-up headlights, power steering, power brakes, rear window defogger, etc. A lot of those things cost extra on American cars. I paid $8,100 for my Pulsar in '84.