Opinions on Nissan Primera GT

I'm looking at getting one of these soon on an S-V reg and was wondering if anyone has experience with them. I'd also like to know if there are any specific problems I should look out for and what the intervals on cambelts etc are. I've seen an S reg one on Pistonheads with about 80k on the clock going for £1.2k but it hasn't sold so should I expect to pay about £1k for a similar example? Also are there any other cars I should be looking at in this sort of range (large/medium size, sub 9 seconds to 60)?

Thanks in advance.

150BHP great handling car. Engines are pretty bulletproof and are chain driven so no cambelt to worry about. Problems only arise due to lack of oil changes which can block oil jets onto the chain causing failure. Even this is extremely rare.

Gearboxes are not quite as robust so make sure they engage into every gear properly. The interiors are quite bland as with the outside styling. Turning circle is appalling which my wife hated whilst parking.

Only problems I know of is with the ABS rings on the driveshafts. I had some go and it can literally leave you with no brakes at low speed. They also cost a mint to replace so look for the tell tale ABS light coming on at slow full lock turns.

Other possibility is an Alfa 156 although it would not be as robust and much more expensive to maintain.

Third Opinion said:

Only problems I know of is with the ABS rings on the driveshafts. I had some go and it can literally leave you with no brakes at low speed. They also cost a mint to replace so look for the tell tale ABS light coming on at slow full lock turns.

Click to expand...

You only need to replace the cv joint if the ABS ring has gone, around £30-£60 from any decent motorfactors.

Primera? Not the most sought-after motor car.....hence prices are low.

Dave L said:

Primera? Not the most sought-after motor car.....hence prices are low.

Click to expand...

Makes them a great used buy. Very reliable, good engine in the GT, handling is good for the type of car it is, the only disadvantage is that even in GT form it looks woefully bland inside and out. This is why nobody wants them.

Ignore the styling and get yourself a decent, reliable, quickish car for next to nothing.

[TW]Fox;10363537 said:

Ignore the styling and get yourself a decent, reliable, quickish car for next to nothing.

Click to expand...

We had an R reg and did about 45k miles in it (had 43k on the colck when we got it) and didnt have to shell out for anything other than the usual consumables. Definately right about the bland interior and exterior styling but the reliability was amazing.

moss said:

You only need to replace the cv joint if the ABS ring has gone, around £30-£60 from any decent motorfactors.

Click to expand...

There was a little bit more gone on mine than just that and most parts were the dreaded dealer only. Nissan parts are not cheap.

as previously said, if you don't mind a slightly bland interior then go for it, ive had one for a month and a half or so, put 3500 miles on it already and no problems so far.....fun car to drive aswell, i find the seats very comfortable, and also a huge boot aswell which is useful.

Starting to think about a couple of engine mods to mine at the mo, 421 manifold and an induction kit, meant to release around 10-15 horses or so....

Thanks for the replies. I certainly can't think of anything I'd rather have for the money and I'm currently driving an S reg 306 so the bland interior is probably actually nicer than what I'm used to, and the 306 has an awful turning circle too Are there any issues other than the gearbox that I should specifically check when looking at them? Also how rare are the GT LEs, as they seem to have a bit more kit and nicer alloys than the standard GTs.

Thanks again.

SaBBz said:

the 306 has an awful turning circle too

Click to expand...

Forgot to mention that, the Primera does have an appalling turning circle and id be amazed if there are many cars with worse .

[TW]Fox;10363537 said:

Makes them a great used buy. Very reliable, good engine in the GT, handling is good for the type of car it is, the only disadvantage is that even in GT form it looks woefully bland inside and out. This is why nobody wants them.

Ignore the styling and get yourself a decent, reliable, quickish car for next to nothing.

Click to expand...

Agree with that totally - the GT is a very good drive, sharper than the Mondeo of the same age IMO.

Very good cars, a friend at work was looking for a quickish hatch and after recommending tone of these to him he went out and got one.

I have one atm and really like it. I managed to get hold of some GTLE alloys for it as well (it was not easy!) and i think it improves the look of the car massively.

Like most jap cars of the age, the interior isn't hugely exciting, but its well built. The major things to look for are the ABS sensor (when braking at a slowish speed you feel the ABS kicking in) and the top links which clunk every now and then if the bushes have gone.

I have both the problems in my car, but tbh, i can live with them until i can be bothered to fix them (cv joint is around £40 from ebay and top links are around £20 so not expensive fixes). Also, if you go to buy the car make sure you ask him whether the driveshafts have been replaced or not. On the Primera they're pretty much a sure thing to go, it just depends when! Other than that, just look for a good service history and these engines will last well into the 100k's miles. Also, with the engine, you don't get a helluva lot down low, but once it hits the golden 4krpm you feel the kick and hear the engine note change. It never gets old!

Also, with a S-V reg you may be one of the lucky few who get things like curtain airbags!

Need anymore info, drop me an email.

things to look out for:

gearboxes - the weakest part of the car. 3rd gear especially, can whine or be hard to engage. Mine whines all the time in all gears

drive shafts - they are prone to rusting around the balancing weight and eventually snapping

ABS - the rings are known to crack and cause the ABS to kick in at low speeds. This needs a new driveshaft. Also if the ABS light is on, you might think it is "just a sensor" but these are always rusted onto the hub and are impossible to remove.

- Windscreen wiper spindle on drivers side wears out causing contact with the bonnet. Easy fix 10 minutes £20.

Nissan parts in general are shockingly expensive though - e.g. I had an ABS sensor go and the cheapest pattern part was £130. Even luxury German marques are considerably less than this!

Good points (I have a 1.6 GX so YMMV):

- No cambelt on petrol engines
- Bullet proof engines
- Unbelievable grip and good handling
- Fast steering rack (well under 3 turns lock to lock)
- Good driving position
- Good feedback from brakes
- Massive boot

Bad points:

- Preposterously stiff ride
- Nasty interior, looks very cheap though well laid out
- Gearbox as mentioned above
- 3 point turns become 6 point turns due to limited lock

Hi i drive a 1999 V Plate Primera GT LE.. in Kuro Black, with full leather interior and 16" Enkei ltd editions. (pics on OCUK Motors under my username)

i have owned now for over 2 full years, i have done the exhatust manifold mod, full catback SS exhaust and genuine Apexi cone filter, plus adv timing to 17". it goes well but its not the fastest car out there. Handling is good though, you can just literally point the car where you want it to go and it goes there!

Reliability wise; ive put it through 3 MOT's and its passed first time each time, with only like 2 advisaries on the last one for tyres and something else minor.

really pleased with my car, although i do have a bit of a love hate relationship with it, but thats mainly because i crashed it and had issues with my insurance company. but thats an aside really. id recommend the Primera if you want pace, space and reliability to go with it.

Also the option to drop in a SR20 Turbo for about 1-2k too if you wanted to push the 250bhp FWD envelope.

energy said:

Bad points:

- Preposterously stiff ride

Click to expand...

really? i dont feel like my GT has a stiff set up really? maybe because my car before was a rover coupe with rock solid suspension, but certainly wouldn't say the gt is stiff, just another issue i came across, my sunroof drain pipe became unattached so water was leaking into the car, my just of been a special case with mine but look out for damp. Also the A/C is a bit fragile by all accounts, mine doesn't work, but not too worried about it...had it recharged and worked for a bit and then stopped again, so there is a leak somewhere

lol i think the ride is definately stiff.

lets just say i avoid pot holes like *** plague and speedbumps i ride over them @ like 5mph...

Theres a guy that lives next door to my mates parents, he signed himself up for mental help (iirc) and he had a H plate primera GT.

Its done about 16,000 miles from new and is mint. Its been sat on the same spot for years, so probably rotten udnerneath, but its a really clean example

Good cars i think !!

The SR engines are ultra reliable! i have had mine for 5years and aint had any problems (except gearbox -- 5th gear kept popping out). And also my cars 17yrs old and i still trash cars of similar engine size, so it shows they are reliable!

4-2-1 manifolds are well worth the upgrade on the bay for cheap as well! (from US i got mine from there)

Phil W said:

Theres a guy that lives next door to my mates parents, he signed himself up for mental help (iirc) and he had a H plate primera GT.

Its done about 16,000 miles from new and is mint. Its been sat on the same spot for years, so probably rotten udnerneath, but its a really clean example

Click to expand...

is it an eGT, or a ZX? id be interested to buy LOL!