Primera GT what to look out for...

Sparky191 · 13 Jan 2006 at 12:32

I know its a bland mobile. But other than that anything to look out for on them?

Enfield · 13 Jan 2006 at 12:33

My uncle had one of these and apparently they are absolutely gutless.

D4VE · 13 Jan 2006 at 12:34

150bhp isnt it?

Cheap as chips though and are quite good cars apparently. I dont know much about them, but checking the oil and coolant to make sure the headgasket is good is a start.

Aircon is extremely expensive to put right so check that next - dont make the mistake I made.

Check all the electrics - dont go wrong often on Jap cars but will be a lot to fix.

Oil leaks are a major headache and are often hard to fix. Also check the rad is ok and not corroded up.
Bounce all the corners to check the shocks are ok.

Geabox - check it doesnt crunch or pop out of 5th - go on and off the gas at speed to see if it pops out.
One cog from Toyota is £250ish, probably cheaper from Nissan but you get the idea, you dont want the gearbox to break...

Firestar_3x · 13 Jan 2006 at 13:00

Enfield said:
My uncle had one of these and apparently they are absolutely gutless.

Compaired to what? cause thats not my experience with them, they are no CTR but pull quite nice.

Only odd thing i can add is check for rust on the bottom of the doors and all the normal checks you would do regardless of the car.

Styles · 13 Jan 2006 at 13:04

Enfield said:
My uncle had one of these and apparently they are absolutely gutless.

As did mine but his pulled very nicely indeed. He only ever had problems with the headgasket, i'm not aware of anything else.

ratty2002 · 13 Jan 2006 at 13:37

Ive got one,and the only thing to go wrong with it,was the driveshaft snapped :eek:

Aparently this is a common problem,at least with the gt models.Also check for rust on the door sills,again another fairly common problem.

Rich · 13 Jan 2006 at 14:41

Enfield said:
My uncle had one of these and apparently they are absolutely gutless.

To be fair, checking Parkers, there was ONE model that was pretty poor on the power front (less than 120bhp iirc) but the rest are 150ish.

I have been looking at primeras recently as they seem to sell for peanuts and no doubt will be very reliable. Was looking at the GT until i saw the newer shape 2.0 16v SPort+. Xenon lights, half leather, reasonable power, Climate etc etc. 2001 with sub 50k can be picked up for less than £2500 if you shop around, but generally fall between 2500 and 3000. Still think its good value and they arent exactly bad looking either. Bit plain (not such a bad thing).

Sparky191 · 13 Jan 2006 at 15:02

Thanks for the comments. I'm not entirely sure these comments are specific to primera's or just cars in general

From what I've read, and my own experience, Nissans tend to do mega miles with little but the normal servicing. I was wondering was there anything unusual to the GT. The "Common" problems you are talking about, could you link to were you getting that info as I wouldn't mind reading up on it.

As for being gutless, doesn't really bother me. Its only for commuting. I'm just looking for a a family saloon for herself. Once its nippy for city center traffic, can hold a toddler and all his gear, and doesn't need constant car and attention thats all I'm looking for. In fact I'd be happy with a 1.6 or 1.8 but for some reason they are all a lot worse condition or a lot more expensive than the GT's I've seen. (I'm in IRL not UK). We're at the age where the sportier versions aren't signifcantly dearer to insure, and tend to be in better nick than the lower models.

I did look at Passats and A4's but I think they are looking too much money for olders cars with mega miles. For example a 00 passat 1.6 with 100k is as much as twice the price of the GT with only 60k on the clock. The GT drives much better, whereas the VW's and Audi's are lifeless. I did find a A4 1.8T for arount 30% more than the primera, but was a little tatty and very patchy history. Seemed solid, turbo gives a nice shove and I like A4's but its a bit of a risk and could be expensive to fix if something goes wrong. A better example would be twice the price of the GT and have twice the mileage.

Anyway I'm only thinking of it at the moment. My mates all have porsches and the like so its pointless talking to them. To be honest anything seems gutless after those. But a porsches would be no quicker on our cross town commute. Might induce more points though. I've got fed up wrestling the toddler in and out of 2 door cars, and the old banger we were using as a 2nd car is on its very last gasp. So the wallets being prised open to replace it.

Sparky191 · 13 Jan 2006 at 15:06

Rich said:
....Was looking at the GT until i saw the newer shape 2.0 16v SPort+. Xenon lights, half leather, reasonable power, Climate etc etc. ....

Bit nicer looking alright. But a lot dearer here. We have another Nissan a Micra which has run faultlessly over 50k, and I'll probably trade that in for something much better later in the year. But for now we're just replacing the old banger. (Fiesta).

Firestar_3x · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:05

Rich said:

That one is the worst looking imho, much prefer the GT or the original eGT.

[TW]Fox · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:11

They are most certainly NOT Gutless. They are amongst the most potent regular 2.0 litre cars of this type around and certainly quicker than the 2.0 Mondeo.

The Primera GT is a fantastically under-rated car - provided you can put up with the fact they look uber bland inside and out, they are great cars. It's the ideal car for somebody who doesnt care about looks or image but does care about complete reliability and a decent driving experience. Primera is one of the few cars which came close to the Mondeo in terms of handling. The other being the 406.

Enfield · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:12

[TW]Fox said:
They are most certainly NOT Gutless. They are amongst the most potent regular 2.0 litre cars of this type around and certainly quicker than the 2.0 Mondeo.

The Primera GT is a fantastically under-rated car - provided you can put up with the fact they look uber bland inside and out, they are great cars. It's the ideal car for somebody who doesnt care about looks or image but does care about complete reliability and a decent driving experience. Primera is one of the few cars which came close to the Mondeo in terms of handling. The other being the 406.

Must have been this one he had: http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/specs/data.aspx?model_id=599&id=5802

Sounds pretty gutless to me.

[TW]Fox · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:15

My god, a 2 litre engine worse than VAG's pathetic attempt, I didn't realise such a thing would exist!

This thread is, hopefully, about the considerably better 2.0 16v with 150bhp.

Malachy · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:16

good cars i had one and wish i never sold it

common failures are driveshafts/cv joints (check by turning on full lock and listening for a knocking sound) also rust on bottom of rear doors/arches. thats the only real weak spots on them they are fantastic cars for the money.

Firestar_3x · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:17

I don't understand the P10 structure provided on parkers, they say the eGT has 88Bhp but the LX with the same 2.0 engine has 125Bhp, years ago we had an eGT on hire (Sure it was) and it was quite quick.

Firestar_3x · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:21

According to the Nissan forum it features the SR20DE engine and has 143Bhp.

Malachy · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:22

yeah i think the stats on parkers are wrong since the 1.6 16v has 90ish bhp could be that ?

Malachy · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:24

yes the gt engine in the "same basic lump" (not meaning it's exactly the same engine or i have the feeling i might get bum raped) that is used in the 200sx just non turbocharged.

Axeboy · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:46

88bhp is the powr of the late 2.0d iirc.

Parkers made a booboo again.

Its NOT 88bhp.

PardonTheWait · 13 Jan 2006 at 17:58

My dad had a Primera GT, I really liked it. I don't even think it was that bland to look at, really. Inside it was dull as ditchwater but it wasn't a bad looker on the outside. He liked it, and he's quite fussy, so I dunno.. can't be that bad.