Primera GT what to look out for...

My cousin picked up a K reg primera GT a few years back. It was a nice runner. Till the axle broke.
 
I used to have a ‘97 Nissan Primera and I personally thought it was a great car for the money, yeah the interior is terrible and the outside isn’t much better looking but that’s not really the point of this car.

I’d check to make sure that it’s nice and smooth when you are breaking gently at low speeds, any kind of juddering and there could be a problem with one of the ABS sensors, happened on my car and cost a fair bit to sort out, apparently it happens on quite a few of them or so I was told when it was getting sorted.
 
yea, check the suspension and everything around it, make sure thats okay.

make sure there is no idle issue on the engine, and that it has been serviced regularly, it likes fresh and clean oil.

the engine is not gutless.

and TWfox, the eGT was a far superior handling car than any mondeo of such times:)
 
My brother picked one up a 2.0 Sport cheap from a family member. He really likes it. They have a decent reputation for reliablity and I seem to recall them getting pretty good reviews in terms of driving ability.

If you can live with the bland interior and exterior, and can get one for the right price, it would seem a pretty sound buy.

Honest John is always worth checking out to see what problems have been reported for a given model. Watch out for the Nissan (ironically enough) adverts on the site - don't let your mouse roll over them - they wont close then you can't read the site contents.
 
Thanks for the tips. Few things there to look out for.

Incidentally the GT has 150bhp, 0-62 in 8.8sec. Top of 136mph, 134lb ft@ 4,800rpm. So its a bit peaky as with a lot of older older 16v's. Personally I don't get out of the city much, but I guess the extra poke might be useful for overtaking on a long run. Biggest plus as I see it as they are very reliable and nothing too expensive is a common failure. Its also economical on juice.

I might see it and hate it. But at least I have a few things to look for now. Cheers.
 
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A friend has recently bought a facelifted S plate one and it's cracking fo rthe cas. Think he paid about 1600 with 90k on the clock, pretty much all the toys etc and went pretty well. Fuel economy isn't too bad on it either for an older 2 litre design.
 
yea u cant beat a bullet proof 2.0 16v that pulls out 147bhp, and returns ~35-40mpg on a motorway trip tbh...

a new header will give u 10bhp+ @ wheels and boost performance, along with underdriven crank pulleys wtc which are worth another 1 or 2 to take u to 160bhp..with a bit more torque too.
 
Well I bought it anyway. Was in absolute mint condition one owner with full history. Very very comfy half leather sports seats. I'd say its nippy rather than fast, especially from the lights. Probably because its a decent sized saloon its proabably quite heavy. Really needs to be over 4.5k before it really gets moving and would be great at overtaking, since it accelerates well once its moving. I'd love to know the in gear times.

Best part of the car is the handling and steering, which really is superb. Only thing I've driven thats better in the handling/steering department would be a Mrk1 MR2 or Boxster S. It really is that good. Obviously being quite a stiff set up, its a bit jittery over rough surfaces and you have to take it easier over speed bumps etc. Brakes are excellent.

Bit of a Q car which personally I like. Blends in with all the other boring saloons. Good and roomy front and back. Bit noisier than you'd expect, not being used to a timing chain instead of a belt. When you start it up it sounds like there something mean under the bonnet, nice wuffle. Reckon it will be great for hauling the family somewhere down the country for the weekend. So far its basically just been used for pottering in and out and around town. Which will be 90% of what we'll use it for.

Very nice car for the money.
 
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I had a 2.0 Primera GT, very bland style, interior was just as bland but moved like lighting, but, and I warn you now they are not all that economical. I was getting around 28 mpg on average. They also have a tendency to seize around their front callipers, this happened twice to me in the three years I owned it. Also, I also had a snapped driveshaft.

Performance wise, they aren’t that bad. Pretty sprightly , hold the road well and fun to drive at speed around corners as mine held exceptionally well. What I didn’t like though was the pathetic residuals, it lost so much money, and it did look very bland. The interior was a little sparse as well, and due to high fuel costs, bland style and another calliper problem I sold it..

Didn’t learn though. Brought a Honda Accord.. LOL. But the newer primera models after the GT were just plain ugly, so didn’t even bother looking at the newer models. Hence why I ended up with a Honda.

But enjoy your car.. The ride may be hard, but you get superb handling as a trade off for a harsh ride. They really do stick well.
 
Your probably right about the fuel economy. The trip computer is handy though. I worked out recently on our 1L micra we are getting about 27mpg on our city commute. The Primera on our first tank is giving me the same. However a heavy right foot and any stop and go traffic really hurts the economy. However the cost of fuel over 2 year and minor repairs would be a lot cheaper than buying a a different high miler like a Audi or VW. Our VW's have always needed a surprising amount of more minor bits and bobs than the equivelent Nissan or Honda that we've had.
 
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