Nissan Nx

[r32line]

I know someone looking for her first car (around the $4-5k mark), and while initially I thought the mighty corolla, I thought I would see if there are any other cars with slightly more personality while still being reasonably economical and reliable.

Then I came up with the Nissan NX which has an SR20DE which I know to be a very strong engine but I was wondering if anyone could tell me more about the car? Be very interested to hear from someone who has driven/owned one.

Cheers

Edited June 17, 2008 by r32line

[darrinspencer]

I had one approx 11-12 years ago. Great little car. Uses the same floor pan as a N14 pulsar, suspension interchangable, motor etc.

The roof can leak being a targa, and considering they are now 17-18 years old the rubbers could be getting a bit tied.

Get the NXR not NX, has more features and bodykit etc.

[r32line]

Yeah one that I had seen was an NXR which comes with ABS from my understanding which is a plus! So I think its deff worth gettin the NXR cause there is essentially no diff in price. But I will have a close look at the rubbers on the targe top.

Shame she has to have an auto though which is a shame...

Edited June 17, 2008 by r32line

[bryyy]

hehe.. sr20.. strong motors... hahahaha

[Kranker]

Crash one of these and it will kill you, thats all im going to say about it.

Engine may be fine, may be based on am N14 pulsar, but the NX offers crap crash protection, which i think is very important in a first car.

Better off in a 'rolla if you ask me, yes boring as shit, but kids (and im only 20 so still a kid) do tend to get themselves in prangs quite easily.

Out of a group of 30 mates, there are only 3 of us who (including me) havnt crashed in the last 4 years.

So im not saying buy something boring, she should just buy something that wont crumple into nothing when it hits something.

My $0.02

[r32line]

^ Is that just your opinion that it will crumple and offer no crash protection? Or have you viewed ANCAP testing or something?

^^ And bryyy, are you implying that sr20's are not strong?

[Kranker]

No not my opinion, and i havnt driven one...may be a brilliant drive

Have a look at this

http://www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au/_script...lt.php?IID=1400

edit: it get 1 star out of 5 for occupant safety which is the improtant one...who cares about pedestrians

Edited June 17, 2008 by Kranker

[r32line]

^ The corolla of the same age faired no better.

However, the NX has ABS unlike the Toyota so that puts it at a slight advantage in my book. Any car of that age is not going to rate well on a safety rating system in comparison to a modern car that has advanced crumple zones, multiple airbags, stability control etc etc..

With a budget of $4-5k you cant expect much unfortunately.

[Kranker]

Very true, cant agree more, ABS is a great safety feature.

I just though id let you know that the NX had a bit of a reputation, thats all.

Good luck with your descision.

[r32line]

Cheer mate, thanks for your input. I know that its not going to be the safest car out there but ABS I deff saw as a plus, cause I know ABS has saved me once from hitting an idiot that pulled out infront of me in the wet without looking.

But a more modern car with airbags and better bracing etc would be a better option, no question. Hopefully it wont be too long till she can afford to upgrade to sumthing like that.

But as for the engine, I would be VERY interested to see what bryyy was laughin at in respect to the sr20! I have seen the det version with stock internals hold big power and they do have a reputation for being "bulletproof". So I would love to understand how that is not the case?

[Thunderbolt]

I wouldn't worry about the SR20 causing any problems provided the car hasn't had the living sh*t trashed out of it, and maintenance has been fairly regular. A lot of turbo engines have had problems, but no engine will last forever when it is flogged regularly.

[r32line]

Yeah, but its an SR20DE (not SR20DET) so its a non-turbo sr20. And she is only looking at auto's. So as long as it is in good nik and my mechanic verifies this I will be happy. And I know that they are generally a good engine and as long as you service them they go for ages.

[GTScotT]

they are an awesome car that handles very well, plenty of go on in them, yet the targas....9 out of 10 chance of them leaking they almost came out of factory with leaking targas, if you need more info on them then http://forum.nissanexa.com/ has lots of it

[r32line]

Hey guys, thanks for the replies.

Despite my efforts my friend seems set on a bore-olla (aka corolla) and prefers a 4 door. But the are a good car.

Mods, feel free to shut this thread down.