Nissan 100 NX - A Review
Discussion
Nissan 100 NX – A Review
Ok where to start. Well at the time of writing this, I have a few days ago just purchased a Nissan 100 NX. Ok it’s not a new car, in fact it’s a 15 year old Nissan from 1993.
It cost me the princely sum of £650, in return I became the owner of a dark metallic blue 1.6 fuel injected coupe complete with 12 months MOT and 6 months Road tax.
Now, some may say why?
But I say why not, I was looking for a cheap (sub £1k) run-about as a daily driver. Quite a simple criteria to meet:
-Must be within budget
-Affordable to run MPG and running cost wise
-Not a heap
-And hopefully not dull
Now I could have probably bought a newer Fiesta 1.25 or a latter diesel Rover 200 for similar money. But I didn’t.
To the coupe…
Ok for £650 I haven’t bought a minter. But it has, what appears to be a genuine 78,000 miles on the clock, is complete and drives well. The paint work is in need of some tidying as it has evidently had some panels painted in the past, but overall it looks tidy and appears to have no major faults or damage.
So what it’s like?
Well actually I’m very impressed. It might not have the latest in electronic stability controls or even SatNav, but it’s got central locking, electric mirrors and windows, fog lights and a removable glass roof.
The interior, while a little grubby on the seat faces is almost immaculate. It’s all there and all appears to work accept for fan speed 3 (out of 4) on the heater control and the latch for the glove box. And amazingly the rest of the interior shows almost no sign of wear. It is however a sea of Nissan grey plastic, but while this might not be the height of class, it’s certainly a long, long way from unpleasant.
The seats are set low in the car, so while it’s actually as tall as a hatchback, it certainly feels like a coupe to climb into. Surprisingly I found the seats to be extremely comfortable and offering that all important lateral side support which seems to be missing on so many other cars, even so claimed performance orientated ones. Also since suffering a back injury a few years ago I’m much more selective on seating, and I was pleased to find the little coupe so accommodating in this respect.
As this model is pre obligatory airbags you are welcomed by a very nice slender to hold steering wheel. While elegant it probably isn’t the best to look at, it is however one of the best standard steering wheels of any car that I’ve hard the pleasure to handle. The grips are just right and the slender spokes are ideal. You can tell the wheel was designed to be help at the more sporting quarter to three, rather than the more traditional ten to two position.
The gear stick while sporting a typically Japanese rubber gaiter and bland black gear knob actually feels good in the hand with a positive and precise shift pattern to it. Not quite in the same league as the more rifle bolt action you get in a Ford Puma, but certainly a well crafted gear selector that will be well suited to fast gear changes on twisting B-roads.
There is limited space in the rear seats, most notably in leg room and head room. However an average height adult should be fine for short to medium journeys, with only the taller person not fitting. However as this car is a coupe, it is primarily designed to seat two with only occasional rear passengers, so this is of a lesser concern.
Having said that, the boot is vast and of a very usable shape. While fitting in four adults for a long journey may not be so easy, there is plenty of room for all of their luggage.
The cars top trump is of course the removable glass roof. With the hatches in place it provides a nice, bright and airy cabin. With only two easy to use latches the hatch can removed and stowed in the boot. The only downside, is while the hatches take up very little of the boot space, their fixing is on the boot floor. This severely restricts how much, and what you can put in the boot with them.
With the hatches off, the car offers that stereo typical wind in the hair sports car experience. As an added bonus it is also very pleasant with surprisingly little buffeting and wind noise. With the hatches fitted there is no noticeable difference from driving a regular hard top car. Not a sound or a squeak do they make.
To the engine…
Being of a 1993 vintage, this is an early fuel injection model where as the earlier cars used a carburetted version of the same engine. The engine bay is vast and access to all the oily bits is extremely good, even more so when you consider it’s only a small car. The engine is of the DOHC variety sporting a chain timing drive rather than a more common belt drive. The car comes equipped with power assisted steering also.
On the street it will hardly set the road alight with only a mildly tuned 1.6 n/a lump. However flick the key and it starts first time and settles to an even idle.
With the 105 claimed bhp it’s not exactly quick, but it appears to be more than fast enough to keep with modern traffic. And despite reviews of the time claiming anywhere from 9.4 to 11.2 seconds to 60mph, it actually feels rather sprightly once wound up in the higher rpms and seems to shift rather well despite it’s apparent lack in HP.
In the corners came more surprises. Firstly were the brakes, with a nice positive and progressive feel to them. So far I’ve not suffered any fade from them, despite only being drums on the rear. And they are happy to real in the car from any speed I’ve yet reached. Turn in as actually rather good and only slightly muted by the power assisted steering. Maybe not quite as sharp or flickable as a Ford Puma, but certainly playing in the same game. Also despite running on stock 175/65R14 rubber there appears to be plenty of grip, push a little harder and you’ll be greeted with mild controllable understeer.
Under heavy cornering the car remains very flat and level and not a hint of wallowing. Yet somehow the suspension also seems fully able to soak up bumps and dips in the road with little to no worry. In fact, uncannily so, I’ve ridden in large saloon cars which haven’t rode as well with far worse body control.
Here, sadly comes the first shocker though. With 3 people in the car I was fully expecting the engine to feel strangled and sluggish. On the country it still seemed just as keen to rev and hardly seemed concerned with the extra weight. The surprise came under cornering though. The extra weight and to some extent the increase in centre of gravity certainly played an affect. Where the car previously had been extremely good with plenty of grip and very good body control, it now was squealing its tyres and sliding all over the show with almost violent body lean. This was a real eye opener, as even with two up the car had remained very capable and composed. The addition of a rear passenger had clearly upset the balance and poise of the car.
Overall…
On the whole I am very pleased with my purchase. Sure it has a few rough edges to sort. But fundamentally it is a lightweight, small distinctive coupe. That above all is fun to drive and be in, and has so far proven to be comfortable for commuting and longer journeys as well.
Despite the evident handling issue when loaded, for the most part it remains very composed and a great deal of fun to drive for the majority of the time and almost asks to be pushed in the bends. Being able to take to roof off, also offers a great sense of occasion. The only real downers are the vast array of grey plastic and the rather ugly standard alloys.
Overall I am surprised with my findings. I initially thought it would just be something different to use everyday. However on reflection I find myself wanting to drive it. I find this at odds with my normal taste in motor cars, generally I prefer big engined RWD V8 powered machines, that snarl and snake their way down the road. But this little coupe has a lot of charm and plenty of character, and even more amazingly I’m finding the lack of power to one of the most appealing attributes. Let me explain, I think this is because you have to work harder behind the wheel, keep it tidier in the bends and not rely on the right pedal so much. It also makes the car much more usable in performance terms. While it’s no slouch, it does take some effort to get up to higher speeds. But it’s not about how quick you go. It’s the fun you’ve had getting there that is keeping the grin firmly planted on my face.
And despite only costing £650, I’m really struggling to think of any other car, even within a £3000 limit that could offer more in all area’s and still be fit for purpose.
I admit it may not be a Ford Puma, but it offers much higher exclusivity, open top motoring experience with Nissan reliability in a distinctively styled fun coupe. In 2003 only 5000 NX’s where registered on the road in Britain. Today that means they are a rather rare site.
In the future…
As this example is some 15 years old and not mint. There will be a fair amount of time and small amount of money spent on servicing and bringing it up to spec. The paintwork will also be sorted and all minor faults corrected. From here the only area it’s lacking is the sporting sound track a sports coupe should have. So an induction setup and an exhaust will be added to the car.
To compliment the look of the car a nice set of 17x7” alloys will be fitted, running some suitably sporty rubber. And to make use of the enhanced rubber an upgraded suspension kit which should also lower the car by 35mm will be added.
As I’ve already stated, I feel it has just the right amount of horse power, so nothing will be done in the search of more ponies. The engine bay will be cleaned and the engine might receive one or two dress up goodies. But apart from that I don’t think there is much else to do to an already capable and enjoyable car.
Details…
1993 Nissan 100 NX purchased for £650
78,000 miles on the clock
Generally very good condition
In need of some TLC and paintwork restoration
Pros:
-Fun to drive and be in
-Removable glass roof
-Fantastically supportive seats
-Ergonomically great steering wheel
-High 30’s, low 40’s MPG
-Good handling & real world performance
-Rarity
-Large boot
-Easy to work on and maintain
-Quirky looks if you like them
Cons:
-Some parts a bit more tricky to buy
-Lots of grey plastic
-Compromised rear head & leg room
-Ugly standard alloys
-Handling goes to pot when loaded three up
-Quirky looks if you don’t like them
In short, it’s the best £650 I’ve ever spent.
Ok where to start. Well at the time of writing this, I have a few days ago just purchased a Nissan 100 NX. Ok it’s not a new car, in fact it’s a 15 year old Nissan from 1993.
It cost me the princely sum of £650, in return I became the owner of a dark metallic blue 1.6 fuel injected coupe complete with 12 months MOT and 6 months Road tax.
Now, some may say why?
But I say why not, I was looking for a cheap (sub £1k) run-about as a daily driver. Quite a simple criteria to meet:
-Must be within budget
-Affordable to run MPG and running cost wise
-Not a heap
-And hopefully not dull
Now I could have probably bought a newer Fiesta 1.25 or a latter diesel Rover 200 for similar money. But I didn’t.
To the coupe…
Ok for £650 I haven’t bought a minter. But it has, what appears to be a genuine 78,000 miles on the clock, is complete and drives well. The paint work is in need of some tidying as it has evidently had some panels painted in the past, but overall it looks tidy and appears to have no major faults or damage.
So what it’s like?
Well actually I’m very impressed. It might not have the latest in electronic stability controls or even SatNav, but it’s got central locking, electric mirrors and windows, fog lights and a removable glass roof.
The interior, while a little grubby on the seat faces is almost immaculate. It’s all there and all appears to work accept for fan speed 3 (out of 4) on the heater control and the latch for the glove box. And amazingly the rest of the interior shows almost no sign of wear. It is however a sea of Nissan grey plastic, but while this might not be the height of class, it’s certainly a long, long way from unpleasant.
The seats are set low in the car, so while it’s actually as tall as a hatchback, it certainly feels like a coupe to climb into. Surprisingly I found the seats to be extremely comfortable and offering that all important lateral side support which seems to be missing on so many other cars, even so claimed performance orientated ones. Also since suffering a back injury a few years ago I’m much more selective on seating, and I was pleased to find the little coupe so accommodating in this respect.
As this model is pre obligatory airbags you are welcomed by a very nice slender to hold steering wheel. While elegant it probably isn’t the best to look at, it is however one of the best standard steering wheels of any car that I’ve hard the pleasure to handle. The grips are just right and the slender spokes are ideal. You can tell the wheel was designed to be help at the more sporting quarter to three, rather than the more traditional ten to two position.
The gear stick while sporting a typically Japanese rubber gaiter and bland black gear knob actually feels good in the hand with a positive and precise shift pattern to it. Not quite in the same league as the more rifle bolt action you get in a Ford Puma, but certainly a well crafted gear selector that will be well suited to fast gear changes on twisting B-roads.
There is limited space in the rear seats, most notably in leg room and head room. However an average height adult should be fine for short to medium journeys, with only the taller person not fitting. However as this car is a coupe, it is primarily designed to seat two with only occasional rear passengers, so this is of a lesser concern.
Having said that, the boot is vast and of a very usable shape. While fitting in four adults for a long journey may not be so easy, there is plenty of room for all of their luggage.
The cars top trump is of course the removable glass roof. With the hatches in place it provides a nice, bright and airy cabin. With only two easy to use latches the hatch can removed and stowed in the boot. The only downside, is while the hatches take up very little of the boot space, their fixing is on the boot floor. This severely restricts how much, and what you can put in the boot with them.
With the hatches off, the car offers that stereo typical wind in the hair sports car experience. As an added bonus it is also very pleasant with surprisingly little buffeting and wind noise. With the hatches fitted there is no noticeable difference from driving a regular hard top car. Not a sound or a squeak do they make.
To the engine…
Being of a 1993 vintage, this is an early fuel injection model where as the earlier cars used a carburetted version of the same engine. The engine bay is vast and access to all the oily bits is extremely good, even more so when you consider it’s only a small car. The engine is of the DOHC variety sporting a chain timing drive rather than a more common belt drive. The car comes equipped with power assisted steering also.
On the street it will hardly set the road alight with only a mildly tuned 1.6 n/a lump. However flick the key and it starts first time and settles to an even idle.
With the 105 claimed bhp it’s not exactly quick, but it appears to be more than fast enough to keep with modern traffic. And despite reviews of the time claiming anywhere from 9.4 to 11.2 seconds to 60mph, it actually feels rather sprightly once wound up in the higher rpms and seems to shift rather well despite it’s apparent lack in HP.
In the corners came more surprises. Firstly were the brakes, with a nice positive and progressive feel to them. So far I’ve not suffered any fade from them, despite only being drums on the rear. And they are happy to real in the car from any speed I’ve yet reached. Turn in as actually rather good and only slightly muted by the power assisted steering. Maybe not quite as sharp or flickable as a Ford Puma, but certainly playing in the same game. Also despite running on stock 175/65R14 rubber there appears to be plenty of grip, push a little harder and you’ll be greeted with mild controllable understeer.
Under heavy cornering the car remains very flat and level and not a hint of wallowing. Yet somehow the suspension also seems fully able to soak up bumps and dips in the road with little to no worry. In fact, uncannily so, I’ve ridden in large saloon cars which haven’t rode as well with far worse body control.
Here, sadly comes the first shocker though. With 3 people in the car I was fully expecting the engine to feel strangled and sluggish. On the country it still seemed just as keen to rev and hardly seemed concerned with the extra weight. The surprise came under cornering though. The extra weight and to some extent the increase in centre of gravity certainly played an affect. Where the car previously had been extremely good with plenty of grip and very good body control, it now was squealing its tyres and sliding all over the show with almost violent body lean. This was a real eye opener, as even with two up the car had remained very capable and composed. The addition of a rear passenger had clearly upset the balance and poise of the car.
Overall…
On the whole I am very pleased with my purchase. Sure it has a few rough edges to sort. But fundamentally it is a lightweight, small distinctive coupe. That above all is fun to drive and be in, and has so far proven to be comfortable for commuting and longer journeys as well.
Despite the evident handling issue when loaded, for the most part it remains very composed and a great deal of fun to drive for the majority of the time and almost asks to be pushed in the bends. Being able to take to roof off, also offers a great sense of occasion. The only real downers are the vast array of grey plastic and the rather ugly standard alloys.
Overall I am surprised with my findings. I initially thought it would just be something different to use everyday. However on reflection I find myself wanting to drive it. I find this at odds with my normal taste in motor cars, generally I prefer big engined RWD V8 powered machines, that snarl and snake their way down the road. But this little coupe has a lot of charm and plenty of character, and even more amazingly I’m finding the lack of power to one of the most appealing attributes. Let me explain, I think this is because you have to work harder behind the wheel, keep it tidier in the bends and not rely on the right pedal so much. It also makes the car much more usable in performance terms. While it’s no slouch, it does take some effort to get up to higher speeds. But it’s not about how quick you go. It’s the fun you’ve had getting there that is keeping the grin firmly planted on my face.
And despite only costing £650, I’m really struggling to think of any other car, even within a £3000 limit that could offer more in all area’s and still be fit for purpose.
I admit it may not be a Ford Puma, but it offers much higher exclusivity, open top motoring experience with Nissan reliability in a distinctively styled fun coupe. In 2003 only 5000 NX’s where registered on the road in Britain. Today that means they are a rather rare site.
In the future…
As this example is some 15 years old and not mint. There will be a fair amount of time and small amount of money spent on servicing and bringing it up to spec. The paintwork will also be sorted and all minor faults corrected. From here the only area it’s lacking is the sporting sound track a sports coupe should have. So an induction setup and an exhaust will be added to the car.
To compliment the look of the car a nice set of 17x7” alloys will be fitted, running some suitably sporty rubber. And to make use of the enhanced rubber an upgraded suspension kit which should also lower the car by 35mm will be added.
As I’ve already stated, I feel it has just the right amount of horse power, so nothing will be done in the search of more ponies. The engine bay will be cleaned and the engine might receive one or two dress up goodies. But apart from that I don’t think there is much else to do to an already capable and enjoyable car.
Details…
1993 Nissan 100 NX purchased for £650
78,000 miles on the clock
Generally very good condition
In need of some TLC and paintwork restoration
Pros:
-Fun to drive and be in
-Removable glass roof
-Fantastically supportive seats
-Ergonomically great steering wheel
-High 30’s, low 40’s MPG
-Good handling & real world performance
-Rarity
-Large boot
-Easy to work on and maintain
-Quirky looks if you like them
Cons:
-Some parts a bit more tricky to buy
-Lots of grey plastic
-Compromised rear head & leg room
-Ugly standard alloys
-Handling goes to pot when loaded three up
-Quirky looks if you don’t like them
In short, it’s the best £650 I’ve ever spent.
renrut said:
I almost bought one of these, your review seems to tally well with my impressions of it as I found it. Boot struts are prone to going too, all the ones I looked at came with the obligatory 2x4 in the boot.
lol, you are correct, mine only seem to work on hotter days. Found someone who will exchange mine for re-gased units. Not too pricey either.Gassing Station | Motoring News | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff