Nissan Primera GT. Talk to me.
Discussion
So... I'm looking for a cheap, faster than my 1.2 slow-box, and above all else, fun car, however, insurance is crippling at this age (20) so my choices are very limited. 
I have been getting loads of quotes as insurance seems to be the biggest limiting factor when it comes to choosing a quicker car... and it would appear that the Primera GT comes back with one of the lowest insurance quotes for a "sports" car.
So, what I'm asking is, are they any good?
Fabulous underrated bundle of joy.... or absolute dismal cack box on wheels to be left well alone?
Please educate me
Cheers guys
Oh and if anyone knows of any other interesting/warm hatch-esque cars decent on insurance, please recommend them to me
I have been getting loads of quotes as insurance seems to be the biggest limiting factor when it comes to choosing a quicker car... and it would appear that the Primera GT comes back with one of the lowest insurance quotes for a "sports" car.
So, what I'm asking is, are they any good?
Fabulous underrated bundle of joy.... or absolute dismal cack box on wheels to be left well alone?
Please educate me
Cheers guys
Oh and if anyone knows of any other interesting/warm hatch-esque cars decent on insurance, please recommend them to me
I bought one of those for my first car, it had a faked history and the cams were f
ked, it went straight to the scrap yard and I took the vendor to court. Then he did a runner. Still annoys me to this day, at least it learned me to take a mech to buy a banger.
I'd still love to find out where that C**T lives ;-)
I have never driven one that wasn't fked, but from what I understand, if they have been serviced properly they are very reliable. And the chassis is fairly sorted. So its a relatively sensible first time buy.
That said, doesn't mean you can't get a dog, if it has cam problems you're done for. Choose wisely. There are a few P-GT forums about IIRC, so do a google and you'll no doubt find lots of info there.
Good car, but just get used to people calling you taxi cab.
ked, it went straight to the scrap yard and I took the vendor to court. Then he did a runner. Still annoys me to this day, at least it learned me to take a mech to buy a banger. I'd still love to find out where that C**T lives ;-)
I have never driven one that wasn't f
ked, but from what I understand, if they have been serviced properly they are very reliable. And the chassis is fairly sorted. So its a relatively sensible first time buy. That said, doesn't mean you can't get a dog, if it has cam problems you're done for. Choose wisely. There are a few P-GT forums about IIRC, so do a google and you'll no doubt find lots of info there.
Good car, but just get used to people calling you taxi cab.
Edited by nickythesaint on Thursday 30th September 15:48
Primera gt is a good underated car bombproof 2000cc 140 bhp motor also look at the smaller almera gti with the same engine.
Both cars drive well & handle great more so the almera
Watch out for rust on both and rear shcks can leak which isnt cheap.
I had an almera gti for a while & bar replacing the exhaust (which i ripped off so nit the cars fault) & a leaky power steering pipe it was faultless for 40k miles in the 18 months i owned it
only thing i can think of that was a bit annoying is the abs cuts in quite early which can cause a moment or to when driving hard.
Both cars drive well & handle great more so the almera
Watch out for rust on both and rear shcks can leak which isnt cheap.
I had an almera gti for a while & bar replacing the exhaust (which i ripped off so nit the cars fault) & a leaky power steering pipe it was faultless for 40k miles in the 18 months i owned it
only thing i can think of that was a bit annoying is the abs cuts in quite early which can cause a moment or to when driving hard.Primera GT, a very underrated piece of kit. A friend of mine who worked at Nissan Technical Centre Europe, used them as a rolling test bed for brakes and handling for all FWD Nissan products at the time, I believe the expression he would use with regards to twisties was "stinky quick"
Sounds good so far!!
However I have just got a quote for a sw20 mr2 2.0 N/A for £150 less than the almera/primera... and rwd most definitely is the way forward, so I will be looking into them as well.
On the other hand. Almera/Primeras are going for silly money at the moment, really really cheap! So I will be keeping an eye on both
However I have just got a quote for a sw20 mr2 2.0 N/A for £150 less than the almera/primera... and rwd most definitely is the way forward, so I will be looking into them as well.
On the other hand. Almera/Primeras are going for silly money at the moment, really really cheap! So I will be keeping an eye on both
doodles19 said:
Sounds good so far!!
However I have just got a quote for a sw20 mr2 2.0 N/A for £150 less than the almera/primera... and rwd most definitely is the way forward, so I will be looking into them as well.
On the other hand. Almera/Primeras are going for silly money at the moment, really really cheap! So I will be keeping an eye on both
I know someone who has a nice clean black n/a mr2 for sale at the mo pm me if your intrested & ill give you his details However I have just got a quote for a sw20 mr2 2.0 N/A for £150 less than the almera/primera... and rwd most definitely is the way forward, so I will be looking into them as well.
On the other hand. Almera/Primeras are going for silly money at the moment, really really cheap! So I will be keeping an eye on both
We nearly bought a Primera as our family wagon when they were current.
For a 4 door saloon it had nice handling, seemed well built and the wife liked the metallic green.
Unfortunately the dealer wouldn't do a decent deal, so we didn't, but it stays in memory as a pretty competent saloon and British built too!
M.
PS Bloody hell - I'd want a bloody Ferrari for a grand a year insurance!
For a 4 door saloon it had nice handling, seemed well built and the wife liked the metallic green.
Unfortunately the dealer wouldn't do a decent deal, so we didn't, but it stays in memory as a pretty competent saloon and British built too!
M.
PS Bloody hell - I'd want a bloody Ferrari for a grand a year insurance!
Edited by marcosgt on Thursday 30th September 16:50
OP, I'm currently in the same boat as you... insurance is indeed a huge factor right now. I shall be looking at the suggestions closely!
I was looking at the MX-5 the other day, quotes came back at around the 1k mark! Don't know if I could tolerate the image though!
Edited to add: I am also 20 so the insurance quote should be similar.
I was looking at the MX-5 the other day, quotes came back at around the 1k mark! Don't know if I could tolerate the image though!
Edited to add: I am also 20 so the insurance quote should be similar.
Edited by Face Off on Thursday 30th September 16:56
Yeah im afraid insurance is really insane .
Ideally I would like something like a clio 172 or 200sx s14, but they were both about 2-3k/year insurance.
Even a tiny little 1.3 albeit a turbo (Starlet Glanza) was 3K a year!!
.
I've tried most of the tricks to get cheaper quotes, nothing seems to work!
I'm going to give adrian flux a ring, see what they can do for me, but they weren't particularly enthusiastic about giving me a competitive quote this time last year.
.Ideally I would like something like a clio 172 or 200sx s14, but they were both about 2-3k/year insurance
.Even a tiny little 1.3 albeit a turbo (Starlet Glanza) was 3K a year!!
Face Off said:
was looking at the MX-5 the other day, quotes came back at around the 1k mark!
I would be happy with that! I dont know what is wrong with me then, I got a quote for 1800 for a mk1 eunos . I've tried most of the tricks to get cheaper quotes, nothing seems to work!
I'm going to give adrian flux a ring, see what they can do for me, but they weren't particularly enthusiastic about giving me a competitive quote this time last year.
killsta said:
I'm sure you could get a more interesting car than a Primera that is insurable at your age.
When I was 20 I had an Alfa 156, cost £1k to insure. Unless insurance has gone up significantly since then?
Tbh, I'm not bothered about looks, if it goes round corners well, has enough poke to be competent on the motorway/overtaking and the brakes dont fade too badly and most importantly it puts a smile on my face, then I am happy When I was 20 I had an Alfa 156, cost £1k to insure. Unless insurance has gone up significantly since then?
.I've got a standard Primera GX from 97, so the same engine with 130bhp instead of 150.
The engine itself, as said, is pretty bombproof. I had starter motor issues and it cost a good whack of cash to replace. I've also been told other parts are very expensive. However, it does like a rev or two, and is plenty pokey and the gear ratios, if theyre the same as the standard car are pretty decent too.
Interior is typically 90s japanese, functional, big buttons, but ultimately bland.
Gearshift itself is a bit slow, try not to rush it, but this might just be my car being a 128k miler. Having said that, the mechanical and suspension seem to be solid too. Most recent MOT has no advisories on it, which is nice.
Overall, I'm happy with my car, and I would say its a good car to have, but if you don't need the cavernous boot, then it's quite big for a first or second car.
Though tbh, RWD and an MR2 does seem to be a more petrolheady choice.
The engine itself, as said, is pretty bombproof. I had starter motor issues and it cost a good whack of cash to replace. I've also been told other parts are very expensive. However, it does like a rev or two, and is plenty pokey and the gear ratios, if theyre the same as the standard car are pretty decent too.
Interior is typically 90s japanese, functional, big buttons, but ultimately bland.
Gearshift itself is a bit slow, try not to rush it, but this might just be my car being a 128k miler. Having said that, the mechanical and suspension seem to be solid too. Most recent MOT has no advisories on it, which is nice.
Overall, I'm happy with my car, and I would say its a good car to have, but if you don't need the cavernous boot, then it's quite big for a first or second car.
Though tbh, RWD and an MR2 does seem to be a more petrolheady choice.
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