Nissan Bluebird 1.8</head> <body> <script language="JavaScript1.2" fptype="noframes" src="/noframes.js"> </script> <script language="JavaScript1.2" fptype="banner1" src="/banner1.js"> </script> <div> <table cellspacing="0" border="4" cellpadding="7" width="624" bgcolor="#C0C0C0" bordercolor="#0000FF"> <tr> <td width="261"> <h4 align="center"><font color="#000066">UK CAR <br> Members Used car review</font></h4> <h4 align="center">Nissan Bluebird 1.8</h4> </td> <td width="307" align="right"> <p align="center"><img border="0" src="../../../graphics/noncom/maker/nissan.gif" width="95" height="68"></td> </tr> </table> <p> <p><font color="#000080">Well, a couple of years ago I was after my first car. Most of my mates tended to favour the Fiesta or Nova cars, but I wanted to be different! My father has owned his Nissan Bluebird for over 11 years and there has never been any problem with his so a quick enquiry for insurance was made. Group 6 - the same group as your average Fiesta LX or Nova of roughly the same age!!! Bigger engine, better reliability and.... all those electric toys!! Take note new drivers - do your research before you buy your new car - be different and you'll will find yourself a bargain with more than you could have ever wished for! Get yourself a copy of Parker Price guide which will give some indication for the insurance groups (probably one of the most important aspects of buying a car for younger drivers).</font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080"> </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080">Now lets looks at the spec - bearing in mind that this car was built in 1989 some of this list isn't standard to cars nowadays...let alone cars of back then!!</font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080"> </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080">4x Electric Windows, heated electric mirrors, Power-steering, 4 speaker stereo, electric sunroof, central locking, the list goes on....</font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080"> </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080">So then, for 1500 pound I found a car that had just 72000 miles on it (not bad for 9 years old), no rust and a clear full service history! Bargain!</font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080"> </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080">However, those who have ever driven a Bluebird will probably not rave about its excellent handling capabilities. Sure you can alter the height and adjustment of the seat and wheel but lets it down is perhaps the wallowy suspension and slow engine. With a 1.8 engine you would perhaps expect a bit more from it any you really have to work it hard for you to get anywhere with it - cabin noise is also quite excessive at higher revs and your really feel like you are destroying the engine yet the rev counter only reads around 3-4 thousand!! At speed these cars can also feel a bit light in the steering - this is because the PAS is not speed-sensitive. Common problems you may find with Bluebird are that the wiper-linkage can break, leaving just 1 wiper working (the passenger side one!), the electric aerial can stop going up and down. That is it really! The reliability of these cars (and Nissan in general) is renowned though and would expect this car to reach 200,000 miles with ease - that is how confident I am in these cars. Is it just chance that many were used as minicabs - I don't think so!! Nonetheless, the quality of the plastics on the interior isn't up to the same standard of the mechanics. Over the past 2 years some of the fitments around the handles etc... are starting to come away. This could be debatable considering the age of the car though!! </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080"> </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080">Fuel consumption ain't bad either, I'd say it averages around 33-36 through a mixture of town and rural driving. I would say that the 1.8 (90bhp) engine is adequate for just about everything - overtaking is a bit of a slog, but everything else is just about fine. Likewise, I would expect the 1.6 to struggle with it's 82bhp engine carrying a heavy car (most diesel engines today are more powerful than this!). I haven't actually driven the 2.0i (115bhp) but I would expect this to improve the car no end, likewise for the 1.8 Turbo (135bhp). However, I have heard mixed views on the Turbo concerning performance and reliability - but with any turbo reliability is a concern anyway. Diesel? Nissan only shipped these cars with a 2.0 Diesel. I have a friend who used to work for a Nissan and he recalls having a customer who bought his taxi 2.0Diesel Bluebird for MOT and service every year, and every year mechanics would place bets on whether it would fail its MOT - it had to be scrapped at around 280,000 miles!!! It was described has having an engine of a truck! When you get cars that are this reliable you wonder if the compromise of refinement and reliability really is an issue in these cars!</font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080"> </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080">If you are seriously considering buying one of these cars then do it - you won't regret it! Either go for the 1.8GS or the 2.0iGSX. With these you get the best engines and best equipment levels. I wouldn't recommend the Premium or LS because may lack some of the electrical goodies!! I suppose the car I have is one of the most unique Bluebirds in the country for having the full body kit - it really does look stunning when clean and waxed in the summer - almost like brand new!</font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080"> </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080">At the time of reading this I am about to change cars and will be disappointed to see this car go. Comparing it to its competitors cars when it were new it were light years ahead (Sierra anyone?), but now the competition has caught up and Nissan have never really retained their competitive advantage with the Primera. I remember reading somewhere that in 1989 the Nissan Bluebird was the 10th most popular car on UK roads - so bear this in mind if your in the market for a cheap and reliable motor. There should be plenty out there! </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080"> </font> </div> <div> <font color="#000080">Anthony Marsh </font> </div> <p align="center"><a href="car.jpg"><img border="0" src="scar.jpg" WIDTH="320" HEIGHT="199"></a></p> <p align="center"><br> </p> <table border="7" width="100%" bgcolor="#C0C0C0"> <tr> <td width="50%" align="center"><a href="../../template/www.ukcar.com/sframe.htm?/carspecs/basicmodels.asp?maker=Saab" target="_top"><img border="0" src="../../example-spec.jpg" alt="Sample data" width="332" height="224"></a></td> <td width="50%" align="center"><a href="http://www.ukcar.com" target="_top">Click here to access specifications for over 30,000 UK cars. <br> <br> Car information and car pictures.<br> <br> Many more used car road tests. </a><br> </td> </tr> </table> <table border="0" width="699"> <tr> <td align="center" width="121"><img border="0" src="../../../graphics/noncom/maker/nissan.gif" width="95" height="68"></td> <td width="564"><p align="center">For all Nissan cars specifications and data from:<br> www.ukcar.com <a href="http://www.ukcar.com/sframe.htm?/carspecs/basicmodels.asp?maker=nissan" target="_top">click here.</a></td> </tr> </table> <script language="JavaScript1.2" fptype="noframesbot" src="/noframesbot.js"> </script> <script language="JavaScript1.2" fptype="banner2" src="/banner2.js"> </script> </body> </html>