Nissan Primera which one?

Janner wrote: it may be a 2 litre but if u grive it properly and dont use your heavy right foot too much you can get really good mpg returns, i get on average 36mpg but on a nice easy run (B roads) i often get up to and over 50 mpg, Plymouth to Exeter i got 43.5 mpg

Must be downhill

Well, you guys have given me plenty to think about.  I am inclined to stick with Nissan as my wife's S reg Almera has been exemplary and a friend of mine has an R reg 1.6 Primera that hasn't been far behind.  I do realise that any make of car can have faults, but what troubles me is that the cost of some repairs on some makes make it uneconomic to keep the car.

For example, I have just read a user review by a poor guy with a 2.2 diesel Almera which needed a new fuel pump.  The engine had to come out of the car for access and his total cost was around 3 grand.  I don't want to make a purchase that could land me in that the sort of fix.

The diesel Passat that somebody mentioned can be, according to its users and other motoring sites, a very problematic and expensive car.   Renaults on the whole have much the same sort of reputation.   I got interested in a 1.5 petrol Mitsubishi Carisma until I read that if they do go wrong the cost of the parts is eye-watering.  It seems that the era of simple and reliable cars that are easy and inexpensive to maintain has long gone and that modern diesels have become too complicated for their own good.

As a matter of interest, I've just finished reading an article in the Sunday Times about how Toyota are pressuring their dealers not to fix faults on cars if the customer hasn't complained about them.  Once the guarantee is over, of course, it's different.  Toyota then wants to sell the parts.  And they are supposed to be one of the better manufacturers!

I'm going to mull over what has been said here and shall look at a few Primeras in the next few days.  I'll let you know what I decide.

Many thanks to all who posted.

i agree with you Roy THIS IS A PRIMERA OWNERS CLUB 

I have a P12 2.0 with QR20DE engine which I imported from Japan in 2003! 9years and it is still running and I still love it!! 

Service it properly and in due time and it won't let you down!

I have a CVT Gearbox and got some problem with it after 7 years in 2010. Had it changed together with the 4 Shock Absorbers. Running smoothly ever since!

My Experience about my P12 is that it is a very big comfortable car. More of a higher brand. However, it is quite complex electronically. Lots of sensors everywhere! Got me mad once to find "Primary Speed Sensor" and "Secondary Speed Sensor" on the Gearbox! Came to find them afterwards but maybe this delay caused my gearbox to crash! But after that, smooth again!

Spares are quite on the higher side when compared to other Nissan models or other Japanese models like Toyota.

   dont get me wrong i love my primera's i will fiercely defend it as a fantastic car there has been many heated debates in the pub about my car and being part of npoc etc etc and if i had 5 grand to spend on a car id go and find a really decent gtle and save the rest for a rainy day  all i was stating was that 5 grand will get you alot of car these days and that the vw diesel engine are one of the best for mpg in my opinion