image:logicalsource
(Brenden is 24, but has already had fourteen cars)
Back when I was sixteen, I had a huge thing for the P10 (Nissan Primera/Infiniti G20) platform (and Nissan/Datsun/Infiniti, in general). Multi-link FRONT suspension, very attractive styling (at least, in my opinion), and that legendary SR-series motor. My main requirement was that it HAD to be a 5-speed, though. If you know about these cars, you realize how hard they are to find. Well, I just happened to be out in Dix Hills one day, when I saw the owner of a European car shop putting a for sale sign on what appeared to be a 91-93 G20.
image: cargurus
I immediately inquired about it, and it turned out to be a five-speed! It had only 105k on the odometer, and was owned by the owner of the shop since new. It was almost too good to be true, and it was in my driveway that day. As it turned out, it WAS too good to be true. There were many things that the previous owner “forgot” to tell me about, such as the poorly repaired accident damage and damage from the motor caused by overheating. As much as I loved the car regardless, I was young and much too broke to give it the work that it needed. I was understandably extremely pissed, but it taught me a lot about what to look for when buying a used car. No regrets, just lessons learned…not even a good picture to remember it by; maybe just as well.
The first gen G20 was a terrific car. Not too big, free revving SR engine, great shifter and possibly the best handling of any front-drive 4-door. It featured a true cab forward layout and was very roomy for its size.
I believe the “t” and chrome door handles started in 94 but it may have been 93. I can’t remember if all of them or just the “t” had the viscous limited slip front dif like the Sentra SE-R.
The P11 after this had a beam rear axle and lost many of the charms of the original.
The P10 was vastly superior to the Stanza (which was based on the Japan-market Bluebird) and would have made a great Altima. It was designed for Europe to compete against the mid-sized German sedans.
That’s interesting, I never drove one and wasn’t aware that the P10 was known for such handling prowess. I didn’t know they had the limited-slip either – I believe the Stanza had that too, in it’s last few years on the highest trim level (GXE?) models. Nice feature on a FWD car for the early 90’s, the only other thing I can think of that offered it was the extremely limited production W41 Olds’ Calais.
You are correct. The GXE had limited-slip as an option (I could be wrong, but I remember it being grouped together with a package that also consisted of ABS and 4-wheel-disk brakes). The ’92 only Stanza SE also had the limited slip as standard.
The G20 was an excellent handler. I remember reading somewhere that Nissan engineers had taken a Peugeot 405 apart (Then considered one of the best-handling FWD cars of it’s time) during the development process of the P10.
Only the T models got the limited slip differential, that, the spoiler, and unique headrest are the only differences in the T models. The T was available in 91.
Not 91, the T came out in 94.
T’s had entirely different seats – not just the headrests – upholstered only in black leather, and also had folding rear seatbacks, which other G20s didn’t have. And, as another poster mentioned, they were sold 94-96. I believe Canadian-market standard G20s had the LSD, but I’m not sure of it.
Don’t forget the suspension bushings. During the ’94 refresh, they softened up the suspension slightly due to people complaining about the stiff ride (they did the same with the Q45), but the new-for-94 t model kept the original bushings from the 91-93.5 models.
Huh, I didn’t know that. There’s only one part number per model year these days, though.
Best handling 4door front driver NO they were crap The Japanese cannot make a decent handling frony drive car they have tried and tried but NO Jappa drives well, They might seem good to mericans who are used to [patently terrible cars but up against anything from europe with FWD Nissans are rubbish
“NO Jappa drives well”
Bryce, I hate to say this, but with comments like this, whatever (little) remaining credibility you had is now pretty much tossed out the window. You think folks are going to bother to read your comments if they’re so over the top in subjectivity? I’m not.
That’s quite interesting, since even European car magazines at the time also praised the Primera’s handling.
I completely agree with you on the P11. I’ve driven one before, and while it was still probably one of the better handling front-wheel-drive cars you could buy, it felt heavier and less nimble…while feeling less solid and well-built at the same time. The lack of quality in the P11 interior compared to the P10 is what stood out the most to me.
Brendan, you must be my long lost brother-from-another-mother… I grew up in Wantagh (on the Levittown SD side) and went through cars like most people go through pairs of sneakers between ages 16-24, but I’ve slowed down since. The houses in that last pic look like Levitt capes, although I notice a gas meter poking out back there – Plainview? We gotta be neighbors in any case, “out in Dix Hills” is the same kind of jingoism I would use to describe anything east of the Suffolk border, even if it’s only a few miles away.
I was always intrigued by the G20 as well. There weren’t too many other cars this size that you could get with somewhat upscale features/trim, and the SR motor + 5-speed made it very attractive to me. An ex-girlfriend’s relative had the later P11 version and while I thought it was an excellent car, a few rides in it made it obvious why they pretty much tanked in the US. The ride was too stiff and the car far too small to appeal to traditional entry-level “premium” car buyers here. In 1991, they were priced around the same as a mid-range Pontiac Bonneville and stuff like that, something that most people back then – and plenty even now – likely perceived as much more car for the money.
At the same time, this version of the SR20 combined with the weight of the G20 was just a little too wimpy of a package to appeal to more performance-oriented buyers. The Acura Integra 4-door ended up being it’s most direct competition, even if it wasn’t meant to be, and that was a much more sprightly and rewarding car to drive in all respects. I think Infiniti would have been wise to go more towards this end of the spectrum, maybe even just offering the SR20DET as an option would have gone a long way towards giving this car a well needed reputation boost. Few people were gonna make the drastic move of going from a Cutlass Supreme to a G20 and Nissan/Infiniti have always done best when appealing to enthusiast sensibilities. Bringing the G20 back in P11 form was a really strange effort because hardly anything had changed on the surface, while the competition had improved greatly. Nicer interior compared to the P10, but it was ostensibly just a restyled version of the same exact car to most people.
I’ve seen very few of these with the manual transmission and it wouldn’t surprise me if 5-speed production was only something like 10% (or less) of all G20’s. It’s too bad yours didn’t work out for you… typical crooked repair shop. Know any good ones? I’ve never had any luck with them around here.
It must just be your area because I’ve ran across a lot more of the 5sp G20 than the AT version.
Where are you located? I’ve owned two, and it took me forever to find those.
Pacific NW. Now if you are looking for a T then yes they are hard to find but I used to see a lot of the standard model with the 5sp.
Same here… Babylon via 231 and at 32 I have changed cars like channels on a sick day in December.
Must be something in the water, huh? I’ve worked hard to overcome this sickness but this site doesn’t help at all. Glad to see there’s a small NY CC contingent I never knew existed.
I often inadvertently travel to Babylon via falling asleep on the train and missing my stop after work. Thankfully, it’s one of the better towns to wake up dazed and confused in. I remember 231/Deer Park Ave being a huge hot rod/rice rocket hangout spot when I was younger but it seems to have died down over the years. I made fun of it back then but now I kinda miss it…
I was born/raised in Westbury, and currently live in Central Islip. I agree with you on the P11 lacking power. It at least needed the SR20VE standard (With the SR20DET in Touring models, maybe?), to counteract the added weight. If the had done this, kept the IRS from the P10, and retained interior quality, they may have had a minor hit on their hands. 5-speed P10 models are indeed rare here, but I believe that there is currently one available on Long Island Craigslist with an LSD tranny swap.
I actually think the 140(?) horsepower was probably more than enough to get yourself into trouble with, but just the fact that there was never a more hardcore performance model likely made folks who would have been interested give them nothing more than a passing glance. When the Integra was a huge hit all anyone ever talked about was the GS-R or Type-R models – yet Honda sold hardly any of those compared to the cheaper and slower mainstream version. This “trickle down” strategy doesn’t always work, but I’m inclined to say it usually does with cars in this category… especially when it’s a good product that just doesn’t have much background or reputation to play off of. Even something like a one-year, super limited run of balls to the wall SR20DET G20′s probably would have turned a lot of people on to the charms of the standard car. Anyone I’ve ever heard from who owned one loved it, and it’s getting rave reviews on here in what can be a pretty tough crowd.
It’s too bad they struck out on it, I would’ve liked to have seen this model continue to evolve. You can’t really get anything too similar these days.
If I recall correctly, they were planning on dropping the SR20VE into the t models at one point. Obviously, they changed their minds, What a missed opportunity.
My sister had one of these for her first import “entry level luxury marque” cars, the beginning of a line of Volvo, Saab, BMW, Mercedes, and anything but an American brand nameplate (after all, if you’re a well-off yuppie and DINK from Buck’s County, PA it is definitely uncool to be seen in ANYTHING with an American brand on the hood). I absolutely loved the car, to the point that she offered it to me when it came into trade-in time. Unfortunately, it was an automatic, so no sale.
At trade in time, she looked at a J30 (probably my favorite Infiniti of all, even if it means taking an automatic), but something about the car just didn’t click with her, so she ended up with a Volvo 850 turbo.
Yes, the automatic P10 definitely sucks the life out of the car and strips it of it’s spunky personality. I’ve never seen a car so affected by transmission selection before. The J30 styling isn’t for everyone, but it’s slowly growing on me. I’d still rather have a first-generation Q45, however.
The P10 G20 is a great car, in fact I’d call it one of, if not the, greatest hit from Nissan Motor Company.
Your kiddingg upwardly mobile people dont buy junk like nissans surly not
No I’m not kidding, I believe that the P10 G20 is one of the best cars that Nissan has made. It has a good balance of ride vs handing, interior room vs exterior dimensions, value for the money, and MPG vs performance. Is it the best car period, certainly not but I’d take another one vs a lot of cars in same general size and price classes.
I completely agree, I had a 1993 G20 5speed, one if the best cars I ever had.
wot? its just a bugggerd triumph acclaim jack off for the dozy yanks to chigger on about
I’m sure you’re aware (at least I hope you are) that the Triumph Acclaim was not only launched about a decade before the P10, but was also a re-badged Honda Civic. Apples and oranges.
B3: Your taking this comment seriously, which you shouldn’t.
Well done, Rice 🙂
I just caught on. I blame sleep deprivation =P
Lol, I took it seriously but I get it now too. I salute you Rice 😉
Don’t forget the first-generation Q45, Datsun 510, and 89-94 Maxima. They’re sure to give the P10 decent competition for that spot.
With all due respect, none of those, except the 510, were even close. Both Maxima and the Q had waaay to many problems, while P10 was both fun and indestructible.
The J30 (Code name for the 89-94 Maxima, not the Infiniti) was very well-received when it was launched, and other than problems with window regulators, Bose amplifiers (if equipped), and ticking VTCs on VE30-equipped cars, I’m not aware of too many problems (as long as you avoided 89-91 automatic models). I’ve seen a few with very high mileage, so they must be somewhat decent mechanically (The VG30e models, at least). I’ll give you the Q45, but it’s still one of my favorite luxury cars from that time. Definitely more interesting (and admittedly more problematic) than an LS400 from the era, at least in my opinion.
Yeah, the autos in the Maxima. My impression was also that the rot spread much further and ate into the next generation as well. Another interesting indication is that both Q and the Maxima basically tanked in Japan (and in Europe, but that’s a different story). If you try to look for them at Carsensor.net, you will be lucky to see a few in the whole country.
The P10 are very scarce now as well but for a different reason – they were loved by a street-ricing crowd and most ended up being abused and or destroyed.
If you like the Q, than you should look into Nissan-President version of it – for its sheer audacity. Especially the LWB version.
I know that the transmission was strengthened in the Maxima in ’92, and the failure rates dropped significantly afterwards. It was still far from the strongest transmission in the world, but it was no CD4E.
The P10 didn’t sell all that well, so that’s also contributing to the rarity of them today.
Yep. Pretty sad.
A good write-up on one:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/10/capsule-review-1994-infiniti-g20-and-the-nervous-professor/
A very enjoyable read, that was.
Great story. Nothing worse than unpleasant surprises in the car you have just bought. This was how I learned my lesson in what a THM2004R transmission was in a 1980s Oldsmobile. Your tale reminds me of what someone once told me: The ability to make good decisions comes from experience, which you get by NOT making good decisions.
I look forward to hearing more about your cars.
I’ve heard about that transmission. Didn’t they upgrade the materials somewhat by the 80s? I’d hate to see how bad it was before then, if so.
Ah, the good old P10 Nissan Primera (as it was in NZ). There were wagon and 5-door hatchback versions too. The P10 wagons were badged ‘Avenir’ – although in the Dutch brochure I have, the Avenir is called a Primera. The P10 (and P11) hatches were badged ‘Primera UK’ (I believe all hatches made at Nissan UK’s Sunderland plant).
The U13 Bluebird was a good seller in NZ, so we didn’t get the P10 Primera new – there wasn’t a U13 wagon though, which mattered in station-wagon-fancying NZ – so Nissan imported the Avenir wagon new from 1990 in 2.0 diesel form, targetting rural mail delivery drivers. The P10 proved to be very popular as a used JDM import though, so when the P11 Primera came out, Nissan dropped the U13 Bluebird from its NZ lineup in favour of the P11 in sedan and wagon forms. The hatch remained only available as a used import – Nissan finally made the hatch available new here when the P12 Primera arrived.
Being full of used JDM imports, NZ has have every iteration of P10 Primera ever made – 2WD, 4WD, petrol, diesel, cloth trim, leather trim, manual, auto, 1.6L/1.8L/2.0L. There are also a few with retro-fitted-in-Japan Infiniti G20 badging (Infiniti isn’t sold here, so hardly anyone knows that they’re supposed to be ‘prestige’ cars!).
Interestingly, the Avenir wagon was available as a 4WD SR20DET from the factory, and there are still a few around here – and a number of Primeras have been converted to SR20DET form using the Avenir parts (which makes it dead easy for certification).
My best mate bought a ’91 Primera TE in ’98ish. The TE was the top-spec JDM sedan, and came with boot spoiler, special trim, sports seats with see-through headrests, and the 150hp SR20DE. It replaced his ’86 Accord. We had so many fun trips in that Primera! It was a little rocket, and the ride/handling balance was excellent – very European-esque! Unfortunately the TE parts were well sought-after, and the car got stolen twice. The second time it was retrieved as a stripped shell, which broke my mate’s heart, and he hasn’t had a Nissan since.
When I joined my current employer in 2001, most of our rep cars were P11 Primera wagons. They were all 5-speed SR20DE, and fantastic-driving cars too. But the P10 just had that little something extra – that indefinable something that made it just right. Worthy of being a CC I feel!
To this day, Avenir swaps are still popular amongst P10 owners in the US. It’s funny how people outside of the US go crazy for Infiniti badging, while everyone P10 owner here seems to want to re-badge their cars as Primeras. We had a much more limited selection than everyone elsewhere when it came to both the P10 and P11. The SR20DE was the only engine ever available, and in only two trim levels, Base and Touring (94-01). The Sport model replaced the Touring for the P11s last year (02).
Re-badging is certainly a fun past-time if folks are that way inclined! Although we don’t get Infiniti here (yet, it’s on its way), quite a few of our used import Skylines have a US-spec G35 grille and badging too. There’s the odd Honda around with Acura badging too. Our land-transport department laughs at such efforts and registers them as what they really are.
Even our new-car market has some rebadging – particularly the Holden Commodore, which is often rebadged (by owners, not Holden) as a Chevrolet (using the off-the-shelf Arab-market grille and badges). In NZ a Chev is something special (although all the used-import Chev-badged Daewoos aren’t quite the same…!).
Between you and me, NZ Skyliner, Infiniti is still a bit of a question mark in NZ. They have been released in Aus, and Aus did their release here, their release cars have been on-sold as used cars here (no warranty). So you might see a few around. I believe that there have been one or two come in as used imports ex Europe too.
But as far as I know it’s still in the consideration phase.
I was basing my eternal hopes on the statement from Infiniti last year (?) that the brand would be coming to Australia and NZ. From memory it was proposed to have 3 dealers (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch). But yeah, I’ve heard nothing since, which is a shame. But then again, they’d be in the same position as Lexus with Toyota, in that their supposed ‘premium’ cars will turn up here as used imports with Nissan badging. I do hope we get the proper Infiniti though, as I’d love an M30D (aka Nissan Fuga, but with the Euro-only 179kW/550Nm 3-litre V6 diesel)! (in 10 years when I can afford a used one!)
Oh, I think there’s probably more chance that it’ll happen than not, but still unconfirmed.
I also wouldn’t put too much hope on the M30D getting here, probably too niche for an already niche brand.
Keep an eye on the Aus Infiniti site, as I’d imagine IF we get it we’ll be getting Aus spec.
Having driven the Navara with the V6 diesel and 7-speed I can say that the M30D woudl be a BLAST!
NZ, your comments and some others make me curious about the differences between the AUS and NZ markets. It’s easy for someone like me (in the US) to think of them as identical, but I understand they’re not. Rather like the US and Canadian markets are not identical, I suppose.
They’re vastly different. Sort of. LOL.
The main divergence happened in the 1980’s, when NZ allowed used Japanese imports into the country. This changed the landscape significantly. About 30-40% of car registered for the first time in NZ are used imports, so we get all sorts from Japan. (Other than kei-cars, which are allowed, but just not very popular).
Australia didn’t have used imports for a number of years, and I understand that there are still very heavy restrictions on them over there.
NZ assembly ended in the late 1990’s as import tariffs for new cars were removed, meaning that since then in the new car scene most of the major brands are fairly closely aligned with their Australian counterparts.
There are exceptions though, as NZ has very permissive legislation, basically if it’s RHD and approved for other major markets it’s not a big deal to get compliance.
Styles has summed it up as I would – I’d add two other factors –
1) Australia’s ADRs (Australian Design Rules) that were heavily expanded upon in the 70s.
2) British-sourced cars had a bigger foothold in the NZ market through the 70s and early 80s.
The ADRs placed restrictions on a number of features, eg chrome windscreen wipers banned, side-intrusion bars required, and the most well-known at the time, 1976’s ADR27A, air-emissions controls. As such, many models needed to be specifically made for Aussie requirements (and conditions), which affected the economies of production for many manufacturers.
NZ had no such regulations, so we could (and basically still can) take cars specced for any market. So many makes and/or models soldiered on here long after withdrawing from the Aussie market. Because we took cars specced for anywhere, we often got other countries’ cancelled orders.
GM-Holden has successfully sold Singapore-spec but Australian-built Commodores here on several occasions. The Singapore-spec models had Opel’s straight-6, which wasn’t certified for Australia, but could be freely sold new here by Holden. The most recent example is the RHD Cadillac CTS sedan built for Cadillac’s aborted world launch in the late 00s. When the launch was cancelled all the cars were sold here (as Cadillacs) by my local Holden dealer – with full factory warranties and service support. There were 2.8L and 3.6L engine choices available, and they were all snapped up! I still get a huge kick out of seeing them around 🙂
Most of our cars were UK-spec, partly because of our then-still-strong colonial nature (England was often still viewed as the ‘Motherland’) that gave UK-sourced cars a much lesser import tax. Also, in terms of preferred car size (physical and engine), our motoring tastes seemed very much aligned with Britain through the 70s and early 80s. For example, UK-sourced Vauhall stayed alive here until 1980ish, but had been put out to pasture in Oz years earlier. We got the remnants of Chrysler Europe’s brands (eg Hillman, Humber, Talbot etc) long after they vanished in Oz (the Talbot Alpine, never available in Australia, was finally retired from our market in 1983).
Our top-selling car throught the 70s until 1983 was the British-sourced Ford Cortina. The Australian-market Cortina was somewhat modified to meet the ADRs, and wasn’t well thought of in Australia (pretty but thrashy, underpowered in ADR27A 4-cylinder form, and a lousy handler in 3.3/4.1L straight-6 form). Yet the UK-spec Cortina was the perfect price/size for NZ (although we did get some Australian-built Cortinas too). And because the Cortina sold so well here, when the Telstar sedan replaced the Cortina, Ford NZ introduced the Sierra (aka Merkur) wagon to replace the Cortina wagon. The Sierra (never available in Australia) went on to be an exceptional seller here too. GM attempted to get in on that too, and introduced RHD Opels into our market in the mid-80s, whereas at the same time Australia’s Senator Button was forcing GM Australia to sell Holden-badged Toyotas and Nissans alongside the Commodore.
The Aussie top-sellers of the 70s/80s were much bigger and tougher cars than what NZ really wanted – the Ford Falcon, Holden Kingswood and Commodore, and, until 1981, the Chrysler Valiant. They suited the stereotypical Aussie driver who wanted to travel long distances in dusty conditions in a big comfy car with an under-stressed engine. All of them were sold in NZ too, but the Falcon/Commodore only reached top-seller status in the 90s and 00s.
Our compliance laws have been loosened a tad last year, and it’s now possible to sell new LHD vehicles here – provided they meet certain criteria (low production run and/or coupes and/or specifically mentioned as collectable in one or more defined magazines etc). A local JDM import dealer here also has a nice sideline importing and selling new LHD Camaros and Chargers – for about double their US price! (The Chargers are NZ$90K!).
You’re probably falling asleep after reading all that, so I’ll just add one more thing. As Styles79 said, NZ assembly ended here in the late 90s. Our second-largest plant was the Ford plant in Auckland. My employers, Frucor Beverages, now occupy the bulk of that former Ford plant and offices. So every day when I go to work and sit at my desk, I feel that connection to our car-assembly past!
Top work there!
I’d also add that while some of our compliance laws have been loosened, our emissions laws have been tightened. Which lead to the IMVDA (Import Motor Vehicle Dealers Association) exclaiming that it would kill their businesses as they’d have to get newer more expensive stock, blah, blah, blah. And while it does mean that certain popular models can no longer be imported (Stagea 2.5 turbos etc) it’s hardly killed their business, used imports had a great year in 2012.
I’d probably also note that the large Australian cars are really suffering at the moment, the large car segment her in NZ has taken a beating since the mid-00’s (post GFC especially). In common with what I hear about the US many of the traditional private buyers are moving to SUV’s/CUV’s and many fleets that used to buy Commodores and Falcons are moving to slightly smaller engined (but not much smaller sized) wagons and sedans.
NZ Skyliner, might have to meet for a coffee at Cafe Tempo some time! I work just down the road, and look right out my window at the old Nissan plant.
Also a little gem for you, there are a very few ex-Australian evaluation, English assembled P11 Primeras in sedan and (I think) hatch that came to NZ too.
They’re a bit of an orphan, because Aus never ended up going with the P11.
Ah, always nice to get bits of trivia like that! Meaningless to most other folks, but interesting to me! (Maybe I should get out more!)
I think these are great cars in the US, and underrated. I bought one in 2004 when I wanted something a little more luxe than my ’93 SE-R for daily-driver duty, and kept it until 2011. A 5-speed G20t is hard to find, and I had to go to Texas to get one. Turned out to have a bad engine, so I eventually swapped in a JDM import engine, which has been going strong for ~90k now. I sold it to a good friend a couple of years ago when an opportunity for a replacement presented itself that I couldn’t pass up. He has no knowledge whatsoever of cars but he loves driving it and says it’s lots of fun. I miss it (my Accord is not nearly as fun to drive), and might just buy it back if he ever sells it! They are not as tossable as B13 SE-Rs, and aren’t terribly fast, but they handle really well and are fast enough for me. If could get a new one, I would. Only thing I missed was a hatch.
It’s funny that you mentioned it. I’m actually considering a B13 Sentra or NX2000 as my second car, when funds permit me to do so.
I’ve had my SE-R for almost 20 years now and I’ll never get rid of it. Wonderful little car!
I’m sure it is. The only B13 I’ve driven was a 5-speed GXE with the GA16DE, and even that was relatively fun, for what it was.
My mom had one of these: a ’95, with a 5-speed. She loved it and thought it was one of the most underrated cars you could buy at the time. It gave up in late ’04, but not before she had a lot of fun driving it.
Whoa, that’s pretty early for P10 to throw in the towel. What went wrong? Did it have insanely high mileage?
Nah, I don’t know what went wrong. By that time, my mom had moved on to a new car and my dad was driving this one. One day, the car wouldn’t start when he was trying to come home from work, and apparently it was totaled, because it was towed away on Christmas and my dad got a new car the next day.
Terrific car, had one (single point injection 2.0SLX Euro with an Auto) in the family for 12 or so years under my sister’s command. She did everything to kill it – but the little bugger clang to life no matter what.
The only two things that I did not like, aside from the power-sapping auto – very jittery ride and the turning radius. My SAABs 9000 was more maneuverable than the P10.
The most exotic version by far – JDM Autec version, with 190HP (without turbo). The best balanced – either JDM 2.0Te or G20t from US.
Out of curiosity, what was the acceleration like with the single-point SR20Di/automatic combo?
The spec said ~10 seconds to 62 miles (100 kmh). But these 10 seconds felt much livelier than my Dad’s Subie Outback 2.5 with an Auto.
All in all our Primera was pretty peppy and torquey – a good indication was that I did not feel much handicapped driving it right after my 2.3Turbo.
Wow, so about the same as an SR20DE-equipped P10 with an automatic. Not bad.
Plenty of these beaters left in NZ if you really want one but as an entry level luxury car nar and as a corner carving machine NAR a NZ new Amon Corona will eat one as a beater car yep thats where they always were. Shame I missed them new they didnt have Nissans on the Ozzy market much and certainly not these
Oh Bryce, what are you on? Plainly you have never driven both an Amon NZ new Corona and a good condition P10 Primera. The P10 (especially the TE) has it all over the Toyota, in every single way, except possibly interior room, but that’s not really on topic. About the only other point I’d give the Corona is a slightly more positive shifter.
Agreed. The mid-80s Corona Amon was very good, but that was in its day. The P10 was to the 90s what the Corona had been to the mid-80s. My mate’s P10 TE was on a whole different planet to the Corona when it came to the ride/handling balance. The overall cohesiveness of the P10 design and engineering makes it one of THE standout Japanese cars of the early 90s.
Actually I did test fly a P10 as a possible replacement for my 93 Amon tuned Corona I was not impressed at all thats what I base my assessment on. The Corona wass quite well balanced very tossable with good traction, Chris Amon used the 405 as his benchmark for the Corona, he did well transforming a mediocre car but dont ever think either the Corona or the P10 are any match for the Pug neither are even in the same ball park
In which case I reiterate “good condition P10 Primera”. One minor fault these cars had was that the bushes in the top arms in the front multi-link suspension were prone to failure, which caused sloppy turn in, noise and a raft of other related problems.
Of course most of the replacement arms on offer were cheap nasty knock-offs from China or Thailand, and just didn’t cut the mustard. Sounds like the one you drove was suffering from either knackered bushes or cheap replacement parts.
Ah, I thought you meant the original 80s Corona that had the Amon badging. My Uncle had ’89, ’92 and ’94 Coronas new, and my boss had a ’94 new too. All manuals. I drove the boss’ ’94 quite a bit from 1996 to 1998, it was good but certainly not up to the P10.
The main difference was the feeling of cohesiveness that the Primera had – everything worked in unison. Chucking the Corona into corners, the front end was great, but the rear suspension felt divorced from the front – you could feel the weight in the rear end suddenly transfer to the outside rear wheel. By comparison, when flinging the Primera into corners, the front and rear suspension felt inter-connected; there was no weight transfer, the car remained composed.
So we’ll have to agree to disagree, but you’ve still given me something to think about Bryce – this is the great thing about CC, we all have our different opinions, and we get to share them for other readers to absorb and ponder. 🙂
I have had my 1996 G20t since 1997. I’ll tell you one thing for sure. This is the best handling front wheel drive i have ever driven. These things, stock, will out handle a b13 SE-R with a modified suspension. I should know as i had 2 SE-R’s. The “t” model was around from 94-96 in the P-10 era, and it consists of a LSD 5-speed, by the way which is great in the snow, a wing on the deck lid, recaro-like seats, all black leather interior, fog lamps, and fold down rear seats. This thing weighs around 2800 lbs. Therefore i put in a SR20VE. Thing of it as Nissan’s VTEC, but exhaust and intake work independently of each other. Think of a type-r with a lot more tourque, and i mean a lot. Don’t ever have to downshift on the freeways. Just tap the throttle and you will up there really quick. The car has great room inside for what it looks like outside. The other amazing thing is that it behaves like a rear driver, since the front end is planted so well due to the suspension set up. In the snow you steer opposite of what the rear is doing. Mine stock, was pulling to 60 in about 6.5 seconds and high 14’s in the quarter. Type- R times while weighing 400 lbs heavier. Now with H/E/I , it’s just bloody quick.
I’m definitely doing an VE/LSD swap into my current ’96 when the stock SR20DE finally does kick the bucket (which doesn’t look like it’ll be anytime soon). About the only car I’d sell my current P10 for is a t model like yours.