First shite post, Nissan Sunny N13 Auto Good? or...

[CrapCarNerd]

Hi all,

 

I'm new here and thought i'd start off by posting some proper shite that i viewed last week as a possible second "daily" car.

 

After entering my Escort mk3 in "Festival Of The Unexceptional" and just putting 2000 miles on it in the last couple of months, i thought, maybe i should buy something to do the business miles... obviously i could go sensible but this is a great excuse for a second retro.... So i went to view a Nissan Sunny (N13) Automatic 1.6 It had PAS, Electric Windows and Power Locks. Perfect! Never entertained one before but my thinking was.... its Japanese, Auto for cruising and from 1987.

 

By the time i got to the Car, the seller had had it running for the best part of an hour!!?!?! When i asked him about it he said it didnt like starting cold i think (he spoke so quick i could hardly understand him).

I looked around it, started to fall in love and said id go for a coffee and come back as he had a Van stuck in front of it so couldnt test drive it.

 

On my return, I took it for a spin around the block and it seemed fine to drive although painfully slow compared to my 1.1 . Apparently one front tyre was down (shouted some bloke), never noticed as i was trying to check everything else and the ground was rough, maybe it was the cause.

Other than that it had a "slight whine" when driving that sounded like an electric motor that oscillated up or down with the engine speed... i guess that was either a bad sound or nothing at all to worry about   It also jumped a little when going into reverse. I started thinking possible nackard gearbox.

Last nail in the "Dont buy this crap Coffin" was, i couldnt get the oil cap off!! it was a very rubbery cap which eternally spun and then leaked a bit of oil on the second start up. After doing research i havent seen the same engine or oil cap on other engine images i've found.

 

So anyway... I wanted it! proper 80s crap, although, alarm bells were definitely ringing! The seller wanted £650 for it and i couldnt nock him down at all... at that point i walked away, too many unknowns. Naturally still keep thinking about it!!!

 

Anyone got any info on these Sunnys if i was to come across another Auto one maybe? 

 

 

Unfortunately Insurance for my Escort in London is £650 (im a musician so they love quoting me   ) and they wanted same again for this junk, some companies even more!! hence wanting the car for cheaper!!

 

Some pics of my Escort for Retro content.

 

 

[spartacus]

A real throwback! Are those the original wheels?

I don't know much about Sunnys but any 80's Japanese car in JRG is going to provoke more than a little interest. We need interior pics please.

[vulgalour]

They're not bad, these little Sunnys.  They're not the quickest thing in the world, bit of a bingo chariot in the spec that one is, but still have that neat, dependable charm that Nissans of that era are blessed with.  They're like a slightly grown up Micra.  Bumpers, grille,and lights (front and rear) are hard to get.  Engine problems are generally easily resolved, there's not a huge amount to go wrong on them, and I believe a good amount of the greasy bits are Nissan parts bin.  It is nice to see what looks like a fairly original four door saloon.  They will do big miles *but* the bodywork will suffer, it's the usual Nissan issue of the period of poor rust proofing.  Check under the rear seat, rear arches, front crossmember and sill ends regularly to keep on top of the worst bits.  Saloon specific bits are going to be very difficult to acquire too, should you need them.

 

At £650 this one seems a bit expensive.  Condition wise in the photographs it actually looks quite good from what's on show, but the issues with cold starting, the unidentified whine and the mystery oil cap issue do make it a bit of a gamble.  It could be something really simple like a vacuum hose has popped off, or something more complicated.

 

Realistically, it should be up for nearer £400.  It's rare but not desirable, and it's unlikely they'll ever be worth a great deal.  Without the issues, and with low miles, the £650 would seem fairer.

[Noel Tidybeard]

that will be the E16 (8v) engine most stuff you see wil be for the GA16 (12v)

[CrapCarNerd]

A real throwback! Are those the original wheels?

I don't know much about Sunnys but any 80's Japanese car in JRG is going to provoke more than a little interest. We need interior pics please.

Didnt take any interior pics of the sunny unfortunately. Whenever i go to view a car my head goes a million miles an hour... only managed to get these two pics really.

It had great selection of switches as all the windows were electric and you could lock the windows up or down  seemed a bit odd. very original though.  You also couldn't open the boot without using the release button inside the car. I thought that was a strange concept.

Wasnt sure if you meant the interior of the Escort... i have a pic of that though. Original wheels on both cars.

[STUNO]

Welcome. That Sunny should be a respectable performer with 1.6 L  so you were correct to be suspicious. Oil cap is probably something he found after losing the original, but some Jap manufacturers did use soft caps like that. 

That noise sounds like the alternator being noisy, so would need checking. Hard to start when cold ? That battery does not look good for starters, even cleaning the terminals may help. If in good nick the car should start instantly because Japanese were good at that. You were correct to walk away if not satisfied. I am not local but think the price seemed a bit steep for UK. Do not be afraid to ask any questions on this site, many of us know we are not experts and need help with all sorts of things.

Good luck with finding something, the Escort is too good to use other than to church on Sunday! But only go if they play your music in there.

 

Enjoy the site and remember we are not Farce book so don't be afraid what others will say.

[CrapCarNerd]

They're not bad, these little Sunnys.  They're not the quickest thing in the world, bit of a bingo chariot in the spec that one is, but still have that neat, dependable charm that Nissans of that era are blessed with.  They're like a slightly grown up Micra.  Bumpers, grille,and lights (front and rear) are hard to get.  Engine problems are generally easily resolved, there's not a huge amount to go wrong on them, and I believe a good amount of the greasy bits are Nissan parts bin.  It is nice to see what looks like a fairly original four door saloon.  They will do big miles *but* the bodywork will suffer, it's the usual Nissan issue of the period of poor rust proofing.  Check under the rear seat, rear arches, front crossmember and sill ends regularly to keep on top of the worst bits.  Saloon specific bits are going to be very difficult to acquire too, should you need them.

 

At £650 this one seems a bit expensive.  Condition wise in the photographs it actually looks quite good from what's on show, but the issues with cold starting, the unidentified whine and the mystery oil cap issue do make it a bit of a gamble.  It could be something really simple like a vacuum hose has popped off, or something more complicated.

 

Realistically, it should be up for nearer £400.  It's rare but not desirable, and it's unlikely they'll ever be worth a great deal.  Without the issues, and with low miles, the £650 would seem fairer.

 

I thought it might be a mile muncher, i just had a lot of doubt unfortunately. even the seller looked worried when i said i wanted to use it daily which then made me worried haha. It seemed like he had bought it himself for way too much and was thinking £650 was low. i originally said £500 and he wouldnt have it. 

I guessed it was rare but also like you say, not desirable. Coming from Fords everything is expensive so i wanted it to be the complete opposite. 

 

It seemed rust free from what i could see although i didnt dig the carpets up or anything, just a good look under the car and bonnet. 

[Parky]

Welcome CCN, nice Escort and bonus points for Edd China action!

 

I think you are right to be slightly sus about that Sunny. The vendor doesn’t inspire much confidence and it shouldn’t have felt slow. They were fairly lightweight cars and with a 1600 engine performance should have been spritely.

 

Condition looks alright though, and metallic Autoshite beige is a winning colour. But even though it is cheapish the niggles you pointed out could be the beginning of something bigger.

 

A new battery might help, plus a transmission oil change might have toned down the clunk but that oil cap seemed odd. Did you have a chance to check the oil level? Maybe it was sluggish because it has 10l of 20/50 sloshing around? I dunno, I think the fact the vendor warmed it up is a worry, one of the golden rules is be wary of a car the seller has warmed up. You know it doesn’t like starting from cold, but why? Timing might explain the sluggishness or it could be a carb/fuelling issue, or a simple valve somewhere? Fun to track and trace the problem but do you have the time and inclination?

 

If your gut says no, it’s time to go. Sounds like you weren’t sure so go and get something else. There are few of these Sunnys around these days but cheap Shite Japanese autos are not hard to find. A mid nineties Corolla or Civic will be a generation or two newer, be better everyday cars, but not quite retro enough to warrant a JDM premium just yet

 

Get the Escort packed safely away and keep hunting! And as Stuno says we are a pretty eclectic bunch who generally appreciate everything so don’t be nervous - This is probably one of the few places on Earth where that Sunny would be appreciated

[Snipes]

Ideally you'd pull the boot trim out and check the rear suspension struts - big rot point on these.

[sierraman]

I can just about remember my dad having a blue escort the same as that. My uncle had to weld it up it was only about 6 years old at the time...

 

Those wheels are correct, they came on the diesel, the base and the van.

 

Where do you manage to find cassette tapes? I can’t seem to find them these days, once car boot sales were full of them.

 

As for the sunny, slow and difficult to start...can’t put my finger on it but it sounds fucked. Get it bought.

[Split_Pin]

Welcome. I can't comment on the Sunny but I LOVE your MK3 Escort!

[dollywobbler]

In this price category, you judge the seller as much as the car. This has RUN AWAY written all over it. I reckon a Toyota Starlet would do you nicely, unless you're planning loads of motorway miles.

[sierraman]

They were quite nippy those 1.3 Starlets.

[djimbob]

In this price category, you judge the seller as much as the car. This has RUN AWAY written all over it. I reckon a Toyota Starlet would do you nicely, unless you're planning loads of motorway miles.

 

You know, and I know, we all know, this lad is a budding shiter, and will be posting pics of his new Sunny anytime now

 

Good luck in your endevours young Sir

[fordperv]

Hello and welcome, good to see you've bought your lovely escort over to us, the mk4 escort parcel shelf you delivered to my fil for me is still looking good

[Dan_ZTT]

Where do you manage to find cassette tapes? I can’t seem to find them these days, once car boot sales were full of them.

.

I was about to comment on the excellent tape collection, good work there. My local 2nd-hand record shop has a stash of cassettes and does them at 6 for a fiver, I pop in every month or two for a new handful, have found some great stuff. Vintage Trax in Redditch if you're midlandsy, but I'm sure other record shops will have them. Sometimes charity shops too but not so often these days.

[CrapCarNerd]

Hello and welcome, good to see you've bought your lovely escort over to us, the mk4 escort parcel shelf you delivered to my fil for me is still looking good

haha! good to know dude! Hows the mk4? Not noticed it when i've been driving past to my folks? 

[CrapCarNerd]

In this price category, you judge the seller as much as the car. This has RUN AWAY written all over it. I reckon a Toyota Starlet would do you nicely, unless you're planning loads of motorway miles.

I was thinking mainly motorway miles really. Probably will end up with something not quite retro like a mk1 focus again (really dont want to ) . I usually have a musical gear to lug around... enough to fit in the boot of an Escort or Sunny but, once i had a Saxo and i had to have the seats down all the time. I think your right about the Run Away factor... bit gutting though as i love rare tat! 

 

I can just about remember my dad having a blue escort the same as that. My uncle had to weld it up it was only about 6 years old at the time...

 

Those wheels are correct, they came on the diesel, the base and the van.

 

Where do you manage to find cassette tapes? I can’t seem to find them these days, once car boot sales were full of them.

 

As for the sunny, slow and difficult to start...can’t put my finger on it but it sounds fucked. Get it bought.

 

This has had its fair share of welding since i've owned it. It looked mint when i bought it 5/6 years ago but first MOT revealed the need for new inner/out arches, Drivers cill, rear valence was full of rags and filler and a couple of patches under the bonnet. It had a re spray last year when i used to live "up North" which is why it looks so good right now. 

 

Cassette tapes are my thing!   always had them. Theres a couple of great record shops in Manchester that sell them for £1 so i stock up when i go back. Where i'm at in London Fash Back records seems to be clearing out the local charity shops and charging £10 a cassette    makes me want to cry!! 

This is just some of the Tapes i have... also have an obsession with shite stereos for cars haha

[carlo]

"Whenever I go to view a car my head goes a million miles an hour..."

 

Know what you mean, I'm exactly the same, a good way of describing it.  I even write down a list of things to look at but still forget to.

[sierraman]

Cassettes seem to have got really dear lately, galls me that I chucked about a hundred tapes away 6 years ago. I’ve scoured the charity shops to no avail, not sure where to go next. Car boots seem to yield none either. eBay stuff is going silly money.

 

At the moment I’ve got a Top Gear Rock Anthems and NOW 1985. Just going to keep searching for some.

[Dan_ZTT]

Cassettes seem to have got really dear lately, galls me that I chucked about a hundred tapes away 6 years ago. I’ve scoured the charity shops to no avail, not sure where to go next. Car boots seem to yield none either. eBay stuff is going silly money.

 

At the moment I’ve got a Top Gear Rock Anthems and NOW 1985. Just going to keep searching for some.

As said, the odd good record shop will have loads for cheaps. Discogs is good too though, plenty on there and not silly prices.

[Datsuncog]

Charity shops were (are?) still binning cassettes, at least until fairly recently... like VHS tapes, the staff at my local place told me they were considered unsalable - which is why I held on to mine and sold them bit by bit through Discogs.

 

Didn't really make anything on them (mostly put up for 49p each, which just about covered PayPal and listing fees, plus the cost of a padded envelope) but I'm happy they've gone somewhere they're appreciated, rather than the tip.

 

Mind you, I've still got a large box of mixed cassettes in varying condition recently handed to me by a friend who was clearing out his garage, which I could poke through if you're interested... I honestly can't be bothered going through the hassle of listing them for sale on Discogs - especially as, when I did that before, I had to create a release entry for most of them before I could even list them - (I lost several years of my life trimming down an out-of-control music collection), and so would happily pass them on to anyone who wants them for the price of postage...

 

Oh, and I would concur with the other commenters above - much as I enjoyed Sunny ownership myself (in B11 coupe flavour), this one sounds decidedly iffy. There's better cars out there for the same money - or indeed cars with the same potential problems for not as much money.

[vulgalour]

If you haven't yet, check out the eBay Tat Thread as it's a great mix of hand-picked dreadful cars ranging from hopeless to adequate.

 

For example, yesterday this Sunny estate was posted in there which would probably fit your criteria https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NISSAN-SUNNY-ESTATE-1-3DX-MANUAL-PETROL-BEIGE/283073100817 Providing it doesn't have the same issues as the sparkly beige Sunny that kicked this thread off, of course.  Might be a bit buzzy on the motorway with the 1300, and you don't get the auto, but the price isn't too absurd on the assumption it's as healthy as it looks in the pictures.

 

Good luck!

 

I've been following your Escort thread over on the other forum for a while.  Anyone that can keep an Escort of that era in fine fettle while regularly used isn't really going to have too much trouble with 80s/90s Japanese stuff.

[sierraman]

Charity shops were (are?) still binning cassettes, at least until fairly recently... like VHS tapes, the staff at my local place told me they were considered unsalable - which is why I held on to mine and sold them bit by bit through Discogs.

 

Didn't really make anything on them (mostly put up for 49p each, which just about covered PayPal and listing fees, plus the cost of a padded envelope) but I'm happy they've gone somewhere they're appreciated, rather than the tip.

 

Mind you, I've still got a large box of mixed cassettes in varying condition recently handed to me by a friend who was clearing out his garage, which I could poke through if you're interested... I honestly can't be bothered listing them for sale - especially as I had to create a release entry for many of them before I could list them - (I lost several years of my life trimming down an out-of-control music collection), and so would happily pass them on to anyone who wants them for the price of postage...

 

Oh, and I would concur with the other commenters above - much as I enjoyed Sunny ownership myself (in B11 coupe flavour), this one sounds decidedly iffy. There's better cars out there for the same money - or indeed cars with the same potential problems for not as much money.

Yeah if you could have a look and see if there’s any 80’s stuff in there I’d be grateful.

[Bren]

Ry Cooder - you have taste.

What his guitar sounds like coming out of a sunny is another matter...

[Datsuncog]

Yeah if you could have a look and see if there’s any 80’s stuff in there I’d be grateful.

 

I'll take a peek later on - think it's mostly 90s stuff mind, but there might be some older stuff lurking too.

[Brodders]

Cassette tapes are my thing! always had them. Theres a couple of great record shops in Manchester that sell them for £1 so i stock up when i go back. Where i'm at in London Fash Back records seems to be clearing out the local charity shops and charging £10 a cassette makes me want to cry!!

This is just some of the Tapes i have... also have an obsession with shite stereos for cars haha

IMG_6559.jpg

Welcome along, I really liked your Escort when I saw it at the Festival of the Unexceptional.

 

I believe BorniteIdentity still has a large quantity of cassette tapes which he is selling at the moment, so it might be worth dropping him a message if you are in need of any more.

[Squire_Dawson]

Another vote for a Corolla/Carina/Avensis. Last of the proper Jap cars.

[binhoker668]

Charity shops were (are?) still binning cassettes, at least until fairly recently...

 

Indeed they are.  I refer you once more to my username.  I have many decent cassettes/players/cases etc etc

If anyone needs any blanks, come see me.

[vulgalour]

Wilkinsons still stock blank casettes sporadically.  At least the one in Thornaby does.  They hide them on the bottom shelf in the stationary section, next to the blank CDs (!).