1991 Nissan U12 Pintara T

My parents were offered a pittance when trying to trade in their faithful old Pintara, so they kindly passed it along to us. It had around 260,000km on the clock when we got it. The clear lacquer covering the metallic paintwork was sunburnt, but it had been fastidiously maintained. The SOHC 12-valve KA24E 2.4 litre engine still ran very nicely.

The Pintara turned up just in time for the cranky old Camry to start giving us more electrical troubles than I could cope with. So, even though the Pintara has traveled considerably further in its life, and despite the fact that its larger, peppy engine and automatic transmission make it somewhat more thirsty, we had to make a choice in favour of its relative reliability. The Camry has meanwhile languished in the driveway with expensive electrical fixes that didn't work, while we appreciate this much nicer vehicle.

The U12 Pintara is an Australian-made variation of the U12 Bluebird or Stanza as sold internationally. The U12 Pintara was also re-badged in Australia as the Ford Corsair. Our T model has fuel injection, a four-speed lock-up overdrive transmission, power steering, and aircon. With so many complications, the engine bay is a bit frightening to contemplate (I'm from the keep-it-simple school). So far I've replaced a faulty thermostat, and tangled with the power steering which dumped all its fluid past the rack seals when I manhandled the wheel with the engine off. Otherwise, so far so good!

Faults are few: a tail light that leaks rainwater, and stubbornly refuses my attempts at fixing it, a clunking wiper mechanism, what feels like excessive cabin heat in warm weather, and the taste of dust when driving over dirt roads. The wide and touchy throttle body will deliver poor fuel consumption if treated casually, but we have recorded 12km/ltr by being careful and keeping the tyres at 35psi. The bodywork (which has been double rust-proofed) is far less rusted than the Camry, and its interior has proven equally resilient to wear. If it weren't for the sunburnt paint, it'd be a virtual collector's item!

Other Australian owners might be interested in the antrix.com Nissan enthusiasts site. Also Specifications and ECU codes.