Hi guys,

I'm considering a 2nd-hand Nissan Cefiro A32 after I come back from overseas. I heard about the stability and comfy of the car during cruising, especially long distance highway, and I like the size too.

Anyway, I would like to know about the common problems on this model. After all this is a more than 10-year model. Apart from wear and tear, what are the common problems? Such as we know the power window for Proton, etc.

After more than 10 years on the road, may I know is it still possible to get new parts for this model? Or everything needs to get from the chop shop? Especially the small/electronics parts such as power window motor, etc.

Usually what would be the FC for this model?

Hope to get more input from you guys before I really decided to get one.

Nissan car famous for ECU problems.

cefiro most scary is electronic stuff broken, and lead to engine failure.

Foreman spit saliva repairing this car.

haha.

used to be my dream car, now i aim on camry liao.

who says?

never heard of dat problem. got 2 frens driving the cefiro 3.0 V6..awesome ride at such affordable price! (RM40K+/-)
very quiet + smooth engine till today even though its a used car.

He say. Haha. The engine did won the best engine award. From what I know there is no such problem with the ecu.

i was using Nissan for so many years also never heard got any problems with it's ECU, instead of all the brands i've used before, Nissan is the most reliable

engine won best engine for 11 straight years

cannot remember which competition

Thanks for the input guys. Anymore?

don't ever get the 2.0 or the 3.0, the FC will be killing u, one is super underpowered hence u will be stepping on the pedal most of the time, one is road tax and higher FC, the 2.5 is the best choice, got a lot of ppl who bought the 3.0 also convert to 2.5 when I went for my previous Nissan's service in my mechanic's shop (he's Nissan expert)

Thanks bro! This is one of the most important thing to concern, which is the FC. My house have a Perdana 2.0V6 and I always need step on the pedal more, as the acceleration is not there, and I think this A32 is 400kg more than Perdana.

Get ur facts rite b4 u make a fool out of urself. Nissan's r equally as reliable but very understated.

Back to TS,
As suggested, a VQ25 would strike a balance. 2.0 is way underpowered (heavy body + so-so engine output) while 3.0 makes JPJ staff laugh when u pay for r.tax. But still Nissan's VQ series is among d smoothest of engines available.

Another thing i found out bout A32/A33 s'time back was d reading lite tat gets brittle prematurely.

would you mind stfu if you got nothing to say?



you looks more like a fool to me.

IF TS prefer to listen to good comment only, it's okay.

later he's the one who suffer from repairing.

so many "Nissan Pro" replied to TS, YET no one dare to tell how much fuel consumption ?

did you guys hide the truth?

or you guys just make a fool only? u drive cefiro u duno how much you pay for fuel?

Not to mention some parts are much cheaper than Toyota/Mitsubishi.

FC-wise my dad's friend had one unit A32 3.0L, his FC was around 10km/L. Bear in mind that he travels highway quite often, I think it is pretty bad. He sold it for a Nissan Teana

This post has been edited by boonfunauto: Apr 29 2012, 03:02 PM

1 is my Nismo club fren who owned B11, B13, B14 ( not SR20DET yet ), and N16.

another 1 is sharing during car service.

he put his A32 at workshop more than his house.

so TS, it's your choice. i dont want say too much, here's too many "Nissan Pro" , u better ask them for fc since it's your concern.

errrrrrrrrr....are they all have ECU problems? or they all have different problems? sometimes ppl who don't know how to take care of their cars always complain got problems, we all know what really causes them, your "Nismo club friend" doesn't equal to know it all, if his cars are so unreliable, either he's an idiot who doesn't know shxt at taking care of them or he's darn unlucky to have so many problems. As I've said before, of all the cars and all the brands i've used (including contis), Nissan is the most reliable.

and y do u always mention FC? we all know heavy car with big engine FC won't be good. if TS wants a car with very good FC there are other better options

Sorry but I'm open to any pros and cons on this model. All the pros and cons will be taken into consideration when the decision is going to be made. From what I see, FC might be killing, and about the reliability of parts, each and everyone has different opinions. Anyway, all your inputs are valuable to me.

Cheers!

TS,
Just wondering.

Is there any reason(s) u were drawn to d A32? N is there an estimated budget to buy n run d car?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jBXUOvbadE&feature=related
A31

Budget wise, it is a RM30k car. I like the spacious feel, however FC and maintenance will be considered. In fact, I am comparing it with Civic EK as both are around the same price for almost the same car age.

i'm driving a '97 VQ25DE A32

did some minor mods such as K&N drop in, decat, minor bits of air magic, chassis strengthening, upgraded tyres and a few more. never experienced ECU problems as mentioned by some posters above. FYI, i also own N16

problems faced so far: are typical wear and tear items, belts, rotor, pads, suspension, bushes, hardened rubber hoses... you get the drill...

FC wise, my worst was 19km/lit. (eerr.. don't ask why, but it was a very fun drive, and everything else is quite blur)... my best is around 10km/lit, drive about 50/50 city/highway.

fits 4 big sized adults comfortably and 5 normal adults comfortably. power wise 2.5 is the most balanced with road tax if you're picky about it. otherwise, just go for 3.0.
a lot of minor mods can be done to further transform the car into a comfort and much better cruiser.

only think i don't like is the turning radius and the length! harder to park in some kl car parks!

maintenance wise, cheaper than toyota camry (a family member used to drive ACV30 before upgrading to ACV40), not too sure about perdana though...come to think of it, i spent more on enhancing the ride than i repair /maintain it...hhhmm....

you can also get new parts from big distributors such as vanli (they'll order from japan if you don't mind the price), recon parts are also common for the steering rack and compressor...

chop shop wise, no issue at all, since the halfcut of VQ25DE is getting very popular with Naza Ria owners... only thing is to spend a bit of time shop around and bargain for the best price...also upgraded some of my electronics from chop shop purchases...

not to worry on the parts most of the 2.0 to 3.0 family can be used with each other (and across models too!) like A32 shares the same part number for the air filter with N16...

it's a good buy when you find one in a good condition, but then again, your luck may vary.....

good luck bro in your quest!

if you are interested, my mechanic's friend is selling his 2.0 year 2000 after upgrading. you can PM me for his contact if you're interested...

This post has been edited by chteo: Apr 30 2012, 01:05 AM

Did u reverse it as in best fc is 19 km/l? I mus say tat 's very good

ooppsss...my bad, it was supposed to be 19.2L/100km, and 12L/100km, this was tracked for about 22,000km

Thanks chteo for your valuable inputs on this model. I will look into this cautiously as you said, to look for a good used unit. Anyway, I'm still keeping my option open.

Another candidate in tat price range n similar class is d XV20 Camry 2.2GX 98/02.

Its inline-4 5S-FE is not as smooth as d VQ, but wit 2.2litres I s'wat feel it more reponsive than wit VQ20DE. Personally love tis car n would like owning it if got ppl proving tat d 3SFE/3SGE/3SGTE from d Celica will fit without major probs.

Actually my house have a Camry already, even though it is a newer version (my dad is driving it). So I'm thinking of getting other model.

I've got Nissan Cefiro '99 2.0. The service costs are rather low, the parts are available from what I saw from the catalogs, but haven't replaced much. Just normal wear & tear - like tyres, battery and yeah, air con.

The ride is super smooth, on a highway 140-150 km/h is fine, in the city it's a little bit large to park (I live in Penang).

FC: city - 15l/100 km, with jams, of course. highway - 8-10l/100 km depending on the speed.

Spacious, I'm 196cm tall after all.

Would get the same car if went back in time.

Owned a 97 cefiro 2.0. Still running. Maintenance jus like any ordinary Jap car.
2.0 is entry level model, off coz it is not as powerful as 2.5 or 3.0.
Since u r getting second hand what matter is the condition u r getting. If d owner maintenance as good as mine, i don't mind getting another one for my family member.

This is an Awesome thread for another Sei Fei Lou lover.

I am also planning to get a used 99-01 model. I used to love it but then of course it was like when I was a kid. A month back a friend bought a 2nd hand for 27k cash and I was loving the 2.0.

I have to agree with some the pickup was rather mellow when I was test driving it, a persona overtook me just like that the min we left the toll.

So is the 2.5 Model really the sweet spot in terms of power and maintainance? I humbly request more feedback on this from you Sifus of the car world to share your thoughts.

Like CH Teo mentioned, the 2.5 model is great balance between power n roadtax but how much more are the parts as compared to the standard 2.0 - 3.0?(Average). Im looking at a maximum mod of just the engine, while keeping everything else ori.

And for those who bought used cars, what are the things should I look out for. Im a virgin buyer seriously and if this pulls through, this will be my first car honestly.

---

Added on October 22, 2012, 11:53 amOh Yeah, one more thing, how much is the roadtax and insurance for the 2.0 / 2.5/3.0?

This post has been edited by Marksmensrea: Oct 22 2012, 11:53 AM

Haha, you are right, Nismo club and these club members like to modify their ride to extreme, so please don't just use your Nismo friend problem to represent all of the Nissan vehicles, I have been driving Nissan since 20 years ago and I have never faced the so call ECU problem to date, unless you modify it, such as remap the ECU, yeah, this is one of the thing those Nismo club members used to do because they like to modify to make their car more HP and torque.

Im just curious,the 3.0 model is now already cheaper than the 2.5 right ?

Must say that I am also quite interested in Cefiro, especially with the price now hovering between 25K to 35K....unfortunately no cefiro during 2005 onwards, as TC didnt bring in this model until Teana arrived...

Was quite surprise that someone mention ECU problem, as i never heard of this before, u see, ECu is not easily kong,,,unless car experience near death accident or submerge in water....i dont think remap and stuff can cause ECU failures, as some will automatically reset to default mode, as such cannot be remap...

The only common complaint is this car's a drinker...not sure how serious it is, but understandable if you look at the size - Japanese version of Volvo,,,another thing to seriously think about is the 2.0 V6 engine, as i understood, V6 is not easy to maintain - appreciate feedback on this for Ceffie...

Ohh btw, i owned N16 - bought 2nd hand - no problems after 9 years (touch wood)...but of cos N16's parts are easily and cheaply available as version 2000 to 2012 all using the same engine block - or maybe TS can look for Sentra N16 - get 1.8, good power and pick-up...

both cases i stated there also i never mention they "mod" it

who tell you that they mod and fail???

so dont be smartss over there ok?

if you cant accept the fact, then face it bro.

why need to be so egoism ?

you own a cefiro doesnt means cefiro never break down aint?

you drive Nissan for 20 years, how much cost you spend to repair it to keep it in mint condition?

dont you mind sharing ?



you never heard doesnt means it never exist ok.

i only can say your experience is shallow.

simple as that.

people who cannot accept the truth only will deceive you guys.

Who is the one act smartest at first, labelled all Nissan car got ECU problem just because of your friend get the lemon or already modified in the first place. I have driven Nissan for more than 20 years and the cost of maintaining is just those wear and tear parts, and my previous Sentra N16 clocked 380K km without any oil burning porblem, ECU problem, just changed 3 times the absorbers, tires, oil, oil filter, brake pads, brake oil, gear oil, viper... You are the one should face the fact, and please go to get more experience before typing at here, shallow minded! wah lau! still want to argue when someone already corrected your false claim earlier!

Dear all,

check carsurvey.org

Go to Nissan and then Cefiro.

You can hear the people around the world comment on the car.

I almost bought it. But i cannot afford the fc. Overall, it is one of the most reliable cars with less problems.

regards,

newbie, please feelfree to share your Nissan experience rather than start flame here.

u drive nissan for 20 years, mind sharing wat model?

u made my day.

must be damn hurt there spending so much on a nissan.

Darkdevilrey,
Bottom line there and never will b a car tats completely problem free simply b'coz even if d car is perfectly fine out of d factory, other factors like how its driven, where its driven, how itstaken care of, servicing quality n consistency can off set tis. Even ur so-called "dream car" Camry has its fair share of common issues no matter which generation its from. Its just a matter of how well u understand d car.

But ur 1st statement on d ECU for Nissans was probably 1 of d most sarcastic especially when ur highlighting d whole brand. Even if its as common on d Cefiro as u stated, I doubt d VQ20DE/VQ25DE would d top choice for Naza Ria transplants. Ur last entry was not exactly on a good note either. So dun expect any1 to treat tis in a friendly manner. If u wanna continue hammering d brand blindly (its getting more out of topic anyway), go create another thread in Kopitiam n knock urself out.

Back to d Cefiro, hv only heard of d following probs
- average to high fc esp on d 2.0 (spirited driving is not in d 2.0's vocabulary)
- dull gray interior looks
- some owners feedback bout d cabin light tat 'corroded' or 'oxidised' sooner than expected

This post has been edited by Deja Vu: Oct 24 2012, 08:20 AM

Haha, childish! I was wondering you got a valid driving license or not, keep talking shit at here. HAHAHAHA.

Well,

I am a Cefiro owner for last 12 year, own a A32, year 1997, frankly speaking cefiro is kind of reliable car, not much problem ,even the mileage was already 270k, high FC shall be refer to A33 instead of A32, average about Rm0.21/km for Ron95. interior and car part still in good condtion depsite the age of 15 year old.

hi all,
i m driving A32 1997 VQ20DE..recently engine suddenly off while driving during traffic jam or slow moving/low rpm..it happens 6times so far..anyone facing similar problem?..tried to scan using latest launch system but the scanner is not compatible...a few yrs back scanned with old version launch system able to detect the error...any one facing the similar scenario..please share/advise???is it due to air flow sensor/cam sensor/crank sensor etc...prompt advise is appreciated

Get one with SR20DET. You will never look back

No, i dun face this problem before.
try send to a reliable mechanic to check,
it quite easy to detect with experienced mechanic.

I am in full agreement of your conclusion; this car is full of trouble.
just look at the fuel filter location, almost impossible to replace, ...and same if you need to fix the starter or charger...such a complex engine with things crammed against each other.
Mechanics will ask sky high fees to repair because they really do not want to do the job no matter how much you pay.
This is another F-up by Nissan.

A32 is definitely a fuel guzzler. My friend owns one. Good condition and great ride. But fuel is a major problem.