1992 Nissan Stanza review | Car Reviews

Like millions of other citizens of the planet, I am confined to house simply because of the coronavirus pandemic. Luckily, the magic of the World-wide-web allows me to continue on my work and talk with all of you.

The challenge is that the press vehicles that are designed out there to us each individual week for street checks are also in confinement.

A catastrophe? No. In the grand scheme of matters, not in the the very least. Correct now, there are matters that are a large amount a lot more critical than a evaluate the most recent version of the Toyota Corolla, let us say.

However, you can find no probability we are heading to stop our street checks. Specified my mad like for old cars, you can count on me to present you with a couple gems whilst we wait for matters to get back again to some form of usual.

And to begin, why not go with the car I am turning to in these most strange situations to get about when I do depart the dwelling? That would be a… 1992 Nissan Stanza.

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1992 Nissan Stanza, a few-quarters rear

A premonitory invest in
In the summer months of 2018, for the duration of 1 of my many digital journeys about the World-wide-web, I arrived throughout an advert for this 1992 Stanza. Five matters caught my attention: the rarity of the model, its low mileage (90,600 km), the fact that it’s geared up with a five-velocity guide gearbox, its quite suitable over-all problem, and previous but not the very least, its cost of $1,650.

What is a lot more, the car was situated pretty much 5 minutes from where by I was at that moment. For the cost requested, did I have nearly anything to eliminate by obtaining a backup journey at that cost? Nope.

A take a look at to the garage where by it was parked was immediately arranged and a couple minutes afterwards a deal was struck. The day right before I took possession, a freak incident resulted in a shattered back again window. The cost was renegotiated under $1,000 and with the assist of a friend in the auto parts small business, I was able to locate the proper substitute part. Past that, a couple repairs to the entrance suspension had been necessary, but in the stop I located myself with a car in ideal mechanical problem, at a cost of under $2,000.

And some thing advised me that this car was heading to serve me 1 day when I truly needed it. I could never have guessed under what conditions.

1992 Nissan Stanza, interior

Ahead of I get to my evaluate, a shorter history of the Stanza is in order.

The ancestor of the Altima
In scenario you did not know, the Stanza is the ancestor of the Altima. In fact, the 1992 edition I now own was the previous for the model.

The Stanza’s origins extend back again to the early nineteen seventies in Japan in the sort of the Nissan Violet, a car marketed below in Canada under the identify Datsun 510. The identify Stanza to start with appeared in other places in the entire world some time about 1977, but it wasn’t until finally 1982 that it designed its debut below. That was when the Nissan identify replaced Datsun, which experienced been employed considering that the brand’s inception.

When the 1982-1986 era of the Stanza arrived on the market, it was a reasonable success. In 1982, Nissan marketed 59,152 Stanzas in the U.S., an maximize of 27{7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} over the previous year of the Datsun 510. However, even with a file year in 1985 with sixty four,398 sales, the model lagged driving its competition, namely the Mazda 626 (92,839 models), the Toyota Camry (128,132 models) and the Honda Accord (268,420 models).

Despite its plain attributes, the Stanza never very lived up to professional anticipations. The much larger Maxima did improved when it joined the Nissan lineup. A new era of the Stanza was introduced in 1987, but it endured from an underwhelming powertrain and was quickly replaced, in 1990 to be actual, by still a further new version.

The injury, however, was accomplished. The Stanza was on borrowed time and it was with a wholly redesigned car in 1993, the Altima, that the Japanese automaker was ultimately be able to count on a important participant in the mid-size sedan section.

My Stanza
Its history would make of the Stanza a marginal car, and 1 that that has develop into relatively scarce over time. Higher than all, it is really not at all sought soon after by collectors, in fact it is really worthless on the market. Get in touch with me mad, but I like the audio of all that just great!

And that is why I really don’t be reluctant to use it in all sorts of cases and conditions. In contrast, I wouldn’t dare acquire out my 1967 Dodge Polara or any of my other old vehicles at this time of year. And there’s the fact my ’92 Stanza is not exactly in showroom problem.

1992 Nissan Stanza, entrance stop

Even now, it has been relatively perfectly-preserved, for an unloved old model. As you can in all probability guess, it’s been given its share of rustproofing treatment plans, which certainly aided it make it in 1 piece to 2020. The little bit of wear and tear it reveals is perfectly in purpose. Same applies inside of, where by the seat materials are not torn, just light and stained in some sites the steering wheel has missing its authentic lustre. The dashboard, although, is in quite good problem and the instrument panel is as good as new.

The air conditioning functions like a attraction, as do the radio and cassette participant. And that of study course was the ideal justification for me to drag a couple artifacts out of a shoebox in my closet so I could listen to the stuff I’d used appreciable time placing on my tapes in my teenagers. Magic!

1992 Nissan Stanza, cassette deck!

At the wheel
That is all enjoyable, but the finest part of suffering from this car starts the moment I get driving the wheel and acquire it on the street. The generate is not comparable to any supplied in present-day vehicles, for the old Stanza comes up perfectly shorter in conditions of power, place, engineering, comfort, braking capability, handling, soundproofing, gas overall economy and a host of other facets.

And none of that issues, simply because the car’s connection to the street is as direct as could be. Of course, the steering is power-assisted, as is the braking, but the “assist” part isn’t intrusive. Compare that to modern day cars, which most typically give you the impression of driving a pc on wheels. Right here, there’s just no doubting the 1 in command of the vehicle is… you.

Mechanically, Nissan designed some adjustments for this previous era of the model, so that power is actually very adequate many thanks to a 2.4L 4-cylinder motor good for 138 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque. And lest you think that is outrageously puny, those people figures are virtually the same as those people supplied by the current Nissan Qashqai and its 2.0L 4-cylinder (141 and 147).

1992 Nissan Stanza, under the hood

1992 Nissan Stanza, motor

Generous torque would make all the big difference in making for a beneficial generate in next and 3rd gear, you can truly really feel it when you’re in decreased RPMs. With the proper stability of gear modifications, the power out there can be totally exploited and the model’s overall performance is downright astonishing.

Nissan’s formal gas intake ranking for the ’92 Stanza was ten.7L/a hundred km in the town, 8.1 L/a hundred km on the freeway and nine.8L/a hundred km combined. Given that proudly owning the car, my normal ranking has been nine.five L/a hundred km.

Not bad at all, for an 18-year-old car.

Conclusion
That is excellent, but in the stop the smile trapped on my facial area when I get driving the wheel of this Stanza is what’s truly value its pounds in gold. In this time of exam-car deprivation, as I acquire a crack from the most recent, tech-large miracles of automotive engineering, I am thoroughly enjoying my basic car, my old tapes and the remarkable visibility, so a lot improved than in numerous of the cars generated now.

And, most importantly, all for fewer than $2,000. Let us say that is value at the very least a corner of that major smile pasted on my facial area.

1992 Nissan Stanza, entrance profile

We like

Amazing visibility
Manual gearbox
Worth for funds
Suitable intake
Folks inquiring me: “What the heck is this model?’
Pleasurable to generate
The cassette participant
Electrical power home windows nonetheless performing
The heater is successful
Less costly than a cruise

We like fewer

Cruise command has checked out for good
The interior clock doesn’t show each individual day
Air conditioning no more time functions
Driver’s aspect door requires a critical adjustment
The brakes are jumpy
Not comfortable rear seats
Weak battery
Wants some work to get back again into leading shape (like all of us!)
No basic safety features to discuss of
It cost me a lot more than a week in Cuba

The competitiveness

Honda Accord
Toyota Camry
Mazda 626
Chevrolet Corsica
Pontiac Tempest
Ford Tempo
Mercury Topaz
Subaru GL
Buick Skylark