Used Nissan Pulsar review and buying guide (2014 to 2018): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Nissan Pulsar should you buy?

There's only one Pulsar, sold from 2014 to 2018, so the choice comes down to engine and history rather than years. The 1.2 DIG-T petrol is the one to be careful with: it has a known fault across all those years, undersized piston rings that make it burn oil, and Nissan issued a technical bulletin on its oil consumption in 2016. The 1.5 dCi diesel doesn't draw those complaints, but there's too little on record to call it a safe bet.

Don't assume a later DIG-T has escaped it, because the piston ring fault covers cars right through to 2018, so a 2017 car deserves the same oil checks as a 2015 one however low its mileage. That makes history worth more than mileage: one owner who bought a 2016 car in 2018 found Nissan couldn't trace any servicing at all, then heard a ticking engine could need replacing at their own cost. Pass on a DIG-T with gaps in its history.

Which Pulsar engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The 1.2 DIG-T 115 petrol is the engine to treat with care. On cars from 2014 to 2018 its piston rings are undersized, so it burns oil, and that leads to a stretched timing chain and, in the end, engine failure, usually showing up between 40,000 and 80,000 miles. One 2015 car got through 1.5 litres in 6,000 miles and another litre soon after, and its dealer said it needed new piston rings.

Another 2015 car had a software update and a 3,000-mile oil test, with a new engine offered if nothing improved. Other DIG-T reports are about how it runs: one owner's car cut out with a clunk when slowing for junctions in second or third gear, and another, bought new in 2016, had its timing-drive pulleys fail twice within 15 months.

The 1.5 dCi diesel has one owner report against it: a 2015 car threw spurious system-fault alarms, seemingly from the stop-start, after heavy braking down steep hills, and they cleared once the engine was restarted. That's a thin record, not proof it's trouble-free. Whichever engine it has, check the clutch, as one 2016 car's failed at 6,000 miles and a 2017 car needed a clutch and dual-mass flywheel at 22,000.

What should you check when viewing a used Pulsar?

On a DIG-T petrol, pull the dipstick before anything else: a low level on a car that's supposedly just been serviced is a bad sign. Ask the seller how often they top it up and whether the low oil warning keeps coming on. Black smoke from the exhaust or a rattle from the timing chain points to the piston ring fault, and Nissan's bulletin adds hesitation and extra engine noise to the list.

On the drive, slow right down for a junction in second and third gear, then pull away briskly: cutting out or a sluggish response is what one DIG-T owner couldn't get rid of. Listen for ticking or whining from the engine bay, and make sure the clutch bites cleanly without slipping.

Ask for any paperwork from an oil consumption investigation or piston ring work. Then try the electrics, because single owners have had the satnav screen go blank, an intermittent rear camera fault, faulty central locking and air-con that didn't work after a regas.

Recall work is worth asking about too. Thousands of 2015 to 2018 cars were recalled because the rear door child lock switch could lose its grip, and 2014 to 2016 cars had their engine computer reprogrammed so a failed rear oxygen sensor brings up a warning. Some 2014 and 2015 cars with automatic headlight levelling also needed it set up again, as the beams could aim wrong with a heavy load in the back. Get proof the recall work was done.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Nissan Pulsar cost to run?