Used Nissan Serena review and buying guide (1993 to 2000): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Nissan Serena should you buy?

Buy a petrol Serena, not a diesel. There's only one generation, sold from 1993 to 2000, so there's no newer version to hold out for and the choice comes down to the engine and how the car's been looked after. The diesels are the weak ones, for reasons covered under engines, and the petrols only make sense with proof of regular oil changes.

Don't expect it to drive like a car whichever one you pick. The Serena's a crude design built in Spain on a commercial van base, and it's an unpleasant thing to drive. What you get is seven or eight seats in an old, simple package, so buy it for the space and judge each one on its mileage evidence and paperwork rather than the badge.

Which Serena engines are the safe choices?

A petrol is the better bet, as long as its oil's been changed on time. The 1.6 petrol in particular needs regular oil changes, so a 1.6 with a thin or patchy history isn't the bargain it looks. One with a steady run of oil-change receipts is the one worth taking for a test drive.

Avoid the 2.0 and 2.3 diesels. The whole drivetrain drones and lurches like an old bus, which makes any longer trip hard work. If you do look at one anyway, watch the exhaust from cold and under hard acceleration: heavy smoke points to dirty injectors or a clogged air filter, and that's work you'd be taking on.

What should you check when viewing a used Serena?

Treat the mileage with suspicion first. Assume any Serena could be an ex-airport taxi that has covered more miles than the clock shows, and match the reading against old MOT certificates, service stamps and invoices. Wear on the seats, pedals and steering wheel that doesn't fit a low figure is a warning sign, and so is a history with long unexplained gaps.

Count the side doors before you go: some Serenas have two, others only one, and that matters if you're loading children from the kerb. Work every electric window up and down, because they're known to stick. On a petrol, ask for oil-change receipts at regular intervals. On a diesel, check for heavy exhaust smoke.

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