Why would anyone buy a Nissan Pulsar even with the large discount when you can get a better spec Suzuki Baleno for less money with a better engine and just as much rear leg room? Nissan Europe are no more than a division of Renault, its sad to see how they have turned out

To be honest, many other main Far Eastern makes offer superior cars, and I would go for one of them even if second hand over a new Pulsar, unless I could get one of those 35%+ discounts, and I really needed a new or nearly new car pronto.

Whilst the latest Qashqai is their best effort for a number of years, I agree that its sad that they are a 'second tier' operation now, with very little market share in comparison to the 1980s and 90s. I previously owned a K11 (1996) Micra as my first car - a lovely little thing, and at that time there were loads around, not so many Sunnys & Almeras, but quite a few Primeras, especially the very nice early to mid 90s models, which were (apart from slightly suspect gearboxes) very nice cars indeed and worthy rival to the Mondeo, even in the handling department.

Not sure why they endured financial problems, presumably the reason for their tie-up with Renualt, but they certainly got the worst of the deal in my view over the longer term. A better deal would've been for something similar to that which Mazda went for with Ford, so that eventually they could get back on their own feet again. Sadly, I think that chance has gone, for good. If all Nissans are are essentially re-badged Renaults, then that's sad.