Nissan NX (N13) review: a 90s JDM curiosity Bahrain never really got
2.7/5MotorsSouq Editorial Team
There is no realistic path to buying an NX through a Bahraini dealer, and almost none through the local used market either — this is strictly personal-import territory for a buyer who already knows the SR20DE platform and has a plan for parts. As a driver's car it earned its reputation; as a Bahrain purchase, budget for shipping, right-hand-drive reality (most surviving cars are JDM), and a total absence of local dealer support before you commit.
Pros
- SR20DE is a proven, well-documented, tunable engine
- Light chassis with genuinely sharp handling for its era
- Removable T-bar roof panels
- Real rarity value for JDM collectors
Cons
- Never sold through GCC dealers — zero local factory support
- Almost all surviving cars are JDM right-hand-drive imports
- Parts mean specialist importers, not a Nissan Bahrain counter
- Essentially unfindable on Bahrain's ordinary used-car market
The NX arrived in 1991 as Nissan's attempt to give the Sentra platform a genuinely sporty coupe body, and the NX2000 variant — 2.0-litre SR20DE, the same engine family that powered the well-regarded Sentra SE-R — earned real praise from period reviewers for sharp turn-in and a chassis that rewarded being driven hard. None of that history involves the Gulf: Nissan never sold the NX through GCC distribution, and it left production after 1993, well before the region's used-import market matured.
What owning one in Bahrain actually means
Any NX on the roads here today arrived through a personal import, most likely as a Japanese-market car with right-hand drive rather than the North American left-hand-drive NX2000. That single fact changes the ownership case entirely: parts sourcing means Japan or specialist SR20 suppliers rather than a Nissan Bahrain counter, and insurance and inspection paperwork for a decades-old personal import needs sorting before the car ever gets driven daily.
The T-bar removable roof panels and the light, tossable chassis are the reasons this car still has a following among people who specifically look for early-90s Japanese front-drive coupes. They are not reasons for a first-time classic buyer to start here — the SR20DE is a known, tunable engine with a healthy specialist community, but that community is built around JDM enthusiasts, not the Bahraini dealer network.
Treat the NX as what it is: a driver's-car footnote rather than a Bahrain used-car category. If the chassis and engine specifically interest you and you already have an import and parts plan, it rewards the effort. If you are shopping for a reliable used coupe with local support, look elsewhere in this catalogue.