Junkyard Find: 1990 Nissan Axxess
Last week, we saw a 1990s Japanese car that was sold for just a single model year in the United States, and now we're going to follow it up with another. Meet an incredibly rare US-market Nissan Axxess, now residing in a self-service car graveyard between Denver and Cheyenne.
The Axxess was the second-generation Nissan Prairie. The first-generation Prairie had been sold in North America as the Stanza Wagon, and it competed for sales here against the likes of the Honda Civic Wagovan, the Toyota Tercel wagon, and the (Mitsubishi-built) Dodge/Plymouth Colt Vista.
The Axxess was the sort of Japanese mini-MPV that proved to be incredibly well-suited to its homeland but not so much in the United States, with its long-distance driving on high-speed interstates.
In Canada, the Axxess was sold all the way through 1995, but the United States got it for just the single model year. After that, American car shoppers seeking a Nissan van had to settle for either the Ford-built Quest or the Nissan Van (nearly every example of which got recalled, bought back and crushed in 1994, due to engine fires).
This one has the base five-speed manual transmission.
It traveled nearly 200,000 miles during its 35-year career.
It appears to have begun its life on the road in Florida.
I couldn't find this van in any of the Nationwide Productions videos.
It appears that its final drive was an exciting one.
The hatch glass has been replaced with a plastic sheet bolted in place. Where would you get a factory replacement? Japan, of course.
The engine is the 2.4-liter KA24E, same as the one used in the 1990-1992 Nissan Stanza in the US.
It drives like a… hippopotamus?
Its coefficient of drag embarrasses the Porsche 911. It's the first sports car for parents!
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
1990 Nissan Axxess in Colorado wrecking yard.
[Images: The Author]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Hagerty and The Truth About Cars.
More by Murilee Martin
Comments
Join the conversation
Thanks for mentioning the Stanza wagon, jogged my memory. One of History's greatest vehicles for sightlines. Toss the rear headrests and the driver had 360° of life saving visibility.
Near 200k miles...my hat is off to the little beast!! A new set of tires, and the little bugger would probably roll for another 50K trouble free miles.
Try getting that with the current tin foil 3 pot turbo engines and rubber band (CVT) transmissions....good luck!!
Wish I could go Back to the Future and grab a handful of '90s cars and bring them forward to today. 🚗🚗🚗