After having my Pulsar Plus stolen while I was at work one day, there was a N15 shaped hole in my heart.
But after a few months a British Racing Green (as I like to call it) SSS showed up on Facebook marketplace.
Not knowing how to drive manual yet, I had the seller drive me around the hills, I was happy with what I saw and $1200 bucks later I had a car that my friend drove home for me.
The SR20 engine squeezed into that engine bay is an awesome thing. Decent low down torque yet it could rev out to the stars. From memory it was up over 8,000 RPM. The aftermarket muffler had it sounding pretty neat for a 4 cylinder. Fuel economy around 8L/100km was the usual for my suburban mix.
Driving in traffic could be a little annoying as 1st gear was locked out until you were at walking pace, but torque and 2nd gear would get you through. 100km/h was at 3000rpm, which was a bit loud for listening to podcasts, but not enough to put you off road trips. This means you could shift 1-2-5 onto the freeway when using all of 2nd gear. And shifting through the 5 speeds added to the joy. A longish throw all but added to the fun of rowing into each notchy gear. Having driven a 2nd gen Mazda 3 shortly after, i much prefer shifting with my arm than just my wrist. Me and the boys had some fun trying to find a clutch fluid resoviour on this cable clutch system. The pedal wasn't heavy, but wasn't overly communicative either.
I had bought this car with what look like King Low springs already installed. The "metro bus seat material" trimmed sports seats held you in well as it corners very flat through the hills, with the tendency to oversteer at the limit, and felt disinterested in any forms of lift-off fun. The steering wheel was on the smaller side, making the rack feel faster, which felt great.
Cupholders were nowhere to be seen, much like in most cars of this era. The rear seats could fold almost flat when pushed down, or could become level when folding forward the rear seat base into the rear seat footwell. Perfect for drive-in cinemas. Mirrors are tiny, but visibility is excellent when looking over your shoulders. That coupled with an awesome turning circle made parallel parking a joy instead of a chore. Speakers in the front doors and rear parcel shelf mean you can pump some decent sound with some cheap speakers and a deck.
If you are looking to dip your toes into some club racing, this is another area where this car shines. I had raced a few hillckimb events once I got this, as it was a car I was okay crashing and replacing. It does a pretty good job in the 2000cc and under category, and is a blast to drive at 11/10.
Unfortunately, immobilizers weren't standard fit on the N15 Pulsars, meaning if you're only using a club lock at work and the shops, and not at home, you may end up in a situation like I was, bags packed and ready for a weekend in Marysville with no car to put them in.
My SSS was never seen again after December 27th, 2019. It was my second N15 stolen. Only an insane person would get a 3rd one. It didn't stop my friends sending me listings. It didn't stop me toying with the idea.