2005 Nissan AD Wagon. - Photo by Mario James

No, really. This car come een like cockroach - no matter what you do too them, them cyaan dead. When the used-car market was opened up in the early '90s, Jamaican entrepreneurs were buying them for US$1,500 and selling them for God knows how much more. But they were still affordable to the man on the street.

It was a station wagon (called the Y10) based on Nissan Sunny (B13) mechanical, which means that parts on the global market were available like beach sand. The front was a very unsophisticated McPherson strut, and a plain ol' leaf spring/live axle bringing up the rear. It was mass market engineering at its best. AD Wagon had its roots in the covered wagons of the old, untamed West - but peopled loved them.

Why? Alex, Nipo line and D&S were selling engines at $9,000 a pop - stripped bare but there it was. GA15 engines are still available, but this is 2009. The price has ... well... gone up. A stripped engine, devoid of everything but intake and exhaust manifolds, will go out the door for $23K. A serviceable front rotor cost less than a grand used. Engine mounts can be had for a song and ... well you get the picture. And then there's the after market. A complete front end (ball joints, track rod ends, sway bar rubbers and the like) will set you back $7,000, and that's today's money. Did you know that the B13 Sunny ('90-'93) is still being produced in Mexico? Do the research, it is called the Tsuru over there. This platform will live forever.

Today's modern-looking AD Wagon is of the style and shape before it was introduced to the Jamaican market as the Wingroad, which is sold by Fidelity Motors. The AD Wagon formula is still there, though - simple, no frills, cost effective. Engineering on the cheap. As they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it! This 2005 model is based on the mechanicals of the Sunny B15 but with different body panelling. It has become a bit more sophisticated - no bare metal door tops on the inside and rubber mats - but it is still a car for the masses. It rides rather stiffly, even though it has now got a multi-link rear - but it handles like an unloaded pickup.

All-Wheel Drive

There should be only two engine choices, 1500 and 1800cc, with the 1800 having an All-Wheel Drive (AWD) option. AWD hurts mileage, so unless you really need the added surefootedness stay away from it. Our tester didn't have that option, and my guess is they will be rather thin on the ground. New line Motors sells these wagons starting at $850,000, and for that we got carpets, radio CD, power everything and bucket front seats. The rear seat folded and provided us with enough accommodation to store a new washing machine in its box. It just slid right in!

Engine-wise, the Q15DE put out - and this is from the brochure - 109 hp. While we couldn't get the vehicle's kerb weight - our Japanese isn't that good - our tester managed a 0-60 sprint of just over 10 secs, which is acceptable. The car had more than 35,000 kilos on it, which is admittedly a little low for a commercial vehicle. The ride will rattle the sensitive, but hey - use it for what it was designed for. To move stuff!