Nissan Micra (2003-2006 models), good little cars?

Roaster

Nissan Micras -Kebab delivery cars!

JayGee

chillidoggy said:

TTony said:

How old are you?

Nissan Micra owners have to be either over 65, or under 25 (who choose them for the typically low insurance premiums for Micras, because most Micra drivers are over 65).

What he said, plus they are incapable of travelling at more than 20mph, and have a propensity to stop suddenly when they see Doris and Arthur from the care home.

I've got one (actually the older "blobby" K11 model) and, whileI wouldn't disagree on the observatinson how most ownes drive them it's actually a crying shame because within the very obvious limitations of a 1.0 litre shopping hatch it's actualy a cracking little thing to drive.

Lovely communive steering (no PAS on mine) so you know exactly what the front wheels are doing and can explore the outer limits of available grip (which is actually pretty good on the right tyres) with confidence and surprising levels of mid-trajectory adjustability on the throttle allowing you to get all BTCC on wet roundabouts. Completely wasted on most owners, and seems to reduce owners of more exalted kit to impotent fury as this little blue  thing with the lacquer peeing of the bonnet skates up the inside or around the outside of them on a roundabout[1] for the fourth time in succession.

It actually reminds me of the good bits of an old BMC/BLMC mini...

[1] No I'm not racing or trying to make a point, it's just that conservation of momentum is the most effective way to combine decent point-to-point average speeds with fuel efficiency in/on a low-powered car or bike, that means not slowing down to 15 MPH to approach a roundabout or other road feature which taking visibility and traffic conditions into account can quite safely be negotiated at much higher speed and the fact that you've just overtaken me at 80+ MPH in a highly inappropriate place is your problem not mine.. 

thumpingrug

ddlooping said:

Got a Toyota Aygo in the end.
Groovy lil'car.

I have a C1, had in from new in 2006. They are all basically the same.  I love it and prefer driving it the bigger car.  The steering feels more responsive, though Im sure thats more to do with its being very sort with a wheel at each corner. Nothing has so fare beated teh MX5 we had for a while.

anyway,  Watch out for the water pump.  I had a failure at 30000 miles (the only thing thats really gone wrong).  Daughter was driving at the time and had the sense to stop as soon as she felt something wrong.  Local garage tech chap reckoned that her action saved the engine being totalled.  Its done another 12k since then.

The early models are also know to leak around the windows so depending on the age watch for that as well. Never had an issue with mine.

ddlooping

Thanks, thumpingrug.
How would I go about "watching out for the water pump"?

gilby

http://m.wikihow.com/Tell-if-a-Car's-Water-Pump-Needs-Replacement

ddlooping

Thanks, gilby.