Good learner car and runaround (Nissan Micra 1.0 L)

Member Name: BlaEm

Product:	Nissan Micra 1.0 L
Date:	06/11/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap as chips to run, engines seem to last forever

Disadvantages: doesn't like the rain!

I have to say, if you are a young driver looking for something to get you through your test and beyond, I couldn't recommend the ('older' style) Nissan Micra enough.

My dad and sister both had the 'boxy' models and they just lasted them forever, so when I was looking for a starter car I decided that a Micra was the way to go. I currently have a 'bubble shaped' 1995 N-reg which I bought in 2005.

In the last 4 years I haven't had to spend a penny on it to get it through it's MOT, despite doing the average 10,000 miles a year. I had to get the tyres replaced a couple of times and recently had to replace the exhaust, but these are all minor expenses you'd have with any car.

The Micra uses hardly any oil, although they recommend that it is changed every 6 months (not nearly as pricy as a full service)

I also find that for a 1.0 the Micra is a nippy little thing - although if you were inclined to push it above 70mph I think it might start to complain. I used to drive the 120 mile round trip to and from university on the M25 quite comfortably, though.

There are a few downsides: sometimes when it gets wet, the car won't start. This happens to me every 6 months or so and takes a bit of WD40 on the sparkplugs to kick start it; I've heard this is a fairly common problem due to the cars design. I also don't think mine is especially economical, although this seems to be the exception to the rule (or I'm doing something wrong when I'm driving it!)

Also, mine is the very very basic model and sometimes it would just be nice to have a rear windscreen wiper and a boot pop!

However, if you're looking for a car that is fairly cheap to run and insure and will get you from A to B, the Micra is generally reliable and will keep on going until the engine falls out. Apparently the newer ones (02 onwards) aren't as good (but what do I know?) but I'd definitely consider getting an upgrade of my model when mine finally does bite the dust.

Summary: I spent more on my first car, an H-reg oil-guzzling Fiesta, in 3 months than I ever have on my Micra

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