Boringly Reliable (Nissan Micra (1983-92))

Member Name: flutel

Product:	Nissan Micra (1983-92)
Date:	12/06/09 (86 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hardly ever breaks down or goes wrong

Disadvantages: Looks boring

I am not a car boffin but I have had my Micra for over five years so I know it quite well in a useless-with-engines kind of way. Please excuse the non-technical language.

After being without a car for a while I got a job that needed travel so I bit the bullet and went to the local car lot. Basically, it was any car under £1000 that looked okish. This is not really a great criteria for car selection - and probably those salesmen saw me coming.

Anyway, it was a choice between two budget cars. To be honest, the other car looked better - a bit more modern and I would have gone for that - but the test run changed everything. The other car felt cheap and rattly whilst the Micra had a much smoother drive. It had one previous owner, a doctor. This clinched it and I paid £1000. It was an R registration and had an average number of miles on the clock and a service history.

Appearance and basics
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The car has a slightly boxy appearance - not as funky as the newer models. It has three doors (hatchback). Only the passenger and the nearside windows manually wind down. The seats are a nondescript pattern of a gre/blue colour. It came with a car radio (quickly removed and replaced with cd/radio and better speakers). It has a lever for releasing the bonnet in front of the driver, near the leg area. You need to fiddle around at the front of the car to actually release the catch to open the bonnet which then props up. The engine area is fairly basic and with some poking around, even a person who is relatively useless with cars can identify the important maintenance elements (oil gauge, oil cap, radiator cap, brake fluid, screen wash). A quick look at the manual can instruct you as to what levels are appropriate. It is a 1L engine.

The Manual
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This is very easy to decipher because it has lots of illustrations and the information is organised well on the pages. It is in a landscape type format with clear index and headings - so an auto-duffer like me can navigate my way around it easily, although I rarely have to do this. The only thing I look up quite often is the tyre pressures - because I forget them inbetween inflations. Just recently though, I have discovered a small table of the tyre pressures by the drivers door near the floor of the car. Never mind - it only took me five years to find it.

Speed
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I can't say that I've 'caned it' in this car much. It seems to do about 80mph but over that it does not seem so happy. That's ok though - seeing as the motorway speed limit is 70. I do like to be quite nippy in it from stationary when the lights turn to green - and it can respond quite favourably to one's foot being put down.

Space
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The micra seats five in adequate comfort. The boot is spacious enough for me to ram lots of camping equipment in but I have to organise it carefully.

Micra Reputation
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My daughter's music teacher also had a Micra and when he saw me in mine he said, "Micra's are great. They're boringly reliable."

That is just the sort of thing I like to hear about a car. I don't really care what it looks like, how fast it can go, does it have a flashy cockpit, what racer-boy accessories you can put on it. I'm only really bothered about it getting from A to B - and it's a good job because the Micra has none of those attributes.

Just how boringly reliable has it been?
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Very. I get it serviced once a year and wash it approx twice a year (gasp-it's a white car as well). Otherwise I pay for bits and bobs (brake pads, bulbs, tyres etc). I have had relatively minor matters seen to at the garage but nothing that has made me gasp with horror when told the price. It has been the best car that I have had in terms of not breaking down; I've wasted several years worth of AA money whilst I've had the Micra.
Presently, the car has a faint farty sound as part of the exhaust needs some attention. I'm planning to sort that with the MOT next month. There is little sign of rust.

Conclusion
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Not really a car for those who consider a car as a status symbol - because it looks like a bit of a pensioners car. That's fine for me as I only care about getting there and getting back and with this car I don't have to worry about this.

Summary: If you don't care much about looks or speed - this is a great car

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