Faults:

First of all, within 2 weeks of buying the car the gearbox seized up. This required me to buy a scrap gearbox and have it fitted-not that cheap!!Apparently not an uncommon problem.

Secondly, exhaust fell off. This was not a surprise and is to be expected for a car of this age.

Failed MOT due to steering rack being faulty. New steering racks don't come cheap.

Finally, my radiator fan has packed in, but this shouldn't be too expensive.

General Comments:

Apart from the fact that repairs have cost me a lot of money, the car itself did not. For the use I've got out of it in the past few months it is just about worth what I've paid for it.

When it's going well it's a great little runner-which is comfortable on long trips.

Faults:

Cambelt slipping led to a breakdown. The distributor points must be replaced every 6000 miles as instructed in the manual to avoid a breakdown.

Condensor replaced at 100,000.

Starter motor replaced at 90,000.

General Comments:

This car has had a few breakdowns, but I will admit they all (except one) have been due to me not bothering to get it serviced. The only time the car let me down through no fault of my own was when the cam belt started slipping at 115,000 miles. This led to a breakdown. This was fixed for £80 by the garage.

This car runs so well for its age and still looks shiny 8-) I have taken it to speeds of 95mph. It may do more on a downward slope. Acceleration is good for a 1.0L engine. The car is genuinely very reliable, starts first time. Cold damp winter mornings are not a problem to this car. The seats are comfortable and the car is general is reasonably spacious, plenty of leg room. The boot is smallish (200 litres or so), but good enough. The car doesn't have many extras, but that's surely less to go wrong. The dashboard is well laid out. The car benefits from cheap tax, insurance, parts can be expensive, but you don't need to buy parts often so don't worry about it. Pity a cassette player and clock were not fitted as standard. I do expect this car to last a good few years yet. This car would be ideally suited to students, new drivers, elderly drivers and drivers who just want a run around car. May not be suitable for constant motorway driving though it will do it's best.

Faults:

Condenser in the distributor has let me down twice caused by using Bosch Super Four spark plugs. Have gone back to standard plugs with no problems to date. Just replaced the battery.

General Comments:

This car was well looked after by its last owner and just continues to go well.

This car is quick and cheap to run.

No hesitation in getting another though good examples are hard to find.

Just done a 300 mile trip in mine with no hesitation.

Faults:

One dark, cold night while I was on the motorway, she stopped all of a sudden. I thought that she had run out of petrol and called the AA (rescue service). Refuelling didn't resolve the problem. On further investigation the contact point and condensor seemed to be at fault. Replaced them the next day, and have had no troubles since.

General Comments:

The first thing I replaced was the cam belt (the most notorious killer of Micras). Then, I changed the exhaust, brakes, spark plugs and leads (without going bankrupt). A Mountney steering wheel, Knight Rider lights, compass and a 7-speaker stereo system were among the few cosmetic additions.

Being a 1L automatic, my Micra is naturally a bit sluggish, but using 97-Octane unleaded fuel really improves its acceleration (The maximum speed though remains at 98 miles per hour). Regular servicing and tender care is all she needs to stay in shape. In summary, you can't go wrong at all with a Micra!

Faults:

Cambelt snapped just after acquiring it, even though it had a full Nissan service history. Head gasket blown 14,000 miles after cambelt repair.

General Comments:

Cheap for parts, insurance and road tax. Much better than most small cars of its time.