1991 Nissan Micra GS 1.2 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Fine Japanese design and engineering

Faults:

Rough idle. Traced to a loose vacuum hose and fixed in 5 minutes.

General Comments:

A worthy successor to the Datsun Cherry and Sunny. Extremely reliable and well built. In the UK, it outlasts all other small model cars from the period. And that's a fact:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/features/nissan-micra-443911.html

It does not rust easily, unlike the British-built successor Micra, the K11.

For a shopping trolley, the handling is sharp, with a crisp throttle response. Gear ratios are close, but fifth is fine for cruising at 80 MPH. A tailgate rattle is the only noise on bumpy surfaces, and that was easily fixed. Great visibility and lots of light in the cabin. You feel the bumps on rough London roads, though. Front seats are comfortable on a longer journey. Brakes are OK; it's pretty hard to lock them up.

Servicing is a breeze, except for the annoying location of the oil filter. The only thing that lets it down is its poor safety in a crash, but then it was designed way back in 1982. From the glory days of Nissan.

Highly recommended for the price. Forget about that nasty old Peugeot 205 or Fiesta you were looking at, swallow your pride and get a Micra.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th September, 2010

22nd Aug 2012, 05:46

OP here. I recently had an offer to buy the Micra for twice what I paid for it (I paid £300). OK, so that's nothing, but it's the first car I've had that has doubled in value within a year. Everyday classic status on its way, I think. I kept the car. Just too much damn fun to drive.

1991 Nissan Micra LS 1.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Fantastic value for money!

Faults:

Oil leak. Only minor, fixed for less than £70.

Rust. Well it is 17 years old, and it's nothing a sander and some primer couldn't fix.

General Comments:

This car will start no matter what you throw at it; first turn of the key and you're away.

Incredibly light, fast acceleration and tackles tight corners easily. This means the lack of power steering isn't a problem.

Rust is always a problem on the K10, however the rust only seems to attack the parts that are easy to replace, such as the driver's side wing.

If you can buy the 1.2 GSX model, it has the little extras that make driving a bit more comfortable. Such as vanity mirrors in the sun visors, an analogue clock, door pockets, boot light, colour coded bumpers (very rare to find) and most importantly a 5 speed gearbox. However the 1.0 LS is a great model, plus most of the GSX parts will bolt straight onto the LS. So if you know a good scrapyard you could make a lovely little car for pennies.

One factor you must take into consideration, the K10 has next to zero resale value. Which means when you come to sell your Micra, you can't seriously expect more then £500.

However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't spend money on the Micra; the Micra will save you money as soon as you get it on the road, tax is cheap for it, it's incredibly economical, it's cheap to insure, and most importantly that Micra engine. I think the best way to describe the engine would be, it always starts and never stops. That engine must be the most well built and reliable engine on the planet, it would take an army to kill it.

So by all means buy a CD player, maybe think about dropping a 5 speed box in your LS. And when it comes to selling, don't think of the money you've spent on it, think of the money it's saved you!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th May, 2008

1991 Nissan Micra LS 1.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Basic Motoring At It's Best

Faults:

First I replaced the side mirror because I accidently hit another car.

Over heated because I didn't check the coolant level, This caused the water hose to leak.

This was my fault.

General Comments:

The Nissan Micra LS was the first car I owned it was a sky blue 3 door hatchback with 998cc 4 cylinder 8 valve SOHC engine which produced 54hp.

Obviously this is no performance car.

The Nissan Micra is a good basic car. It doesn't look that bad and the interior is very simple.

The car is fun to drive and it handles well. The steering and 4 speed gearbox are not bad.

The engines reliability is truly the best thing about this car.

Mr. A Khan.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th October, 2007