Faults:

When I bought the car, there was a rattling noise coming from the timing chain, which meant it was time for a change, so I bought a cheap FAI timing chain kit and my dad replaced it.

After 1500 km or so, I started hearing a whirling noise coming from the engine; I couldn't really track the origin of it, so I just kept driving the car until it got worse. So my dad decided to check if everything was OK with the timing chain; that's when we found out the chain was rubbing the timing chain tensioner, spreading chips of plastics all over the engine, including the oil pan, almost clogging it!

Installed a new cheap timing chain kit and everything happened again, which made me go for a much more expensive timing chain kit (Blueprint); almost 10.000km later and no problems!

General Comments:

It's a little car with rock solid reliability, the 1.3 engine is really flexible and moves really well around town, there aren't many cars with small engines that can keep the pace of the Super S. It looks really good compared to a standard Micras, and it has a lot of equipment for a car that is over 20 years old. The interior has aged really well; there are a lot of 2000s cars with interiors more outdated than the Micra.

I regularly do 300km trips in it, and it's really comfortable, even for people in the back. The only con is that at 120 km/h you're going way past 3000 RPM.

Still runs like a clock, it has a Remus backbox, a Nodspeed 2nd decat and a custom airbox (it has a deep tone, really loud at higher RPM). For stability I also fitted a Cusco front strut bar and a Nodspeed rear strut bar, which has 'sacrificed' the trunk but the car feels really stable now, even at speeds over 130 km/h. It has white OZ Ruote Rally wheels, which makes the car look like a proper rally car. All my friends say they never thought a Micra could look/sound and drive this cool!

If you're on a budget and you're looking for your first car, look no further, the Super S is an amazing car!

Faults:

Rear sills rotten.

General Comments:

Great first car, very reliable, great for getting round town, not sure about the motorway as I've never been on one in it.

The headroom is brilliant, and it's also got a reasonable size boot.

Faults:

Nothing at all. When I bought the Micra, it was already 12 years old, and I kept it for 2 more years without any problem at all.

General Comments:

It was a wonderful car. I gave it to my wife in order not to sell it. I was very sad in the end that I had to let it go.

The only minor issue was that I am a big boy, and it was a small car for me. Great handling.

Faults:

Nothing at all.

General Comments:

Other reviews have mentioned this car as being the class leader for its time. I can certainly confirm this in many ways.

The CVT gearbox is an absolute wonder. It provides an infinite amount of ratios, unlike a standard automatic gearbox. Its efficiency is said to be as good as that of the manual. Approximately 4.4 litres/100km on the highway and 6 litres/100km in town (whatever this is in MPG). This I can easily believe. Acceleration is also extremely good for a car of its size - 0-60 must come up in well under 10 seconds, maybe only about 9. This may put it in the league of Saxo VTS, and older Fiesta SIs, but I did not buy the Nissan to race others' cars! 0-40 is certainly extremely rapid and will surprise drivers in considerably faster and larger-engined cars - great for getting away in town. Watch the tyres though - they are quite thin! However the handling is excellent nonetheless.

A recent 700 mile (1200 kilometre) trip across southern England, driving on some roads which were less than evenly surfaced, proved the Micra's worth as a go-anywhere car. It even handled the motorway respectably - 75mph equates to 3000rpm, which gives excellent economy whilst at the same time being able to remain in the middle lane ahead of most buses and lorries.

Internally, yes it is somewhat spartan compared to most of today's cars, but it does sport accessories like power steering and electric front windows. OK this is the SLX version, top of the range, but many of the Micra's then rivals (Fiesta, Clio) did not even have head restraints in the rear, something which is a feature of this Micra. Air-conditioning and an airbag were even an option, although this particular car is not fitted with them - my only small criticism as it can get quite warm what with the expanse of glass. However there is a sunroof with a sliding cover inside the car to hide it and to stop the sun beating in.

The seats themselves are extremely comfortable - I can regularly drive up to about three hours between rest stops and not experience any backache. Try to drive another small car. even today, but especially from the same era, and you will be hard-pressed to match the comfort levels which the Micra has/had to offer.

All in all, the Micra has served me extremely well, and owing to the low mileage I have no worries about owning it for another few years. I have heard that these engines and CVT gearboxes are good for over 200,000 kilometres. I hope this is true.