Faults:

Replaced the rear tyres. They weren't worn; they were just too old.

Did a wheel balance on 4 wheels. Judder above 120km/h. Re-aligned the wheels. I suspect the previous owner drove up a kerb too many times.

Rattle under the passenger seat (unsolved).

General Comments:

This review is for the Japanese manufactured 1998 March 1.0 16v 4 door, sold in Singapore for US$33,000 brand new (welcome to Singapore).

Cute looking exterior. Perfect for active girls. Unfortunately I'm not it.

Well appointed interior. Mine came with leather, power mirrors, power windows (4) and airbag as standard.

Seats took a while to get used to, but I'm OK now. Wish they were a little more plush and supportive.

Steering wheel and gear knob are antiseptic treated (what were those japanese boys thinking?).

UV cut glass really keeps the interior cool on a hot day.

Water repellant glass makes it seem like it's got Rain X permanently (I like this feature; makes water bead off without the need for wipers when you go beyond 110 km/h).

Goes really well in town.

Comfortable on the highway as long as it's smooth.

The car loses composure on rough surface.

Overtaking needs a bit of planning ahead.

Handles quite well on those 155 70 13 tyres, but the car will roll quite a bit.

Rear suspension is way too soft. Fine if you're alone. Pack it in, and you're going to bottom out on undulating surfaces.

Quiet interior.

Excellent brakes.

Wish the rear seat was split folding, and was able to fold flat.

Wish the interior floor carpet and boot carpet was a stronger, more robust material. It looks a little flimsy.

Faults:

It overheated more than once. The central locking also went in the driver's side, a new lock was put in.

General Comments:

For a new driver I would highly recommend this car. It was cheap on petrol. It was how easy to park it was that I miss! The seats were not that comfortable, but the interior was nice and the dash wasn't bare.

Faults:

The car has the additional NATS (Nissan Anti Theft System) alarm fitted - this utilises the cars horn as a siren which is quite poor. However, it does provide a handy remote central locking facility. This has failed on over 10 occasions. The failure results in the fact that the remote key fob, when used disables/enables the alarm system but does not unlock the car.

It has been back to the dealer (Brincars Nissan in Staffordshire) on numerous occasions. Although they have provided a fast, polite and efficient service they have failed to solve the actual problem - providing only a short term fix. This is even the case after a replacement alarm control module. Removing the fuse that allows power to the system seems to reset the module and cause it to function correctly. However this is inconvenient - and I am led to believe that this is an inherent problem with no cure.

General Comments:

The car has good performance via its 1.3i 16v engine. However the 1.0 models are more fun to drive.

Apart from the problems indicated above the car has been extremely reliable with not a single problem that has meant it cannot be driven. However I am dissatisfied with the quality of interior trim as it now rattles in some places. Rattles when discovered have previously been taken back to the dealer for prompt rectification.

They are very comfortable but on anything other than a smooth M-Way style surface the car can bump around considerably. The body roll can also be worrying - although the car has never spun out even with intense driving.

As far as running costs are concerned - Nissans economy figures are complete rubbish - it averages around 37mpg. It also eats front tires for breakfast. Servicing costs can also be high. A 'C' service (36,000) is around £200 at the time of writing.

Overall the car is enjoyable to drive and reasonably economical. However can be uncomfortable in some scenarios.

Faults:

Cental locking (added extra, not factory fit).

General Comments:

A great little car. Ideal for urban driving but I have been pleased with its performance and comfort on long trips (bearing in mind the class of car).

It is a four door and passengers are amazed at the space in such a small car.

Faults:

Knocking from rear suspension, noise from tailgate trim, both sorted by dealer under warranty with no hassle.

General Comments:

Very reliable, well put together car, CVT auto is great, hardly any penalty on performance or economy. 3 year warranty a real bonus.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Excellent package. Gets from A to B reliably and cheaply.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This is my second Micra. The improvements in the 98 model are not just cosmetic (bumpers, bonnet, lights etc). The car is genuinely quieter and more refined. Steering/stability improved. The gearbox is not quite as slick as before however (although this is a minor quibble). Air con too!