# Goodbye Quattro & Hello ..... Errrr ......... Micra!!!



## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

Despite loving it with a passion my 1990 Audi coupe quattro was proving too expensive to run (& fix) so I reluctantly sold it a couple of weeks ago









I wasn't sure what to replace it with ... all I knew was that it had to be more economical & reliable & that I didn't really want to get anything under 1300cc's as this size still gives decent performance while remaining economical. I looked at Ford Ka's but all the ones I looked at, within my budget, were a bit too rusty & a bit too "lived in" - they're in demand though & sell well privately, but they apparently have a reputation in the trade for being rot boxes & I talked to a couple of dealers who wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. Saxo's & 106's were also considered but finding an unmodified/unthrashed Saxo is a problem & 106's were either too basic in spec or too high in spec (& therefore too expensive). Also having been spoilt for the last few years I wanted power steering & 106's with this option are quite rare &/or beyond my meagre means. Also the French cars have wet liner engines which can be a nightmare to fix & this put me off somewhat too - I had a basic 106 years ago & liked it well enough but the pedals are ridiculously close together & that takes quite a bit of getting used to! VW Lupo's/Seat Arosa's were considered too - they're basically the same car but the Seat is much cheaper that the VW but also, unfortunately, much rarer than the VW too! I found one reasonably close by that sounded just the job (& looked it too!) but by the time I could get to see it it had already sold







!

Anyway after test driving numerous Ka's, Corsa's, 106's etc, & trawling all the banger dealers near me for that elusive low mileage bargain, I ended up with this ......... a 1998 Nissn Micra







It's a world away from the Audi (as you might expect) but still entertaining to drive & pretty well built (much better than the Ka's I tried). These cars are supposed to be fantastically reliable too (so mine's bound to break down next week now I've said that) & they all come with a cracking little twin cam 16 valve engine (either 1000 or 1300cc's) & a 5 speed gearbox. This one's a GX & also has a drivers airbag, the all important power steering, electric windows, a sunroof & even a 10 disc autochanger! Apparently there are lots & lots of tuning bits available for them too which I like the sound of - things like lowering springs, adjustable suspension, uprated anti-roll bars (it needs them!), adjustable panhard rods, strut braces, turbo's, superchargers, uprated exhausts/manifolds etc etc etc etc! They're popular in Australia aapparently & a company over there called Whiteline produce lots of the above bits & pieces. However even if I had the money I'm not sure I'd go the whole hog on the thing - having said that though I'd definitely like to get some alloys for it & maybe a set of lowering springs too - these two mods alone are supposed to transform the handling!

The economy's a revelation too - last week (with lots of stop/start city driving thrown in for good measure) it returned 38mpg which is a figure I could only ever dream about with the Audi - with that I was getting 20/25mpg if I was lucky! I would hope that figure to improve this week too as I'll be using the car less than I did last week.

So there you go this is my new car - despite the bubble styling & roly-poly handling I like it


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## strange_too (Feb 19, 2007)

Nice, slightly different grip level too.

I had a Micra as a courtesy car, when my Mark I Sirocco Storm got hit in 2000. It coped with most things I chucked at it, apart from some nasty understeer round a few roundabouts.

As a cheap runabout it's perfect and pretty bullet proof. "Enjoy"


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2007)

What about a weekend car - obviously personal circumstances dictate.

I run a Volvo V40 1.9 Diesel, I hate driving it, but it does what it was bought for - safe, cheap to run, comfortable, air con etc. But give me any reasonable excuse and a warm day & my backside is in my uncomfortable Scimitar.

Get something pre 1973, free road tax, dirt cheap limited mileage insurance, cheap spares (if you avoid the exotics), easy to fix and it will retain its value if you look after it. Comes in great as a runaround whilst your regular car is being serviced. There are plenty of practical classics around for a grand.

Not so good though in the winter or if you don't like getting your hands dirty.


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

It's hard to believe that you have done that, talk about from one extreme to the other









I had the new version as a courtesy car last week, I don't know if it was the same 1.3 engine that is in yours but it was surprisingly good fun.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

Unfortunately no dosh at the moment for a weekend car but I have plans to buy something for weekends/sunny days one day. Preferably a kit car & currently top of the list is a Fisher Fury (1800 Zetec please







) but it's followed closely by a GTM coupe (the mini based one) I've always liked these little coupes & it wouldn't take up much space in my (imaginery at the moment) garage.

However for the moment the Micra will do me just fine









Here's a very nice Fisher Fury just so you know what I'm blathering on about


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2007)

Fuel economy Paul







loving it


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2007)

Nice !.

Alas in France kit cars seem to be a complete no no. If it aint got a european certificate of conformity it aint coming in !. Its a bit of a joke when you see some of the wrecks being driven around in rural areas.

Even grey japanese imports are an expensive nightmare to register.

SVA approval costs an arm and a leg...........................sometimes I miss blighty.


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## pauluspaolo (Feb 24, 2003)

MarkF said:


> It's hard to believe that you have done that, talk about from one extreme to the other
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hi Mark - good to see you back on the forum









I know it is an extreme change but the quattro had a few problems & I'm glad to be rid of it really - it was in serious danger of becoming a money pit







! It's gone to a mechanic so it should get the fettling that I couldn't afford to throw at it. It was (still is I hope!!) a lovely car but it was expensive to run & look after. However I'd like to think that I haven't finished with 5 cylinder Audi quattro's yet & I'd love another one - maybe a 2.3 20 valver (170bhp) or possibly the turbocharged S2 ......... one day maybe???

I suspect that the new Micra uses a different engine. The engine in my car is a gem & makes for quite a quick car really (though you couldn't actually call it "fast")


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## grey (Apr 29, 2006)

strange_too said:


> Nice, slightly different grip level too.
> 
> I had a Micra as a courtesy car, when my Mark I Sirocco Storm got hit in 2000. It coped with most things I chucked at it, apart from some nasty understeer round a few roundabouts.
> 
> As a cheap runabout it's perfect and pretty bullet proof. "Enjoy"


Howard

Just spotted the new avatar. Like it, get it (I think







). Never thought I'd think 'Poor old Ron'.


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## oldfogey (Nov 29, 2005)

My daughter has a 1.0 Micra (same model) and I enjoy driving it, it's the modern equivalent to the 2CV challenge: how quickly can you drive a lowly-powered car that rolls round corners but has a great gearchange, steering and decent grip. Does lots of mile per gallon and keeps the insurance premiums to ok levels for young people.


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