1991 Nissan Micra LS review from UK and Ireland

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.

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!