Hi...

BriJ63

Ex. Club Member
I just joined the forum today.
I'm a driving instructor who bought a Micra K12 1.2 as it fitted all the criteria that I needed. Though after owning the car for 2 years I have come round to thinking it's one of the best cars I've owned ( and I've owned a few !! ), it's refinement and 16v engine are great and as you can appreciate 17 year old's find it great fun and easy to drive.
I'm looking to change to a diesel 86 bhp sport later this year, may get a used one if the price is right !!
Anyone have any advice on what I should look for and if the diesel is as good as everyone says. I'll try and get onto the forum as often as time allows, though I'm very busy at the mo !
Best Wishes, Bri.
 
renault makes some decent diesel engines despite their cars are put together using sellotapes so i would think dci should work quite well with k12s.
 
Welcome to the forums!

Not too many of us are k12 spec trained!, but i'm sure someone will let you know soon!! Just steer clear of the 160SR's and you'll be fine!!

Are you looking for the Sport as a learner car, or for your personal use?!!
 
why stay clear of the 160?

the diesel will give you fantasic mpg, the general opinion of people who have owned them rated it quite well.
 
Because most people on here have crashed them saying there's some curse lol!!

I drove a k12 in Spain last week and i can't fault them!
 
I drove a k12 in Spain last week and i can't fault them!

Me neither from when i drove it the previous time. Quite comfy and nippy. Air con & electrics all round and plenty of interior space to store things.
 
i drove a k12 whilst learning to drive..... and it was awefull..

vaugue steering, no clutch feel at all, absolutely no power. eesh. although i wouldnt mind a black 160SR...... maybe even an impul one..mmm
 
Welcome to the forums!

Not too many of us are k12 spec trained!, but i'm sure someone will let you know soon!! Just steer clear of the 160SR's and you'll be fine!!

Are you looking for the Sport as a learner car, or for your personal use?!!

Thanks everyone.... yeah, the sport will be to teach in and personal use. Someone mentioned lack of feel on the clutch, not found that myself but the brakes certainly are difficult to teach learners to be gentle with.... emergency stopping when they need to slow down a bit can catch you out sometimes !! I'm trying to avoid getting a corsa or peugeot mainly because of their reliability or lack of. I genuinly have enjoyed my 2 years of owning the micra but it's refinement on high speed long journeys let it down.. compared to say a Skoda Fabia.
Bri...
 
High Speed and Long Journeys

Even though I had passed my test yesterday the micra I own prevously belonged to my girlfriend, I think it does very well on long journeys as 75% of it's 100,000 miles was done on motorways, the down full is how loud it is in there when you come to a stop you soon realise how loud you've turned the radio up just to drown out the noise. lol.

My instructor has a Corsa the only thing I liked about that was the ability to lower the seat, I had the same function on my sierra.
 
Thats weird, as the brakes do seem normal to me. Saying that though, they feel the same as my k11, which i just so happened to press a little hard on when i test drove it!!! So, for a learner, i would have thought it's just a case of getting used to it, like the bite point for example.

Where abouts are you based? You don't see many learner k12's!!
 
i learnt to drive in clios an then moved to the micra a couple of months after passing my test an i have to admit i have prefered the micra for how easy it is to drive i do have to admit the breaks can be a bit strange sometimes and appear to have a lot of play in them don`t know about the diesels tho as have a petrol k12
 
tbh the petrol engines on motorways can be a bit high reving

the diesel lumps are pretty much a safe bet but remember with a diesel you will have a cambelt that needs changing and a fuel filter both of which the petrols do not have so servicing costs will be slightly higher between the 2

also the diesel engines are prone to getting noisy/rattly but its normal for the type of engine (renault engine)

ive seen diesel learner cars at work and to be fair id rather teach a learner in a petrol as its alot easier for a new driver to pick up

1.4 petrol micra should be fine for both motorway driving and teaching learners
 
Ems your right not many instructors use micra's anymore, the main reason is that Vauxhall, Citreon and Renault offer massive discounts to instructors.
I'm based in North Wales, Anglesey and Bangor beautiful part of the country... Great place for a meet ;)
Got a pupil on test this morning, wish us luck - I get as nervous as them when they go out on test :eek:
Fordy, do they still make a 1.4 ?
Bri...

www.brakefreewales.co.uk
 
Theres quite a few K12 learner cars in my area, and they all seem to work for 1 or 2 companies so i dunno if they are just biased!!

Ive driven the 1.5 diesel K12... (i think its a turbo isnt it?!) and the only thing i would say for a learner car was it had a lag in power, and before i know the engine had caught up with my foot and it wooshed over the speed limit. I found myself lagging it away from junctions and then zooming up the road once it had caught up.

Not as steady as it could be for a learner trying to control and regulate their speed.

I also found the clutch control in the diesel K12 to be a pain in the ass.
 
I've never found the brakes a problem TBH, maybe it just depends what you are used to. French diesel engines are generally indestructible so i assume the dCi will be reliable for you.

I have found the 88hp 1.4 to be fine for around town and great on the motorway but i couldn't say how the diesel performs. The power is similar but obviously the way it's delivered will be different - diesels are always a bit slow off the mark, you have to learn to use the torque rather than the power.

Katie, clutch control on a diesel should be a piece of cake so it's interesting that you found it a pain, but as i say i've not driven the k12 diesel. in my old peugeot i used to be able to set off from a standing start in 3rd - impossible to stall!
 
First time id driven a diesel that wasnt a 4X4 so it was probably just me being not used to it!! I couldnt get it in to my head i could pull away without using the accelerator... i was over revving all over the place LOL
 
Ems your right not many instructors use micra's anymore, the main reason is that Vauxhall, Citreon and Renault offer massive discounts to instructors.
I'm based in North Wales, Anglesey and Bangor beautiful part of the country... Great place for a meet ;)
Got a pupil on test this morning, wish us luck - I get as nervous as them when they go out on test :eek:
Fordy, do they still make a 1.4 ?
Bri...

www.brakefreewales.co.uk

Yes they do still make a 1.4
http://www.nissan.co.uk/home/vehicles/passenger/K12/grades-and-specs/index.html?ln=/en_GB
 
nissan dealers do good deals with instructors aswell by the way i know my dealer does and i think its every dealer aswell
 
2 years ago, Nissan was offering either free dual controls or 2nd speedo.
Citreon where offering up to £3,000 off plus free dual controls .
Peugeot offer special finance deals for instructors that are very favourable, Renault offer from £1,000 to £1,500 cash back, Renault also do special weekly deal where everything an instructor needs is covered including insurance breakdown cover etc from £69.
So Nissan did do deals 2 years ago but not very helpful financialy. Not sure if things have changed this year, buying a used car about 6 months old is, in my opinion a better option.
Ah so they still do the 1.4. I can't see any advantage over the 1.2 though !! Fuel economy or performance wise the difference is only marginal.
 
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