K12 1.4 Sport+

RustyCheez

Ex. Club Member
First check the service record, make sure its been serviced regularly so there is a good chance the timing chain has not stretched.

Check the tyres have a decent amount of depth left as tyres are not a regular size (185/50 r16), so the prices for 1 tyre vary from £90 -£110 at the moment, you maybe able to get them cheaper if you do not go for the big names (Kumho KH11 ecstas are not too bad alternative about £65 each). Make sure the alloys are not damaged as they are expensive to replace or fix.

Check the rear door lock does not make a noise (like its loose) whilst driving common problem with K12's, also the doors sometimes have problems opening because of the linkages.

I had a problem with the 6CD changer in the dash with mine, would stay on all the time and drain the battery, was told by Nissan its a common problem, so check that it all works ok and make sure you have a good warranty.

Road Tax is quite expensive with the 1.4 Sport+, I pay £155 for the year

MPG is not too bad I get around 45 and I drive fast, keeps up with or beats most cars to about 80mph then it runs out of puff, but surprises some people that they are getting beat by a Micra. If you want performance go for a 160SR, the 1.6 engine makes a great deal of difference.

Check no strange noises coming from steering as its electronic and can be costly to fix.

Check all windows wind up and down, most Micra's have window issues sticking coming off of rails etc, electric windows are slow on all K12's so dont worry too much about that.
 
Isn't the 1.4 only about 7bhp more than the 1.2? I've timed the 1.2 at near 10seconds to 60 (gps) which is a fair bit quicker than the stated figures...
 

RustyCheez

Ex. Club Member
Yes the difference in bhp is only around 7/ 8 bhp, I have never done any timings but the 1.4 feels far more quicker than my 1.2 K12 I used to have before, my wife thinks her 1.4 K11 is faster than my K12 it could be because its smaller and lighter, never tried a race though do not feel like wiping out both cars and ourselves at the same time. I know there is a thread on here somewhere where someone thought their 1.0 K11 (stock) was doing 0-60 in around 10 seconds, something I found questionable. On my daily commute I have a nice stretch of twisty back roads and traffic lights before a long dual carraige way, where I get to test out the 1.4 performance, I will not take on anything like scoobies, Evos, skylines, Focus / fiesta ST or RS & corsa VXR's etc (too many to list) because I know I will lose. The best ones to take on are the rep cars the 1.9TDI & 2.0 vectras, Insignias & mondeos also the 1.2 & 1.4 boy racer corsas which are all blow and no go. Noticed a nice performance change since my service last month, so I am thinking of putting in a standard k&N panel filter and see what difference that makes. The 1.4 is not a supercarby any means, but it can compete with honour and makes me smile anyway. Would be interested if anyone else had any views on the quoted timings say on Parkers website and actual real world figures for all Micra engine sizes and models.
 
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