Looking at buying a Micra

CMF_LonePhantom

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Hey all, great site. :)

I'm looking for a cheap runabout car that's still fun to drive for when the missus is off work after giving birth to our first baby. I'd love to get my hands on a Micra, they are just hard to find.

I test drove a 1995 Micra LX today. It's got around 188000kms on it.

The car hadn't been driven for a while. When I started it up there was a bit of a rattle of what I'm guessing was the timing chain. It was occurring for a couple of minutes while I looked the car over. After a drive for about 5 minutes it appeared to have gone away.

I understand from the articles section that the timing chain rattle is a fairly common thing. Does a couple of minutes of rattle sound normal for a car that may not have been driven for a while? Or might it also be one of the other belts wearing out?

Also I noticed on the front axles there was a bit of grease buildup near what I think is the CV joints? Maybe the boots are worn and leaking. Is this a very expensive thing to get fixed if I ended up buying the car?

the car itself was pretty rough to look at, paint and body wasn't the greatest. The left side was really badly faded due to what I'm guessing was a bad paint job after a minor accident. The roof line, bonnet, rear hatch, etc right to the edge of the panels still had nice red to them while the side was badly faded. There was also a bit of scraping I'm guessing from a swipe alongside a pole in a car park, or minor side swipe by another car in a car park.

The roof had some dents in it, although they looked as though they would pop right out and paint and panel would be mostly ok.

The glovebox lock/clasp was broken too, is this a relatively easy and cheap part to get a hold of? There was some missing bits of trim on the bottom sides of the front seats too. this sort of stuff easy to get a hand on?

I'm still a bit concerned about the car due to the aesthetic things like the body/paint, and a bit scruffy interior. If the mechanicals and suspension/brakes were pretty much ok though would be car be worth say $1000-1200?

I'd much rather a car in better nick outside and in, but if the engine and stuff is ok in this example fixing the bodywork may only cost about a grand to look a lot better anyway. I can do that later on once the missus is back to work after her maternity leave.
 

CMF_turbo march-rolling shell

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glove box clasps are a very common breakage, expensive from nissan. the timing chain in my original engine was noisy as all the time.. and i used to flog crap out of it everywhere.. never broke.. was still going strong when i pulled it of the road to :) the car you looks at does sound rough but, you might find you may have to travel to get yourself a bargain in the right condition.
 

CMF_nz_aj

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Given the 188,000km's & if it had been sitting for weeks/months, a minute of rattle on the first startup might not be surprising. With a change of oil it shouldn't rattle badly for more than 5-10 secs after it's been sitting overnight. By rattle, it should not sound like bolts being shaken around in a paint tin. Some people have just replaced the upper chain tensioner & the rattle goes. It's fairly easy to do. Changing the chains & tensioners would probably take you most of a day. It can be done without taking the motor out but it's a tight workspace.

CV boots are easy enough & cost less than $20 each. Make sure you clean any gritty or watewr contaminated grease out of the CV. If the CV's make a knocking noise when turning on hard lock, they're on their way out. If they make noise when driving straight ahead, they need changing. They'll in the order of about $150 each.

Roof dents can be a pain if they're around the edges, there are not any convenient holes through the structural areas.

Red paint is always subject to fading, and it's hard to match for repainting. I'd try to avoid it. Another cause would be if it has been parked consistantly with the faded side facing the sun.

The glovebox catch will last indefinitely if you push on the knob to close it, rather than the door.

If you just want a beater, this car might be fine. I don't know if it'd be worth spending $1000 making it look better, probably better off buying a nicer more expensive example.
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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Thanks for your response. that's what I was thinking about the rattle too.

If it's just the CV boots I can make it out to be a bigger thing than it really is to help drop down the costs. I didn't notice any notice when steering or anything, so I think the joints themselves are ok.

The roof dents are fairly round ones in the middle of the roof. I was thinking with the ceiling trim temporarily removed I may be able to pop them back out by hand, and there would be hardly any noticable signs that they ever happened.

I figure if the car is running great, and I get it for like $1000 I wouldn't have any problem throwing a grand to fix up the paint, and the panels. But yes having this car may be enjoyable enough that when the missus comes off maternity leave I may go looking for a better example Super S or something a year later.

See what happens.
 

CMF_deNs

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fred WROTE:

"I'd say, keep looking. This one doesn't seem a good example of the 'breed'... a timing chain would be ok if it went quiet after 5-10sec of startup (IMHO)
Click to expand...

Replacing the tensioner doesn't always fix the issue.. When I bought mine with 114,000 on the clock it had and still has the timing chain noise. While it isn't terrible, it's there for a couple of minutes every morning. This is with good oil, too. On the other hand, my Jap CG13 doesn't make a hint of chain noise, and that's in worse shape than the aus-spec one.

---dens
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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Yeah I'm not too worried about the timing chain noise. I'd be doing a full service on the sucker if I were to buy it.

I'm wondering what the process is for getting a roadworthy certificate in the ACT, maybe if they'll give the car to me for cheap, and get this done to ensure I can get the car through inspection I might take it.
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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turbo march-rolling shell WROTE:

"<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-MICRA...ryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" title="http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-MICRA...ryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-MICRA...ryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem</a>
Click to expand...

Yeah I've seen that one. I't a bit rich for me as I can only afford to spend a maximum of two grand.

I've got the guy's number now, and I'm going to give him a call to go have a look over the car. I'm hoping if no one bids on it (please no one bid!) that he might accept the two grand if I look over it and it's in good over all nick.
 

CMF_turbo march-rolling shell

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LonePhantom WROTE:

"turbo march-rolling shell WROTE:<BR><BR>"<A title=http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-MICRA...ryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem href="http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-MICRA...ryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target=_blank><A title=http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-MICRA...ryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem href="http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-MICRA...ryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target=_blank>http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NISSAN-MICRA...ryZ35227QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem</A></A>"</DIV><BR><BR>Yeah I've seen that one. I't a bit rich for me as I can only afford to spend a maximum of two grand.<BR><BR>I've got the guy's number now, and I'm going to give him a call to go have a look over the car. I'm hoping if no one bids on it (please no one bid!) that he might accept the two grand if I look over it and it's in good over all nick.
Click to expand...

looks in good nic by the pics.. but you nevvvver know... no one will bid on it, specially on ebay, you got nuffin to worry about

 

CMF_LonePhantom

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Yeah, maybe I'll be lucky. Although I would prefer the base model due to the fact it doesn't have all the extras (lighter = more fun to drive), this would still be ok.

I think I'll give the guy a call today.
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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Well I had a second look at this Micra again today. It definitely runs quite nicely, although inside and out it is quite rough. It's not too bad though. Everything seems to work ok.

There was some driveshaft work done on it back at the end of 2006, and service receipts for the last while. Tyres are pretty much new. Brakes feel good, clutch engages well. A little noise on start up, but once it has run for a few minutes and driven a bit sounds fine.

Body work isn't too bad, probably looking at around a grand to fix up. Door handles are starting to crack so will have to find some new ones or plastic weld the current ones, then paint them.

I asked if the owner could arrange a roadworthy certificate, and if it all comes back fine I offered $1000.00 on it. Wouldn't go any more at all.

Will hopefully be looking at that eBay listed one tomorrow or the next day. I figured I would wait until towards the end so when no one bids they hopefully will get desperate, and maybe part with it for like a grand less or something.

Here are some pics of the red one from today.
 

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CMF_LonePhantom

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Oh also, if I were to get this, how hard is it to take the door handles off? I would need to either get them plastic welded up and painted, or get some ones from the wreckers that were in one piece. Any instructions? Thanks! :)
 

CMF_turbo march-rolling shell

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car looks to be ok cept for the last pic is pretty 2nd hand.. door handles are easy, take your inner door trim off. then just undo the 2x 10mm nuts on the back of the handle, after that, just pull it outwards away from the door itself and slide the steel rod through the hole in the door.. pretty easy, you'll figure it out, just manouver it around to get it out.. and be pateient
 

smidge

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for a thousand bucks, if it runs, you can't really go wrong!!

door handles shouldn't be too hard to come by and i'll keep an eye out for any spare latches that work next time i'm at the wreckers

get it
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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smidge WROTE:

"for a thousand bucks, if it runs, you can't really go wrong!!

door handles shouldn't be too hard to come by and i'll keep an eye out for any spare latches that work next time i'm at the wreckers

get it
Click to expand...

That's what I figured. For another thousand I should be able to bring it back to being a nice looking decent condition car, and to buy one would have cost me about the same amount.

Thanks for keeping the eye out too. Cheers. :)
 

CMF_Sean

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Nissan Aus charge $53/handle (in 2006 mind you) and you're looking at around a 10 day wait. I'd just get new ones and get them painted. I can help you slam them on too if you want.

Nick from NB Driveshafts in Hawker have experience with Micra CV's, although no idea on price. Probably just needs new boots if the CV's were replaced in '06.

If you do prep and sanding yourself (and let them prep just that little bit extra to get a good appearance) you should be able to get the rubber strips taken off and everything colour coded for around $1000. Shop around but ACT is pretty expensive for this kind of stuff in comparison.

Interior wise, you can get the dash repaired (or spray it yourself but make sure you prep it well) and get the interior detailed (and steam/chemically cleaned) and it will basically be brand spankers. Could sell it on for around a $1,000 profit for $3,000 then.

I would buy it for no more than $1,000, but can't justify 3 cars and a bike..

Good luck Stephen

Sean
Sean
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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Thanks mate for the info on the door handles. I think I will definitely just go the wrecker option, probably get them for $10-20 I'm guessing. Just paint them myself.

I'm hoping the CVs are fine, but if there were an issue I'd have the funds to fix them if the car is bought at $1000. I don't really want to budge from that price. I just thought I'd be upfront about the price I'd pay, and they seem like reasonable people.

Thanks as well for the offer of assistance for the doors too.

Cheers. :)
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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Well talked to the guy today. He wants $1500 minimum. I said that I couldn't justify paying that much considering the condition of the body, and interior, and looking at the prices on Redbook. I said I could go to $1100-1200, but he wants $1500.

I think that's probably too much for the car in the condition it's in. $1300 be too much too do you think?
 

smidge

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$1300 is more than i'd pay but it starts to come down to what a working, driveable, roadworthy car with rego is worth

ALOT of people will be turned off by it's appearence, including dealers etc unless they plan on fixing it up

guys up in sydney want $1500 for a damaged but driveable micra with NO rego at all on it

that might give you an idea?

$1500 if you can stretch it isn't bad, $1000 is a GOOD deal your way, why not meet half way at $1250 and say thats the most you can possibly afford etc?
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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I'm going to give him a call this afternoon. I've got the money lined up in the account, just got to take it out.

Damn the fact that there's so few Micras around. So hard to get your hands on them!
 

smidge

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number one rule of neogitating a sale is that you have to be prepared to walk away

if he can sniff out that you desperately want it then why would he budge on price

just emphasise the fact that you have the money right there right now, will take it off his hands that second and never see him again

 

CMF_LonePhantom

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Yeah I've seen that one. Looks nice.

Problem is I can't really travel to get a car right now. We have a baby due any day now, and I can't risk traveling interstate, and then have her in labour while I'm away.
 

CMF_littlebear

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Are you kidding - sounds like the perfect excuse to get away :p.

Hey look the baby bonus is 4K these days - Spend it on a decent Micra instead of a Wide Screen TV!

Seriously don't rush into buying a rough one though.
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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littlebear WROTE:

"Are you kidding - sounds like the perfect excuse to get away :p.

Hey look the baby bonus is 4K these days - Spend it on a decent Micra instead of a Wide Screen TV!

Seriously don't rush into buying a rough one though.
Click to expand...

lol!

Nah, baby bonus has to contribute to our mortgage repayments while the missus is off work.

I need to get a car shortly, and I would really like to get a Micra. Even if it's just to hang on this cool site. ;)
 

CMF_LonePhantom

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Well, ended up buying this. Spent week day afternoons, and almost all weekend working on the car, and cleaning it up to hopefully get through a rego inspection tomorrow. It's looking a lot better already.

I've done the following:

* Put in a new glovebox latch
* New front wipers, and whole rear wiper assembly
* Fixed up windscreen wiper washer jets.
* Painted and installed new exterior door handles
* Touched up and painted some rust along the back of the roof panel where it dips to the hatch
* Touched up a small bit of rust by the fuel filler lid
* Polished the left hand side of the car twice to try and restore the colour somewhat.
* scrubbed off sticky tape residue around the drivers side rear window
* Steam cleaned some of the grime out of the interior (still more to go though)
* Steam cleaned and used cleaning product on the seats, fronts still a mess though.
* Put in my old car seat covers from my old Nissan 200SX to cover said gross seats.
* Oil and filter, and coolant change
* Had to buy a new spare tyre, as the one in the car had a nice hole in the sidewall.
* General cleaning inside and out of the car.

Well it's looking a lot better now, but still a long way to go. Hopefully I'll be able to get it through the inspection on first go. :)

 

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CMF_LonePhantom

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Thanks mate. :)

No mods anytime soon I'm afraid. Got a baby on the way in the next couple of weeks. This is my second car to get to and from work.

I would really want to clean up the car a bit more if I were to do any mods too. The left side has some panel damage (mild sideswipe of something), and the fading, etc. There's also some clear coat mess up on the roof.

If the car ends up being a good little thing I'll probably keep it, fix up the body and repaint, then maybe some mods if I can afford to.
 
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