Dedicated to the best car I ever owned...until I bought a real car!
This web page is a tribute to the cheapest car Nissan ever made: the Nissan Micra. No longer sold in North America since around 1990, the fact that we see no Micra's on the road today demonstrates what a piece of crap this car really was.
About the Micra:
A four seater two or four door hatchback, the Micra was a car that was price-competitive with cars like the Yugo, but did not have as much engine power. Generally sold with a 1.2 litre four-cylinder carburated engine with either a 5 speed manual or 3 speed automatic, it was sadly outpowered by absolutely everything else on the road – including the 3 cylinder Geo Metro! That's because every other car was fuel injected by the mid 1980's, except this one. Since Nissan chose to go with a carburator, this car could only make 49 horsepower (for reference, a 3 cylinder Geo Metro made 55 horsepower; a Yugo, 64). Because of this, features such as air conditioning and power steering were not available even as options, since such options would tax the engine too much. Even turning on the headlights caused a noticeable loss of power.
What's so great about this car?
It could not maintain highway speed going up hills or if there was a strong headwind. In the city, it could hold its own against cyclists, but anything with a motor (which included Mopeds and buses) would easily outgun the Micra. Its 12” wheels, which look as though they belong on a riding lawn mower, made for a choppy ride at all times. So, what's so great about this econo-car?
Easy to push. It's a very small car with a very small engine. Therefore, if it broke down, even a child could push it to get it out of everyone's way.
Cheap. This car was cheap to buy new, it was even cheaper to buy used. Since it lacked many components most other cars had (like an overflow bottle for the radiator, power steering pump), maintenance on this car would be much like maintenance for a lawn mower. It was relatively fuel-efficient as long as you stayed off the highways. When all is said and done, owning a Micra might actually cost less than it would cost to take the bus.
Easy to work on. It's a very small engine, and there's no options to get in the way. When you raise the hood, it's mostly empty space. In fact, there's probably more room in the engine bay than there is in the trunk of this car.
Fun to drive. It's like an old woody roller coaster, but without the speed. Getting blown around by big trucks as they pass you is quite the thrill!
It looks like an '89-'92 Volkswagen Golf from a distance. Of course, it doesn't have the power, handling, and features that are standard on even a base model Golf, but some people who know absolutely nothing about cars might think you're trendy and are actually driving a bottom end German car...until they discover that you can't get out of your own way!
Good ground clearance. When you need to pull off the road and into the ditch to let everyone get past you, you won't get caught up on anything.
About my Micra
I had just finished my second year of College, and landed a summer job that actually paid more than minimum wage. I actually made enough money to be able to afford a car. The only car in my price range that wasn't rusted out or needed mechanical repairs was a 1990 Micra (5 years old at the time) with 107,000 km's on the odometer. Certified, I thought it was a steal at $2500.
A year later, I got married. My wife owned a '93 Cavalier which, in comparison to the Micra, felt like a Cadillac. Therefore, the Micra became the “Second” car for us. Neither of us really wanted to drive the Micra, unless there was no other alternative. By 1999, the Micra was starting to rust out, especially around the hatch, had major engine failure when the rocker arm snapped in two, and was leaking oil like a sieve. I managed to get someone to buy it for $650. I was so happy that I got that much money for it, because there wasn't much metal to the car for salvage.
What did I replace the Micra with?
At first, I was going to get another Nissan. I got to drive an Altima around for a couple of days, and while it was definitely better than the Micra, I didn't want to make the same mistake as I did with the Micra and buy something without shopping the competition. After many test drives, I found the best value for my buck was a loaded '95 Neon. Compared to the Micra, it felt like I was driving a Corvette. Compared to the Altima, it was a tad quicker with better handling and cost quite a bit less. What I found remarkable, however, was that the Neon was Chrysler's lowest car model, while the Altima was Nissan's mid-range product; their lowest being the Sentra. The Neon easily outperformed the Sentra, and was actually competitive with the Altima. Based on this, it was clear to me that Nissan simply wasn't competitive.
Update – 2006
Today, I am driving a 2002 Grand Am GT, a car with style that makes the current Altima look like something that ought to be driven by an old man. The ride and handling is heads and shoulders above the comparable Altima, the torquey V6 engine provides plenty of power and doesn't require nearly as much maintenance as Nissan's motors, and it has an 8 speaker stereo system that makes the stereo in the Nissan sound anemic. Meanwhile, my wife enjoys driving her red '99 Neon Highline, loaded with every available option.
While today's Nissans have made up for their lack of engine power, they lack in just about every other category.
What happened to the old page?
When I created the original tribute page, I hadn't driven much else. In re-reading it, I realized that much of it wasn't even true; for instance, we don't see any Micra's on the road today. I wrote that page only remembering the good qualities of the car, but I forgot about the reasons why I wanted to get rid of it so badly for so little money and why I didn't buy another Nissan. This page more accurately describes the pathetic little car known as the Nissan Micra. It's clear to me why they stopped selling it in North America.