Vintage Thing No.142 - Nissan Micra K11 1.3

My neighbour calls it a little grey slug but forgets how it rushed her to a radiology appointment in Derriford, England, when her hospital car didn't show - so that would be a slug as in a bullet then

Let me share a secret with you. The New Mini is not really the new Mini. The new Mini is actually the K11 Micra.

The New Mini is a fashion accessory - almost one of those ultimately disposable handbag cars you get in this year's colour - and not what you could call basic transport. In the BMW Mini's defence I will admit to admiring the new Cooper S and friends who own them rave about the build quality and reliability. They are good cars and, thanks to the supercharged versions, have brought cheap blowers to the masses of special builders throughout the land, but the Mini DNA has got lost somewhere.

That is probably because that mis-placed DNA ended up with those lovers of all things Mini, those Japanese fellows. And fellowettes. They even built a factory in Britain to build the Micra.

It won won the European Car of the Year award for 1993 and in a gesture of laudable inclusivity from the European community became the first Japanese car to do so - and the first British built car to win it for a long, long time.

The towbar is a gen-oo-ine Nissan part dealer fitted.

The K11 Micra - or "bubble" Micra as it's known in the trade - is basic transport, just like Issigonis' masterpiece. It has yet to achieve the iconic status of the classic Mini (as it's now known) but it could still happen yet. It's unpretentious and egalitarian and has an excellent following in grass roots motorsport.

You could argue that it's so reliable and well made it is quite unlike the classic Mini but that seems rude. I would say the New Mini also enjoys these un-Mini like traits.

If you are still in doubt the K11 Micra's credentials, look at its engine sizes. Little ones are 998cc (CG10DE) and big ones are 1275cc (CG13DE).

I rest my case.

After repairing the front cross member, i found rot in the rear quarters behind the bumper beneath the rear lamps.

When I couldn't see myself using my Allegro for commuting much longer, I cast around for a small, cheap, reliable, well made little car and the K11 Micra was the obvious choice. my mother's last car before she gave up driving was a 998cc example so I wanted a 3 door 1.3 for the extra poke up the Cornish hills. I found one on Ebay for sale in Liskeard, went round to have a look at it, made a bid and the rest is history.

I've had some trouble with it over the 7 years I've had it. Even before I insured it, the engine stopped firing and we had to tow it into my local garage because I couldn't work out what was wrong. It turned out that the fuse for the engine management system had blown even though it looked okay to a visual inspection.

This sill didn't look so bad

I've had to patch both sills once and have partially replaced the nearside one and rebuilt quite a lot of the panels under the rear bumper. I had to remake the n/s/r spring mount and patched - instead of repaired - the front cross member because it was the Christmas holidays and I couldn't wait for one to be delivered over the holiday season.

To do it properly, though...

The engine does not appear to burn any oil even after 180,000 miles and the gearchange is still good. Usually that sort of remark is the kiss of death but 3 years ago the oil light came on and stayed on. I stopped immediately and checked the oil level and found it to be low. Fortunately, I was close to home so walked back to get some oil, topped it up and headed off home to investigate further - only the oil light came on again after about 200 metres.

It was worth it in the end. Note the adjustable White Line training arms

Another check with a neighbour looking on revealed that I not seated the rubber ring on the bottom of the oil filter properly and oil was squirting all over the steering rack and bulkhead. A new filter and more oil and it's as right as rain. The oil light takes its time to go out but it did that at 144,000 miles when I bought it.

It warms up quickly and is ideally suited for the daily 3 mile commute into Liskeard. It has enough poke on the motorway and is not exactly tiring to drive although I've found that taking off my boots and having a cushion to rest my knee upon makes life a lot more comfortable.

It's very easy to work on and parts are cheap. Micras seem to rust in the sills in fornt of the rear wheels and front cross members often need replacing, too. I repaired mine over the Christmas break one year and had to patch mine because the motor factors were all shut.

Rear spring mounts can go all crunchy, too

Most recently the nearside rear spring support needed rebuilding and I took the opportunity to check the spring mounts on the axle - I'd spotted a very nice red facelifted Micra (the K11C) on a HIAB in our local scrappy and that serious corrosion on the lower seat pans. It seemed an otherwise smart little car had been scrapped for the want of a sound rear axle. Mine - I am happy to say - is fine.

After cutting back to good steel, I made a new nearside mount. The offside (away from crap thrown up from the verge) was fine.

The door handles are plastic and a bit flimsy. I've never broken one yet but in cold weather when the doors can freeze shut I open the rear hatch and climb in that way.

So far, that is the only modification I have made to it. I like it the way it is and, as my nominated every day car, it serves its purpose admirably.

I like its light controls and nimbleness. The turning circle is very good. Power steering was an option although why is beyond me.

The 16 valve engine warms up very quickly and it seems to the thrive on my short daily drive into Liskeard. After all those miles it's probably a little down on the quoted 74 bhp (55kW) but it's still a very smooth unit for such a high mileage engine. Interestingly, its 1275cc is derived from a 71 x 80.5mm bore and stroke, compared with the 70.16 x 81.28mm of the classic A series engine.

Smaller engines had a 63mm stroke to get 998cc and there are longer stroke ones for the 1.4 Sport. I might keep half an eye out for one of these. They swing round on 82mm 1348cc and 81 bhp. There are some turbo kits available.

Has anyone put a Nissan 1275cc engine in a classic Mini I wonder?

And another thing - would a K11 Micra engine fit a Nissan Figaro? These have the 987cc (68 x 68mm) MA10ET engine similar to those found in the earlier Micra K10s. If one wanted a high perf Figaro - and I do like the looks of those little cars - maybe the larger K10 engine (a 1236cc 71 x 78mm unit) would be easier.to fit. All Figaros were 3 speed automatics, unlike the K11 autos which were CVT and aren't such good value for money. I like their style but they would need to go as well as my K11 Micra if not better.

In hot weather the aged window seal in the rear hatch warps and wriggles. I have had to cut and glue it back with mastic but there's no sign of a leak - so far...

It has a factory fitted sunroof, which is great, and my car has a proper job Nissan towbar that I haven't used yet.

The spec of my car is perfect for me.There's no air bag and, although I do many short journeys and the exhaust rots out, replacing it is a cinch. Somebody put some thought into making it an easy job and I am very thankful to them.Unlike colour coded bumpers, the grey plastic ones hide minor scuffs that would make later K11s look tatty. Being grey they look all of  a piece anyway. 

I bent a trailing arm on the rear suspension by jacking it up in the wrong place but took the opportunity to replace them on both sides with adjustable White Line items.

That hasn't stopped me coveting the occasional rally prepped one on Ebay or fantasizing about fitting a second engine behind the front seats.

I think that shows how much I like it. For the time being, I shall continue to enjoy it in the way its designers intended - as cheap, reliable transport.