I Found Driving Enlightenment in a 23,000 mile 1992 K10 Nissan Micra LS

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  • Опубліковано 10 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 524

  • @Buttyshag
    @Buttyshag 3 роки тому +182

    5 years ago, I was driving an E46 M3 as a daily. Today, I'm in a K11 1.4, with a 1.0 gearbox and flywheel - using 100% of a car's power within the speed limits is so much more satisfying!

    • @anthonygregg862
      @anthonygregg862 3 роки тому +21

      totally agree with you. I had a peugeot 205 xs 1.4. all the fun of a gti but could exploit all the power without getting into trouble.

    • @steveberridge4648
      @steveberridge4648 3 роки тому +7

      Good for you - I always loved driving K11 Micras

    • @Tigermoto
      @Tigermoto 3 роки тому +2

      @@anthonygregg862 Ha, I had the 1.8 turbodiesel 205, so much fun to drive. And gripped like a limpet.

    • @GMak81
      @GMak81 3 роки тому +4

      That's why I got an mx5, fun is pushing the car hard on country roads

    • @NA-dg3jx
      @NA-dg3jx 3 роки тому +2

      Had a K11 for about 6yrs, taught both my kids how to drive in it, best car we ever owned. Cheap and easy to maintain and lots of back to basics driving fun!

  • @SabretoothBarnacle
    @SabretoothBarnacle 3 роки тому +430

    Love this kind of content more than the exotics to be honest 😁

    • @thomashogan1985
      @thomashogan1985 3 роки тому +3

      And me

    • @philipwilliams9354
      @philipwilliams9354 3 роки тому +8

      Have you and Hubnut swapped channels? You in a Micra and he’s testing a Porsche on his channel today 😳

    • @timcollins380
      @timcollins380 3 роки тому +3

      Me too

    • @benholroyd5221
      @benholroyd5221 3 роки тому

      @Scott Taylor because rich people watch videos about the cars they already own???

    • @alexlang5649
      @alexlang5649 3 роки тому

      I agree!!

  • @grayfool
    @grayfool 3 роки тому +137

    There's something to be said for the most basic of cars. It gives a whole ne meaning to what you actually want form a car.

    • @joshuakhaos4451
      @joshuakhaos4451 3 роки тому +5

      This is very true

    • @crimsonpirate1710
      @crimsonpirate1710 3 роки тому +18

      Look, i drove a Mondeo for 17 years, bought it 2nd hand for 8k cash sold it for scrap when it died for £150 quid. My pals, all driving new cars approx £350 a month with 3k upfront. They spent around 80k just on the leasing costs over 17 years. I lost 8k (excluding all running costs). I put the money saved into my homes and had great returns. So just think on before you sign up for the latest BMW etc. Do you really need it?

    • @grayfool
      @grayfool 3 роки тому +8

      @@crimsonpirate1710 so true. We ran an LS400 for 13 years. OK, we paid 25 grand for it at two years old but it only cost serving and a couple of car park dents in that time. Less than 2K a year? Bargain! And luxury.

    • @wardog0086
      @wardog0086 3 роки тому +4

      @@crimsonpirate1710 I got a MK3 2.0 Auto Mondeo as my first car. At the time, I wanted something more interesting, but had just got a job, and needed a car. Paid 3k NZD, an absolute bargain for the car, especially in the condition it was in. Just over a year and a half later, I'm selling her, and almost cried on the drive I did to get photos for the ad. I've driven her just over 30,000 kms, and am going to really, really miss it. Slow, sure, but sharper handling than I expected, and nice, weighty steering made it a blast on back roads, and she was perfectly comfortable on longer road trips, if a little noisy.
      My new job provided a 2019 Toyota Corolla wagon. It's a good car, but nowhere near as good to drive as the Mondeo, despite both being really basic things. We don't NEED high end cars, or powerful sports cars to enjoy a car. They help, absolutely, but there's something special about the basics that I properly understand now, after owning the Mondeo.

    • @jamesmiller113
      @jamesmiller113 3 роки тому +3

      Totally, we're in the era of diminishing returns on things like safety and economy, so a 20 year old car is only going to be 30% down on economy, and even in a crash they're not nearly as awful (relatively speaking) as a car even from the early 90s. People spending 10k+ on newer cars (to save a bit of money on fuel) baffle me

  • @spinosauruswearingboots4156
    @spinosauruswearingboots4156 3 роки тому +29

    I think a thanks to all the old ladies who owned these cars and did tiny miles is in order. My gran didn’t pass her test until she was about 63 and her entire driving career consisted of 3 Micra’s, 2 K10s and 1 K11. She did do some shocking manoeuvres in it but it served her well. Thanks for the memories Gran of your driving they bring us constant giggles now your no longer here.

  • @yodaddamilkman8422
    @yodaddamilkman8422 3 роки тому +78

    Commentary about the owners backstory was a great addition!
    More people need to realize that they don’t need to chase numbers to have an enjoyable driving experience. The most smiles per miles I’ve had in a vehicle was a 74 VW beetle.

    • @duckman5642
      @duckman5642 3 роки тому +2

      👍

    • @macpdm
      @macpdm 3 роки тому +3

      Just picked up a 1.2 Fiat panda and feel the same

    • @anamore
      @anamore 3 роки тому +2

      I drive a 2002 Daihatsu Mira. I've had an Alfa GTV 2.0 Twinspark before this and I can say with confidence that I've had more fun in my little 55hp Daihatsu than in the Alfa.

    • @yodaddamilkman8422
      @yodaddamilkman8422 3 роки тому +1

      @@anamore nice! Currently driving a 73 Alfa Giulia Super 1.3 and loving it so far

    • @joshbacon8241
      @joshbacon8241 2 роки тому +1

      Exactly. You don’t need eleventy-bajillion horsepower to have huge amounts of fun behind the wheel, you know!
      As James May once said during his Fiat Panda review in Series 18 of Top Gear, “it’s not actually about how much power you have, it’s about how much power you can use.”

  • @andyliptrot5036
    @andyliptrot5036 3 роки тому +15

    For those of us old enough to remember the early series of Top Gear in 70s and 80s this is exactly the kind of review of ordinary everyday cars they filmed. That's why I loved this one Jay, please do more!!

  • @mikeolly67
    @mikeolly67 3 роки тому +22

    This brought back memories. I was a Nissan salesman from 1988 to 1992. I remember the k10 LS was £4995 on the road in 1989 and I sold loads of them. Nearly all the buyers were either driving instructor s or retired people.

    • @perrinclowes8090
      @perrinclowes8090 3 роки тому

      Indeed. My instructor had one and I passed my test in it in 1988.

  • @scalecrawlnl
    @scalecrawlnl 3 роки тому +46

    Marvellous scenery, great car, the video is a cool reminder of what driving is actually all about, not dismissing the big boys, still, this Micra is just absolutely perfect, nice!

  • @msagoo29
    @msagoo29 3 роки тому +24

    This was the first car my family bought, in 1989 from the dealer. It had the torsional rigidity of a wet lettuce but was a good laugh and reliable as hell

    • @jamesrobert4106
      @jamesrobert4106 2 роки тому +1

      There is currently a complaint lodged against you from the wet Lettuce structural Committee. 😂

  • @Rich.Aardvark
    @Rich.Aardvark 3 роки тому +4

    Right side indication stalk allows you to grab the gear stick for a down change and indicate at the same time. Multi tasking at its finest!

  • @Core2lee91
    @Core2lee91 3 роки тому +43

    “Paint on the inside as a way of saving money” …. I’m looking at you basically all new VAG products

  • @savagegtalks5912
    @savagegtalks5912 3 роки тому +8

    how I love them old small eco cars we had in Europe back in the day. Small, light, revvy, good steering feeling.
    and let's talk about WHAT CAN'T go wrong on that car: el. windows, el.adj.steeringwheel, sunroof won't leak... this list is long!! lol

  • @Bacciagalupe
    @Bacciagalupe 3 роки тому +18

    May, Hammond, and Clarkson have long said that a hatchback can be every bit as much fun as any other car you could buy for any amount of money

  • @markpirateuk
    @markpirateuk 3 роки тому +8

    These were a great little runaround, I have owned a couple of old Micra's, good on petrol, easy to work on & very reliable, my last example had done over 130,000 miles and still ran sweetly!

  • @allannicolson2607
    @allannicolson2607 3 роки тому +1

    Bought one of these for my daughter a few years ago with 11,000 miles on it! Sat in the garage for a year or two waiting for my lassie to pass her test, which never happened, so sold it to a young fella who was not long through his test up Aberdeen way. Apparently small Japanese hatchbacks from the period have a kind of cult coolness about them. My one was even later, being K reg, and although it had a four speed gearknob, if you were looking for fifth out of habit, it was there! Must have been late enough that they ran out of the correct engine/ box, so fitted the one intended for the next model. I got a five speed knob for it, but gave it with the car unscrewed on, suggesting to the new owner that it was more fun keeping the secret. I have a few other very low mileage cars as well - seem to have come across them quite often over the years. And despite all the high performance stuff I've had/have, including big bikes, one car I'd have back anytime is a Renault 4. When you have no expectations, you can't be disappointed.

  • @aitchmere7252
    @aitchmere7252 3 роки тому +6

    Had one myself when times were hard. Great car for all its lack of refinements, and ran like clockwork. Manufacturers of today should take inspiration from these older vehicles, as many of us just need a basic, reliable vehicle without all the bells and whistles. They would sell in droves.

  • @PaulOosterhof
    @PaulOosterhof 3 роки тому +2

    I drive a 1997 Peugeot 205 1.4 with 75 hp and I love it. it's my first car which I bought for 200 euros and I fixed some things up and have since driven almost 25.000 with it. part of which was a road trip with friends from the Netherlands to Croatia last summer. I love driving these old little cars a lot more than their modern heavy counterparts

  • @sketcher68
    @sketcher68 3 роки тому +18

    I had drive lessons in a micra , past my test in one in 1997. Seeing this video brought back a few goodish memories.
    Great reviews, keep them coming. Take care. R

    • @jamesmurray822
      @jamesmurray822 3 роки тому +5

      Me too! With a chain smoking driving instructor who terrified me.

    • @machohogan
      @machohogan 3 роки тому +1

      Same here! 97 in a Micra

    • @Stratoszero
      @Stratoszero 3 роки тому

      Jeez I actually forgot that I passed my test in one too, circa 1986. VEry easy to drive, much better than a contemporary Fiesta.

  • @MeakerSE
    @MeakerSE 3 роки тому +15

    My mum had a bare bones k10 for her first car down in England when I was young. So many memories of it, was great to get around town.

    • @highcountrypioneer3025
      @highcountrypioneer3025 3 роки тому +1

      Same here

    • @zoidberg444
      @zoidberg444 3 роки тому

      My mum had a D-reg when she went back to work in 1997. It was pretty good for what she paid. Very nippy.

    • @SuperSlackOff
      @SuperSlackOff 2 роки тому

      Same here in Bangladesh.

  • @richardwehli2110
    @richardwehli2110 3 роки тому +13

    I was so close to buying one of these a couple of years back as an only car. I had a last minute change of mind about driving an older car car every day, but I've regret it ever since. I love the boxy looks and utilitarian equipment on this car. Looks best in white or red too

    • @richardmckay1203
      @richardmckay1203 3 роки тому +1

      I learnt to drive in one of these. Decent car and reliable as a faithful sewing machine 👌

    • @peterbilt359apd
      @peterbilt359apd 3 роки тому +1

      @@richardmckay1203 I also learnt to drive in one,failed my first test,Having a lesson directly before my 2nd test and the bloody thing broke down,so never got to do the test that day.

    • @nathanpinder4928
      @nathanpinder4928 2 роки тому +2

      I'm learning to drive in a K10 currently. Can't stand modern crap, so was the ideal option.

  • @crunch8484
    @crunch8484 3 роки тому +1

    I loved my 1992 Nissan Sunny. Smooth, great handing, reasonable power, everything worked even when it was 20 years old.

  • @SpontaneousEvolution
    @SpontaneousEvolution 3 роки тому +7

    Love it! Probably my favourite video of yours. Memories of that car but also amazing to find such a perfect low mileage example. Depressing to think people would scrap this.

  • @matthpotte
    @matthpotte 3 роки тому +4

    One of these saved our lives in 1997, we were going across a junction we were t boned by a speeding mk4 escort doing around 40-50mph direct on drivers door then we went into a tree head on. Despite the roof over the drivers door being like a targa and see through! We walked away with very minor injuries

  • @robertmaitland09
    @robertmaitland09 3 роки тому +3

    I drive a 98 Starlet, £500 2 years ago with 72k miles on it. I've done 20k miles in it since and driven it everywhere, shops, work, camping holidays etc. It's the best car I've ever owned and its hoot to push through corners.

    • @laurieproctor3572
      @laurieproctor3572 3 роки тому +1

      Love this 😀. It’s hard to put into words why these type of cars are so much better than financing the newest stuff. I always thought I was alone preferring the these gems that most are willing to put in the bin.

  • @simonbyrne1182
    @simonbyrne1182 3 роки тому +1

    I had a 1.0 F-reg one of these when I was learning to drive and used to practice in it with my dad sat alongside me. I treated it to a couple of upgrades including the addition of a passenger side wing mirror and a 2nd radio speaker. We did the head gasket on it one weekend and after we'd put it back together and sorted the timing it was the quickest engine to fire up after turning the key I've ever experienced. It only had 4 forward gears but the shift quality was lovely. I've got fond memories of that thing.

    • @PeteCourtier
      @PeteCourtier 3 роки тому

      😂 I got mine in two wheels once! Proper brown trouser moment😂 Loved that car.

  • @mishalchotai4721
    @mishalchotai4721 Рік тому +1

    My Dad had this exact spec, he bought new in 1989. G918 PGJ. Loved it. Radio was MW and LW.
    That wine was unique to that engine.
    Would so love to have one one day.
    That colour white and LS trim. 😊

  • @5ebra1
    @5ebra1 3 роки тому +13

    Really enjoy your reviews of cars like this. They create fond memories. Keep up the good work.

  • @edwardsp1916
    @edwardsp1916 3 роки тому +1

    My mum had a Micra K11 with the CVT gearbox. It was a brilliant car for the price. All though it only had a small engine, the CVT box meant it was one of the fastest accelerating vehicles from a stop.

  • @carlwilliams3488
    @carlwilliams3488 3 роки тому +5

    When nissan were well built japanese cars before the French crept in. My mum bought one of these LS 1.0 in gold brand new in 1990, first of the face-lift models I remember. We sold it in around 2000 when she got a Honda concerto. It had literally never gone wrong in 50000 miles. This one looks so much better in white than her gold one.

  • @Yet_Another_Steve
    @Yet_Another_Steve 3 роки тому +1

    I had driving lessons and my test in a 1987 Micra. All the controls were very tactile and so you felt like a part of the machine. My current luxo-barge does everything for me and I often wish I had something basic and simple for the weekend like a Lotus Exige.

  • @petrol-head-Steve
    @petrol-head-Steve 3 роки тому +1

    Nice to see a video of a car most people can relate to and afford to buy.
    All to often as a channel tv show or something people watch the more popular it gets the more expensive the cars become and average Joe soon gets forgotten about.

  • @BibtheBoulder
    @BibtheBoulder 3 роки тому +1

    I well recall the introduction of the Ford KA. I had one as a hire car and when I first saw it I was mortified. Twenty minutes later and I was hooked. Years later (2015) I bought myself a Peugeot 106 diesel which I ran until late last year. What a fantastic experience, and to be honest I knew as I sold it I would regret letting it go.

  • @iseeolly9959
    @iseeolly9959 3 роки тому

    The modern day equivalent of my old mum's Singer Sewing machine. So happy that it's not scrapped, it could well be running long after we are all gone. It's what Leyland wanted when they made the Metro...only much better. Thanks J, the HubNut is coming out in you mate!
    I have had loads of normal and "mental" cars over the years, I don't think I ever really look at the rev counter....you can hear and feel when an engine is getting to the top of their range, you learn where an engine likes to live.
    Best small car I ever had?.....1.3 MG Metro.
    Many Thanks x

  • @steveberridge4648
    @steveberridge4648 3 роки тому +3

    Passed my test in a Mk1 Micra just like this one. Have always had a soft spot for them since - the K10 and K11 Micras were old school Nissans, basic, reliable and surprisingly fun to drive. All went wrong with the Mk3 Renault Nissan micra !!

  • @benblakemore4195
    @benblakemore4195 3 роки тому +6

    WHAT A CHARACTER BUILDER!! LOVE THOSE WHEELS ON IT TO 😃😃😃

  • @jakubkuczynski683
    @jakubkuczynski683 3 роки тому

    What a beauty!!! I just recently bought a ´87 Civic AJ sedan from the first owner ( 89 years old grandpa ) and I really enjoy it. There is some form of romance for a millenial like me in a barebones car from early ´90s, late ´80s.
    You get that sense of nostalgia when you sit in this timemachines, the smell, the lack of power steering, the memory of your father struggling with the same shit, just brilliant.

  • @MattBeardless
    @MattBeardless 3 роки тому +1

    Owned one of these as my first car...and my third...and my sixth...and my seventh...and tenth. Still have 3 of them, two in states of disrepair and one that's not far off being MOT-able again. Phenomenal little cars - they'll never set the world on fire but frankly, they're just fantastic little toys.

  • @rjscott6116
    @rjscott6116 3 роки тому +1

    What you're saying is so true. Driving is pleasure, and is something I love to do. Enjoy the drive.

  • @alansimpson835
    @alansimpson835 3 роки тому +2

    I very much agree with this. My parents wanted me to find a £5k runaround for my mum. The MK3 Polo and MK5 Fiesta were too expensive, the Clio and Metro a bit flaky and, as much as I loved the Corsa, the reviews were quite poor. The Micra K11 just ticked all the boxes, apart from the bubble and even used car guru Quentin Willson raved about it so grudgingly I said we should do it. By chance we found a 1.3 in budget and it totally seduced me with the peppy performance, sunroof, visibility that meant you could park anywhere and the fact it got you anywhere: even in snow it was like a little mountain goat. It also had well spaced pedals and the steering, though not power assisted wasn't heavy so I could laugh at friends in Fiestas and Corsas who had to wrestle with theirs. I happily then got it as my first car, wrote it off then used the insurance money to buy another. If you can look past the bubbles and aren't put off with the "girls car" or "old person" jibes, you can have the last laugh. I'd love another!
    The K10 has an honesty about it. Everything you need and nothing you don't. Plus, with no driver aids, you have to drive it, plan ahead due to the lack of power and you feel far more a part of the driving experience as a result. It's also unlikely to leave you at the side of the road in a cloud of steam. Basically a useable and fun daily classic

  • @robertperillo8738
    @robertperillo8738 3 роки тому +4

    I love the feeling you get wringing the crap out of slow, old Japanese cars. I had an 88 Accord 5spd for a short time in my teens, being able to use 100% of the car 100% of the time was fantastic. Something you don’t get with anything new.

    • @joshbacon8241
      @joshbacon8241 2 роки тому

      Exactly. You don’t need eleventy-bajillion horsepower to have huge amounts of fun behind the wheel, you know!
      As James May once said during his Fiat Panda review in Series 18 of Top Gear, “it’s not actually about how much power you have, it’s about how much power you can use.”

  • @volt8684
    @volt8684 3 роки тому +2

    I had a 1.0 micra that did 160k miles before it was scrapped. Engine perfect still

  • @21MOVIMENTO
    @21MOVIMENTO 3 роки тому +1

    I own a 1986 GL 1.0 and its very fun to drive and very reliable indeed. 💪 From Portugal 🇵🇹

  • @garyporter-smith9658
    @garyporter-smith9658 3 роки тому +1

    I had an LS in Red for a while . Fantastic little thing . Mine didn’t even have a passenger wing mirror . Endearing car , never let me down . Flat out everywhere . Left foot brake and throttle together , rally style , would get the front in to roundabouts and corners and just carry that speed . I’d have another one in a heartbeat.

  • @TheDirkdams
    @TheDirkdams 3 роки тому +4

    We see those micra's still a lot here in Spain ! Just like the first model of the Suzuki swift ! They keep on going whiteout work just some oil and fuel

  • @mr_sparkly_face4087
    @mr_sparkly_face4087 3 роки тому +2

    I bought a $1 Aveo5 as my first car in the most poverty spec you cold get. Base trim with no options, with notable low points being crank windows and a lack of AC. But it has a 5-speed manual and in my honest opinion, that’s all you need to have genuine driving fun. Just fun. I live in the country and the winding roads and hills are so fun to carve in a janky hatchback, and that’s why I think all kids should have a car like that as their first

  • @jedwhassell
    @jedwhassell 3 роки тому

    Recently purchased myself a 2004 VW Touareg. It’s the 2.5TDI and is fully loaded from air suspension, locking diffs, leather, built in air compressor. It really does have everything. Drives like a new car and paid £1500 for it. There’s something magical about older cars.

  • @kalchoudhury8150
    @kalchoudhury8150 3 роки тому

    My late father used one of these as a runabout. It had one speaker on the passenger side with an FM/AM radio and a tilt only sunroof. Had a bullet proof engine and super reliable. Honest simple motoring.

  • @grahaml8838
    @grahaml8838 3 роки тому +1

    This is the exact car I passed my driving test in. It’ll always have a special place in my heart.

  • @andrewpayne3298
    @andrewpayne3298 3 роки тому +1

    i had one just the same about 15 years ago i absolutely loved it fantastic little basic enjoyable friendly car

  • @davidarter9670
    @davidarter9670 3 роки тому +9

    James, your last two reviews have been bloody fantastic. You have shown to everyone that even a simple, humble basic car can provide just as must enjoyment as the latest products. Well done.

  • @bluetitan20
    @bluetitan20 3 роки тому +1

    Oh man did watching that bring back a lot of memories!!
    My dad had a van version of that back in the mid 90's in a dark blue and it was the very
    first car I ever drove on my own.
    I remember learning the basics of driving by going around the fields after the silage
    was cut which incidentally made the grass even more slippery...
    One of the abiding memories I had of it was I wouldn't like to have a crash in it.
    Paper thin metal and meeting a sold object would not have been good, you would have had more
    protection in a very wet paper bag.
    The acceleration was just non-existent, you could literally feel the earth revolving quicker underneath you 😁
    Thanks for stirring some old memories James....😊

  • @davejones6130
    @davejones6130 3 роки тому +1

    Awesome video , I loved the “Features this car lacks list “! Uh oh the secret is out ! My 1990 K10 is worth $5 more now than the $900 I paid for it ! But mine does have a cassette deck tho 8-).
    But seriously , these cars are awesome. My cherry 1990 is the 3rd one I’ve owned. It has 192k on the odo and doesn’t burn a drop of oil. 55 mpg / 5 litre per 100km means I laugh as I cruise by gas stations for weeks and sometimes months.
    The last one I owned was converted to electric but the batteries were too heavy for the car. The cool thing about it was the hatchback was chopped and it was a little Ranchero thingy. Or like a Dodge Rampage.

  • @INSTRUCTORGOD
    @INSTRUCTORGOD 3 роки тому +2

    I knew a driving instructor, 30 years back who had one of these with 250k on the clock. Only changed the usual stuff. Mind you, he had 3 spoke alloys on it, purple fluorescent lights underneath and those awful stop leds, which spelt the word stop on the back parcel shelf! 🤔 Great video Jay! 👍

  • @laurieproctor3572
    @laurieproctor3572 3 роки тому +1

    This is great 😊. My favourite car was a 1998 burgundy fiesta (ghia). £600 from a guys wife at work, surprised the hell out of me. Miles better than the Mini Cooper s I replaced it with. Character and feel can be found in all price points. Just don’t expect compliments 😃

  • @techtoth1
    @techtoth1 3 роки тому

    It may sound like nonsense to many, but I miss my grandad's Pug 205 Junior more than my 1.9gti... Yes; it was totally powerless (34 bhp), it had no brakes (which, with 34 ponies wasn't that big of an issue... :) ), it had nothing attached to it (no central air vents, practically no dashboard, no rear wiper, no opening windows in the back), but it had some qualities that I found absolutely compulsory for what I need in a car. It was superflowy, gliding over bumps like a flying carpet, still retaining Pug's happy roadholding. It had a gearshift that was satisfyingly clunky, yet race-fast. The steering was light and communicative. And the seats were the best I ever experienced on ANY car. And I could drive it like no tomorrow in Milan's traffic with no fear, because big sedans would let me through, because they understood I had nothing to loose. :))) But, above all, there was a supreme quality to it: its coherence. Everything worked perfectly in harmony to the other parts. I felt it like a whole, connecting to my body as an extension. Like it was built for me. That's why I miss it so much. And why I dumped my Clio 197 and Porsche 928s for a late model first-gen Ford Ka. In it I'm finding almost the same sensations. Except for the seats. I'll never find seats like those again... So, I understand you, Jay. And all the guys here who enjoy ripping out every pony from a small engine, without having to risk jail. Better to fully enjoy a small mechanic, rather than having to refrain from exploiting big power. Which, on today's roads is almost impossible. Harmony in behaviour is of the essence for me, when talking mechanics.

  • @newstreetbridge834
    @newstreetbridge834 3 роки тому

    I went travelling around Europe in a LHD 1990 1.0 Polo Coupe. Drove it through Norwegian tunnels, mountains of Montenegro and so on and on. 20 000km in 6 months and much more fun than you’d ever imagine. Brought it home too!

  • @jonm4337
    @jonm4337 3 роки тому

    I agree with this content.
    I got a Yaris 5spd and V8 Mustang in the garage. I tend to reach for the Yaris keys way more often. I always enjoy ringing out the little simple Toyota to within an inch of its life. Soo much fun and joy to drive simple, light, low powered cars !

  • @chrissmith4531
    @chrissmith4531 3 роки тому +1

    My first car was a mazda econobox. 1990. Its by far my favorite car over f cars, jags, masers.. so pure and the “fastest” by far haha (nostalgia is a hell of a drug lol)

  • @callytheblueparakeet
    @callytheblueparakeet 3 роки тому +1

    My nextdoor neighbour had one of these... they must have owned it from new before selling it on around 2004-2005, the new owner was a mate from college who needed a runaround and I made the introductions to nextdoor when they decided to sell. We ragged the **** out of that Micra, and it was a faithful little thing until it was stolen and found in a field, incinerated.

  • @TheSoundsnake
    @TheSoundsnake 3 роки тому +2

    Excellent! Sometimes you do need more (camping with the family requires more space), but the general idea is very healthy. Transport, and very low resource consumption because it’s light, not too many materials needed.
    Manufacturers should return to this simple type of motoring, if we want to keep motoring.
    And, bikes don’t disappear behind the A pillar, very safe.

  • @Barbarapape
    @Barbarapape 3 роки тому +1

    A car that we can afford to buy, supercars are intersting but not for everyday
    transport.
    More like this please James.

  • @heikkiremes5661
    @heikkiremes5661 3 роки тому

    My K11 1.0 is just the most bare bones car I could possibly find. What you don't have, can't break. 250€ suspension kit, suede racing steering wheel and a fart-can = Absolute driving bliss. I barely ever listen to music in it. I love it!

  • @bizling
    @bizling 3 роки тому +2

    These types of cars are pure joy! Now the Micra Super Turbo is a very interesting car, shame there aren't really any around. The great thing about theses types of cars, is that you have to DRIVE them, and by that I dont mean just turn the steering wheel, press the pedals, etc. I mean think about distance, speed, space, braking capacity, power, torque, etc.

  • @CalebOrvik
    @CalebOrvik 3 роки тому

    These kinds of underappreciated, quirky gems truly fit your style as a UA-cam personality, and your channel! Good luck continuing to find diamonds in the rough🙏

  • @pipkins1972
    @pipkins1972 3 роки тому

    My girlfriend at the time had a new H reg Micra, same colour as this. It was one of the smoothest cars i've ever driven. Great to see one still bombing around!

  • @francis2811
    @francis2811 3 роки тому +1

    Micras were very popular with Driving Schools. Easy to drive, reliable, efficient handbrake, and the clutch could last the life of the car!

  • @zockerplay3314
    @zockerplay3314 3 роки тому

    We had two of these for many years! Very reliable Cars! Loved them!

  • @zzhughesd
    @zzhughesd 3 роки тому +4

    Oh this’ll be good !!!!! Proper car. Any trader. Motor trader. Would take one home if came in swap ( part ex ) . Use up fuel. All the car you need for A to B

  • @wfifa199
    @wfifa199 Рік тому

    A car of my youth. My mum had two, and I can still remember their number plates. B434MNM was a black 3 door with go fast stripes. Its replacement was F781PLD that was a red 5 door that I learned to drive in, and passed my test in (and got my first ticket in within a week of passing). Good, honest cars, but with anaemic heaters and rubbish stereos, the latter being very important when you are 18!

  • @sunilayya8948
    @sunilayya8948 3 роки тому

    Our family owned one in the mid eighties and it was a super easy car to drive and great fun too with its excellent visibility and light and precise controls. It was way better to drive and more reliable than many of its euro rivals in its day.

  • @ENLSN77
    @ENLSN77 3 роки тому

    I'm loving the modest car content. Thanks Jay.
    I briefly drove an older one of these about 20 years ago. I thought the tyres were flat and was thankful for the massive steering wheel.. It needed it.

  • @RhysoPicton
    @RhysoPicton 3 роки тому +1

    Reminds me of my mums K11 that I learned to drive in
    1.3 twin cam 16v engine
    No ABS
    No power steering
    Brilliant little car!
    Totally agree with the comments about chasing numbers; what’s the point? I want to have fun within the speed limits and not have to explain to plod why i was doing xxx mph on a public road!

  • @wonk1132
    @wonk1132 3 роки тому +1

    I've followed your channel for a minute now. I've got to say how much I enjoy your writing. good stuff.

  • @ChuffIed
    @ChuffIed 3 роки тому

    i always get a little smile on my face when i see old little boxes on the road, love to see it

  • @peterowen4456
    @peterowen4456 3 роки тому +1

    Read one of James May's book a few years ago. He was on holiday in, I think, Corfu. He hired a small hatchback and went for a drive and loved it. He had a bit of an epiphany and wrote that the big difference wasn't between a Fiesta and a Ferrari. The important difference was between ANY car and no car at all.

  • @snoopy10411
    @snoopy10411 3 роки тому

    This sort of content is why I love also watching HubNut and Twin-Cam and Big Car on UA-cam

  • @bb_lz9790
    @bb_lz9790 3 роки тому

    Thanks for sharing!!! I live in the US but 30+ years ago, I had a business trip to Canada and my rental car was a Nissan Micra (a model we never had in the US). I don't recall too much about it other than it had vinyl floors rather than carpet. Funny in a way, but it really makes more sense to me.

  • @anonymous_bot_bot
    @anonymous_bot_bot 3 роки тому

    These are just sublime. My mum had a new SGL, it was pretty well specced and very quick. There is a girl running about Ploiesti with a yellow one of these. She loves it, takes it to the car wash, lowered and done it up quite nicely. Have to have a chat with her. I would buy an SGL if one came up for sale to go alongside the other toys, they came with stereo cassette as standard.

  • @scoombs3871
    @scoombs3871 3 роки тому

    I worked at a car hire firm back in the day which had one of these Micras and it was very popular. I clearly remember how it felt, so simple to drive and different to the Fiestas and Novas. Good to see one again.

  • @paulroyds9811
    @paulroyds9811 3 роки тому

    Had 4 of these as a driving instructor in the eighties/nineties...brilliant cars n would have one in a heartbeat...driving simplicity

  • @TheStwat
    @TheStwat 3 роки тому +1

    I prepared and valeted these when they were new at DC Cook in Sheffield. And also the K11 when it was first released

  • @shanedebarra4986
    @shanedebarra4986 3 роки тому

    Bought a 1 owner '92 K10 5 years ago and it's possibly one of my favourite cars I've ever owned ... what a hoot 👍

  • @Anirossa
    @Anirossa 3 роки тому +10

    Thanks for making me slightly miss the fiesta mk1 1.1L I had last winter, still glad I sold it and bought a pretty mint E34 project for the money. But it was a interesting little car, if only it wasn't so unsafe and unreliable. They are fun light things even with 40 ish horses.

    • @fiestamatic5736
      @fiestamatic5736 3 роки тому

      The 1.1 kent unreliable? It's sad for you because most of them were pretty reliable and easy to work on

    • @Anirossa
      @Anirossa 3 роки тому

      @@fiestamatic5736 Its not the kent kent engine, but its a development from it, yes. It was leaking in condence I think, timing was converted to electric, making timing it a pain, gearbox wasn't doing too well in 2th and it had only gone slightly over 100.000km we were pretty sure. Didn't burn oil like crazy like the 2.3 L Cologne V6 Granada I have at least. Fiesta stranded me also from something with the carb being bad, also the valves needed adjustment extremely often and most the power was gone, not that it had much to begin with. Also door handel broke on me, car rattled like crap among other things... still, cute little car, just not when doing 80kmh everyday, it was best in 40kmh zones, oh and the manual choke was kinda fun

  • @jamesrobert4106
    @jamesrobert4106 2 роки тому

    Brilliant . The fact you pondered the heel / toe pedal setup. 😆😆😆

  • @russcattell955i
    @russcattell955i 3 роки тому

    James, I have to forward this vid to my wife. When she was on her Army posting to Cyprus she had a new one, Called "Colette", she ragged it all over, up the mountain roads without a issue. She replaced it with the "boat tail, pop up headlamp" Mazda 323F. That came home in the back of a R.A.F. Hercules. On a return posting to Dusseldorf the Autobahn was calling so a V6 MX3 was bought.

  • @waxy954
    @waxy954 3 роки тому

    So true that you can often have fun in small cars with not much power. I own a 997.2 911, but often drive my son’s 59bhp VW Up and that can be a right giggle

  • @KimSE4
    @KimSE4 3 роки тому

    I'm afraid I'm not a fan of supercar videos but I love your content on classics, Lotus, the interesting "normal person" stuff and this is my favourite so far.

  • @BisonMark
    @BisonMark 3 роки тому

    Never seen your channel before but on strength of this video I am subscribing as love the attitude. I recently got a similar feeling after being loaned a 1981 vauxhall nova(pre corsa) which is what I passed my test in and subsequently was my first car after buying off my mum. Same 4 speed box and probably similar horse power..... And had to laugh that as I remembered it only had driver's mirror lol,, and so many people are convinced this is due to losing one and not an optional extra as surely that's illegal. Haha how little they know. Anyway I'm off to watch more of your channel now

  • @randomd6r
    @randomd6r 3 роки тому

    Gran had a 1990 K10 1.2 GS, with metallic silver paint and a massive 60bhp. I think it even had a five speed gearbox and grey plastic interior. We all enjoyed driving it, and it was very reliable, surviving many owners, until it was sadly but inevitably sent to the crusher at the grand old age of 25.

  • @garrylawless3550
    @garrylawless3550 3 роки тому

    Nice to see a totally honest and at the time it was new, an everyday car that you would see all over town. They were popular, and simple to look after. Great video and review.👍🏻

  • @paintballmuseum
    @paintballmuseum 3 роки тому

    K10 from 86, my first car. It was a pleasure to get a better driver with it and it kept me alive even I did some crazy and stupid stuff mid 90s. Would love to have the place to get and keep a nice one just for fun.

  • @CodSmashingPasty
    @CodSmashingPasty 3 роки тому

    I had a 88 plate blue 1.0 as my first car and loved it! Killed it for 13 months and it didn't let me down and only consumed £5 a week in petrol back then. Strongly nostalgic

    • @CodSmashingPasty
      @CodSmashingPasty 3 роки тому

      Also it laid seige to all my mates 1.2 fiestas haha. Put a 5 speed box in at hit 100 mph on the local bypass.... terrifying

  • @jonathanthorpe1653
    @jonathanthorpe1653 3 роки тому

    I had one as my first car. It was brilliant and served me well for around 7 years. It used a lot of oil so fitted a 1.2 engine and 5 speed gear box from a better spec model. It certainly was much more lively after the upgrade. Eventually it failed its MOT on rust around the rear seat bolt mounting points. I didn’t want to scrap it so I gave it to a local college for students to work on. RIP E324 BVU your very much missed 😭

  • @mcspooney
    @mcspooney 3 роки тому

    told people for years... its not what you drive, its how. thats where the enjoyment comes from. if your a driver that likes to improve your skills then old bangers are amazing for that. you can powerslide em at safer more enjoyable speeds. makes the experience of learning easier and more enjoyable.

  • @ajrichar0
    @ajrichar0 3 роки тому +2

    This reminds me of my first car, a 1982 Suzuki Alto. 800cc of throbbing power. Has the same lack of mod cons as that, and the same general look and feel. Hooray for finding merit in the mundane.

    • @robsmall6466
      @robsmall6466 3 роки тому +1

      Yes. I second the Suzuki Alto. A later model ( 99 ) but the perfect size and good fun

  • @lupus7194
    @lupus7194 3 роки тому

    Following an electromagnetic pulse, you'll be a King. I have fond memories of a late 80's Suzuki Swift that my companies engineering dept had as their runabout.

  • @NovaMad2010
    @NovaMad2010 Рік тому

    Me and the Mrs have a K10 1.0 4speed as a bit of a of a classic project, absolutely love driving it, it's the slowest car in the fleet but full of character

  • @Retrobeemer
    @Retrobeemer 3 роки тому

    I loved my Chevrolet Matiz for the exact same reason. It was just fun to drive and you had to do exactly that and drive the thing! You had to keep momentum and think about what you were doing. It taught the skills that help make better drivers and it cost peanuts if things went wrong.

  • @Rayshader
    @Rayshader 3 роки тому

    Great episode! When driving pleasure is detached from specs and price tag that alone says alot about the driver!

  • @argonaut6386
    @argonaut6386 3 роки тому

    Great video thanks. Everyone seems to want to get from 0-60 in the fastest time these days and this proves you can still have motoring enjoyment without that. I really love driving my son's MK1 Citroen C1 which I find fun even though it's got a tiny 68bhp.