I've just bought a K11 Micra

I've just bought a K11 Micra

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jogger1976

Original Poster:

1,251 posts

133 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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My Saab is temporarily FUBAR frown and as I need a car for work a quick trawl of EBAY Motors and Autotrader revealed a P reg 1.0 Micra about 20 mins from my house.

For £350 I've got steelies, black bumpers, windy windows, manual locking and mirrors and un-assisted power steering. However, it has pretty much full service history, a years MOT, 4 nearly new tyres and is a mechanically sound car which starts on the button and is quiet on tick-over. The guy even threw in some spare parts and a jerry can. biggrin

The engine is quite revvy and is pretty nippy up to 50 mph. On the way back home it even managed to cope with a 70+ blast down the motorway.- I'm now deaf, though. hehe

I know it's perhaps not the most PH of cars, but it's actually quite liberating having a car you don't give a st about and it's quite a laugh extracting all 54 bhp from that 998cc engine.

I'm genuinely surprised at how capable it is. thumbup




Edited by jogger1976 on Friday 27th November 21:00

Funk

26,573 posts

216 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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Some of the most fun drives I had were in a Ford Ka (which you could corner on its door-handles) and a Ford Puma. Both cheap, relatively low-powered (the Ka especially so) but great fun to chuck around at sensible speeds.

The Puma in particular was a joy to drive!

Dangerous Dan

624 posts

178 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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The K11s are bloody reliable too! With minimal maintenance they will simply go on and on and on.

Cheap motoring.

OldGermanHeaps

4,211 posts

185 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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They were great wee cars except for the crossmembers used to rot to hell.

anonymous-user

61 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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K11 - AKA The Cockroach of the car world!

poing

8,743 posts

207 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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2 cars I miss the most and, since it's the season, they also happened to be the best winter cars I ever owned.

K11 Micra - blue limited edition called Ally, so very manly. Mine was proper posh, had power steering and a sunroof but that was about it.
It replaced my Ford KA. The KA handled a lot better but the Micra had a far better engine and was much more refined. Reliability of the Micra was on a different level completely, you just couldn't kill it. Went everywhere in that Micra and actually went hunting for the worst snow I could find and it went through all of it with ease, long before I was even aware of winter tyres.

Vaud

52,394 posts

162 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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Some of the best cars you will ever own and enjoy driving are the most basic and underpowered.

Why? You can drive them to 100% and not care...

Iva Barchetta

44,044 posts

170 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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Pics required of your awesome new ride please.

We all like pics.

Sheepshanks

35,033 posts

126 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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£350 seems really expensive - we just threw away a 52 reg one!

Leptons

5,317 posts

183 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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Un-assisted power steering? Good feature! wobble

Iva Barchetta

44,044 posts

170 months

Friday 27th November 2015
quotequote all
Leptons said:
Un-assisted power steering? Good feature! wobble
The belt's come off....obvs.

TwigtheWonderkid

44,678 posts

157 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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I know someone with an M reg K11 with close on 450K miles on the clock. He also has a 52 plate he bought as they were about to be discontinued and he wanted a new one for when the old one packed up. But as the old one never packed up, the new one is just given a bit of a run every couple of weeks.

Brilliant cars.

jogger1976

Original Poster:

1,251 posts

133 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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Iva Barchetta said:
Leptons said:
Un-assisted power steering? Good feature! wobble
The belt's come off....obvs.
Apologies for the error.I'm still recovering from the drive home! hehe Pics to follow.

MC Bodge

22,618 posts

182 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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I had one as a courtesy car once.

It was quite fun to throw around, although it under steered at the hint of a sharp turn.

I achieved an indicated 100mph on a private road and drove it as hard as possible for a couple of 100mile journeys across the country -I was knackered afterwards.

Mephistofleas

1,391 posts

197 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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Damnit this thread makes me want my 1.7 Puma back frown

What is it about these revvy, nippy little cars?!?!?

Are we even real petrolheads nuts

DrDoofenshmirtz

15,703 posts

207 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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Sheepshanks said:
£350 seems really expensive - we just threw away a 52 reg one!
Yep - the OP was 'done', this is obvious - but he's happy so who cares.

I'm currently 'driving like I stole it' a 2001 1.25L Ford Fiesta Ghia (lots of goodies usually found on bigger cars such as heated front screen, A/C, leccy windows, R/C locking, alloys etc) all for £100 with 13 months MOT. I absolutely love driving it - great little car.

Edited by DrDoofenshmirtz on Friday 27th November 22:40

Funk

26,573 posts

216 months

Friday 27th November 2015
quotequote all
Mephistofleas said:
Damnit this thread makes me want my 1.7 Puma back frown

What is it about these revvy, nippy little cars?!?!?

Are we even real petrolheads nuts
Mine was tidy as well - no arch rust!

http://i.imgur.com/pzNcOXI.jpg

Mephistofleas

1,391 posts

197 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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Funk said:
Mine was tidy as well - no arch rust!

Gorgeous frown

Pretty much had the same in black with none of the infamous rust (though mine looked a little rougher than yours).

Such a great handling little motor...

jogger1976

Original Poster:

1,251 posts

133 months

Friday 27th November 2015
quotequote all
DrDoofenshmirtz said:
Sheepshanks said:
£350 seems really expensive - we just threw away a 52 reg one!
Yep - the OP was 'done', this is obvious - but he's happy so who cares.

I'm currently 'driving like I stole it' a 2001 1.25L Ford Fiesta Ghia (lots of goodies usually found on bigger cars such as heated front screen, A/C, leccy windows, R/C locking, alloys etc) all for £100 with 13 months MOT. I absolutely love driving it - great little car.

Edited by DrDoofenshmirtz on Friday 27th November 22:40
I think saying I was "done" is a bit harsh TBH. I could have punted on innumerable rusty Fiesta's and KA's with short MOT's and "full service history" on Fleabay and Autotrader.(been there, done that) I could've possibly even got a nicer motor for more dosh if I'd been prepared to travel.

But time was short and needs must, and as you say, I'm happy with my little cockroach.biggrin

TameRacingDriver

18,550 posts

279 months

Friday 27th November 2015
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I had a couple of K11s when younger, a 1.0 poverty spec model and a 1.4 "Sport+". The latter was a silly title for it, but it was a fair bit quicker than the 1.0 but it didn't feel quite as indestructable as the 1.0. I drove that to the limiter every day and it just kept saying "is that all you have". The handling was pretty ste though, as were the brakes, but it was ridiculously reliable and tough.

I also had the 1.7 Puma. The handling was great. I remember following my mate in his 328Ci that I would subsequently own and he would do me on the straights but I'd be right up his chuff again in the corners. Great little karts, glad I owned one. Mind I never felt the engine was quite as brilliant as some make out, I preferred the 1.8 in the Corsa SRI, it just had a nicer sound and felt a bit punchier. Though the throttle response was better on the Puma.