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Your Dad mentioned it has has a couple of niggles but I'd leave with them. A car with a bit of providence is always better than a complete unknown.
OP. If you could find a 1 or 2 owner Toyota Carina you are laughing. The pre1.8VVTI engine is supposed to be good (but slow).
How about a V70 estate? You'd need a full mechanical check on any car IMO.
It's not tosh hora - they are statistical trends. Just look at how many of certain cars are on the roads 15 years later. We used to have an old shape Rover 214 when I was a kid - it was G reg. The saloon kind with the weird high boot. We got shot at 80k miles because the gearbox was going. I haven't seen one of those on the road for a good 6 or 7 years, and that one reminded me before that that I hadn't seen one in forever.
However my first car was a VW Polo MK2, also G reg, and I still see a few of those here and there. One a month maybe. I bought it at a time when the Rovers had all but disappeared.
Just look at all the cars say pre-M reg that you see driving around, and see what make they are. That will give you as good a statistical trend as any, but it will of course NOT guarantee that any car of that make will be fine (clearly).
ahh your right hora, it went into "nanny mode" above 3000rpm for a while, lost all power so had to stop and switch off and on again, but nothing major. great in snow too 😀
ebay search for 2004 micra engine £250-£350
Beware of scrap dealer web sites that promise to get anything for you
there are some bogus dealers out there .
Is there a Micra owners club? Nissan forum where you can get garage reccomendations from for your area?
you do need a decent small garage that will source and fit the engine.
should be able to get this done for around 6-800 quid then sell/PX the car.
They will also sort out collecting the from where it is now if they are worth dealing with.
If it has snapped a cambelt the first thing to do would be to replace it. See what the damage is and go from there, where are you? Some engines are "safe" and the valves won't hit the pistons. I'm off to have a look to see what the books reckon. Back in a mo
Although - why sell the car if it's just got a new engine?
£6k for a cheap car? £600 is cheap for me
I had a P reg BMW316i, bought at 70k run for 2 years to 98K. Never any serious problems with it. Comfy, cheap to run. Only got shot of it because it was saloon and I need an estate/hatchback. Cost £1300. Petrolheads on here slagged it off for being "gutless", but it cruised happily at 80, so that may have just been BMW ego-syndrome.
Also, I had a Saab 9something "EcoDrive" - it had a green area on the rev counter between 2000 and 3000 rpm, which I suspect was the "ecozone" Bought for £1100 at 70K, ran to 110k, no serious problems, other than being seriously thirsty in town. But dead cheap on motorway. One bike in back with rear seats up, 3 in with rear seats down and wheels off.
The engine is an "interference" type (as the only one I can see with a cambelt is the diesel) You are probably right and it is borked. If you are near Reading I'm willing to have a look if you wish and can get it moved. Mail me if you wish.
molgrips yeah your right. You dont see many of these around do you..
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Not saying what you do and don't see specifically. Just look for yourself next time you are out.
Or...these..[img] 
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ALL cars need regular oil changes, attention to small niggles etc etc. The difference is people (probably) think 'if I fix this VW it will sell quickly/its in demand/it'll give me something back'..
IMO the car approaching 'bombproof' is probably this, the very simple MX5
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The engine is an "interference" type (as the only one I can see with a cambelt is the diesel) You are probably right and it is borked. If you are near Reading I'm willing to have a look if you wish and can get it moved. Mail me if you wish.
Alas, in Leamington Spa! Thanks for the offer though! 🙂
Current plan is to cut the bottom out of it and get Mr Toast to power it Flinstones' style...
I think this is more bomb proof:
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