My Next Car

[GaryA]

Those are a fine machine and seriously economical but check the front end of it for rust.

Yeah Ive checked the front crossmember and its ok...it had to have two inner sills welded in for its MOT a few months ago.
One feature thats very different from more modern cars is the rear visibility-you couldnt find a blind spot if you tried. My brother had a 1.3 version years ago and bought a later K12 micra and said its build quality was rubbish in comparision.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

...bought a later K12 micra and said its build quality was rubbish in comparision.

Typical Newcastle!

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Yeah Ive checked the front crossmember and its ok...it had to have two inner sills welded in for its MOT a few months ago.
One feature thats very different from more modern cars is the rear visibility-you couldnt find a blind spot if you tried. My brother had a 1.3 version years ago and bought a later K12 micra and said its build quality was rubbish in comparision.

You should put some waxoyl on it if you plan to keep the car. I had a 1995 K11 for 11 years and rust killed it. If I knew what I know now I would of rust proofed the car when I bought it and it would of lasted forever. Sure it had no PAS, electric windows, not even a light in the boot, or even an intermittent front windscreen wiper setting. But it was the best car I have ever owned, totally bullet proof and no cam belt to worry about (as the chain was fine for the 135,000 miles it had on when rust killed it). The engine was still as good as new.

 

[Matt1705]

My 2001 x registered micra was blue.

Everybody I knew insisted it was purple.

It was blue!

 

[Over The Hill]

My 2001 x registered micra was blue.

Everybody I knew insisted it was purple.

It was blue!

Did you similarly insist that it was a cool car??

 

[Matt1705]

Did you similarly insist that it was a cool car??

Yes

 

[Piemaster]

This is the UK
Waxoyl will certainly help but 'rustproofing' a car is like fitting 'puncture-proof' tyres to your bike.
It's just delaying the inevitable

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

This is the UK
Waxoyl will certainly help but 'rustproofing' a car is like fitting 'puncture-proof' tyres to your bike.
It's just delaying the inevitable

I agree but it is bound to pay for itself in the long run. I did it to a Mk 2 Astra GTE 16V that I ran for ages. It certainly slowed down the rust that was already there on the car. The K11 Micra had really crap next to no underseal, it would add years to the car trying to rust proof it. Personally I really dislike French cars, but I rarely see a rusty one. Same with Subaru's. They are not made out of stainless steel, it must be better underseal and possibly more layers of paint.

 

[Piemaster]

Generally cars are a lot more resistant than they used to be, due to as you say better protection when built, with galvanising in some cases. Plus of course there is more plastics used now than before.

Stainless steel can rust too as it's an alloy and the compostion of it effects it's corrosion resistance. Only car I can think of offhand using stainless steel was the DeLorean. I used to have a neighbour with a very rusty Ford Orion, a result apparently of Ford switching production to a different plant - cars made over a couple of year period corroded more than ones built either side of it.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Only car I can think of offhand using stainless steel was the DeLorean.

A useless fact for you - only the outer panels were stainless on the Delorean. The rest of the body was fibreglass and was mounted on an epoxy coated steel chassis.