I finaly managed to get my driving licence the day of my 23th birthday.
Took me lot of time to get it (about 3 years), so I had plenty of time to chose a car. I wanted a little reliable car for city runs, not french (because they really suck THAT bad), with simple mechanic, few electronic parts, not very attractive for thieves (goodbye Golf) but not too old neither, and above all an easy to find parts' car (wich is the biggest problems witch non standards/exotic cars, unlike french cars).
So it will be the Micra K11.
I searched a lot on internet car sellers websites, classified ad websites, auctions websites for a rather "recent" model (understand >1996 revision) with less than 100 000 km, not too far than Paris, in overall good state, with a classic color (goodbye red, purple and green) and without NVCT (Nissan automatic gearbox). I visited a grey 2000 1.3 facelift reg in a "pro" garage, sounded great on the ads, but the interiors, the engine bay were so dirty... I quickly leaved.
Done a lot of phone calls during 10 days each evening after work: already sold, NVCT, lot of failures. Then a day I managed to get a rendez vous for a black 1.0L 1998 prefacelift one on the following saturday.
The guy was selling his daughters car. I checked inside out the car, looked ok for a 10years old one, nothing to do with the first I mentionned earlier. He asked me to drive it, I was afraid to be disapointed (2 days before a friend of mine gave me the opportunity to drive his Citroen C3, didn't like it at all.) but I wasn't at all ! The gearbox was smooth, engine was pretty nervous for a 1.0L and the windscreen was pretty huge for a small car; the Citroen C3 was beaten easily.
I remember when I bring it back to home, one week later, on the 25th of july 2009, 150km with overused and scarred sides tyres ready to explode... Seen it only when I get home. Had to change all them four.
I later discovered that there was no CIG LIGHTER and the steering pump noisy at cold start! Had to change it with a new one, the guy refounded me 200euros to apology. Anyway I was quite satfisfied. Took the car for a trip to Mont Saint Michel, flawlessly ride.
Stock Pics once washed outside (mud behing the wheels) and inside (dog hairs, melted sugar in the glovebox, tissues in the doorcards and ash in the ashtray ...):
Took me lot of time to get it (about 3 years), so I had plenty of time to chose a car. I wanted a little reliable car for city runs, not french (because they really suck THAT bad), with simple mechanic, few electronic parts, not very attractive for thieves (goodbye Golf) but not too old neither, and above all an easy to find parts' car (wich is the biggest problems witch non standards/exotic cars, unlike french cars).
So it will be the Micra K11.
I searched a lot on internet car sellers websites, classified ad websites, auctions websites for a rather "recent" model (understand >1996 revision) with less than 100 000 km, not too far than Paris, in overall good state, with a classic color (goodbye red, purple and green) and without NVCT (Nissan automatic gearbox). I visited a grey 2000 1.3 facelift reg in a "pro" garage, sounded great on the ads, but the interiors, the engine bay were so dirty... I quickly leaved.
Done a lot of phone calls during 10 days each evening after work: already sold, NVCT, lot of failures. Then a day I managed to get a rendez vous for a black 1.0L 1998 prefacelift one on the following saturday.
The guy was selling his daughters car. I checked inside out the car, looked ok for a 10years old one, nothing to do with the first I mentionned earlier. He asked me to drive it, I was afraid to be disapointed (2 days before a friend of mine gave me the opportunity to drive his Citroen C3, didn't like it at all.) but I wasn't at all ! The gearbox was smooth, engine was pretty nervous for a 1.0L and the windscreen was pretty huge for a small car; the Citroen C3 was beaten easily.
I remember when I bring it back to home, one week later, on the 25th of july 2009, 150km with overused and scarred sides tyres ready to explode... Seen it only when I get home. Had to change all them four.
I later discovered that there was no CIG LIGHTER and the steering pump noisy at cold start! Had to change it with a new one, the guy refounded me 200euros to apology. Anyway I was quite satfisfied. Took the car for a trip to Mont Saint Michel, flawlessly ride.
Stock Pics once washed outside (mud behing the wheels) and inside (dog hairs, melted sugar in the glovebox, tissues in the doorcards and ash in the ashtray ...):
