Hi
I was MGF shopping at the weekend with a budget of around £3.5K and came across a Nissan Figaro. Girlfriend fell in love with it and must admit it does stand out and look kind if good in a wierd way.
Understand its based on an old micra so assume reliability wise its ok.
Does anyone have any thoughs or has anyone owned one? and what should i look for?
Also were they all jap cars and then been imported over the years or were they sold here as well?
Seriously considering buying one to run for a couple of years and then go for a TF when the prices are a little bit lower.
|
There is a guy about a mile from me who imports and sells them (NE London/Essex borders) He always has 3 or 4 or more! of them on his driveway at home. They all seem to be that powdery blue/grey colour.
If you like, can find a phone number or business name for you to make further enquiries.
|
Yes, they are all Japanese market and imported over here. Most of them will be quite old now and if they have been in UK a while then rust could be a problem. There can't be many decent ones left in Japan.
I once inspected one and the engine was a turbo'd Micra unit. The car itself was a bit flimsy and (obviously) the safety aspects were very outdated. I gather dealers can still obtain parts quite easily. Personally I would encourage someone to go for a new Micra instead!
If you want a Japanese sportscar for £3.5k then the Mitsubishi FTO makes a lot of sense. They look really nice, nice to drive and very reliable. See if she likes the look of those.
|
Yer MGF was pretty much for her to drive as well - dont think it would do a deal to my street cred if i turned up at work in one!!
Would be interested in the number if you could obtain it as i predict being pestered to death over the next few days by swmbo'd.
Off to check car-by-car now
Thanks
|
I have had a few of them and apart from check the obvious,buy the very best original condition one that you can find.Personally i do not like the choppy ride,but i guess you only really buy one for the style.
Trim things to be aware of are wheel trims,dings on chrome work,original music,roof condition,and leater interior condition.
There are still plenty coming to the UK each month.
|
They seem to be horrendously expensive for a 14/15 year old car - £5k-£8k seems to be the range. No reason not to buy, but it's clearly rarity/novelty that underpins the price.
Supposing I fancied one, if I'd paid £8k for a car that had been preserved in good condition for 14 years I'd think it was a waste to use it as a daily runabout which will degrade it relatively quickly - it would have to be a dry Sunday car, otherwise I'd buy one cheaper with 'patina' in the first place.
That said, I've never got close to one - are they at all durable?
|
From the C4 (4car) site:
"Figaros were theoretically made only for the Japanese market, but several of these awful pistachio-coloured runts have been sold to British celebs. Notable owners are Jonathan Ross and Vanessa Feltz. Nuff said."
|
|
|
|
|
Maybe it's just me, but a Figaro looks a dead ringer for a 1958 Goggomobil.
|
|
I agree with the above. It's a chic car that doesn't fit with the rest of design in that era. It is pretty reliable too with an engine from a micra with a Turbo fitted. They are really popular with autograss racing.
Edited by Avant on 16/01/2016 at 00:21
|
|
|
|
