Hi folks,
I would be grateful for some advice please on a second hand car I am planning to buy.
Car is a 2001 Nissan Micra SE+ Auto 1348cc
Car is advertised as:
"There is an exhaust sensor warning light illuminated on the dashboard. This is due to a faulty sensor - there is no problem with the exhaust or emissions as confirmed by the recent MOT."
I understand from the seller that the "Exhaust sensor warning light has been illuminated since approx 1 year and that the Nissan dealer confirmed that it was due to a faulty exhaust sensor which monitors the quality of the exhaust emissions. As emissions is tested as part of the MOT (which it passed without problem) in Nov 07 this sensor is largely redundant / irrelevant and has no bearing on how the car runs. Nissan dealer has quoted £600 to repair"
1. I am not a techie so would appreciate if someone could confirm that "this sensor is largely redundant / irrelevant and has no bearing on how the car runs."
2. Is it safe / recommended / legal to drive the car with a faulty sensor? What are the possible risks of do so?
Don't wish to buy the car and then realise that I will have to fork out £600.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Cheers,
Andy
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 02/02/2008 at 09:46
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Andy
Absolute and utter hogwash.
The light in question can only be the "engine management fault" light [there will be "affect emissions" in it's handbook description] and even Renault/Nissan can't want £600 to replace the only sensor in the exhaust, which is a simple oxygen sensor.
What they do quote £600 for, is replacing the faulty throttle body/MAF sensor that fail in droves on these. As so often; the owher has decided to make it SEP [someone else's problem] and before drivability/idling gets really bad, has concocted this ludicrous tale.
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Totally agree with Screwloose. Walk away or look at paying less than £1500.
We had a look for 1.4 Micras last year. Not that many about.
I have seen your other thread about the insurance claim.
What features do you like about the 1.4 SE+ Auto?
Maybe a bit of a compromise on the engine size and some of the toys will find you a good car?
Or increase the distance you are willing to travel to buy a good 1.4 SE+.
SWMBO has a 1.0 manual which is great around town and not too bad on an occaisional 200+ mile motorway drive.
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Many thanks Screwloose and Primera for the response. Much appreciated.
This is currently on an ebay auction and the current bid price has reached 1800 - so based on Primera's advice doesnt seem worth bidding, (car has done 22K miles)
SWMBO lost a low milegae 1 owner Micra SE 1.0 auto in a an accident (luckily not her fault) and looking for a repalcement. The 1.0 SE had 2 air bags and airconditioning and the missus was quite happy with this model. Being 1.0, mileage was pretty good. So looking for a similar replacement.
Can hardly find a Micra 1.0 SE Auto around. So decided to widen the search slightly and found this 1.4 SE+ Auto.
Ideally looking for a low mileage (upto) 20K miles, auto, 5 door, small engine size (to optimise mileage), twin air bags and air conditioning. Budget is 2.5K to 3.2K max. No specific atatchement with the Micra but this seemed to offer the desired features within the budget for a 6-7 year old model. Any other suggestions welcome.
Cheers,
Andy
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When we were looking at X/Y reg 1.4 Micras, they were for sale from 2K - 3K for similar condition/mileage examples.
My advice was based on looking for around £500 below normal price.
The Micras are capable of high mileage, so I wouldn't worry about getting one with 50-70K miles on it.
Depends on how many miles you will put on it and how long you intend to keep it.
I am not sure what affect the mileage has on the auto box.
Does it have to be a small car? SWMBO does not like driving big cars.
Looking in the class above (Honda Civic, Ford Focus, etc) will give you more options.
There will be a larger selection of cars with the options you want.
Auto, 5 door, twin air bags and air con.
Something like a 1.4 Civic will give you very similar MPG as the Micra.
Probably best to come up with a short list and start a new post in the discussion section.
Have a look through the car by car breakdown.
Good Luck!
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By the looks of it that Micra on eBay has only been serviced three times in the past 6 years. I'd walk away.
Whilst the petrol Micras might be capable of high mileages, the CVTs seem to have a high rate of failure - you don't see many for sale with more than 50000 miles on them unless they're for spares or repairs.
Having said that, my wife thinks that the K11 Micra is the greatest car ever made - I hate driving the thing. She says that the only car she's driven that is anywhere as good as a Micra is the Hyundai Accent, so if your wife and my wife have the same taste in cars, the Hyundai might be worth a look.
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