Nissan Figaro... :roll:

[Campbell0240 0]

Well my girlfriends dad imports these and though he can get hold of any jap import you want his business is based on a figaro specialist he deals in the cars and their parts all colours as well and as someone pointed out the pink is the most popular/expensive.

 

He himself drives a F150/Harley truck 550bhp and he owns a VW camper thats having a 911 engine and his wife has two of these herself and i can vouch that they aint bad cars and even she has a beetle (so lets face it if they love VAG they have their heads screwed on)

 

He imports them in bulk like i said these are his business and to be honest they're rare to the point you wouldnt really want to buy one with no history or from a private buyer and to be honest not just any jap importer as these arent exactly like your average skyline supra or evo you know? An you wouldnt want to be stuck for parts for them either. If you do look into buying one make sure its off someone who knows figaros.

 

Anyway if you would like contact details for information on them or whatever let me know and i can pass them on.

 

Personally i think they're alot more classy and fun than your average shopping trolley.

[Trig 0]

Blimmin 'eck, looks like posting here was a good idea! I'll speak to Laura and get back to you Campbell0240, thanks a lot. :)

[Furkz 0]

AWESOME lil cars,,, too much class for the money

[timg60 0]

Why not try to get her to go down the way of a MK1 goof cabriolet. VAG and still a bit trendy. Plus for the money you would pay for a figaro you would be able to get a show stopper.

[Furkz 0]

trigger is yr g/f abt 85 yr old btw :lol:

[gaz the geezer 0]

..... i saw one of these nissan things pull up at the rail sidings at brighton, i was expecting a midget to pop out :lol: but no, this big chubby 6ft fella `uncurled` his legs and got out :shock: must have been built using `tardis` technology :lol: ......... seriously tho, i`m not too bothered what anyone else buys tbh because it`s `horses for courses`, i`d probaly be more opinionated if i was made to have something i didnt want, best thing to do trig is to go through the motions and find out as much as you can, do the road test etc and ( knowing what my missus is like ), she might well change her mind and get taken by summat else on the car lot 8)

[vr6storm 0]

the good thing about them too is..........ive never seen a chavved/max power'd up one..............unlike some of the other rice out there

[scarlett 0]

if she really wants one then cool, let her go for it and she'll give you peace.... but i'd agree with Walsey, let her drive the rado, she prob thinks it's a blokes car and will be pleasantly surprised to find that its not when she drives it!!! then you wouldnt need to admit your GF drives something based on a Micra *shudder*... I mean, come on, a bl**dy Micra.... :roll: :wink:

 

for once I agree with PhatVR6, things like this are nothing more than an accessory which is probably fine for her but, personally, I would rather have to walk!!! :)

[Musicman 0]

My gf's quite keen on 'em too. :)

 

FWIW, there's a dealer on London Road in Mitcham that always seems to have several in stock whenever I go past, if you're looking to try a couple out.

[Trig 0]

Yes a Max power'd one really would be a sight to behold..

 

She's going to have a drive of my C to see what it's like (quite different from her current Ford Ka will be the answer I think!). Man it would be cool if she decides she wants a valver!

 

PMSL at your description gaz!

 

Thanks for the dealership loaction Musicman, we wont be looking to buy for a few months and the whole import thing looks like a good idea (cheaper, known history etc.) and that'll take a month or two i'd imagine.... definately need to drive a couple before making any decisions..!

 

scarlett, thanks for a female opinion! I know it's based on a Micra but you'd hardly guess would you!? :lol:

 

I'm starting to like it quite a bit actually, still rather she got a C though! :)

[Jim 2]

then you wouldnt need to admit your GF drives something based on a Micra *shudder*... I mean, come on, a bl**dy Micra.... :roll:

 

I think my girlfriend is considering a Micra for her next car. We need to put this in to some kind of context I think.. my girlfriend doesn't like to drive fast, she doesn't really care what she drives as long as its small and doesn't cost lots to fuel/insure and she doesn't want something that breaks a lot - so something quite new preferably. So her current Ford Ka is ideal really.

 

Obviously I wish my girlfriend was into cars in the same way that I was.. and she has nothing but enthusiasm for my interest in cars (she's pleased i'm getting another Rado!) but she's not an enthusiat at all and I would imagine that she represents the vast majority of female motorists (and I would guess a fairly large amount of male motorists) - that weird breed who consider a car to be a tool and nothing more!

 

So Micra's, Ka's.. yeah so what.. they are little boring cars but they're designed for a particular role and they do it well.

[chrishill 0]

^ what jim said. I dont think theres many shopping/school run cars that are a real drivers car (clio 172's etc excluded, they're not your average small hatch), they're not intended to be fast or particularly fun, they're aimed at a different market and a different type of motorist.

 

Personally I like the Figaro, its got bags more style than anything else in its price range, its a nissan micra in essence so its going to be pretty bomb-proof engine wise and its got that individuality factor.

[Claret Badger 0]

absolute crap, and the prices they fetch are utterly beyond belief.

 

just have alook at them prices, and i swear you'd have to be clinically insane to buy one.

 

That can apply to Corrado's also n'cest pas?

 

SWT

HTH

[Claret Badger 0]

let her drive the rado, she prob thinks it's a blokes car and will be pleasantly surprised to find that its not when she drives it!!! then you wouldnt need to admit your GF drives something based on a Micra *shudder*... I mean, come on, a bl**dy Micra.... :roll: :wink:

 

personally, I would rather have to walk!!! :)

 

 

fickle old car drivers - I was given a mk1 1.2 Micra (60bhp/600kgs fact fans) (yeah I know at the time I probably thought I overpaid) - Having said that, 2 years down the line, after one spark plug change and a set of new tyres - it still goes on strong.

 

 

PLUS

 

it would beat most of the Corrado's on this forum to 30mph hands down.

 

 

FACT

[olly elworthy 0]

awesome little car,, stands out and looks cool!! i like the retro beasties and as it is Jap and based on a micra it wil be really reliable

[Tom B 0]

As I used to work for Nissan I know a few things about these.

 

The 1.0 Turbo engine is a nippy little unit, however Nissan made these for the Japanese market only so the engines were designed to last 40k. Don't panic, the engines are very strong and do last a lot longer than that. Just look out for the usual stuff.

 

Parts wise? Well Nissan have started discontinuing parts for K10 Micras (the square cars they're based on) so parts will start to become rare soon. Most parts can be matched up to Micra parts, but when it comes to specific Figaro stuff you might find yourself in a lot of trouble. Parts can be pricey and most of the time you're looking at a month back order from Japan. Micra parts are normally held in Lutterworth, or at worst Amsterdam so it can take anything up to a week for normal parts. Another thing to note is that there isn't a lot of pattern parts out there for anything Nissan. Genuine is the only option about half the time.

 

Other than that, they're solid little cars. Because a few celebs own them, they keep their value really well. Just look out for a well looked after low miler and you'll be fine.

[Tom B 0]

Jim, if she's going for a bubble shaped Micra, then she's gonna be very happy with it because they're the most reliable car to buy - fact!

 

I know of 2 things that go on them - MAFs (part of the throttle body - £450+VAT from Nissan but they're easy enough to fix yourself with a soldering iron) and heater resistors (about £30)

 

The 1.3s my choice, but the 1.0s aren't bad at all if speed's not her thing!

[chrishill 0]

I'm ashamed to admit i used to own a 'bubble' micra, one of the last ones before they did the redesign and turned it into a hippo. It was a 1.4 and, I thought, quite nippy for a small engine. I have to admit though Phat's right about the handling, even the slightest of bends made it pitch and roll like it was trying to go over... it wont though.

[andy 0]

Each to their own and all that but I really do think they are THE ugliest car on the road. I can't think of any car that gets its looks so wrong. Every proportion verges on the hideous. I think its a car for people who appreciate nothing whatsoever about cars and are confusing it with a sportscar of yesteryear.

[andy 0]

Has she considered... ;-)

[Claret Badger 0]

Each to their own and all that but I really do think they are THE ugliest car on the road. I can't think of any car that gets its looks so wrong. Every proportion verges on the hideous. I think its a car for people who appreciate nothing whatsoever about cars and are confusing it with a sportscar of yesteryear.

 

 

I think you either miss the point

or you failed to understand why they bought it out.

 

At the time - the early 90's the Japs were going through an anglophile phase.

And I think these were brought in to be a substitute for old Mini's and MG's etc.

 

I believe there is a Micra based MK2 Jag - now that's hideous - in comparison the Figaro is very cute and does what it is meant to do.

[JoeNose 0]

Good for her for wanting something different. Nothing wrong with paying extra for some individuality either (in fact, isn't that what most of us are doing with our Corrados upto a point?) - I think the Figaro looks OK.

 

I'll also add my other half to the list of folk's g/fs who want one!

[dinkus 10]

Looks like you're getting some good advice, but I'd be a little concerned about the intelligence of other Figaro drivers :lol:

[Trig 0]

LOL - should have done a search it seems! :lol:

 

Judging by the number of us who now have girlfriends/wives that want one maybe it's time to rename the forum.... 'Corrado & Figaro Forum' anyone?! :lol:

 

Agree entirely with Jim's point, my gf isn't interested in performance she just wants some thing fairly reliable with a bit of characer and individuality. Jim my missus currently drives a Ford Ka as well... err... are they the same person?! :)

[chrishill 0]

i guess this thread just proves nissan got it spot on if their target buyers were young women who used to drive Ka's and have partners who own corrados...