Can anybody recommend a good reliable car for DIY maintenance?

In news:gFCYh.1799$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe1-win.ntli.net, Chris Whelan typed: | Baldoni wrote: | | [...] | || The Nissan Micra or similar are the easiest and most reliable cars || on the road. | | Can you cite a source for this piece of "information" please? | | Chris

Well without having to google the source one only has to have a look around and see how many that were built in the 80's are still running. I am talking tens of thousands of them, the OP wanted something easy to maintain. Well they don't come any easier !

Not too many around here...

Plenty of old Fiestas and Polos however.

I would respectfully suggest that a pushrod-engined Fiesta would be an order of magnitude easier and cheaper to maintain than a Micra of similar age.

Chris

And not only that, but you'd get much more "experience" looking after an old Ford too ;)

Any old pre 1980 classic (theyre pretty cheap) and dont come with the complications of ECU's amd engine management.

What you see is what you get, an engine with a fuel pump, carb and a distributor !!!

My Ford Anglia never let me down !!! (but that a bit too much of a classic) Mk3 Cortinas, late 70's Escorts.

Steve

The second car I purchased was an old Nissan Micra with about 40-50k on it's clock for about £200. It was a nice cheap motor to run. Fair enough, when it got up to 70 you felt like you were strapped to the top of a washing machine on full spin doing 70. No real mod cons, or safety features come to think of it. But I did about 30k miles and only spent about £200-300 on maintenance and servicing. Plus it did about 55 miles to the gallon no matter what the traffic. When the clutch finally went, I sold it on for £20. £400 for 30,000 miles :D

Good fond memories... Of course I'd never have another one of the same year and model, I value my life to much. But good fond memories none the less.

Tim

I'll second that. We've had five micras in the family so far varying in purchase price from =A3100 to =A36k. K10 and K11 are very reliable, last a long time and are easy to maintain. Just look at how many old K10s there are still on the road.

The latest K12 we have I'm not so sure about. Think it must be the Renault influence! Might be the last one we have.

BobC