Top Trumps: Nissan Micra
I drove to Mongolia, the hard route - the one that Ewan McGregor and Thingy took. The one that went over mountains and deserts and through swamps and rivers. Forget Land Rovers: the ultimate off-road all-terrain vehicle is a Nissan Micra. The worst thing that happened was that the back bumper fell off.



I'm willing to bet that a Micra could beat up a Honda Accord.

( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 15:49, 11 replies)

I once saw
a Micra being driven by a mong. Does that count?
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 16:20, closed)

That's practically compulsory.

( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 16:32, closed)

You've got a snorkel on your Micra?
My god, that's class work ....
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 16:54, closed)

Totally pimped that sucka...
The snorkel is made from a length of B&Q drainpipe. Don't mock, it works brilliantly. Note also the bullbars and humvee spots. We had a roofrack made of shopping trolleys but it fell off.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 17:26, closed)

I don't doubt it.
it's probably a pretty wicked dust trap as well.

the only thing I'd question is how you managed to get that car for less than the cost limit in the Mongol rally .. it's not THAT old a Micra ;)
( the mighty badger Aphrodite, on a bar stool, by your side, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 17:30, closed)

We went on local radio and asked for a car.
It helped that we were the only Norn Irish team. We were offered six. The Micra was the best - it was an insurance write off but there was nothing that wasn't easily fixed by our local friendly mechanic (who we paid in porn).

My team mate was the best amateur PR guy out there. He got us sponsorship from a whiskey company.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 17:33, closed)

Marvellous!
Is there any more info about this trip online?
(dhp, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 19:50, closed)

aye,
www.feckinirishrovers.com

(Forgive the occasional broken link and lack of updates - I migrated the site because googlepages disappeared but I didn't update. A link to all the rally photos is on there though.)
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 22:01, closed)

You can't break a Micra
Years ago we took MrsScars Micra round Germany and Belgium, climbing esoteric rock routes. Did about 1500 miles all told.

On the last day the oil light came on. We had just enough money for 5 litres of oil. We poured in a litre. Dry dipstick. Another litre. Dry dipstick. Another, same result. Another, and there was a trace BELOW the Min mark. We poured the last of it in, and it came half way between the MIN MAX lines.

The dry rebuild volume on a Mk 1 Micra is 4.6 litres, so it must have been running completely dry for a long time, as they were no leaks whatever.

20,000 miles later it needed a new oil pump. No other marks at all.
(all my scars face forward possesses 2.5% of a hyperalloy combat chassis, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 20:45, closed)

They are the car equivalent of the T-1000 terminator.
They are wasted on the bumbling elderly.

Edit: you found routes to climb in Belgium? I thought they only had one hill and they shared it with Germany and the Netherlands.
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Tue 27 Apr 2010, 22:04, closed)

I really wanted
a Micra for our rally. But they were all a bit too expensive, and I got the Punto for a 20 bag, so a Punto it was. We never kitted it out with a snorkel though. Did you use it?
(cypherspace is not a toaster, Thu 29 Apr 2010, 2:06, closed)