2005 Nissan Micra 1.4L Petrol · CW55 EEM

The 2005 Nissan Micra passed its most recent MOT on 26 October 2023 at 146,861 miles, but the maintenance picture is one of gradual deterioration rather than active repair. Corrosion on all four coil springs and external casing damage to all four shock absorbers have appeared consistently since 2020 and remain unresolved. A persistent oil leak has been noted every year since at least 2020, and while testers classified it as not excessive, its longevity suggests a slow degradation of gaskets or seals rather than a sudden failure. The trend is stable-to-worsening, with no evidence that the underlying suspension corrosion or oil leak has been addressed between successive tests. The mileage progression tells a coherent story. Between 20 October 2020 at 128,720 miles and 26 October 2023 at 146,861 miles, the car covered 18,141 miles in three years, averaging around 6,047 miles annually. That aligns closely with the lifetime average of roughly 6,993 miles per year across 21 years, suggesting steady, unremarkable use rather than long periods of dormancy or sudden high-mileage accumulation. The record is clean, with no gaps in annual testing that would raise suspicion about unmonitored wear. A buyer inspecting this Micra in person should focus on the front suspension and braking components. The October 2022 failure flagged excessively worn anti-roll bar linkage ball joints on both front sides, a worn rear bush on the offside front suspension arm, and a significantly worn offside front inner brake disc. Although the car passed a retest the following day, those items were likely patched rather than resolved, and the 2021 advisory on worn front brake discs and thin front pads confirms the braking system has been running near its limits for several years. Check the condition of the front brake discs, pads, and anti-roll bar linkages carefully, and look for any play in the suspension bushes. Equally important is the structural corrosion flagged repeatedly across all four coil springs. Surface corrosion noted in 2020 on the rear springs had spread to all four by 2021 and has persisted unchanged since. On a 20-year-old car, this raises legitimate concern about structural integrity, particularly if the vehicle is driven on salted roads. Inspect the springs closely for pitting, flaking, or any sign of fracture, and examine the shock absorber casings for the external damage and corrosion noted across all four units. The broken exhaust bracket, flagged in 2021 and 2022, should also be verified as repaired, as a missing bracket places stress on the exhaust system and can lead to premature failure.