I bought my Figaro named 'Willoughby' last February (2008) after wanting one for years, aside from a Daimler Dart they are my dream car! I struggled and had to work really hard to raise the money, but I managed it. I was dead set on having a purple one - I do love the original colours, but think that purple is the colour they were made to be!! I wanted to find one that was already sprayed purple as I knew how expensive good spray jobs were and knew I would struggle to afford to get it done. I bought the car from an importer in London, and managed to knock him down from £5,000 to £4,850.
Many dealers sell Figaros for £8.,000+ and after looking at Figaros in many, many different places for sale, I can safely say that they are not always worth that much. You can find them for the price I did, in excellent condition with low mileage. My figaro had less than 45,000 miles on the clock when I bought it, which is low for a car of about 17 years old! Just shop around
relentlessly and if you are looking to buy privately, see if you can get them to lower the price, even if just by a little bit!
One VERY positive point about buying a Fig is that it is truly a solid investment. They tend to hold their value very well indeed and have been shown to increase in value year by year. As there were only 20,000 ever made, they are highly sought after and will continue to be. They are a collectors item as much as they are a car, and as long as you take good care of your fig you are guaranteed to make money on it if you come to sell it. It's also worth noting that original coloured Figs reach higher value than re-sprayed ones. I would recommend buying an original colour for this reason unless you are dead set on a certain colour like me!!
I must admit that mine and Willoughbys journey has not been the smoothest, and this is entirely down to insurance. As Figaros are Japanese imports the insurance companies all want to sting you for ridiculous amounts. I did not research this prior to buying so it came as quite a shock when the quotes I recieved were almost triple what I was paying before (for a Vauxhall Rascal). Also I am under 21 so I was penalised further, and the cheapest premium was about £1500 :( However, after my renewal this went down by a good few hundred, so NCB makes a particularly big difference when insuring these cars!
Also, last year we were involved in an accident where someone swerved into the front right hand side of my Fig, damaging the wing and the bumper quite badly. I had everything repaired and expected a long wait due to parts being tricky to find, but it was actually a very quick repair and there was no trouble for the garage sourcing parts which was a relief.
Aside from that there have been no problems, Willoughby always starts and is superb on petrol consumption. It was recommended to me that I should use Super Unleaded petrol with a Figaro as it helps them run better - I am no car expert so I took the advice! It is slightly more expensive but I have no complaints.
At first I was worried about driving my Fig too much as I would stack up lots of mileage, but that soon went away - I cannot resist driving him around at every given chance, especially in the summer! Everyone and I mean EVERYONE looks at him and smiles, it makes you feel good just to drive a Fig!
They are quite small, there is plenty of room for the people in the front but the back seats are ridiculously small! My little sister can only just squeeze in and she still moans! But this is good as it gets me out of giving lots of lifts to people. It is fine for grocery shopping etc as the back seat becomes the boot, and you can store things in the hood compartment and the boot where the spare tyre lives! That's where I put my wellies :)
What else do I love.. hmmm.. everything! I love that they are automatic, it makes you feel quite lazy but it is very nice! I love the dashboard and the stereo (I was very lucky to get a working cd player AND radio, many do not work at all!) I love how you flick a little switch for the aerial to come out! I love that you can take the roof down! I love the sound the turbo makes when you drive along. I love the smiles and envious looks that Willoughby gets!
Apologies for the lack of technical info in this review, but my mind does not work that way. All I can vouch for is the reliability of this car, Japanese engines are always superb in my experience! I also know that it's great on petrol and that it looks AMAZING! That really is enough, if you buy one, you'll fall madly in love!
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4 X 4, Crossover SUV - Four Wheel Drive (4x4) - 6 Speed Manual Gearbox - 2184 cc - Max Speed: 112 mph - 136 bhp - Diesel - Available Trims: SE, Sport, SVE, T-Spec
Advantages: It's small and easy to park and nippy around town. It's like being with a celebrity and it looks brilliant and sooooooo cute. I've fallen in love with it. Disadvantages: I can't fine any apart from you wouldn't want to sit in the back for a long journey but I won't be as I'll be driving. Not a lot of storage space but okay for 2 small overnight bags and 2 adults.
poochielong 03.05.2006 ·
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Review of Nissan Figaro
Advantages: It's different, it puts a smile on your face; resale value, economical Disadvantages: Parts can be expensive & hard to find, white interior will get dirty quick
ScottishWestie 08.07.2009 ·
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Review of Nissan Figaro
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