This is a Nissan Pao. In case you've never heard of one before, there's plenty of info here Kustom PAO , but basically it's a Nissan Micra floorpan with a retro styled body plonked on top. It's the ideal car if you want something classic or unusual but can't live without aircon, an electric roof and power steering. It was part of a series of styling exercises, along with the BE-1, the S-cargo van and the Figaro, that Nissan built for the Tokyo motorshow and then, due to public demand, put into production. About 10,000 were made in 1989 by Nissan's special-vehicle subsiduary, Pike Factory. The styling is intentionaly ugly/cute, with bits of Renault 4 and 1960's Datsun mixed in.
A couple of years ago, I needed (was instructed more like) to buy a more practical, modern car for ferrying my baby daughter about but they were all so dull. I couldn't face driving a Ford/VW/Fiat/Blandmobile but luckily found this instead. Now she's grown up a bit it's time to sell the Pao and get back into dodgy old Beetles
I looked at a lot of Paos before buying this one and a lot more since, and it's one of the best I've seen so far. It has the big bonus of being a 5-speed manual version. Most of them have a 3-speed auto box which, combined with the 1 litre engine and aerodynamics of a tool shed, make for authentically retro performance to match the looks. But with the manual box it's as nippy as any other modern hatchback and gets a good 50mpg into the bargain. It's done 82,000 miles - not much for a car that's 19 years old. Mechanical bits are all Micra so bulletproof, cheap and easy to find. The bodywork is mint with no scrapes or dents. So is the interior, the seats look like new, all the ivory switches and knobs are present and correct and it has all the cool bits that are often missing like the original radio and the rear parcel shelf. These cost a fortune to replace, if you can find them that is. The aircon works perfectly too. I've also got some original extras that aren't fitted in the photos. There are front foglights and mounting bar that fit on the bumper, cupholders that fit above the radio and a tray that fits on the front parcel shelf. The wheels are optional 13 inch alloys (standard wheels are 12 inch steels). The spare has never been used. Same goes for the jack and toolkit. I've taken a couple of shots of the sills and underside to try and show how spotless it is under there. The suspension still has shiny paint on it!
Since buying it I've replaced the dampers and the tyres (common problems on Jap imports due to the climate in Japan). It looks like it has been regularly serviced at a Nissan dealer while in Japan but I replaced the thermostat, cam belt and waterpump just to be on the safe side as well as the usual plugs and filters. I fitted a 3-point belt in the rear for my daughter's child seat - they only have lap belts in the rear as standard even though the rear pillars have reinforcment for upper mounts already. I also converted the offside reversing light into a fog light rather than have one of those ugly bolt-on lamps like on most imports. By the time you read this it should also have had a new sunroof fitted. Every Pao or Figaro needs a new sunroof cover if it hasn't already had one fitted. After years in the sun the vinyl shrinks and gets stiff. The original roof doesn't leak and it opens and closes as it should, it just has ugly gaps along the sides. I've ordered a new one for 200 quid, I'm just waiting for it to be made. If the car sells before I get it fitted, I'll obviously reduce the price to account for it but I'd rather it was done so the new owner doesn't have the hassle. It's just had a fresh MOT and 12 months tax.
There's no need to worry about finding parts for it. All the mechanical bits are common with the mk1 Micra, some other bits are shared with the Figaro, plenty of stuff is still available direct from Nissan (at a price though) and there are a couple of very good specialists in the UK that can get anything you'll ever need. There's also a couple of forums where you can get good advice.
Bad bits (not many).
1) The only rust is on the rear valence just above the tailpipe. It looks as if the pipe has hit the body at some time and cracked the paint so it's bubbled. The rear valence is bolted on so is an easy job to sort but it isn't easily noticeable.
2) There is a patch of paint on the roof that has been faded by the sun. It will probably buff out with a good mopping but is a job best left for when the sunroof is being replaced so you can get at it more easily. Again, it's not really noticable unless you know it's there but I'm pointing it out because it doesn't show up in photos.
I'd like to get £3000 for it. There are a few Figaro dealers that have Paos for sale on their websites and there are always a few on Ebay. Check the prices and you'll see this is a steal. I'm not far from Warwick, only a couple of miles from the M42/M40 junction so pretty easy to get to. If you want photos taking of anything in more detail, just ask and I'll email them to you.
Andy
