Having recently had another baby, it became clear that the 3-door Micra was a bit too small for two kids and a pushchair in the boot, so I started looking for something a bit more practical. Luckily I woke up one morning, checked my phone and noticed an ad for a Primera P11 GT Saloon on the MSC Facebook group page of all places. After seeing the photo, I was set on buying it, and the price of £600 was very reasonable too. A few days later, I took the train up to Leicester with a mate and the deal was done, plus I got £50 off because one of the rear doors wouldn’t open – more on that later. The drive home was amazing, so much power compared to the Micra and it was fairly comfortable… and loud.
- Almera N16 OEM 6″ alloys – keeping those
- Toyosports 4 branch manifold – keeping that
- Aftermarket backbox (can’t remember the make) – will be removing that as it’s too loud for family use
- Lowered 50mm on the front and 40mm at the back – will raise the front 10mm to clear speedbumps
- Megane front splitter – not sure about that yet, I kind of like it
- Locate and repair rush patches on floorpan and sills, weld up any holes where possible.
- Full underbody and arch underseal.
- Check interior floorpan for rust, repair as necessary.
- Exterior rust patches – grind back and repaint.
- Remove and refit spoiler, ensure any gaps are sealed.
- Powercoat wheels.
- Fill in small dents.
- Yellow tint fogs.
- Tidy up exhaust opening on rear bumper.
- Fix rear bumper fitment.
- Respray.
- Remove suspension components (beams, links etc). Refurbish where possible and replace worn or broken components.
- Replace and/or uprate bushes.
- Uprated shocks.
- Check condition of springs, and replace if necessary.
- New stainless exhaust system.
- Air-con delete.
- Refit stock SR20 airbox.
- Engine bay clean.
- Paint cam cover.
- New clutch.
- Figure out why it’s losing oil.
- Adjust handbrake.
Replace drivers seatbelt.- Fix nearside rear door.
- Treat leather interior, replace torn parts where necessary.
- Replace boot sill plastic and floor carpet.
- Fix creaking front seats.
- New gear knob.
- New boot seal.
- Fix flickering offside map light.
- Replace dashboard lamps.
Fit tail clusters (with clear indicator lenses).- Dash camera install (front and back).
Replace boot lid wiring loom.
- Fit head unit.
- Upgrade stock speakers.
- Install OEM style slim subwoofer.