1991 Nissan Figaro

Listed with us is a neat-looking Nissan Figaro. This, a 1991 car, has just done just over 18k miles (or 29,365 km on the odo) and comes with service records from 2006 onwards. The Figaro was made for Japan, and understandably it's right-hand drive. Accompanying it are the latest service details, more on which is available below.

The Figaro isn't exactly what would be termed beautiful but rather cute. Its small footprint gives it the kind of visual appeal that the micro-cars and even the original Fiat 500 and Mini would have. The use of chrome works well in its favor, and the choice of colors has been crucial in making the Figaro so pleasing to the eye. There were four of those to choose from, each representing a season. This 1991 example is finished in Aqua, and needless to say, its appearance is bound to soothe the eyes. The roof also folds into the boot, which means the likable design isn't ruined by a crumbled rag top.

While the classic theme was prevalent on the outside, the Figaro's interior was made upmarket while retaining a style that modern cars can't afford to have. Simple but pretty, the cabin benefitted from the use of high-quality materials like leather and chrome. This 1991 example is hardly used, so there aren't too many signs of wear, like a tiny spot on the right door card. The seats (both at the front and back) look damage-free, although the driver's seat does have some wrinkles.

Under the classic styling was a K10 Micra-sourced platform, which means while a bit boring to drive, the Figaro won't trouble its owners with the usual classic-car issues. Powering the Nissan Figaro was a 1-liter turbocharged petrol engine, which made just under 80 hp, although you wouldn't need much more than that to make okay progress in this tiny car. It's also said to be a very easy car to drive, once you get used to the controls being the other way around. That's mainly because of its size and also the fact that the Figaro was only offered with an automatic gearbox. The engine bay on this car, like the rest of it, appears to be without any deviation from the usual. It's been treated to a service recently, which apart from the usual change of fluids and filters also included a new battery, steering rack boots, ball joint boots, and front lower arm ball joint boot replacement.

The Nissan Figaro was showcased at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1989 and was brought out in 1991. An initial run of 8000 cars was followed up by two 6000 car production runs, and in the end, the Japan-only car went to a little more than 20,000 customers.

We expect this 1991 Nissan Figaro to be valued between $30,000 and $37,500. It's a niche imported car, but it's hard to not notice it — or fall in love with one. And it's not just the looks or the size, but also the idea of driving around in a retro-style car that runs like a modern one is pretty tempting, too.