I made an irresponsible purchase (and what the deal was with the Aging Wheels cameo)
Added 2020-04-21 18:38:15 +0000 UTCSooo.... yeah. I've been keeping a bit of a secret from y'all. And it's this. I bought a Nissan Figaro.
Now, I'm sure many of you may be asking, "why?" Well, I'll tell you.
Long ago, probably when I was in high school (and possibly before then) I was going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, as you do, and found a list of Nissan models. One was the Figaro. "What's that?" younger me asked. So I clicked on it. Then I saw it. And then it was burned in my brain forever and for all time.
You see, this car was built in 1991. Sold only in Japan (though a surprisingly large number got sent to the UK as grey-market imports) and only for this one model year, it was one of the "Pike" cars, a project where Nissan put weird bodies on their Micra subcompact econobox. And the Figaro is obviously the best one because just look at it.
I have always loved it for being possibly the only "retro" car that wasn't "modern but with callbacks to the cars of yesteryear" but in fact "genuinely looks like it could be from the 1960's" and I admired it very much for that.
Now, it left my brain for a while... but then Jalopnik started making videos on the Bubble Era cars from Japan, of which the Figaro is one. This was when Japan's economy was going absolutely hog wild and they started building all sorts of weird things. Like the Figaro. And since the Bubble Era cars were made more than 25 years ago, they are all "classics" and thus can be imported to the US. Doesn't matter that they're right-hand drive, or any of those other regulatory differences, so long as it's over 25 years old. So, frightfully impulsively, I bought one on eBay. And this is it.
So then, what does Robert of Aging Wheels have to do with this? Well, a couple of things. Many of you know that I have been wanting to make videos about the technology in cars (mainly to do with engine control modules, catalytic converters, and the really interesting nitty-gritty stuff that most car enthusiasts just don't care about). While the Figaro is new enough to have an ECM, it's also hardly applicable to anything modern. There's nowhere to plug in a code scanner - it's just blinky blinky LEDs and a code sheet. It's just a little too early for the comprehensive engine management stuff I'd like to cover. And also a little too Japanese, by which I mean it doesn't follow any of the US standards I'm familiar with anyway. So, I pretty much decided it has no place on my channel, and would remain just a silly personal pet project of particularly poor pjudgement.
But then, I had an idea. You see it needs a few mechanical things addressed, and I had grown to like the Aging Wheels channel quite a bit. Robert's interest in cars aligns a lot with mine - a particular focus on the weird, obscure, electric, and historical. So, I DM'ed him on Twitter, and asked if he'd like to borrow it from me to make some videos with and maybe take a crack at changing the timing belt for me. He's not terribly far from me distance-wise, and I thought maybe we could work something out. It's not like I need this car to survive.
Well, we did!
That was why Robert made a cameo in the Brown video. I was in the middle of production on that when he came over with his trailer and picked it up. I actually have a blooper reel of sorts (he recorded way more lines than I used) that I need to put together for y'all. I thought that even though I might not have a good reason to make videos with it, Robert might. And hopefully he can get some great content out of it!
Obviously, timing on this project wasn't... great... given the whole pandemic and all (he picked it up in February). But hopefully it won't be stuck in Missouri for the rest of the year. If so, though, it is what it is.
So that's all! If the Figaro ever appears on my channel, it would probably be due to some sort of electrification project. I haven't decided whether or not that's something I'm even interested in doing with it, but if I do, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be making videos about the process, however that goes.
If you want to check out Robert's channel, I'd highly recommend it. And you'll be seeing stuff related to this weird tiny car pretty soon!
https://www.youtube.com/user/agingwheels
Comments
You should definitely loan this to Doug DeMuro so he can do a review.
Declan M Martin
2020-06-15 06:49:36 +0000 UTCYO I SAW THE IMAGE AND I WAS LIKE HE BOUGHT A FIGARO? this is some baader meinhof shit too, I was just reminded about this car existing and now I'm seeing it everywhere. what a unique piece of tech
plum pewter
2020-05-17 23:45:38 +0000 UTCThat’s amazing! There’s one on display at the Nissan dealership in Avondale that always slows my roll when I go past.
2020-04-29 15:37:46 +0000 UTCDamn - we donate money to the cause, 'cause what you present is terrific, and you buy a totally funky yet absolutely awesome vehicle. I wish you luck with it, and hope to hear you regale us with tales of the Figaro!
Jon Adams
2020-04-28 03:40:05 +0000 UTCOk, that is so cool! I’ve known about these cars for a long time, and I’ve seen a couple of videos about them over the years, but I’ve always found them fascinating. Very much looking forward to seeing the videos about this car on Aging Wheels’ channel. And I think you should at least do one “here’s my cool car” video on your channel. Yeah, it’s not the usual fare we get from Technology Connection, but I still think it’d be cool. Maybe put it on your Technology Connextras channel, if you don’t want to put it on the main channel. Either way - congrats on the new purchase! Hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Laurence MacNeill
2020-04-27 14:49:53 +0000 UTCOh my God, you've bought Dick Turpin.
Elizabeth Sullivan-Burton
2020-04-27 01:04:09 +0000 UTCTop. Shelf. What a cool car. Have fun with it!!
Jason Thorpe
2020-04-26 05:56:55 +0000 UTCWhen I saw it for the first time in the UK back in 2006 I thought God Bless the Bubble Era Japanese manufacturers for doing the weirdest crap w no regard for profitability or unit economics or manufacturing scale. Such a cute car.
Joon Choi
2020-04-23 22:29:01 +0000 UTCThat car is adorable. Never knew Nissan did weird Micro build-ups like that.
Buckaroo Bunny Slippers
2020-04-23 18:54:39 +0000 UTCYES. Always keen on car videos. I own a little Daihatsu Mira microcar that I want to eventually convert to an EV. Funds aren't there just yet so it'll have its 850cc engine for a while. As far as I know, EV conversions are actually fairly simple. Slap the motor onto the original gearbox (with a custom adaptor plate), hook up the controller, mount the battery packs somewhere...then take care of the original brake booster using a vacuum pump. The accelerator cable gets hooked up to a potentiometer. Hydraulic power steering can be converted to electric pretty easily using steering columns cannibalised from cars with OEM electric steering. The only problem is that you need to spend a lot to get it all together! Especially the batteries.
2020-04-23 16:12:47 +0000 UTCand just like that, my uninterested-in-cars self that doesn't have a license and has no idea how to drive a car... is now watching a video about the tata nano. thanks. :p (that is a SWEET car, by the by! alert us if it shows up on that channel, will ya, in case my car interest peters back out too quickly?)
evistre
2020-04-23 03:34:04 +0000 UTCWhen I first noticed it in AW's videos, shortly after the miniature collab, I briefly thought if they were related. So glad to know I was right!
Brad Sparks
2020-04-22 19:33:16 +0000 UTCLove the headlamp wrap-around chrome. I agree with the earlier comment about the RR emblem, it looked like a mini-Bentley to me.
John Comtois
2020-04-22 19:07:34 +0000 UTCYeah but there are zillions of Ghia's. This is weird and rare and shouldn't be in the US which is a large part of my particular attraction to it
Technology Connections
2020-04-22 16:54:30 +0000 UTCThat certainly wasn't the intent, but yes. It looks like it belongs in a Miyazaki film. And that only makes it better
Technology Connections
2020-04-22 16:53:40 +0000 UTCWhat a beautiful car! I love artistic styling in cars and this is top notch. Lovely color too. Can't wait to see it in action! I mean you are going to take us all for a virtual drive on Connextras right?
2020-04-22 13:57:48 +0000 UTCwould be neat to see a more "miniature" version of the IL plate
2020-04-22 13:50:53 +0000 UTC[slow clap] I also have a retro car. [looks shifty] actually, it's not retro, it's vintage. It looks like it's from the '40s because it is. Welcome to the club!
Brendan Meteer
2020-04-22 12:22:05 +0000 UTCI see a surprising amount of them on the road in the UK these days and it always take me a moment to clock that it’s not from the 1960s. It’s quite charming – I can definitely see the appeal!
Zveebo
2020-04-22 07:32:18 +0000 UTCYou bought an anime car. I applaud this. Granted, you probably weren't thinking of anime when you bought it, but STILL.
Ken McGlothlen
2020-04-22 03:25:09 +0000 UTCAt least part of it was likely built in my old hometown of Zama, Japan!
Darren Pierce
2020-04-22 03:19:25 +0000 UTCThat's cool, a few made it to New Zealand too as we are RHD and pretty relaxed on import requirements Possibly the oddest I have seen here is another Nissan Ferrari s-Cargo... (probably not factory) https://flic.kr/p/9uZG6u
Robin Capper
2020-04-22 02:26:59 +0000 UTCIf you haven't seen Mighty Car Mods videos with a Figaro have a look. Good channel and funny content. https://youtu.be/Ea-C5wFCZIY
2020-04-22 01:10:27 +0000 UTCPut a RR emblem on the back and no one will be none the wiser.
2020-04-22 00:38:59 +0000 UTCCute but it's no Kharmann Ghia.
Brian Miller
2020-04-22 00:35:55 +0000 UTCHmm, isn't that the car (same color and all) which Sarah Jane Smith drove in The Sarah Jane Adventures?
Don Eitner
2020-04-22 00:08:41 +0000 UTCI don't *think* it's gonna be a money pit, and I don't intend to modify it at all! It's not a driver's car; all its points are from looks. It handles like a Buick and is slooowwwww. But, surprisingly comfortable! I'd be open to a road trip in it, assuming it were reliable, but at the same time - it's only got a 3 speed auto so at modern highway speeds the engine is as near 5k RPM. So... Interstates are mostly out of the question!
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 22:17:11 +0000 UTCHeck yes this car is cute! That's why I like it so much!
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 22:08:19 +0000 UTCAHHHH YESSSS!!! I have an AE86, my boyfriend has an Infniti M30 and a not insignificant number of my friends have recently imported 25+ year old Japanese cars. Hopefully yours isn't as much of a money pit as all of ours are!! (You're probably safe if you don't over-modify them.
Garrett Rabenold
2020-04-21 22:07:40 +0000 UTCI love this car, it is really ‘cute’.
Louwrentius
2020-04-21 22:06:08 +0000 UTCWould your mental picture be enhanced if I were wearing a bomber jacket, some old-timey goggles, and a scarf flapping in the wind?
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 21:54:08 +0000 UTCSomehow, this is exactly the car I picture you driving
Tedd
2020-04-21 21:45:21 +0000 UTCCongrats, it is great when we get to purchase one of our dream cars. Enjoy.
2020-04-21 21:28:05 +0000 UTCThe Seafoam green color is absolutely divine. Can't wait to see it!
Justin Tokke
2020-04-21 20:34:21 +0000 UTCAHH! Well, I will certainly keep you in mind! I ordered a crapton of parts for it not knowing what I may or may not need, and if there's ever some weird thing that goes wrong and I need another part I'll hit you up!
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 20:26:08 +0000 UTCLet me know if you need any help. I work for a Nissan dealership and we do a lot of work on Japanese market models here in New Zealand
Ben Jones
2020-04-21 20:23:29 +0000 UTCThere's also the whole 'affording it' part I'd struggle with.
Kevin Kostka
2020-04-21 20:13:49 +0000 UTCOh, my! That's a gorgeous little car! I'd love to own a funky, old car like that, but it feels like a bad choice for a tall person.
Kevin Kostka
2020-04-21 20:13:24 +0000 UTCYou have great impulse. That's a keeper.
2020-04-21 20:05:15 +0000 UTCExcellent.
2020-04-21 20:00:53 +0000 UTCIt's a real mind-bender, isn't it?
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 19:54:39 +0000 UTCTHAT WAS MADE IN 1991?! Wow. Nice!
Bill R Tomison
2020-04-21 19:43:18 +0000 UTCCongrats on the great "new" car!
2020-04-21 19:35:55 +0000 UTCI was wondering who's Figaro was in the AW video, I never would have guessed it'd be yours, but it's totally your kind of car. Love the sea foam green color too
Sam Cyanide
2020-04-21 19:34:24 +0000 UTCMy first reaction https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1954_Ford_Prefect_100E.jpg
Ian Cull
2020-04-21 19:28:42 +0000 UTCIt is a great color! It came in only four colors, each a pastel representing the four seasons. The green (the obvious best, imo) is for spring, summer got a light blue (my least favorite), winter got a purplish grey (my second favorite) and fall was a topazy tan
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 19:28:26 +0000 UTCI haven't settled on the name but I believe it's a he, and his name is Chip.
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 19:21:12 +0000 UTCIt really is an attractive car. Love the color.
2020-04-21 19:20:49 +0000 UTCIf the two of you ever did a video together, my head might explode 😁 Seriously, though, you are a great fit and might be targeting a good deal of nerds like us 😂
Hubert
2020-04-21 19:20:24 +0000 UTCShe's beautiful. Has she told you her name yet?
V.E. Griffith
2020-04-21 19:16:44 +0000 UTCyeees! When I saw it in his video, I was kind of hoping it would be yours! :)
2020-04-21 19:12:39 +0000 UTCNot so weird, really. Since I first saw one, I've always wanted one! I still love my Ford Ka, though (unlike the Figaro, it's not a car I expected to love, but I really do.)
2020-04-21 18:56:40 +0000 UTCYep! It's a convertible, though the sides stay in place.
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 18:55:18 +0000 UTCMy understanding is that if you get the Antique Vehicle plates you're only legally allowed to drive it to and from car shows. I could be wrong about that, but yes. I hate the plate. So much. I may get one of the zillions of vanity plate options we have just so it's not that plate!
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 18:54:46 +0000 UTCPop-top?
BlüdfynTetra
2020-04-21 18:53:37 +0000 UTCAlso, I've been seeing these here on the west coast of Canada for quite a number of years as we have a 15 year gray market import law vs 25 in the US. There may be a little more parts availability here, particularly in the greater Vancouver area.
2020-04-21 18:51:08 +0000 UTCIt's also a ton of fun to tell people it's A) a Nissan and B) from 1991
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 18:49:26 +0000 UTCSweet! Truly Loving Auto Tech = Passion > Practicality = ah..je ne sais quoi...
BlüdfynTetra
2020-04-21 18:49:15 +0000 UTCBeautiful car. I've ran across these on import sites before and I've always been amused by how retro they look given the time they were built. I mean sure, there have been plenty of retro inspired cars in the last 20 years, but I don't know of many in this style from the early 90s. It's a shame to see our horrible, design-by-committee license plates on it 😉. It's old enough to qualify for Antique Vehicle or Extended Antique Vehicle plates if you'd like to save a few bucks.
2020-04-21 18:49:04 +0000 UTCThe Figaro is such an Alec car. It's so much an anachronism - which seems perfect for you.
2020-04-21 18:48:13 +0000 UTCI am *so glad* that so many of them made it to the UK because the UK shops are pretty much the only viable place to get parts for it
Technology Connections
2020-04-21 18:46:25 +0000 UTCWhen Robert pointed out that the car wasn't his and had an IL license plate, I guessed it was likely your car. It should make for some cool upcoming videos--can't wait!
Mark Hesse
2020-04-21 18:46:24 +0000 UTCI’d love to see any videos about this from you. Even if it’s just you showing it off lol
Zack Finkbiner
2020-04-21 18:46:06 +0000 UTCThat's a nice looking car!
tim1724
2020-04-21 18:44:51 +0000 UTCThere's a typo at the end of the 7th paragra… oh, wait… never mind 😂 gotta love forced alliteration
Andyface
2020-04-21 18:44:49 +0000 UTCThey're weird and beautiful, aren't they? I used to live near a dealership in London that dealt with Figaros and only Figaros (it was called Figarude), so they almost appear normal to me these days.
Martin Deutsch
2020-04-21 18:44:32 +0000 UTCYES!
Dest
2020-04-21 18:44:07 +0000 UTC
