Thanks to the replies. The boat theory is plausable. Yeh I did ask and its like a minor red flag because he said he had never noticed and didnt know anything about it... I contacted about five sellers all late year K12s at about the 140 to 180 thousand km for 2000-3000 euro except for this k13 just as an extra really because it was very local, but it turned out so far he was the only seller who replied. I need to compare it to other, cheaper ones, not k13 but a k12 with more milage but for less money.

I´m more interested in a respectable well looked after late K12 tbh for about 2000 euro (less if possible but that is what you pay here mainly, Spanish used market being less fluid than the UK). I had a few K11s back in the UK and I loved them. Its interesting you say the K13s were made more to a budget, the India thing doesnt worry me per se since we also have s Dacia Duster from Rumania or Turkey or wherever and its a pretty great car imo, and indeed the British built (?) k11s did have cheapness issues too but I remember the 16v petrol engine was bombproof and, well if I could go back in time Id have one just like that I would. Maybe I should look for a decent late year k11 too. I dont really need a car for work, I just want something small and not too horrid to get back into doing home DIY mecanics on, but I can do some long journeys if need be and maybe do some short course etc. Some Nissans I think are like some Toyotas in that the owner profile was very a very staid and boring anti petrol head type driver with money would take it to the main dealer a lot, not drive it a fat lot, which helps to make them a good buy in comparison to say, a Clio. This must seem crazy to a lot of people as these days people can spend more more on bicycles but heh. Were the K12s as "good" as the K11s? Anyone? cheers

ha ha yeh maybe. Climate wise there are sill old classics like 205s being used down here much more so than back in the UK I would think. And one thing the K11 definitely suffered from was rust. Problem here is that I dont think they sold many k11s here to the same extent as Britain, here you saw much more k12s than k11s hence more chance I think of getting a good used one of those. I do keep my eye out for a good k11 but most here now will have had their first careful owners long gone and been bought and not well looked after by young skint drivers for the past few years.