Oops, I didn't see air conditioning my question answered on the question thread until after posting, my bad. Pretty much the answer I expected from Nissan.
I got the Aspire for free, so I overlooked the fact that its parking brake was bad; apparently if I used it would not disengage short of going back to a mechanic, so I never used it. With a brand new Micra, that shouldn't be an issue. I'll try it when I get around to doing a test drive, and see if that's enough to make my missus feel safe.
I know about heel-toe shifting, but the distanct between the gas and brake on the Aspire plus the shortness of my feet meant I couldn't do it on it.
The amount of rolling back was usually negligible if I jammed the gas on fast enough on the Aspire, but some Edmonton drivers insist on riding right up your arse at stop lights Plus they get annoyed and honk a lot if you're taking your time trying get the timing right to release the brake and shift to the gas just as the clutch engages