Nissan Almera

celt262

Anyone know if they are a good car. Does €6000 for a 01 1.5 litre sound about right there is 60k+ on the clock.

furtzy

Generally regarded as a very reliable car. Had one as a rental a while back. Very easy to drive but fairly mundane. Have a look on

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/

in the car by car breakdown section

Stephen

Yeah, they have a reputation for being boring but reliable. They have a timing chain instead of a belt so you won't have to worry about changing that at 60k, although I remember reading some horror stories here from a poster who had two chains go at less than 40k each.

NeVeR

I have an Almera 3 door sport. Best car i've had, It has never given me a bit of trouble. Its a 1.4 wioth about 70K on it (99D)

The price seems ok. try get it for 5300

Davkie

The new shape models have the timing chain issue , from 2000 on. Cost about a grand to put right if done by Nissan.
Its not uncommon , should have been a recall but would have been too costly to the company. Thats what happens when you start putting Renault parts in their cars.

RobAMerc

Sorry I can't let this one go.

the Almera is the epitome of "White Goods" motoring.
They are in my opinion truly awful cars that outlived their use about 7/8 years ago.

Go drive one back to back with a Ford Focus of the same era, if you can't tell which is better you shouldn't be allowed out to buy a car on your own.

Sorry to be harsh, but I cannot over emphasize how bad I think they are.

furtzy

RobAMerc wrote:

the Almera is the epitome of "White Goods" motoring.

Classic

dogmatix

Aye - they are good awfully bland cars. I learned to drive on me dad's nissan sunny and when he moved up to a new almera I was very surprised to find it a much less interesting car to drive - and the sunny was no great shakes itself in the bland looks and boring driving department. the Japanese seem to have little flair for a bit of style at all - i mean look at the almera's replacement - the tildea. How is it possible to replace a bland looking car with an even blander looking car? I agree - a focus will beat an almera every time. And the focus is not unreliable either.

Stephen

The tiida is just a renault megane, but somehow made uglier.

celt262

So what would you guys recommend then. It's for the g/f and she wants a hatchback and has 7500 - 8000 max to spend.

Conor20

Stephen wrote:

Yeah, they have a reputation for being boring but reliable. They have a timing chain instead of a belt so you won't have to worry about changing that at 60k, although I remember reading some horror stories here from a poster who had two chains go at less than 40k each.

I drive an '00 Almera. It never gave any problems till about 6 months ago.

I had to have the timing chain replaced (at about 48k miles) and now probably need to have the Mass Airflow filter replaced. Together it'll cost about e1800 to have the work done.

Im_No_Superman

I got a 99 hatchback last week and Im delighted with it tbh. Touch wood ill be saying the same in 6-12 months time!

JoeA3

Yeah, these are the blandest of the bland too for me I'm afraid. Seriously dreary motors. They're unlikely to let you down too much on the reliability front though. But then again, neither will a Ford Focus. Buy a Focus instead.

RichyX

If you're going to diss the Almera you have to include the Corolla and 323 in the same bracket.

All dull as f*ck but they do the job.

I know from experience the old 1.4 Almera is actually an ok car.
Nice enough engine and reasonable to drive.

Not driven the later Almera though.

colm_mcm

01 Almera will not have ABS or side airbags, get a Golf or Bora or something instead. Also Almeras are nasty!

JHMEG

There was a recall over the timing chain.

My wife's old '01 Almera had the work done for free when the car was 4 years old (she got a letter about it years earlier but forgot all about it). It's not actually the chain that's faulty, but the camshaft oil seals, which leak oil down onto the chain and ckp sensor.

Decent car if you want reliable A-B motoring. Can't fault it. Doesn't have ABS or side airbags, true, but would be more reliable than a VW.

Only slight complaint is it was heavy on the juice for a 1.5, only getting mid-30s mpg.

bazz26

Nobody mentioned the Skoda Octavia up to now. It's got a huge boot.

Alternatives:
Honda Civic, Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Seat Leon and dare I mention the Alfa Romeo 147.

colm_mcm

I've bought and sold a number of new model Almeras, and they're not nearly as good as the older ones, I've replaced countless camshaft position sensors, timing chains, coil packs and keys.

Kadeshh

hmmm.... up until now that was a car i was considering buying...

looks alright but simple, interior is quite nice, clean and the guages i thought were well laid out.

but the number of poeple stating various problems makes me wonder

Kadeshh

JoeA3 wrote:

Buy a Focus instead.

the focus is one of the stupidist looking cars i've seen, how anyone could face looking at that every day is beyond me

colm_mcm

it's a buyers market for Almeras, there's loads of them around. don't pay more than 4500 for a 01 model.

unkel

colm_mcm wrote:

01 Almera will not have ABS

That's not good. I rate ABS as one of the best safety features yet invented

colm_mcm wrote:

it's a buyers market for Almeras, there's loads of them around. don't pay more than 4500 for a 01 model.

I'll second that

bazz26

Focus didn't get ABS as standard until 2003. No side air bags either until the MkII arrived in 2005.

JHMEG

unkel wrote:

That's not good. I rate ABS as one of the best safety features yet invented

Mmm, don't think I'd agree with that. ABS won't stop you any quicker, and on some surfaces the stopping distance will be longer. The one time I did hit another car the damage would have been worse if I had ABS -- surface was greasy, and had no choice but to hit the car in front: to my right was an artic, to my left was a gripe... a lockup was the best (max friction, ie quickest) option, which ABS would have prevented, resulting in a greater impact.

Having said that, I wouldn't say ABS is a bad thing.

BTW, I would agree with colm to an extent.. the older (but very very bland) 1.4 was probably more reliable alright.. they are essentially an update of the Sunny.

um7y1h83ge06nx

I have a '99 (old style) Almera saloon, 143K miles.

Grand car, not flash of course, but seeing as it's my first car and I wanted something that would be reliable and so cheap to run, it does the job and does it well.

The newer models are not meant to be as reliable according to my local mechanic.

I'm planning on making mine last another 4 or 5 years at least as with that mileage it's almost worthless to trade or sell.

colm_mcm

One car that is often overlooked is the Mazda 323. Get a 1.5 or 1.6 version and you'll get bags of extras and top notch reliability. 1.3 too basic in my opinion.

Cionád

Lee Zealous Giant wrote:

I have a '99 (old style) Almera saloon, 143K miles.

Grand car, not flash of course, but seeing as it's my first car and I wanted something that would be reliable and so cheap to run, it does the job and does it well.

The newer models are not meant to be as reliable according to my local mechanic.

I'm planning on making mine last another 4 or 5 years at least as with that mileage it's almost worthless to trade or sell.

I've got a 98 diesel saloon, 140k, had it two years, my first car too and its a bit of a tractor but very reliable and cheap to run & insure.

Tax is my only downfall, 560 bills but petrol models will be cheaper to tax.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Cion&#225 wrote: »

I've got a 98 diesel saloon, 140k, had it two years, my first car too and its a bit of a tractor but very reliable and cheap to run & insure.

Tax is my only downfall, 560 bills but petrol models will be cheaper to tax.

My one is 1.4L petrol. Better for me as I wouldn't be doing huge mileage.

I forgot to mention some of the kit on them. I have electric windows all round, electric wing mirrors, central locking, and electric sunroof among other things. Only a cassette stereo though which I must upgrade.

This compares favourably to cars like my girlfriend's '03 Polo which amazingly for a fairly new car has none of the above (apart from the cassette radio that is )

Stephen

Typical Volkswagen - nearly everything is an optional extra.

RobAMerc

Lee Zealous Giant wrote:

My one is 1.4L petrol. Better for me as I wouldn't be doing huge mileage.

I forgot to mention some of the kit on them. I have electric windows all round, electric wing mirrors, central locking, and electric sunroof among other things. Only a cassette stereo though which I must upgrade.

This compares favourably to cars like my girlfriend's '03 Polo which amazingly for a fairly new car has none of the above (apart from the cassette radio that is )

If the Almera came with a free space shuttle in the boot it would still be crap.!
I think I could knock up a better car in my shed with a couple of old paint tins a few trolley castor's and an elastic band for propulsion.
Oh and a radio to make people think they're getting loadsa kit for free.

el diablo

I agree with most posts here. The Almera is unbelievably bland. And so was the Sunny. try a Golf or a Focus or a Civic instead...

unkel

JHMEG wrote:

ABS won't stop you any quicker

Yes it will for the overwhelming majority of drivers. As in 99.99% of them

It also means you can still steer while braking

whelan058

hi guys, Similar question, looking @ a 04 almera for the misses any, just want a bit of info any problems with the that make.

Any help would be appricated

thanks

bazz26

Holy zombie thread, Batman.

Alanstrainor

whelan058 wrote: »

hi guys, Similar question, looking @ a 04 almera for the misses any, just want a bit of info any problems with the that make.

Any help would be appricated

thanks

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