Is the mark 1 Almera the greatest car ever?

09-06-2018 9:58pm

horseofstone wrote: »

Yeah but consider the price difference of a merc w124 to that of an almera.its like comparing floyd mayweather with tyson fury.pound for pound mayweathers a better boxer.pound for pound the almera's a better car.

10/15 years ago you'd have gotten a decent w124 for peanuts. Don't have to buy new. Plenty paid more for sh1tty almeras at the time. Pound for pound and all.

JohnBoy26 · 09-06-2018 9:59pm

horseofstone wrote: »

Yeah but consider the price difference of a merc w124 to that of an almera.its like comparing floyd mayweather with tyson fury.pound for pound mayweathers a better boxer.pound for pound the almera's a better car.

Pound for pound a corolla of a similar vintage is better than an almera considering they were similarly priced when new.

I had two n15 low mileage almeras back in the day and while they had a good engine the rest of the car was a let down and not built to go the distance. Even the sunny I had before them was a better car.

I sold the two almeras locally and bought a (cosmetically rough around the edges) high mileage 1998 corolla which I also sold locally. I sold that corolla 10 years ago and I still see it being driven around the place.

The two almeras have long since been scrapped due to rust.

The corolla even though it had tripple the mileage drove better and was a tighter car than the almeras. It was also more economical and more lively.

JohnBoy26 · 09-06-2018 10:07pm

Augeo wrote: »

10/15 years ago you'd have gotten a decent w124 for peanuts. Don't have to buy new. Plenty paid more for sh1tty almeras at the time. Pound for pound and all.

While I love the w124 i'm not convinced the petrol ones were all that great when it came to rock solid reliability, certainly not in the same league as an old lexus in this regard.

The diesel ones were decent though and obviously the w124 was a much better car than an almera but it was also in a completely different class.

Gorgeousgeorge · 09-06-2018 10:09pm

E10 corolla with the 4efe is better than the almera

RobAMerc · 10-06-2018 7:43am

horseofstone wrote: »

"most dependable car ever" meaning best car ever.its simple really.

what a ridiculous statement !

This is only true if reliability is your only measure - a pretty poor yard stick.

TheBoyConor · 10-06-2018 9:16am

But we measure cats differently Rob. You're a petrol head so your into refinement, handling, features, power etc but guys like me just want a no frills no thrills A to B grunt car that can absorb abuse and neglect and keep going indefinitely. That's what I see as desirable.

We have different wants in our cars. Different cars can be the best depending on what measure you use.

colm_mcm · 10-06-2018 10:23am

If you had ended up with a Mazda 323 or a Suzuki Liana or a Toyota Corolla, they’d all be the best car ever too.

It’s like saying you only have a thing for blondes with glasses whose name is Amanda just because that happens to describe your only ever romantic encounter.

horseofstone · 10-06-2018 10:02pm

colm_mcm wrote: »

If you had ended up with a Mazda 323 or a Suzuki Liana or a Toyota Corolla, they’d all be the best car ever too.

It’s like saying you only have a thing for blondes with glasses whose name is Amanda just because that happens to describe your only ever romantic encounter.

Keira knightley, now yer talking,she's tidy

TheBoyConor · 11-06-2018 12:45am

I'd open her out to the last!

damianch · 11-06-2018 1:04am

Bought an 03 Almera Tekna in 2005. Only changed it last month (2018) . Changed it because of rust/imminent NCT and a prisoners dillema. I like my Corolla now , but god do I miss my Almera. Was warned buying the Almera about gearbox by a guy in a gearbox centre who was a friend . Never happened in 15 years of owning the car . It’s a lovely car and the Corolla doesn’t come near . Always thought I’d buy a Nissan again , but didn’t like anything in my price range . So I bought an older Corolla until I make my mind up . ( Had a 97 pulsar at one stage too )

horseofstone · 11-06-2018 10:20am

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The mk1 yaris was far ahead of the micra in everyway. It was much more modern, drove much better, was more spacious and more practical.

It had a more advanced engine too and was more reliable.

There's a lot of 99 and 00 yaris's on the road alright, a great little car thats stood the test of time.

horseofstone · 12-06-2018 4:37pm

The mark 1 almera and yaris, and the old micra and corolla are very common on the roads of Ireland still.its probably a toss up between the almera and corolla as both were work horses at a reasonable price.I see plenty of both across the midlands every day of the week.

JohnBoy26 · 12-06-2018 5:30pm

horseofstone wrote: »

The mark 1 almera and yaris, and the old micra and corolla are very common on the roads of Ireland still.its probably a toss up between the almera and corolla as both were work horses at a reasonable price.I see plenty of both across the midlands every day of the week.

There is no toss up. The corolla was a much better quality product and as a result there is much more of them out there than the almera. The almeras are very scarce these days and most of the ones that are left are worn rough and usually very rusty

JohnBoy26 · 12-06-2018 5:34pm

horseofstone wrote: »

There's a lot of 99 and 00 yaris's on the road alright, a great little car thats stood the test of time.

They were the best small car for many years and much better than the newer yaris. They don't feel or drive like a supermini. They are spacious and modern for their era. The micra feels cramped and dated in comparison

tcawley29 · 12-06-2018 6:50pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

They were the best small car for many years and much better than the newer yaris. They don't feel or drive like a supermini. They are spacious and modern for their era. The micra feels cramped and dated in comparison

They did have loads of room to be fair. Some headroom too when driving.

Only part I despised was the gearbox as regards to drive-ability.
Everything else was as good as could be expected

colm_mcm · 12-06-2018 7:04pm

They changed the gearbox in 2003, or at least the shifter mechanism so it wasn’t so clicky.

horseofstone · 12-06-2018 9:39pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

There is no toss up. The corolla was a much better quality product and as a result there is much more of them out there than the almera. The almeras are very scarce these days and most of the ones that are left are worn rough and usually very rusty

I met a red mark 1 almera yesterday ,and seen a navy one parked up today. We almera drivers recognize and salute each other on the road,its almost like a badge of honour.insurance costs are the main problem now.

TheBoyConor · 13-06-2018 12:51am

But what if today's cars? What are the no frills no thrills a to b workhorses that are on the market now that will be capable of soldiering on for 25 years taking dogs abuse when the rest have gone to the scrapyard? What would be the main contenders?

- Corolla?
- Auris?
- Quashqai?
- Suzuki Liana (always thought these to be beautifully simple and robust with the higher than usual ground clearance and the high profile tyres)
- Dacia Duster/Sandero?
- Kia Ceed?
- Mitsubishi Lancer? (I always thought these were a good solid no nonsense reliable car)

13-06-2018 10:03am

TheBoyConor wrote: »

But what if today's cars? What are the no frills no thrills a to b workhorses that are on the market now that will be capable of soldiering on for 25 years taking dogs abuse when the rest have gone to the scrapyard? What would be the main contenders?.............

Toyota hybrid stuff, well proven already with the many Prius about with huge mileage on them.

Plenty of frills though ........drove a CH-R for the guts of a week late 2017, wonderful car IMO ........50mpg achieved too on less than ideal driving. The hybrid tech on board IMO future proofs them to an extent.........in 15 years time running a diesel could be a no no as a private car but I reckon a hybrid would be still quite acceptable.

colm_mcm · 13-06-2018 11:31am

Can you pull a cow box with a CHR though?!

13-06-2018 11:36am

Apologies, I did neglect that aspect

I'd consider a yoke being fit for being a taxi a workhorse but I know I should really be thinking of the pulling trailers thing too.

TheBoyConor · 13-06-2018 11:37am

Could it go five years without so much as an oil change?
And drive on chinese remould tyres?

13-06-2018 11:42am

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Could it go five years without so much as an oil change?
And drive on chinese remould tyres?

I'd say the Toyota hybrid stuff is more likely than most to manage away without an oil change as the electric motor takes lots of pressure off the ICE

If I was forced to buy something with the need to run it for 5 years without an oil change I'd go Toyota Hybrid

jobless · 13-06-2018 11:43am

i bought a 04 almeara back in 06 and still have it..... the gearbox problem happened for me and was expensive enough to fix at the time, along with that a timing chain change a few years later... but over 12 years its not a huge amount of money...

the wife had a 98 corolla and it was bullet proof, had it for a similar period and never had anything major to do on it... only sold it to buy a more family friendly car

TheBoyConor · 13-06-2018 12:20pm

Slightly off topic but I think that estate cars are a great bargain for a second-hand buy. They would not be a desireable body style for most people so they have poor re-sale value but that makes them a great bargain for a buyer. Same is true of the saloon Almera which wouldn't be considered at all sexy compared to the hatchback.

Unfashionable brands or models with poor resale values also make excellent bargain cars provided of course that they meet the reliabilty, robustness and economy needs of the tight motorist.

Cars I'd be thinking of for this would be the likes of Suzukis, Dacia, Corolla estate, Lancer estate.
What's more, the estate cars are very family friendly and very practical for bringing things around.

horseofstone · 13-06-2018 5:22pm

Almera's were always a real babe magnet too,chicks dig em

bazz26 · 13-06-2018 10:06pm

I bet they go to Coppers too.

kona · 14-06-2018 9:04am

Francie Barrett wrote: »

The Ford Kent engine was first used in 1959, but continued to be in made until 2003.

The austin/rover a series was used from 1951 till 2001

colm_mcm · 14-06-2018 9:36am

kona wrote: »

The austin/rover a series was used from 1951 till 2001

It was even used by Datsun in the 60s

StereoSound · 14-06-2018 10:47am

If it was 1989' I'd march into a main dealer in my grey suit, brown shoes and briefcase to buy a brand new Toyota Carina or Nissan Bluebird. I'd pay extra to get the cassette deck so I can play my Vangelis tapes. Nice.

Is the mark 1 Almera the greatest car ever?

Comments