I was thinking about downsizing from my BMW 330 to a new Clio or something nondescript. Now I see I can have a Nissan Almera Pulse with cd and aircon for £7250! My brother bought an old 100k Nissan Sunny once as a stop gap car. It had well over a 100k miles. In the year he had it it never broke down. returned 40 mpg and was sold with another 30k miles on it at a profit! The car still lives three years later with over 200k on it. Whats the catch with the Almera? Are they really so bad? Is it an old model? Why are they so cheap?
I'm confused!
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Not much status attached to an Almera, but certainly a good car. They are robust and reliable - a worthy successor to the Sunny. A new model is due in the not too distant future.
If you want a reliable car for shopping, commuting etc. then they are just fine.
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Just had a look at the web site - no mention of the three door Pulse at £7250. Will ring them tomorrow!
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Well - tried four times today (Saturday)- no reply. Next move?
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Id say keep trying.
I went down the same path 2 weeks back , when i saw the Almera 1.5, 5 door for sale on jamjar for £7250 with metallic paint.Jumped at it and paid up the deposit and booked a black colour one.This was on Sunday 1pm and i was told that the order would be confirmed on Monday.
Came Monday morning (1030 hours) and the chappie phones me to say-Sorry no blacks,would merlot/green/red be ok?
I made the mistake of hesitating and said would give him a ring as soon as i decide which colour i want.
Called him at 1130 to say yes , would like to have the Merlot.
Which was too late because by then they had already sold out all the other colours except red.I hate red so didnt have a choice there.
Moral of the story:If you see something that looks good , go for it and dont waste time , because the quicker person off the blocks always wins!
And yes its a fantastic deal believe me because I would love to have one now but they still dont have any left(ie the 5 door ones).
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Merlot looks more like a deep maroonish colour.
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Hi You can still get an Almera for less than £7250 from www.motorprovider.co.uk, they are doing Almera Pulse 3 doors for £7025 and 5 doors for around £7750
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They are horrible, horrible cars.
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Why is that Owen?
Heard that they are extremely reliable, good engines, and came (i think) first in warrantydirects figures for the most reliable car around.
Agree that if you are looking for image as opposed to something that can just get you from point A to point B , then this doesnt fit the bill!
And the older ones are literal eyesores , but they run fine and dont break down unless poorly maintained.
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sorry for my flippant response, it's just that we've just got one as a company pool car and i hate it. Image aside, i just don't think it's at all pleasant to drive, and for a new car it just doesn't feel like much thought went into anything. It other words, although it is very cheap for a car of it's class, it also feels cheap.
However John, what you say is spot on - as a reliable run about, they perform excellently. I suppose i'm just trying to impose my highly personal tastes (and dislikes!) on other people! Sorry about that, but at least you only read it occaisionally on this forum, my wife has to put up with me every day....
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Can't agree at all that the Almera feels cheap. They are very solidly made (would put many a European brand to shame) and the engineering is near enough faultless. The ride and handling is pretty good too - although the 1.5 is a bit sluggish. I believe they rate highly on NCAP into the bargain.
'Image' is another issue - and very much in the eye of the beholder.
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