Hi folks, just thought I would post to say that after lots of thought and discussion, I finally went out and bought a Nissan Almera.
I tested a few Almeras and looked at a few more, and was pleased enough that I didn't bother testing any of the more-expensive-but-less-reliable alternatives.
I looked at several, but the one I bought is an ex-Motability 1.8SE automatic 5door hatch, just over a year old, mileage in the low teens, pretty much immaculate. I paid half the RRP of a new version of the same thing, and several hundred less than I would have paid in the cheapest of the supermarkets. I'll be picking it up later this week.
I brought two friends along for the testing and buying phases, which was very useful: they spotted a few things which I might not have spotted, and being faced with three assertive women seemed to usefully disorientate the sales manager when we got down to the final negotiating :) A prolonged bit of haggling made enough of an unexpected saving to allow me to buy a new PC for a housebound disabled friend who's not well off, and relied on her now-defunct PC for keeping in touch with the world.
So I got a car of known provenance that I could do a decent test drive in, from a commendably non-pushy dealer with a branch near home, with enough of a price difference to help out someone else. I'm very pleased :)
Having done my testing, here's a few comments on the Almera:
Likes:
* good forward visbility, no serious blindspots
* ride comfort adequate, not as good as an old French car, but felt better than a Focus
* handling is fine: feels very secure and predictable, mercifully free of excitement
* autobox smooth, road noise low, engine quiet in normal use (growlier when kickdown used, but it's fast enough for me that won't be needed much)
* brakes powerful and progressive (no snatch)
* seats and driving position comfortable, lots of adjustment (though no reach adjustment on wheel)
* plenty of room in the back for two adult women with two adults in the front, boot quite generous
* stereo sounds good in both front and back
* leather steering wheel nice to hold, minor controls easy to use
* steel wheels rather than alloys
Dislikes:
* poor rear visibility, redeemed a bit for parking by the bleeping sensors
* speedometer in the facelifted model not as legible as in earlier Almeras (smaller, with numbers only at 20mph intervals). Another style-over-function step backwards :(
* multi-function computerised thingy on dashboard is over-complicated, but at least there are steering wheel controls for the stereo
* spare wheel is only a space-saver
* Not sure where there will be room on the dashboard to plant a satnav
* no tie-down points in the boot, though there are nets at the side for small things
Overall, I prefer it to any car I have driven in the last few years. I can feel very confident behind the wheel, and it suits my relaxed driving style very well.
Anyway, many many thanks to HJ and everyone else here who helped me make my choice of car, and gave me so much useful advice on the buying process, and particularly Aprilia, whose tecnhical expertise was invaluable. Without the wisdom of the backroom, I could easily have ended up spending significantly more on the same car, or paid the same sort of money for something much older, or settled for something inferior.
Big thanks, too, to all the motoring journalists, fashionistas and badge-snobs who coo over other cars and sneer at the Almera. They saved me a lot of money :)
Once my new wheels are finally on my driveway, I'll be changing my backroom nickname from NoWheels to NowWheels. Thanks to Machika for the suggestion: www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=35...0
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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Congratulations on your new car, I hope the car is boringly reliable!
Just one thought though, I notice that 'plenty of room in the back for two adult women with two adults in the front'. Does this mean men are only allowed in the front, or do women have different spacial requirements to men and thus the back seats are only suitable for women?
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Congratulations on your new car, I hope the car is boringly reliable!
Thanks!
Just one thought though, I notice that 'plenty of room in the back for two adult women with two adults in the front'. Does this mean men are only allowed in the front, or do women have different spacial requirements to men and thus the back seats are only suitable for women?
I can see I should have written that bit differently to make it clear that the front-seat occupants were also female :)
Men tend to be taller than women, so they may need a bit more space; the sitting-behind-yourslf test will produce diferent results for the average man than for the average woman. I haven't tried putting any men in the car, so I'm not sure how they will fit ... though it sometimes appears that any difficulty with fitting a man in a car is less likely to relate to the length of his legs than to the size of his ego :P
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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Men tend to be taller than women, so they may need a bit more space; the sitting-behind-yourslf test will produce diferent results for the average man than for the average woman. I haven't tried putting any men in the car, so I'm not sure how they will fit ... though it sometimes appears that any difficulty with fitting a man in a car is less likely to relate to the length of his legs than to the size of his ego.
How I wish it was just the size of my ego that made a difference to leg room in a car.
It is a standard test for me, when assessing any car as possible purchase, to set the front seat to be comfortable for me to drive and then sit in the rear seat immediately behind the driver's seat, in order to see if I can comfortably sit in the back. At 6ft 2in, with legs and body in reasonable proportion, there are not a lot of cars that pass the test. Not many pass the test for headroom these days either.
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Well done NW and hope it serves you well. The next time I buy a car I could well use you three assertive women. Keep thinking of three Norah Batty's for some reason..
And that word fashionistas is a new and great one to me and will be my new word of the week.
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'Sitting behind yourself',very metaphysical.
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Well, you said you were going to. I hope it's as good as you need it to be or a bit better. With a bit of luck will make you more difficult to intimidate on m'ways and so on! Indeed if you enjoy it to the full you will forget all about that.
Let's have a bit less of this speed bump encouragement though. 10mph indeed! Fiddle-faddle!
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spare wheel is only a space-saver
In that case you should return to dealer and get it replaced as there is enough space in the well for full size 15 inch spare. In fact stability of the boot floor under heavy items depends on it.
Unless you mean you have normal steel wheel in the boot instead of standard alloys, in which case it's perfectly normal.
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Thanks, vOn. According to the Nissan specs at tinyurl.com/gjfew , '15" spare steel wheel on all manual models. Automatic models come with a space saver spare wheel'
Looks like it'd be hard to say I'd been diddled, but I suppose we'd better check whether there's any difference in the space. Strange business, can't see why an auto gearbox at the front would require any change in fittings at the rear, unless they put a bigger fuel tank on the auto, but I can't see anything in the specs about fuel tank sizes.
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"Big thanks, too, to all the motoring journalists, fashionistas and badge-snobs who coo over other cars and sneer at the Almera."
Who cares what they say? - you like it, it suits your needs, that's what counts, and you didn't exactly leap into the deal without a lot of thought. (and I've been benefitting from the same attitudes when buying second hand Citroens for many years!!) so I hope you enjoy your new car!
--
Phil
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Who cares what they say? - you like it, it suits your needs, that's what counts, and you didn't exactly leap into the deal without a lot of thought. (and I've been benefitting from the same attitudes when buying second hand Citroens for many years!!) so I hope you enjoy your new car!
Aye, as long as there is snobbery around there will be bargains for people like us who see beyond the badge and see an underrated car for what it is :)
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* Not sure where there will be room on the dashboard to plant a satnav
Not come with a windscreen then?
Seriously though, enjoy the Almera. My sister has a P reg one (SRi 1.6 5 door) and absolutely loves it.
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When I bought the Almera,I actually had this wager with one of my friends which was that I wouldnt need any breakdown cover as long as I had the car!
Had the car nearly 2 years,drove approx 32000 miles and never purchased any breakdown during that time, so confident was I in the absolute reliability of the car!
Now that I have changed cars to a Passat, the first thing I did was to purchase cover before first driving it off!!
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>> * Not sure where there will be room on the >> dashboard to plant a satnav Not come with a windscreen then?
A what? Windscreen? Eh, luxury, lad ;)
Seriously, the problem is that the multi-function computerised gadget that controls heating, stereo etc kinda sticks out the top of the dashboard above the centre console (see HJ's picture at tinyurl.com/jqy6c ). So there's no room for the satnav there, and I'm not sure it'll fit to the right of the steering wheel either.
If there are any Almera drivers out there who have found a solution, please let me know :)
Seriously though, enjoy the Almera. My sister has a P reg one (SRi 1.6 5 door) and absolutely loves it.
Great, I am quite pleased so far with this newer model. Will see how it shapes up in use, though I'm not going to tempt fate by following JohnX's example and skipping the breakdown cover!
Name-change time: NoWheels Almera = NowWheels
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I've recently got one of these ('53 reg, 1.5 flare)cheap aren't they? Replaced a '99 Focus TDDI. I found the Focus had more comfortable suspension - not a Zetec, but the Almera's got alloys (16" as opposed to 15" steel rims, lower profile rubber = less flex). Anyone want to swap their steels for my allies?
Nowwheels should not need breakdown insurance, as Nissan 3 year warranty includes free recovery to Nissan dealer, as far as I can make out.
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I've recently got one of these ('53 reg, 1.5 flare)cheap aren't they? Replaced a '99 Focus TDDI. I found the Focus had more comfortable suspension - not a Zetec, but the Almera's got alloys (16" as opposed to 15" steel rims, lower profile rubber = less flex). Anyone want to swap their steels for my allies?
Yep, they sure are good value :)
Mine thankfully came with steel wheels as standard, and the ride is fine. Have you tried putting your alloys up on Ebay to see what interest you get? Figure out the cost of a new set of steel wheels plus tyres and trims, set your reserve and see what happens. If you sell, you can pop out and buy the new wheels before the buyer collects.
Nowwheels should not need breakdown insurance, as Nissan 3 year warranty includes free recovery to Nissan dealer, as far as I can make out.
Ah, thanks! I must check that out.
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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I have a set of 15in steel wheels, with Michelin energy tyres for sale in classified if your interested? No sensible offer refused!
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Before I switched to SXE model with sat nav built in (colour 7inch monitor running Hitachi/Xanavi Birdview instead of the monochrome climate control/stereo screen) I used Ipaq with Navman jacket and Tomtom5 in widescreen mode (as in - PDA always on its side rather than upright) and it fitted between windscreen and central console in SE without any problems.
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Thanks, v0n -- that's reassuring. Once I've got my car, I'll check it out and see what I think of something fitting there.
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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At the moment Nissans computers are down and have been for a couple of weeks and no spare parts have been delivered ,I have been waiting two weeks for a gear selector cable bracket for three weeks for my 2004 primera if I had not made one myself the car would have been of the road .£68 pounds for a grotty piece of aluminium with a design fault when it comes.
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At the moment Nissans computers are down and have been for a couple of weeks and no spare parts have been delivered ,I have been waiting two weeks for a gear selector cable bracket for three weeks for my 2004 primera if I had not made one myself the car would have been of the road .£68 pounds for a grotty piece of aluminium with a design fault when it comes.
That sounds odd. I recently had a couple of fairly obscure parts ordered and they turned up in about 2 days. I have generally found Nissan parts supply to be excellent - one of the best in fact. The worst ever was Rover (when they were in business). My wife used to laugh when I went to the Rover parts counter because she knew I would be there for ages. They were very good at sending the wrong part but in a box with the 'right' number on it.
I have also found Mitsubishi to be good - was astounded when I ordered a couple of plastic undertrays for a grey-import '95 FTO. Ordered at 4pm and they had them delivered at 9am next day! Mind you, Mitsi parts are not cheap!
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Collected my car today, and I'm still very pleased with it.
The steering is a litle on the light side, but the handling is secure and predictable, and it's more than fast enough for me. It's a very relaxing car to drive, apart from slightly more road noise than average at motorway speeds.
However, I have gotten off to a bad start with the complex computerised centre console. I can work the CD and the heating (climate control is rather good), but the radio is a bit obscure; sometimes I can find Radio 4 FM, but sometimes it disappears, leaving me with a choice of varieties of DWEM Composer FM. However the trip computer/MPG functions have completely flummoxed me. RTFM time, I fear, though from a quick glance so far I fear that the F in RTFM may be rather appropriate. (Tho to be fair on it, although I have programmed computers for 25 years, I can't work a VCR!)
I haven't lived with an automatic before, and have been trying to follow HJ's advice on left foot braking. So far I have managed it all the time in reverse, some of the time when maneouvring forward, and none of the time when out on the road. I'm persuaded by the argument that it's a good idea, so I guess I'll have to practise.
Thanks again to everyone who helped me in my choice of wheels. I think it's going to suit me rather well :)
Name-change time: NoWheels + Almera = NowWheels
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