Looking for a 1-2yo Almera auto, the supermakets sold out of the ones I was interested in before I had a chance to jump, so I have been trying a few dealers.
Have found one at a non-silly price from a Nissan dealer (done a bit over 10k mils in 18 months), and asked about its history. It was not a hire car, but it was owned by Nissan UK. I asked id that meant it had been a demonstrator and was told no, it would likely have been used by Nissan staff as a company car, possibly on a shared basis. The saleswoman said it came "from group stock", and would have been used for staff to drive themselves home etc.
Any thoughts on this? Is that likely to mean it has been carefuly driven to avoid the wrath of the boss, or flogged to within an inch of its life because it was bought at cost price and can be sold for more than that regardless?
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Well, I wasn't too impressed with way Toyota employees drove their MR2's and Celica's when I worked there briefly. (Start up, foot down)
But the Yari (?!) were driven OK from what I saw.
I think you'll be OK.
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If it means anything, NW, my modest Ford started its life owned by the Ford motor company, and is still pretty good after 135k miles (it might only be 35k, in which case it isn't so good) apart from a noisy but otherwise OK gearbox. This last probably my fault as I ignored HJ's advice to change the oil, and when the noise started found the box half empty.
A bit of mild hammering in the first 10 or 12 thousand will run a car in and make it sweet (again according to HJ). I too think you will be OK although I wouldn't personally buy an automatic that small. It will use more petrol, be less nippy and rob you of the satisfaction of making seamless gearchanges, which with modern cars are very easy and undemanding. However you sound like the sort of person who knows what she wants.
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or flogged to within an inch of its life
Most auto's won't let you do this - they change up at the red line (sometimes annoyingly earlier) even when held manually.
If it's only done 10K then it's *probably* still on its original front tyres - their condition may indicate how the car was driven.
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Could you "hammer" an automatic Almera???
Can't see it being the type of car that a driver would abuse?
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My P12 Primera came from a car supermarket when it was a year old and was ex. Nissan UK (Headquarters)- had it 3 years now !!!!
No problems and absolutely immaculate !
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Thanks for the advice, everyone. I take the point that an Almera auto is unlikely to have been the first choice of a boy-racer -- very true!
That's probably a large part of why I want that sort of car in the first place. I'm sure that Bill Payer is right about it being less nippy, but I'm not averse to that, prefering a more mellow style of driving. I have driven a lot in a friend's Volvo V40 1.8 auto, and it was quite fast enough for anything I need.
As to the satisfaction of changing gear smoothly, it's lost on me. I don't like crunching gears, but I'm quite happy to let the machine do it if I can. I'm going to try a manual too, but I doubt I'll be persuaded that it's a good thing.
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Both our cars, Saab 9-5 and Chrysler Voyager were both owned by the manufacture and have been fine, it helps to know the service is genuine.
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I hate to be overly suspicious, or to cast aspersions as to the verisimilitude of your salesperson, but are you sure that it hasn't just been registered to Nissan, leased to a rental company and then sold on through the main dealer system? Many cars on franchise dealers' forecourts are like this and whilst
I wouldn't have a problem with buying a nearly-new ex-rental, I would have a problem with being asked to pay a premium from a main dealer over another car from the same rental fleet but another source.
As for being thrashed? As said above, it's an automatic Almera and the only thrashing it's likely to get would be a John Cleese, Austin 1100 and a branch type one. No one's going to be taking it out to show off to their mates in - and anyway a little wear early in life helps the engine bed in.
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NW: I followed a previous-model Almera through Maida Vale this very evening. It was bigger from behind than I would have expected. Metallic pale green, clean example, sprightly on its pins. But it was mimsing. You can always tell when all the other cars in a main London road, good for 50 actually, draw away into the distance leaving you trapped behind some fool doing 25. Of course there's nothing whatsoever to be done under these circumstances. Bit of muttering perhaps.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all in favour of mellow and non-boy racer; but briskly mellow, invisible and fun-loving.
Most people aren't trying to intimidate you. They are just blundering about. Have compassion if you know what you're doing and they don't.
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It could possibly be an ex Nissan employees car. I do know that staff from the Nissan assembly plant at Sunderland can lease / rent cars at a very preferential rate and then have to hand them back after a year. The company is very strict on how the cars are looked after and they do have to be in almost pristine condition on hand back.
A guy who live near me works there and in the last four years has had an Almera, followed by a Terrano, then a Primera and he is now driving an X-trail. Maybe the Almera is one of these ex 'staff' cars.
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Don't you believe it. I bought a Toyota that had not been a hire car nad came from Toyota UK. I was told it had probably been a Toyota bod's car and they changed them yearly. Guess what I found in amongst the documents in the glove box when I got it home? Documents from Avis with my car's registration number on them. Mucho red faces at the dealer when thier mistake was pointed out. The V5 showed the previous owner to be Toyota UK, So, be careful.
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I would avoid.
Likely to have been a rental car and thrashed to within inch of it's life.
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MoneyMart
Current car: 55-reg Audi A4 2.5 V6TDi Quattro flappy-paddle
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I would avoid. Likely to have been a rental car ...
What with only (to quote NoWheels post) "a bit over 10k mils in 18 months"?
My car was an ex rental (didn't know until I got the log book back from Swansea), and had covered that amount of mileage in just under 6 months.
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It's physically impossible to thrash an Almera.
Even if you somehow resisted the calming force that washes over you when you sit in it, the car just won't let you thrash it. Simply impossible.
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an auto ex rental is in my opinion likely to have a lot less mileage than any manual box as most people in the real world will tell you i quote "i dont want an auto" unquote these are the same people that have never driven one.
Therefore nowheels do what was said a lot earlier if you are interested look at all four tyres if they are the same make the mileage is genuine (90/100 times anyway) if tyres different do NOT buy ............ok??????????
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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an auto ex rental is in my opinion likely to have a lot less mileage than any manual box as most people in the real world will tell you i quote "i dont want an auto" unquote these are the same people that have never driven one.
That's what I thought until I hired a car in Canada, and although I asked for the cheapest they had, it turned out to be an automatic. Awful automatic box (3 gears, no power, struggled on hills), but over 3,000 miles in three weeks I found I really liked the sheer convenience of it.
Therefore nowheels do what was said a lot earlier if you are interested look at all four tyres if they are the same make the mileage is genuine (90/100 times anyway) if tyres different do NOT buy ............ok??????????
Thanks, Oldman -- I'll make sure to check that.
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canada dont forget ...........this is blighty.
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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It's physically impossible to thrash an Almera. Even if you somehow resisted the calming force that washes over you when you sit in it, the car just won't let you thrash it. Simply impossible.
Strange -- our old Sunny gets a damn good kicking every time I get into it.
Enjoys it as well, the missus always comments that it feels better after I've driven it. Nothing better than a good ol' Italian tune-up.
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It's physically impossible to thrash an Almera. Even if you somehow resisted the calming force that washes over you when you sit in it, the car just won't let you thrash it. Simply impossible.
Agree, the first corner will scare you so much you will take it easy from there on in ;-)
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It's physically impossible to thrash an Almera. Even if you somehow resisted the calming force that washes over you when you sit in it, the car just won't let you thrash it. Simply impossible.
Sorry young man. Not so. A real carphawk will think of a way belive you me. It might take ingenuity but surprisingly stupid people have that.
Nevertheless, if it's only been a hire car in the hands of tremulous Mr Magoos and would be Dukes of Hazzard for 10,000 miles or so it ought to be fine.
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Half of the nearly new cars on dealer and supermarket forecourts are ex-hire, I really don't see it as a problem.
If you think about it, there are relatively few private buyers who buy brand new cars and take them back after a year, that leaves company cars (often on 2 to 3 year leases, not 12 months) and it leaves hire cars which funnily enough are normally replaced at 6 months to a year old. I'm not saying that every 12 month old car is an ex-hire, but many have probably been multiple driver vehicles which is the same as a hire car really.
As I think it was Mark who said, most people don't really thrash hire cars that much, they've gotten over the novelty of driving someone else's car long ago and don't feel the need to childishly thrash a 1.4 Auto Almera...
The last used car my dad bought was a 1989 Orion Ghia at auction from Hertz, it was a cracking car that never let us down, and we certainly weren't put off buying hire cars.
Come to think of it, I sold my aunt one.
NoWheels, don't be put off automatically if it's been a hire car, just take sensible precautions over it's appearance and condition and I'm sure it'll be fine. Hope you find one that fits the bill soon!
Blue
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