My dad, the person least interested in cars that I know, has just bought a Nissan Almera and a Daewoo Matiz. As a PC houselhold, him and my mum share the cars, my dad doesn't have the bigger one by default!!
Question: any goods/bads/things of note on either of these? The Almera will do quite a few miles and carry an electric piano, and the Matiz is just for bezzing around locally.
Almera is a 1.5SE, Matiz is the 800cc one.
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If the Amera is anything like the P.O.S. which we get occasionally as hire cars, I don't envy you.
A more gutless, bland, tinny box on wheels I have yet to encounter.
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That's all stevied senior wants! As long as it's reliable he doesn't care! Stevied junior is a little more fussy....
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Oh Lordy!
Buying Beige car coat and trilby for Christmas pressies, then Stevied?
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Think he already has them! : )
It's weird, cos in many other respects he's very young, but cars just don't light his fire....
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As an owner of an Almera for the last three months, I have been delighted with my choice of reliable, easy-to-live-with, excitement-free wheels. It's exactly what I hoped it would be: as easy to use as a domestic appliance.
On t'other hand, if you want excitement, it might not do it ... though the handling is very sharp, and might surprise those who get put off by the bland wrapper.
Stevied, have you considered the possbility that your Dad may have bought the Almera for the same boring reasons as I bought one, but be further encouraged by the deep aversion his son has to it? He may be looking on this as a double success :)
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: ) I would imagine you're right!
I don't have that much of an aversion to it, just wouldn't have thought of it in the first place! I must admit upon reading reviews, several people did comment that it's handling wasn't half bad. Stevie Senior does drive quite quickly, so he will appreciate that, even if he doesn't know the whys and wherefores!!
His attitude to cars can be summed up by his reaction to my telling him about the DSG gearbox on my A3 (due in August).
"Sounds poncey". : )
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Alas, NowW, my aversion to the car is based on the fact that it is not so much 'unexciting', but gutless.
The examples I've driven have to have to be revved to screaming point before upward-gear changing, otherwise it drives like a slug, and driving up anything resembling an incline neccessitates a downshift.
NOT my idea of fun, especially on 100km/h+ motorways during rush hours.
I always thought it was due to the high-altitude of Johannesburg, but even driving them at the coast requires far too much up-and-down shifting for my liking.
And with the power loss through the airconditioner - a requirement on many days - and it is like driving in porridge.
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> my aversion to the car is based on the fact that it is not so much 'unexciting', but gutless.
You do realise there is more than one engine available in Almera range, right?
To have aversion to the car just because one rental car was gutless is a bit like doubting Sebastian Loeb could ever be World Rally Champion simply because the minicab Citroen C4 1.4 LX carrying your bags from airport to hotel on holiday was soooo slow...
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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1.6 OR 1.8 here, matey! Absolutely UNSUITED to local conditions, and everybody I know agrees with me. In fact, there is a competition to find one WITHOUT a hire-car-sticker on the back!
Therefore I can pour scorn on a 1.5.
Gutless POS!
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I can't comment on the Almera, but my daughter and her spouse got excellent service from a Matiz for just buzzing about, up to 100 miles or so; I was first sent to test one; I failed to coup it. (They were at length seduced by a particularly attractive offer on a Suzuki Ignis Sport, when Matiz's alloys were fading a little). Assuming GM have done no harm to the Matiz, congrats!
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Thanks for all your comments! What does "I failed to coup it" mean?
I like those little Ignises (Ignii?!!).
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"Coup it".
Sorry, I committed a Scotticism, against my own principles really.
To coup it means to capsize it, which was alleged to be possible with the Matiz!
As to the Ignii, aforesaid Matiz was succeeded by an Ignis Sport, probably 2 years ago. Unfortunately I gather it is not insured for me to drive, but they seem very happy with it.
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