I have been offered a almera saloon 53 plate 1.5 se
how big is the boot?
Is the SE spec any good?
Is the 1.5 engine any good?
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Dad has an 55 Almera 1.5S, has it on contract hire for just £29/week just for when he needs to pottle about. Specification for a basic car is very good, so the SE is probably pretty decent. The 1.5 engine is economical, but I wouldn't say it's very eager, it feels slow and lumbering, but then that suits the cars controls which are light and respond best to a slower input. No experience of the saloon but the cabinspace in the hatch is quite acceptable in my op, though the quality feels lower than my Focus', which surprised me.
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Before buying any Almera, check out www.ilexa.co.uk/forum (if this link does not work, knock off the forum bit -- I can't stop now to test it just now) and look in the Nissan folder. There have been lots of expensive cost-to-replace problems with the timing chain stretching on certain Almera's. Be very careful this car is not one of them. Diagnosis first suggests changing cam and crank sensors but often this does not cure it and you'r in for timing a chain change with not much change out of £1k.
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Is the 1.5 engine any good?
Other's disagree; but I've seen nothing to change my view that this is an engine to avoid like the plague. It's nastiest trick is stretching the timing chain at low mileages. It's not a temporary [2000-01] problem; even recently-fitted replacement chains aren't lasting.
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Other's disagree; but I've seen nothing to change my view that this is an engine to avoid like the plague. It's nastiest trick is stretching the timing chain at low mileages. It's not a temporary [2000-01] problem; even recently-fitted replacement chains aren't lasting.
With all due respect, but all I see around that site are descriptions of classic symptoms of rankshaft sensor failure (official recall on early Almeras) misdiagnosed by various third party mechanics as "stretching timing chain" to the stomping noise of heavy repair quotes. I'm on my third Almera 20-40k miles a year, know people from Almera Owners Club and never ever head a single complaint about timing belt in N16. Unless this is a problem limited to one jinxed forum I suggest all those scaremonging people, from all three threads over there to go through recall service, it's free.
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[Nissan 2.2 dCi are NOT Renault engines. Grrr...]
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SWMBO has a 1.8SE saloon on a 54 plate.
The boot's big enough to satisfy her lust for shopping, but if you want to drop the rear seats to extend the luggage space, the gap in the rear bulkhead isn't too big.
The SE spec's ok. Electric mirrors, windows, trip computer (although her's has just gone kaput), CD player, climate control.
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Spoke to some of the old boys in the trade or ex-trade
only 1 of 4 had heard of it - the engine problem that is.
and yep - its true. but he said it occured on a 55k motor, 3 years old.
Nissan do know about it but offered no compensation, they punter paid £698 to put it right.
however all of them had heard of ECU faults on the primera and crankshaft sensor faults on the almera and almera tino.
think i might go for it
at £3000 it seems a good deal.
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