I'm in the process of looking at an Almera as a replacement for the wifes Fiesta. This is on the basis that we can use this as a family car and I can do my mid-life crisis thing!!'
It's at a Mazda main dealer. O2 reg, 1.5 'Hurricane' (not sure which model it's based on), 26'000m, FSH, 5dr, excellent condition. It's up for £4495 which seems a tad expensive. Prices on autotrader are all over the place.
Anybody in the trade who can give me an idea.
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Over the odds if you ask me. I imagine an 02 plate isn't even a facelift model, which is what it's priced at basically. Does it even have a/c?
Pay at least £500 less and get an early facelift model 1.5 (with uprated power, also made engine quieter) S (basic) with about 35,000 miles.
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It does have air con but t isn't the facelift version.
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That is too expensive. You can get an '03' or '53' reg from £4k to £4,500 from independent car dealers. Main dealers will charge too much for them. The parkers guide says below £4k retail for any 02 plate. You should be able to get a facelift model (came in around 52 plate and definitely 03 onwards) with the different headlamps, standard CD player, air-con and remote locking on the 'S' model. A lot of these age Almeras are ex-motability and have around 30k-40k miles. A couple of problems to watch out for - some talk of timing chains wearing if you don't change the oil regularly enough and they have four disk brakes with some reports of the calipers seizing (probably rare) but apart from that very reliable. I would do a good search on autotrader and find the average prices and get a better deal. They do lose quite a bit in depreciation so don't pay over the odds to start with.
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I'd advise a test drive before you commit to an Almera.
My wife has one its the latest model (2003 53) and after driving my Astra I find this car "horrible" to drive.
I'm average size and find it very difficult to get comfortable,the drivers seat is too low even at it's highest position .
On anything but a dead flat road it seems too roll about too much.Especially noticeable on rural roads,even the dog gets sick in it.
If the engine is started from cold and then stopped within a minute it will not start again unless left for a couple of hours.Evidently it's common ,due to flooding. It's only if it's left for a minute or so. We were told it's common and not to stop the engine unless it's run for a while.
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the drivers seat is too low even at it's highest position
My mother has a 54-reg Almera, and she particularly likes the high driving position (she's 5ft 3)! I'm 6ft and I also find mine very comfortable, but mine's not a base model, and has "sports" seats.
Evidently it's common ,due to flooding
Flooding? on a modern car with fuel injection?! Neither my Almera nor my mum's have ever done anything like that, so it's not normal.
I find the Almera quite nice to drive. The ride, if anything, is a little hard, and gets fidgety over poor road surfaces. The handling is precise, and the controls are light and easy to use. I've never driven an Astra, but other Vauxhalls I've driven have had dull lifeless steering, and seats that made my back ache after half an hour. Each to his own.
Back to the original question, that car's overpriced. For an 02-reg, I'd be expecting a top-model 1.8 litre for that money. Check for full service history, especially important with timing chains. They also have a habit of skipping a notch in the QG15DE (1.5 litre) engine, and they're not cheap to fix (2 new chains and tensioners, plus all the labour required)
For a similar price, I'd also be looking at Mazda 323s, although these tend to hold their value more. If you'd be keeping the car for a while I'd recommend a Hyundai Elantra (especially the diesel), but the depreciation is very steep so not for the short-term buyer.
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Ride isn't too important. It will be used 90% of the time by my wife. She drove home with a puncture and got home saying the car 'felt funny'. I don't think she'd notice a fidgety ride. :-)
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I paid £4995 for a Nov 02 52 plate 5dr 1.5 S with standard AC in Jan 06 from a main dealer. Got a years warranty, tax, full tank and mats and mud flaps thrown in. By rights you should get a 53 plate for the same money. Nissan website is showing nothing under £5995 but that gets you 54 plate with only 16k on the clock. Dealer said they get a lot of ex-Motability cars whcih are normally welllooked after and low mileage. Worth checking out the auctions? Can't see it depreciating much more after that although I gather there is a new Megane based Almera due out in 07 so it may be best to hang on a bit.
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"I gather there is a new Megane based Almera due out in 07 so it may be best to hang on a bit."
We booked a 'Nissan Almera or similar' hire car in South Africa in November and got a new Nissan Tiida (yes, double i) - a name that may not catch on here.
Like most Nissans it was extremely competent without being exciting - just good at the job it was designed for. It looked less ungainly than the Almera and had better visibility than the Megane. Ours was a saloon 1.6 but I saw hatchbacks as well: I'm not usually a fan of saloons but they're useful on holiday when you just need secure room for suitcases. Good big boot which took 4 suitcases and yet lots of legroom in the back.
Sorry - that's dveiated from the original question but I thought Nissan fans might be interested....
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Tiida also available as a hatch in Oz www.nissan.com.au/tiida/msummary_Q.asp
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'dveiated' ?
Yes at last you make an error... :-)
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OK. Been offered the car for £4000. It really is in excellent condition and comes with a decent warranty (as decent as warranties can be!)
I still think it's a tad overpriced, but it's on a par with local autotrader enteries. I'm very tempted. The only proviso is that there is no p/x. Thoughts?
Second part is that I'll have to sell the wife's Fiesta. 02 reg newshape 1.4 Zetec 5dr (no aircon), alloys, 40,000m, independent s/h, four recent new tyres, Small (and it is small) scratch on the rear wheelarch where she caught the gatepost getting in the drive. I was thinking around £3850. Would that seem a reasonable price.
Thanks in advance
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On the face of it, I think I'd hold fire, or look elsewhere:
- you reckon the Nissan is still a tad overpriced;
- you're left with the hassle of disposing of your wife's Fiesta, which could take weeks and leave you well out of pocket as you fund the new purchase.
Doesn't seem to me that the dealer is desperate to do business with you. Leave him to stew for the rest of the month at least!
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