Nissan Almera replacement

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Sat 15 May 2010 17:02
Nissan Almera replacement - Glenn 42

Good afternoon, I have owned a 55 plate Nissan Almera and feel the car has been a bit of a let down and has not lived up to the high expectations I have had of this make of car, although a few people have told me the same. Firstly two months after I bought it the gearbox had to be replaced- luckily under warranty- and then last year at service time the brake discs had worn so badly they needed to be replaced at 25,000 miles. Now it seems the air conditioning isn't doing its job properly and I am not going to fork out more money for this. Basically for all it always starts, is fairly comfortable, does over 40 mpg and is good on long journeys, these faults have annoyed me big time- not helped by someone deciding to scratch a smiley face into the bonnet late one night in a car park.

I am seriously thinking of replacing it with something different, maybe a diesel, as I don't want yet another round of bills in the autumn. My choices would be a Citroen C3 HDI- a friend has one and says it does 65 mpg and the road tax is only £ 35- a new shape Skoda Fabia TDi, which has all the attributes of the Citroen but is possibly better made, or a Seat Ibiza, which I have owned before and was largely reliable. Also on my list would be a Mazda 3, SEAT Leon, Kia Rio( which I've heard are excellent value and have a long warranty), Honda Jazz, Vauxhall Astra, or Peugeot 207. I am planning on spending about 7k before trade in so what would you chaps recommend I go for?

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Sat 15 May 2010 18:32
Nissan Almera replacement - Avant

"....maybe a diesel, as I don't want yet another round of bills in the autumn."

Sadly modern diesels have got more complex and are no more reliable than petrols. That said, the VW/Skoda/SEAT 1.9 TDI is reliable if unrefined. Go for a diesel if you do a high mileage: I'd go for the Fabia if I were you. The Jazz is also excellent: petrol only, but the 1.4 engine is reliable and economical.

Citroens and (particularly) Peugeots fare badly in the customer satisfaction surveys. If you are looking at a car the size of an Astra (bigger than the others) there's nothing the Astra can do that a Ford Focus can't do better.

Welcome to the forum!

Edited by Avant on 15/05/2010 at 18:35

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Sat 15 May 2010 19:06
Nissan Almera replacement - Glenn 42

Hello, Avant, the Jazz is bombproof if it's serviced correctly and the economy isn't far off that of a diesel. Also the resale is good, something that can't be said of the Almera, down to £ 2500 in Parker's Guide. I do like the idea of VAG diesels as the engine in my old Ibiza was a 1.9 SDi and never caused an ounce of trouble and also could do 62 mpg on the open road.

It is a shame with the Almera as I've always believed Nissans were very reliable- and probably were until they teamed up with Renault, who aren't noted for making reliable cars. BTW bit of a longshot, but are Mitsubishi Colts worth a try as they do have a funky image and the reliability is good?

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Sat 15 May 2010 21:27
Nissan Almera replacement - primeradriver

Colts are very cheap -- on Autoquake they're around £4-4500 for a 2 year old car with nominal mileage. Reliable mechanicals mean that if they were the type of car I was after they'd be top of the list.

As for the Nissan, well OK the gearbox went (not a common issue on these cars as far as I know). The brake discs are a *very* common complaint across most cars these days; they're made of soft metal, and are made this way to produce a sacrificial effect to counter the lack of asbestos in the pads. I don't think this is anything particular to the car, and in any case can be replaced for well under £100. The air-con -- could it just need a re-gas? If so this is a standard complaint as well.

I'd think about it further before you decide to replace the Almera. Oh, and if you live anywhere near the North East, I'll happily give you £2500 for a five year old with full history, so let me know before you part ex it....

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Sun 16 May 2010 15:42
Nissan Almera replacement - Glenn 42

Hello, Primera, air con is a niggly issue on most cars- it could need a regas or maybe a component has gone in the blower, which is quite common( it does sound noisy when it's switched on). It's not that the Almera is a bad car, it's just not as good as I thought it would be and if the gearbox went outside of warranty it could have been a grand to replace.

Actually the best car I ever owned, which was Mitsubishi based, was a Proton MPi. In two years only the cigarette lighter went, hardly a major issue.

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Sun 16 May 2010 17:38
Nissan Almera replacement - primeradriver

Yes, it always impresses me the number of really old Protons I still see on the road. Where I work there is a Proton dealer nearby so there are plenty of Protons, new and old, floating about. The Personas at P or R reg are common, and they all appear to be in good condition with clean bodyshells and quiet engines.

Shame I can't fit in the blighters really, else we may have bought one as a second car!

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Sun 16 May 2010 18:43
Nissan Almera replacement - Glenn 42

We had a dealer who retired in 1999 but a major chain has started selling them again. My MPi was faultless and I know a lot ended up on the taxi circuit as the engines lasted forever. However, the new models are badly outclassed and depreciation is bad.

I am seriously thinking on the lines of a Focus. I know my old man hated Fords after a bad experience with one but that was in the days of the Escort. From what I gather the Focus is a good car and the 1.6 offers the best compromise between performance and economy . Also the styling is excellent and has come away from the peculiar style of the original.

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Mon 17 May 2010 11:21
Nissan Almera replacement - pyruse

Our 54 plate Almera 1.8 auto was written off in February, and we replaced it with a slightly newer (55) Jazz CVT. The Almera was a good car - never gave us any problems in almost 5 years of ownership.

Very happy with the Jazz; fine on long journeys, better round town, and amazingly it has more space for luggage that the Almera. It's also cheaper to run , tax and insure.

The CVT box is excellent - very smooth.

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Tue 18 May 2010 21:09
Nissan Almera replacement - Glenn 42

I am narrowing my choices down to a Ford Focus or Fiesta( plenty on the market but most are sold locally by a franchise with a poor reputation, may have to try a non franchise), Honda Jazz( pricey but worth it), Mazda 3( nearest dealer 40 miles away but a good buy), Vauxhall Astra, SEAT Ibiza or, because the warranty is good, a Kia Rio or Hyundai i30.

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