1997 Nissan Almera GTi 2.0 petrol
Summary:
Excellent and very underrated car
Faults:
A gearbox spring needed replacing after 38,000 miles.
General Comments:
An excellent very underrated car. The engine is very flexible with good power across the rev range, particularly after 5000 RPM when it really takes off!
The handling is outstanding, very little body, excellent feedback through the well-balanced steering. The brakes also have great feedback and are very effective.
The interior is not as bad as people make out, the dials are superb and the cabin well laid out. The materials are harder than those in say a Golf, but it has better handling and performance which is much more desirable!
Some are not keen on the way the car looks, but I have found it attracts more praise than criticism. I also find it to be an attractive and subtlety styled car with good proportions.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 8th January, 2002
21st Aug 2004, 14:34
If boring means a car that doesn't break down, starts in the morning and doesn't have bits that regularly fall off then I'll take boring anytime. I swapped my 96 Almera for a company VW Bora. The Almera now belongs to my wife. the car has done 85,000 miles and had 1 new exhaust from the Cat back, 1 set of front pads and 1 jubilee clip on the steering pump hose. No other work other than regular servicing work has been carried out. Nothing breaks, nothing falls off, nothing refuses to work.
The VW has bits of trim that get sucked up in the vacuum cleaner when I clean the car out, the turbocharger has inermittently failed (so far around 85 times so the car behaves like a non turbo charged car) and has had countless electrical malises with windows, door locks etc.
Dealers are hopeless and can't cure the Turbo problems and the car is like a bus to drive. It also has no rear leg room.
I'll take a boring Almera anytime!
Signed.
A young person.