Faults:

Gear box went at 25000 miles cost over 1000 to put right could not give price, but would have been based on used gear box new one much more.

Changed brakes week ago.

General Comments:

Paid 6000 18 monthes now value 2600 this car was very well looked after by my husband just passed mot.

Get another car today worth 4500 but had to pay 2000 more.

Faults:

Headlight bulbs kept burning out.

Odometer bulbs replaced unter warranty.

Ignition sensors replaced under warranty.

Brake-pads did'nt last more than 20000 Km

(But that might be due to poor quality brake pads used by the leasing company that serviced this car.

General Comments:

This is very reliable as you can expect from a Nissan.

The car steers and rides quite well although the automatic transmission hurts the performance.

Inside, the plastics give you cheap feeling and the build quality could be better.

The seats are basic, and not so comfortable.

Faults:

The foot-brake has developed some play which seems to vary with the speed of the car (more play at slower speeds).

The plastic interior door handle on the driver door frequently comes loose, and on one occasion separated completely. A firm down-ward nudge will put it back into place, but to have to do this is irritating.

The rear parking sensor likes to beep even where there is nothing behind. This may be a calibration issue.

The drinks holder is basically two plastic rings which pop out just below the ashtray. It sounds good, but realistically can only be used if nothing is kept on the plastic surface just beneath. A better option would be to reshape the storage tray in the doors, as in the Micra Twister.

The front sun visors should be seen as for decorative purposes rather than for functionality - they are deep, but much too narrow.

The turning circle is large.

General Comments:

I cover a lot of motorway miles, and find the Almera to be very comfortable.

The driver seat has adjustments for the lower back and lower thigh, as well as the standard recline, so it is impossible to be uncomfortable!

Although the 1.5 engine seems to struggle a little at times, it is easily able to keep up with the speed of traffic on the motorway.

The engine is very quiet, but there is a bit of wind whistle when going faster than about 45mph.

Road noise might be a problem for some.

Transmission between the gears is smooth, and the clutch is very light.

With a size 8 foot, I find the pedal spacings between the gas and brake, and brake and clutch, to be adequate, but can envisage that there may be problems for larger feet.

Like the Nissan Bluebird, there is a plate to the left of the clutch which make it comfortable to cruise.

However, this is a bit too close to the clutch pedal.

The boot is not as large as you'd expect, but will easily carry a weeks shopping for a family of four.