NISSAN ALMERA Hatchback 1995‑2000

I wanted a car that was practical for fitting camping equipment / mountain bikes in the boot -with the rear seats folded forward, there was loads of room - very practical.

I also wanted a car that wasn't a bore to drive, something with pace. For its year my '97 GTi was as fast as a Golf GTi 2.0L 16V doing 0-60mph in 7.9secs but at half the price WITH Japanese reliability, so it ticked the boxes there too. Even by 2012's standards, 7.9secs is still pretty quick.

The handling on the Almera surprised me too. I owed a 4WD Audi S3, and I was surprised how close the Almera's handling would come to the S3's, even though it was just front wheel drive. Very impressive. On country roads when putting your foot down, the GTi's engine seems to open up at 4,000rpm and the engine starts to sing a very nice tune. A mini orchestra at your right foot.

The reliability, well, in 3 years I think I had to fork out £44 for a starter motor off Ebay, and that's about it. The almera just KEEPS on going WITHOUT hassle. I've heard from enthusiasts that the engine NEVER quits, and I can believe it. Jap reliability!

Other things I wanted when I was looking for a car was it had to be under or around £1,000 and have electric windows and air con with a decent stereo. It doesn't sound much but for under £1k there aren't too many cars that can deliver all this. Thrown in to the equation was Nissans reliable Anti-theft alarm system that was still working faultlessly 15years later.

I bought a Nissan Almera GTi to fulfill all these requirements and.... wasn't dissapointed :-)))

Oh economy's good too at average of 35mpg!!! Enjoy!!

overall it is a very good car to drive cuz of its reliability , with fuel it is good but road tax is high cuz it is an old one . insurance is fine too .

on daily basis it is totally fine . I have had it for over a year now and have driven it all over the country and i m very happy of its performance...

Had this one for quite some time and has never let me down. Bit dated in looks but for day to day use it's great. Feels more like a saloon inside than a hatchback. Plenty of room for kids and a good sized boot. Well equipped too.

Only downside is its not particularly frugal on juice but is quiet and smooth.

Recommended.

I had this car for 6 years, travelled all over the UK + Ireland and it never gave me a minutes bother. Great size for trips to the local tip.4 people can travel in comfort on long journeys, 5 on shorter ones. Good economical runner. Would highly recommend this car to anyone.

The most reliable car I have owned. The hatchback is more like a small estate car. Only ever needed oil changes, brake pads, exhaust and tyres. No timing belt to worry about (chain driven) and most things in the engine bay are easy to get to. Fuel economy around 36 - 40 mpg. Car had done 101,000 miles when I sold it in 2008 and drove almost like new. The only problems it had were rusty rear wheel arches and a rusty rear door.

Shame the Almera Mk2 seems to be plagued with engine and gearbox problems.

I have used this car for last 5 year I never had any problem.Only problem is driving on hill it has to be in upper gear. Other wise it very good reliable very economical car.Thank you

Good old car, never breaks down. Spares are cheap. No problems at all. Easy to park, always passes MOT, plenty of space.

I've had this car for six months and so far it has been very reliable, very reasonable on fuel and genarally a good solid car

Had this car for 6 years, bought as a 17 year old after passing my test. The insurance was £800 with pass plus which was a great saving as some of my friends paid up to £2,000 in their first year!

The car doesn't owe me anything, it's been an absolute stalwart over the years. Only things I've had to spend on are your usuals such as tyres and a new exhaust. So all I've had to worry about is petrol, MOT and tax.

The car is quite spacious, plenty of leg room and boot room. The electric sunroof is a nice bonus in the summer and is a hit with the ladies.

I think I have exhausted the fact of how reliable this car is and would definately recommend it to anyone, especially young drivers who aren't loaded with cash, in which case a Z4 would be pretty nice.

As a young male it is rather difficult to find insurance that doesn't cost you an organ or two. Fortunately I found my little 1.4 almera. Bought it with 110000 miles for £450. the insurance was £1100, but still cheaper than a lot of my fiends with their little hatchbacks. (21, just passed my test 2 days before insuring the car)

For the time I've had it, it has been faultlessly reliable and the fuel economy isn't that bad considering a very short commute of three miles and a few back road runs. Admittedly the fuel economy suffers when the foot gets planted to the floor, but i suppose thats the way of things.

Appealing to a young male like myself, the engine sounds pretty good when revved to 6000 rpm (redline at 7000 mind you!) and the cornering is pretty amazing, better than a 2010 focus and 2010 corsa I drove. On top of this the brakes are nothing short of great for an economy car. rear discs really make it stop on a dime. The almera looks heavy, but it isn't any heavier than the average new corsa (1035kg). You will likely be surprised by how low it is stock and it holds the road very well, but is quite bumpy on those dirt roads due to some rather firm suspension. Not a concern to me mind you but I thought I should mention it.

Unfortunately the car isn't much of a looker, and is normally treated as a workhorse by previous owners, so dings are to be expected, and they rust a bit on the arches generally. but if you aren't one of those guys that uses a car as a tool to pick up woman (pretty pathetic if you ask me...) the almera is perfect.

To surmise, not a wee girly car, not a pretty thing but a reliable, decent handling, punchy (for a little 1.4) and most importantly for us blokes, pretty cheap to insure seemingly

I can imagine keeping this car for another year and hopefully pass it along to another young driver looking for a first car a little different to a saxo or corsa.