I want an Almera GTi - I think ?

M

MattUK

Howdy guys :)

Newbie here so be gentle :lol:

Right, me life has been turned upside down, lost me missus, job, car and home, soon to end up in a 1 bed flat somewhere :(

I will have about a grand for a car and I always liked the look of the Almera GTi :cool:

Not too big, not too small, medium size hot hatch, love the styling, not sure about the long boot but it will grow on me, think thats why I like it its defo unique.

I am here to first say Hi and second to ask, ... can someone please tell me what the Almera GTi's are like ? lets start with the bad things first, are the engines good ? gearbox ? is there anything I should know ? are they a lot to insure, fuel, maintain etc ? then all the good please :)

I am gonna need a car to get me to work and I fancy something with a bit of poke, nothing silly just a car I can be proud of and when I search ebay I keep coming back to the same one, Almera GTi.

Thanks for listening to me waffle on, any info would be much appreciated before I embark on a new car.

Cheers guys.

Matt :)
 
Engine and gearboxes are good and if looked after will go on forever.
You have to make sure you get a good shell! Either one that has had good rust repairs already or a clean one (Which will be more expensive).
To get to a light stage of tune is quite easy - decent lowering springs, ebay 4-2-1 manifold, custom cat back, good intake, then into the realms of uprated cams etc.
Try coming along to one of the meets if you can and get someone to give you a ride in theirs!
MPG wise - my dad regularly does 40+ MPG in his tuned GTi
Mileage/robustness - My girlfriends GTi is on 206,000 miles and the front end has been rebuilt 3 times but its still going.
 
Thanks for that Corbs :)

Theres a green un 98 model on evilbay just round corner from where I live and its 995 I think, I may go and look at that.

Cheers :D
 
Hey Matt, welcome. Sorry to hear bout your life, must be difficult.

I have a GTI and I love it. For me insurance is fairly cheap (£350 ish fully comp with all mods declared) but then I am bloody old compared to most of this bunch.

The SR20 engine is bretty much bullet proof as long as it has been kept well lubed. It has a cam chain, so none of the usual worries about stretching belts etc.

Rust wise they do suffer their share - arches front & rear, sills, top of the inner arches in the boot (move the carpet to check)

I'm sure you will get loads of info shortly but meantime have a search round on here, there is loads of info, although some is only available to paid up members.

Trug
 
overall these are good cars,
rust is the main issue really, as the youngest models are over 12 years old :(

places to check;
all arches
rear inner arches (pull/move the side carpets out the way and look below the seat belt mounts),
rear seat belt anchoe points (just lift up the rear seats and ceck where the rear seat belts are bolted and the surrounding area),
sills (look in the rear arches towards the front of the car at the bottom, there is a little chassis ledge, common place where rust starts),
also 98-2000 or Phase 2 cars apparently were prone more to rusting than the 95-98 Phase 1 models,
 
think this is the one he's lookin at
trop green


doesnt look to bad has a little rust on the front arches
just need to look behind the carpet in the boot at the rear arches
 
Tom SRi said:
Imo the best thing about owning an almera is the community.
Click to expand...

And starting every time first time, laughing ad other people having starting problems in winter months :lol:

Cheap and is very good in its class... but also has a nice racing pedigree with Pulsar VZR N1's and alike

Covers such a broad spectrum ... N15... LOVE IT :D
 
I got my gti last month and im really happy with it. Its quick and starts first time even when cold, insurance is cheap (300 for me and the mrs fully comp), fuel economy is not that good but my exchurst is blowing and that doesnt help (hopefully i get it fixed for the Exeter meet next week). The best thing about my gti is the way it drives :) the only downside is rust and the laquar peeling off my roof :rolleyes:
 
Mine has been 100% spot on the 3 months I have owned it. I can easily see it going well over 200,000 miles. It is the best handling fwd car I have ever had and im easily getting over 30 mpg, I have just driven to Sussex in it which is 360 miles and it cost about £40and that's going a bit quick!

Buy on, it's the unknown hero in car circles, you will not regret it
 
Only got mine bout 6 months back, Viewed a few before-hand. There are some proper lemons out there, I own a Golf over 30 years old which has not even half the rust I have seen on some Almera's. As the lads said above, rust is the major issue, dont underestimate just how much rust a bad one can have and if at all posssible to do safely, try have a good look around underneath the car. All the areas mentioned above are bang on from what I have seen. Also the battery tray and check under the slam panel and underneath the front-end of the bonnet.

The condition of arches front and rear is a good indication of the state of the whole car for rust I found.

The chassis box sections which run either side of the spare wheel well I have seen starting to look suspect on other cars and while you are there if you can, take a look at the metal surrounding the tank. My rear inner arches had a small bit of rust which thankfully was an easy fix, and If you find a good one, repaired or not. Though not the cheapest, waxoyl and underseal will not go astray, I used plenty on mine as I pretty much see rust as being the coming of the Antichrist :evil:.

Check that the rear calipers arent ceased, mine were giving trouble. When you go to drive off you might hear an initial creek from the rear, thatd be the calipers. Not major but it would be a haggling point as they would need to be done. Only have experience of the sr20 det engine more so than the de but so far my de hasnt missed a beat, and I doubt it ever will.

Sorry to hear things arent going well for you lately, sounds tough but I hope at least getting one of these in good nick will help things a little, best of luck :thumbs:
 
As said the engines are bullet proof just keep it well maintained and it will soldier on where others die.
Main concern is rust, SR20 is easily tunable and good power figures can be gained from a small cost yet still hold reliability.
Whats more all of the people i have met at meets on here are top people and i can safely say ive never come across a nicer bunch of people.
Have a look round on autotrader, piston heads, for sale section and ebay and youll find a decent one ;)
 
like everyone else has said rust is the main issue, a very common disease with these cars (and im sure many others roughly the same age lol) but the engines are brilliant, couldnt fault it, almeras are cheap enough to get hold of too, the main thing i love about having an almera though, isnt the car, but ALC :)

1 HUGE family with a love for an amazing car lol :D
 
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