Looking to purchase a Almera need some tips

S

smithy

hello my names ryan

i need a cheap family car for my Partner as we are expecting and only have a three door car the almera was look like a good option as price wise and size wise they are ideal. then i noticed down my road there is a 51 plate almera 1.5 for sale 70000 miles on it looks really clean ideal car i think and i am going to view it tomorow is there anything that i must look out for when looking round the car also any common faults.
 
Welcome :-) take a look at the link in my signature for a buyers guide.

-phone-
 
Hi Ryan,

Pretty low mileage for a 51 which bodes well.

Just the usual checks really, couple of things to watch out for, though..

Look for rust on cross-member, arches, rear suspension turrets, under boot carpet, bottom of doors.

Check all electrics.

Timing chain can stretch and is a very expensive fix, if this is an issue it should be obvious on the test drive with starting problems and stalling the obvious signs. This can be mitigated by servicing more often than required by the manual.

Rear brake calipers tend to sieze. Not an expensive thing to fix, though.

Early 1.5s have an issue where the oil filler hole on the gearbox is too low so it does not get enough oil (rectified by jacking the car on one side and 'overfilling' it a bit. Problems often start over 70k so look for symptoms that the gear box might be on it's way out.

The 1.5 is an ideal cheap baby-mobile. A bit underpowered for it's size but practical, reliable and nice to drive.
 
wraith said:
Hi Ryan,

Pretty low mileage for a 51 which bodes well.

Just the usual checks really, couple of things to watch out for, though..

Look for rust on cross-member, arches, rear suspension turrets, under boot carpet, bottom of doors.

Check all electrics.

Timing chain can stretch and is a very expensive fix, if this is an issue it should be obvious on the test drive with starting problems and stalling the obvious signs. This can be mitigated by servicing more often than required by the manual.

Rear brake calipers tend to sieze. Not an expensive thing to fix, though.

Early 1.5s have an issue where the oil filler hole on the gearbox is too low so it does not get enough oil (rectified by jacking the car on one side and 'overfilling' it a bit. Problems often start over 70k so look for symptoms that the gear box might be on it's way out.

The 1.5 is an ideal cheap baby-mobile. A bit underpowered for it's size but practical, reliable and nice to drive.
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Thanks this is very helpful not to worried about power issues as the lady will be driving it mostly but will look out for the gearbox and the timing chain issues i checked over the body work and its sound i own a 76 chevette so i am good at dealing with rust but it seems rust free. for what they want for it dont think i can go wrong really if it drives ok that is
 
Cheers Chris. Weird because someone recently used it who was a non member with no problems.
 
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