Please help! New-comer with no idea...

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Lion-O

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Hi everyone -

Just joined this forum today so am a newbie. As well as that, I'm a total Almera virgin and know nothing about the cars whatsoever!

I was wondering if some kind members could fill me in on a bit of info regarding these. I'm hoping to buy one over the next couple of months and have got up to £2500 to spend... Now I do a lot of miles, so need something fairly comfy and not too mad on petrol so would probably discount the GTi, but was thinking about an late 90's SRi... Am I in the right ball park with that kind of money?

I do know a bit about cars (have had Corolla GTi's, Celica's, Prelude's etc) before but this is definitely my first Nissan and am completely oblivious to the history of the Almera/any facelifts it received/what I should expect when buying one.

Would be most appreciative if someone could offer some advice!

Thanks!
 
If you go to the 'For Sale' section on the site you will probably find a few cars for sale on there. For £2500 you should be able to buy one of the late 90's models. GTi's do go for a little more than the SRi but you should be able to get a good one for that money.

Petrol consumption is about the same for both cars I believe, only about 4-5 miles/gallon difference. There have been posts on here in the past about consumption and some people with GTi's get more than my SRi. Just depends how you drive and the type of driving you do, mine is a lot of town driving.

As for a quick introduction, my pic below is the original shape Almera (N15 phase1), shortly after my car was manufactured that facelifted it a bit (start of 1998) and this phase2 model was made until about 2000. This is when the current model was started (N16), although that must be on its 2nd/3rd facelift by now.

Try searching the site for common problems which should help you with any common faults on the car, not many problems occur anyway. Just check for signs of rust around all the arches, especially the rear and the sills as these are normally the first places they start to rust.

Hope thats a bit of help for you. Welcome by the way!
 
More Almera details...

Cheers for posting reply gnuoynomis. This definitely helps! :lol:

Right, so I'm after a N15 shape Almera. Still probably would prefer the SRi over the GTi due to the (I assume) softer suspension and cheaper insurance. Where I live is a myriad of potholes and speed bumps and GTi's typically take their toll on my backside!

In terms of the facelift, what changed between the Phase 1 & 2?

Also, I was a bit surprised at the output of the 1.6, which is apparently rated at 98BHP... Is this right? Just seems a little underpowered for a 1.6 16 valve... I checked out a couple of owner reviews on various websites and feedback is generally very favourable, especially mechanically. I should hope that for a late 90's car though, rust should be non-existent...

I'm pleased the thing is chain driven. Never really understood why most manufacturers use belts!

Still hunting for a machine. Don't seem to be any for sale on here (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place) but a few on Autotrader. There are a couple on there for just under £2000 so am thinking of checking these out.

Thanks again!
 
Lion-O said:
In terms of the facelift, what changed between the Phase 1 & 2?

Also, I was a bit surprised at the output of the 1.6, which is apparently rated at 98BHP... Is this right? Just seems a little underpowered for a 1.6 16 valve...
Click to expand...

not that under powered when you consider its was only a middle range almera, compare this to the power to 1.6 focus, escort, astra etc other cars where a 1.6 is a middle model

only cars where the 1.6 was there flagship model in that range have more power eg. civics, corsas, saxos etc.

as for phase differences, front and rear lights, front grill, boot recess, im sure people will add to this list too
 
think u should get the gti mate. as your 28 the insurance shouldnt be much different to the sri. i didnt think the suspension in my gti was that stiff to be honest. £2000 should pick up a good gti. :)
 
Lion-O said:
Also, I was a bit surprised at the output of the 1.6, which is apparently rated at 98BHP... Is this right? Just seems a little underpowered for a 1.6 16 valve... I checked out a couple of owner reviews on various websites and feedback is generally very favourable, especially mechanically. I should hope that for a late 90's car though, rust should be non-existent...
Click to expand...
I find the 1.6 is fairly nippy and a nice driving car. Can't compare it to the GTi though as never been in one. I think the standard bhp is about 98. Only had one or two issues with mine in 2 years, battery died once, sidelight wiring corroded on one of the bulbs and the heater fans stopped working but that was an easy fix by doing a search on here. Only got 1 very small bit of rust just appearing at the very bottom of my rear wheel arch.

Lion-O said:
In terms of the facelift, what changed between the Phase 1 & 2?
Click to expand...
most noticeable differences are :-
front grill style
body kit style
white dials on p2 only
bee-sting aerial p2 / telescopic p1
front & rear lights style
GTi badge on B pillars on p2 only
colour of roof lining lighter on p2
side air bags optional on p2 only
sun roof & aircon as standard on p2 (air con optional p1)
rear reg plate surround style
bump strips as standard p2 only
different standard stereo's

(list taken from a post originally by 'GTi': http://www.almeraownersclub.com/newforums/showthread.php?t=7295&highlight=differences)

Lion-O said:
Still hunting for a machine. Don't seem to be any for sale on here (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place) but a few on Autotrader. There are a couple on there for just under £2000 so am thinking of checking these out.
Click to expand...
Good luck with your search!
 
Thanks for getting back all, starting to get an idea of things now!

nismo_billy said:
not that under powered when you consider its was only a middle range almera, compare this to the power to 1.6 focus, escort, astra etc other cars where a 1.6 is a middle model

only cars where the 1.6 was there flagship model in that range have more power eg. civics, corsas, saxos etc.
Click to expand...
Good point, hadn't considered that! To be fair the specs seem pretty reasonable anyway, so its not a major concern!

andrewb said:
think u should get the gti mate. as your 28 the insurance shouldnt be much different to the sri. i didnt think the suspension in my gti was that stiff to be honest. £2000 should pick up a good gti.
Click to expand...
I am very, very tempted to get the GTi believe me. If a decent one came up for the right price I probably would. But I agreed to get something marginally more 'sensible' so I could move out with my girlfriend hence I had to sell my Prelude VTEC! So still erring toward the SRi at the mo!

dagnut said:
http://www.almeraownersclub.com/new...97&page=1&pp=15
sell your granny if you have to but scrape another grand together and get this ..175 bhp..same insurance as a sri..they are faster than gti's..you wont regret it and as far as i know they are hard to come buy in england...you be helping a dude out as well..hes selling it for 3500!!!
Click to expand...
This thing looks insane (and most fun)! Never realised VVT engines were available for the Almera... obviously another car that we missed out on in Europe, being enjoyed only in Japan!

Differences between phases 1 & 2 noted, also. Mind you, having a look at the various websites N15 Almera's made after '97 for sale seem to be very thin on the ground!

Cheers guys, I will continue the hunt!
 
With regards to insurance, the 1.4s and 2 special edition 1.6s are all insurance group 4 or 5, the 1.6 series is group 7, and the GTi is group 14.
 
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