What car you have & what you've driven in the past?

[KubaJAM]

Well this is interesting. You could say some people really don't care for Nissans here, but that's mostly the Micra. I am one of those people. The earlier version (92-03) is just a bit tiny-looking and weird, while the 03-10 model is just, well, ugly, and, although many young drivers here have one, they do tend to be, well, female.

Meanwhile, I'm not as opposed to the Almera as you might expect. It doesn't get massively good reviews here in the UK, but it seems a reasonable prospect. Why they "replaced" it with the Qashqai, although admittedly a better car, I will never know. The hatchback sector is huge and still, in my opinion, should be added to by Nissan.

The Tino, just, well, no.

As for other manufacturers, the Ford Fiesta has always struck me as the best option. They are quite acclaimed here. We had one as a courtesy car once, and, while slow to pull away on hills, it didn't seem "rubbish" in any way. I can overlook the quality of a dashboard in a car because you're bound to get poor quality at this level (nobody should expect German quality, and anyone used to driving and reviewing Aston Martins and the like should not be that biased when reviewing a "cheap" car), and buying used means its already been ruined by previous owners.

As for VW, they seem to hold their value more here than they do in Europe for some reason. The best bet is probably a Polo (I don't like the Lupo and surely with its 1-litre engine, the acceleration is woeful), but again the insurance and tax will cost more than other marques' cars. The Vauxhall (in UK) Agila is just awful and gets bad reviews.

Any other options, too?

[mbman212]

The VW Polo with it's 1.4/1.2 lite engine, the car is fu*king tiny (I would never be able to get in one). Also the engine is quite vulneraböe for electrical problems. You have to change one spark plug/ignition coil unit on regular basis.

But still I kinda like the Nissan Qashqai, it looks way much better than Opel/Vauxhall Mokka. I've revently have seen the Opel/Vauxhall Agila, even uglier than MK1 Micra

I ahven't seen bad review about BMW's xDrive 4WD system or Mercedes's 4Matic system. They have gained best possible rating, but I prefer more Mercedes 4Matic as being fan of Mercedes.

One Finnish Automotive magazine (Tuulilasi) made a comparison of fuel consumption between 10 vehicles and Mercedes CLA came 3rd which isn't bad at all, consumption was under 5l/100km.

One other Finnish Auto magazine (Tekniikan Maailma) donated a Mercedes CLS350 CDI Shooting Brake BlueEfficiency to Finnish Policeforces as a gift.

[KubaJAM]

I prefer xDrive, it's in intelligent system like the one used on the Audi R8, and that is my favourite car .

[mbman212]

Also, I'd like you to comment these driving videos I've uploaded to YouTube.

Driving my secondary vehicle (from near our summer cottage)
Driving home

Driving my car in city of Vaasa
City driving

Test drive, Mercedes E250 BlueTec 4Matic
MB E250BT

Test drive, Mercedes CLS350 BlueTec 4Matic Shooting Brake
MB CLS350BT SB

Test drive, Mercedes C180 S205
MB C180T

Test drive, Mercedes C220CDI TA 4Matic
MB C220CDI

Test drive, Mercedes CLA250 4Matic
MB C117

I did test drives for dozen other Mercedes but my phone ran out of memory, sadly.

[Jan Verschueren]

Well this is interesting. You could say some people really don't care for Nissans here, but that's mostly the Micra. I am one of those people. The earlier version (92-03) is just a bit tiny-looking and weird, while the 03-10 model is just, well, ugly, and, although many young drivers here have one, they do tend to be, well, female.

There simply are more women driving small cars than men. Like I said, it's undemanding to drive, easy to park and quite comfortable for small car. The looks of the thing, yeah, not something I personally care about, but those are indeed a bit love/hate.

Meanwhile, I'm not as opposed to the Almera as you might expect. It doesn't get massively good reviews here in the UK

Hard to imagine these people are talking about the same car.

"space is poor"? it's 3" wider than a Volvo 740, the boot is decent and if you put the seats down, you can almost fit a Fiesta in the back. Granted, with the 2-door model I have, the back is a bit of a faff to get into, but unless you're really tall, sitting behind a really tall person in the front, it's ok.

"the ride is poor on rough surfaces" -seriously? -what is these people's minimum standard? -Bentley? My Almera is good on the broken up cobblestone roads here in the old harbour. It's the most comfortable, non-luxury car I've ever driven. Far better than the Skoda Fabia, the VW Polo or the Mercedes A-Class, e.g.. German cars in general are "harsh", imo.

"it's slow" -no, it's not. 0-62mph in 12.8s, which is adequate and it will cruise at 80-90mph all day if you want it to.

"it's dissapointing to drive" <Jeremy Clarkson mode> Well... yes, yes it is.</Jeremy Clarkson mode> I don't know if you remember back to when the Almera and the Primera were launched (come to think of it, you probably don't); Nissan were in the BTCC at the time and they really marketed their new models as "driver's cars" (I got mine on the strenght of that advertising). And: they're not, far from it in fact. Like I said before it's an undemanding car to drive if all you want to do is to get from A to B without waiting for a bus or a train, but it's not an easy car to hustle or hurry along. There's a lot of body roll, and, while this is going on, there's not a lot of feedback to the driver. I noticed this one of the first times I drove it when it gave me quite a big moment on a motorway interchange (with my Mk1 Golf before, I was not in a habit of really slowing for those). I didn't trust it again until I'd taken it out on a racetrack to get a feel for what the limits were.
Mind you, it grips the road quite well, it's just, unless you're really familiar with it, you find out quite late whether you've overdone it or not. So, great for the M1, not so great for having a bit of a go on an empty country lane.

That said, I think the fact I've hung onto it for 17 years and counting kind of indicates the good outweighs the bad. People also say Japanese cars are expensive to fix, but I haven't really found that to be the case. Whatever niggles mine developed (foglight switch went, e.g.) have always been cheap fixes.

, but it seems a reasonable prospect. Why they "replaced" it with the Qashqai, although admittedly a better car, I will never know. The hatchback sector is huge and still, in my opinion, should be added to by Nissan.

I don't get the whole crossover thing. People seem to think I should want one, which doesn't make any sense.

As for other manufacturers, the Ford Fiesta has always struck me as the best option. They are quite acclaimed here. We had one as a courtesy car once, and, while slow to pull away on hills, it didn't seem "rubbish" in any way. I can overlook the quality of a dashboard in a car because you're bound to get poor quality at this level (nobody should expect German quality, and anyone used to driving and reviewing Aston Martins and the like should not be that biased when reviewing a "cheap" car), and buying used means its already been ruined by previous owners.

Could be, like the reviewer indicated, just this model and, you're right, one shouldn't hold a car in this price range to the standard of more expensive cars. I've driven an old model Fiesta (though not the first model), the previous model Fiesta, the Sierra, the Focus and the Mondeo estate and, personally, the only one I could live with would be the Focus.

As for VW, they seem to hold their value more here than they do in Europe for some reason. The best bet is probably a Polo (I don't like the Lupo and surely with its 1-litre engine, the acceleration is woeful), but again the insurance and tax will cost more than other marques' cars.

I thought you were looking at 1.4l cars, there is a 1.4l Lupo. There's even a 1.6l GTI model which goes like stink. My cousin's wife has one. She says it's a riot, but not as practical as some of the other small cars.

The Vauxhall (in UK) Agila is just awful and gets bad reviews.

Yeah, forget about that one, I looked it up after seeing your reaction and they've changed the concept of the car. My aunt has an early model, which I find a great little car and surprisingly nippy (for a 1.2l) with the semi-automatic gearbox option. All sorts of cleverness inside to exploit the available space as well, but: it is purely a town car.

Any other options, too?

Personally, I have no experience with Toyota, but they have a good reputation in terms of reliability as well. I wouldn't know what it would be like to live with a Corolla, e.g., but it is something you should look at.

There are lots of great cars out there, but I fear the issue of cost, both in terms of buying and insuring would come into play again. E.g., you can't really go wrong with a Golf diesel, as long as the body and the interior aren't clapped out and it has a full service history, it doesn't really matter how old it is or how many miles it's done, those things are basically indestructible; only easily replaceable parts wear out on them.

If I were to replace my car now (I don't know if I would or whether I'd buy into one of those car sharing schemes; this requires further consideration), I'd probably go for a 2nd hand new model Civic or an Audi A3. Petrol for the latter, but I would consider the 1.9l TDi diesel in the former. I certainly wouldn't consider buying a new car again. Given the way cars are now (and have been for a couple of decades), all you're doing by buying new is taking the brunt of the depreciation, imo.

Just to be complete: I know Peugeot and Citroën make cars too. I just don't like them. E.g. a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to buy a friend's 308SW. This thing was this guy's mobile office, so it had all the toys and he's the kind of guy who really takes care of his car, so it was mint. The price was right and I was in a relationship with a woman who already had kids at the time, so this car sort of made sense at the time, but I drove it and... no.

[Jan Verschueren]

Afterthought: basically, the proof is in the pudding. Once you get your licence, hit the yellow pages and call the brand dealers near you. Tell them you've passed your test and are looking to buy your first car, by comparing your options. Book a test drive with each. See which one you like and look for a good 2nd hand deal on that car online.

Edited for posterity as an edit to my original reply placed it after this post...

[KubaJAM]

Hard to imagine these people are talking about the same car.

"space is poor"? it's 3" wider than a Volvo 740, the boot is decent and if you put the seats down, you can almost fit a Fiesta in the back. Granted, with the 2-door model I have, the back is a bit of a faff to get into, but unless you're really tall, sitting behind a really tall person in the front, it's ok.

"the ride is poor on rough surfaces" -seriously? -what is these people's minimum standard? -Bentley? My Almera is good on the broken up cobblestone roads here in the old harbour. It's the most comfortable, non-luxury car I've ever driven. Far better than the Skoda Fabia, the VW Polo or the Mercedes A-Class, e.g.. German cars in general are "harsh", imo.

"it's slow" -no, it's not. 0-62mph in 12.8s, which is adequate and it will cruise at 80-90mph all day if you want it to.

"it's dissapointing to drive" <Jeremy Clarkson mode> Well... yes, yes it is.</Jeremy Clarkson mode> I don't know if you remember back to when the Almera and the Primera were launched (come to think of it, you probably don't); Nissan were in the BTCC at the time and they really marketed their new models as "driver's cars" (I got mine on the strenght of that advertising). And: they're not, far from it in fact. Like I said before it's an undemanding car to drive if all you want to do is to get from A to B without waiting for a bus or a train, but it's not an easy car to hustle or hurry along. There's a lot of body roll, and, while this is going on, there's not a lot of feedback to the driver. I noticed this one of the first times I drove it when it gave me quite a big moment on a motorway interchange (with my Mk1 Golf before, I was not in a habit of really slowing for those). I didn't trust it again until I'd taken it out on a racetrack to get a feel for what the limits were.
Mind you, it grips the road quite well, it's just, unless you're really familiar with it, you find out quite late whether you've overdone it or not. So, great for the M1, not so great for having a bit of a go on an empty country lane.

Ok fair enough, the reviewing here has just seemed average, and perhaps that's some of the reason why the car was discontinued. Seems adequate for everyday needs.

That said, I think the fact I've hung onto it for 17 years and counting kind of indicates the good outweighs the bad. People also say Japanese cars are expensive to fix, but I haven't really found that to be the case. Whatever niggles mine developed (foglight switch went, e.g.) have always been cheap fixes.

So what about the newer car? Was it improved from your first generation?

I don't get the whole crossover thing. People seem to think I should want one, which doesn't make any sense.

I will never get this either.

Could be, like the reviewer indicated, just this model and, you're right, one shouldn't hold a car in this price range to the standard of more expensive cars. I've driven an old model Fiesta (though not the first model), the previous model Fiesta, the Sierra, the Focus and the Mondeo estate and, personally, the only one I could live with would be the Focus.

I've always liked the Focus, but I think running costs could just put it out of reach.

I thought you were looking at 1.4l cars, there is a 1.4l Lupo. There's even a 1.6l GTI model which goes like stink. My cousin's wife has one. She says it's a riot, but not as practical as some of the other small cars.

I'm open to any size engine, really, but just not really interested in the Lupo, I'd rather have an older Polo.

If I were to replace my car now (I don't know if I would or whether I'd buy into one of those car sharing schemes; this requires further consideration), I'd probably go for a 2nd hand new model Civic or an Audi A3. Petrol for the latter, but I would consider the 1.9l TDi diesel in the former. I certainly wouldn't consider buying a new car again. Given the way cars are now (and have been for a couple of decades), all you're doing by buying new is taking the brunt of the depreciation, imo.

Just to be complete: I know Peugeot and Citroën make cars too. I just don't like them. E.g. a couple of years ago I had the opportunity to buy a friend's 308SW. This thing was this guy's mobile office, so it had all the toys and he's the kind of guy who really takes care of his car, so it was mint. The price was right and I was in a relationship with a woman who already had kids at the time, so this car sort of made sense at the time, but I drove it and... no.

I've actually looked at Civics, and they seem a good option. I agree with you about the French marques too, though...

[mbman212]

Also I'd like that you people discuss about fuel consumption here, for example you're buying a car.

I'd like to ask your opinion to this.

What should be a good reading on fuel consumption (in liters) in city and highway for an -98 Chrysler Neon 2.0i 16 valve with 3-speed automatic? IMO it consumes too much. Like if i refuel to 3/4 of the tank, then I drive 150 km, the gauge shows it has only 1/4 tank left.

I've been thinking that is the fuel meter (inside the tank) broken or does it really consume that much? Might there be some filter blocked or injectors squirting to few other places than cylinders?

I'm driving as economically as possible, keeping revs under 3000 but still it consumes like 8-10l/100km in highway driving?

[Jan Verschueren]

So what about the newer car? Was it improved from your first generation?

Yes and no. For the petrol models it does have a slightly bigger engine capacity (1.5L), but you'll be hard pressed to notice the difference, performance wise. The main thing is they have AC as standard. While that does add on to the maintenance costs, it should help to alleviate a major problem with Almeras I failed to mention before (apologies): they mist up like no tomorrow. Get in with moist clothes and wet hair (as you do when putting your shopping in your car on a wet day and driving off) and be prepared to spend several minutes at the side of the road with the heater (and rear windscreen heater) at full blast to regain visibility.
The new models also have a radio/CD instead of a radio/cassette player, which may or not be an advantage depending on the mechanism still working or not. There are mp3 player to cassette adapters which work regardless of whether the tape mechanism still works or not, the same is not true for a CD player...

[perks77]

Interesting to see the specs on engine sizes and horsepower that seem to be most common in Europe. Out here in the States, it's a whole different game...

My current daily driver:
2002 Jaguar XKR convertible w/ supercharged 4.0L V8 & 370 hp

Recently owned (within the past 5 years or so):
2008 Saturn Sky Red Line w/ turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl & 290 hp
2007 Dodge Charger R/T w/ 5.7L V8 & 350 hp
2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4X4 w/ lift kit, 3.8L V6 & 202 hp
2005 Dodge Ram SRT-10 Quad Cab w/ 8.3L V8 & 500 hp
2005 Saab 9-3 Arc sedan w/ turbocharged 2.0L 4-cyl & 210 hp
1998 Jaguar XK8 coupe w/ 4.0L V8 & 290 hp
1991 Cadillac Brougham d'Elegance w/ 5.0L V8 & 170 hp
1965 Cadillac Sedan de Ville w/ 7.0L V8 & 340 hp
1964 Lincoln Continental Sedan w/ 7.0L V8 & 320 hp
1963 Cadillac Series 62 coupe w/ 6.4L V8 & 325 hp

Don't ask me what cars I've *driven.* The answer is probably something to the effect of "nearly everything you could think of."