uk_daf_fan wrote: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.
uk_daf_fan wrote: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.
uk_daf_fan wrote:, 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.
uk_daf_fan wrote: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.
uk_daf_fan wrote: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.
uk_daf_fan wrote: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.
uk_daf_fan wrote: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.