RE: Nissan Almera GTI: Spotted
Discussion
Omega1987 said:
I must admit I'm struggling to understand the mindset of someone who'd pay this kind of money for an Almera GTI.
Nostalgia sells, I get that but you should really take into account the merits of the car and the vastly superior alternatives you can buy for less when it come to performance, safety, reliability, economy, etc.
I would love to buy my first moped back (Cagiva 50cc) as a toy but I would never part more that a few hundred quid for one.
Nostalgia can be dangerously expensive..Nostalgia sells, I get that but you should really take into account the merits of the car and the vastly superior alternatives you can buy for less when it come to performance, safety, reliability, economy, etc.
I would love to buy my first moped back (Cagiva 50cc) as a toy but I would never part more that a few hundred quid for one.
My first car was a 1993 VW Polo CL Coupe, £400. It was a nail, but I loved the bloody thing. Always wanted the rare, 'hot' version of that car - the G40, but they were bloody expensive at the time, as was insurance.
10 years later, they're more rare and more expensive for a proper clean one that isn't a rust bucket.. For all it's faults and regardless of how many 'better' cars are available for similar money, I still want one, and will still buy one eventually.
It's letting sentimentality rather than logic dictate a purchase, which may be stupid, but if it's something you're going to enjoy then why the hell not...
Ilovejapcrap said:
I remember the advert for these on TV.
As a red blooded 22 year old when this advert came out it sent me straight down to the dealership in the hope I could afford a GTI. Turned out the Si was more my level.https://youtu.be/Rwcb_D2Xm-w
I never managed to find an Almera that ticked the boxes so ended up with Primeras , twice.
Rust usually kills them , and just abuse as they sink in the market . I do keep my eyes open for older owners with interesting cars that us shedistas would be interested in . On the list at the moment are a metallic orange Primera , an Alpha 145 2ltr twin spark ( without sunroof ) . I missed a Volvo v70R that the older owner put up for sale while I was abroad in a truck , it sold within 6 hrs ! .
Rust usually kills them , and just abuse as they sink in the market . I do keep my eyes open for older owners with interesting cars that us shedistas would be interested in . On the list at the moment are a metallic orange Primera , an Alpha 145 2ltr twin spark ( without sunroof ) . I missed a Volvo v70R that the older owner put up for sale while I was abroad in a truck , it sold within 6 hrs ! .
Augustus Windsock said:
A friend of mine sold his River 216GTi Twin Cam and had one of these
Being cops at the time we had various descriptions for various cars, and his Almeria (as he called it) GTi was what we called a ‘bank robbers car’
Why?
Imagine a bank robbery occurring and the miscreants making good their escape by means of motorised transport. Cops then ask witnesses what sort of car the robbers were using.
‘Er, um, dunno, a dark coloured hatch, not sure of the make. Or model. Or colour....’
Totally anonymous in other words.
Which isn’t a bad thing as my friend used to be able to make progress without drawing attention to himself
Iirc it drove very well although the engine didn’t seem as ‘zingy’ as that in his Rover...
That's because the 1.6i in his Rover was the sublime engine from the Honda CRX 1.6i-16v.Being cops at the time we had various descriptions for various cars, and his Almeria (as he called it) GTi was what we called a ‘bank robbers car’
Why?
Imagine a bank robbery occurring and the miscreants making good their escape by means of motorised transport. Cops then ask witnesses what sort of car the robbers were using.
‘Er, um, dunno, a dark coloured hatch, not sure of the make. Or model. Or colour....’
Totally anonymous in other words.
Which isn’t a bad thing as my friend used to be able to make progress without drawing attention to himself
Iirc it drove very well although the engine didn’t seem as ‘zingy’ as that in his Rover...
I was mid teens when these were first out, I seem to remember them being pretty 'up there' in terms of power etc? At the time I thought they were quite handsome - particuarly in red. A friend of mine at Uni had just such a car - funny how 145bhp used to feel fast isn't it? At the time I had a stripped out EG Civic ESi (1.6 single cam vtec) - which would out run it but only on account of the vacant interior.
That was such a weird thing to do, now I think about it.
That was such a weird thing to do, now I think about it.
Though the prices for this and the Golf VR6 mentioned in the article are both fairly big money - if they meant something to someone and they took a punt on them, I don't think I could call them crazy for doing so. However, £12k for that RS2000????? SERIOUSLY???????? Now paying that much for that thing would be criminally insane!!! Imagine driving that down the local car meet on a Sunday morning, and having to tell someone that you paid £12,000 for it!!!!!!
StescoG66 said:
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Wasn’t there a predecessor that was slightly straighter edged and a bit better looking?
Sunny 2.0 GTi was its predecessor. Both cars used the SR20DE from the Primera GT. I had 2 Primera GT’s (Primerii????). Bloody brilliant carsFair enough, it was a decent car.... for £700!
However, I couldn't help but wonder what the fuss was about driving wise. The engine was gutless and sounded bland, the ride was so hard that I had to negotiate North Yorkshires B-roads at no more than about 40 mph or it would fire me off the road, and overall it had very little actual performance - not surprising for a 148 bhp car that probably weighed about 1300kg, I would seriously have to try hard just to keep up with BMW 320's and I struggled to pull away from my mates diesel Merc sprinter van
Now I realise that my car may not have been the finest example known to man, but then I had a few little 'races' with PGTs when I had other cars and they were always on the losing side, sometimes by a big margin. They really needed to be turbo'd which of course the engine was designed for. As it is, it just felt strangled.
The best I could say about it is it had pretty paint (it was that chroma paint green/purple), that it hung on very well indeed on corners, so long as they were marble smooth, and it was bullet proof - or at least, should be as it was a Nissan of that age... until someone wrote it off by crashing into the back of it.
It is true this embarrassed the offerings from Ford and Vauxhall at the time. I had an RS2000 exactly like the one linked in the article, same colour and everything, and looking back I can see it was a complete turd and I am astonished at the prices some people are willing to pay for them gazing at them through rose-tinted specs.
The car of the time that beat them all dynamically but will never command the same price or respect was the Proton Satria GTi. Same underpinnings as an early Mitsu Evo and suspension settings by Lotus - it was a supreme car in every sense but badge.
The car of the time that beat them all dynamically but will never command the same price or respect was the Proton Satria GTi. Same underpinnings as an early Mitsu Evo and suspension settings by Lotus - it was a supreme car in every sense but badge.
I've been trying to find one of these for ages...why? I've just got a real soft spot for 1990s Nissans. At the time, they were criminally under-rated cars. The Almera GTI really did come a close 2nd to the 306GTI6 in its class and the Primera was also not had at all.
This one is too expensive, obviously, but in fairness, given the number left and the 24,000 miles on the clock, it probably is worth £5,000 - its not like you will ever find another low mileage Almera GTI like that in the UK.
I was sorely tempted only on Sunday for a rather tidy 1998 Primera SRI, with 60,000 on the clock. This was the car that according to Autocar shaded the pretty well regarded Mk2 Mondeo 2 litre, back in its day. It went on Ebay for just £500!! Now, thats a bargain in my book.
This one is too expensive, obviously, but in fairness, given the number left and the 24,000 miles on the clock, it probably is worth £5,000 - its not like you will ever find another low mileage Almera GTI like that in the UK.
I was sorely tempted only on Sunday for a rather tidy 1998 Primera SRI, with 60,000 on the clock. This was the car that according to Autocar shaded the pretty well regarded Mk2 Mondeo 2 litre, back in its day. It went on Ebay for just £500!! Now, thats a bargain in my book.
Yes, its a lot of money for a not that remakable hot hatch from the 90s, but it looks like new and someone should buy and cherish it.
When you see some of the utter chod that goes for top money, anything with a Ford badge from the seventies is apparently worth 10 grand plus, it doesnt seem so expensive given its fantastic conditions and the fact they were actually pretty good.
Not sure you would ever get your money back but doesnt look like it would need new floors and a full rebuild like some of the other stuff out there.
When you see some of the utter chod that goes for top money, anything with a Ford badge from the seventies is apparently worth 10 grand plus, it doesnt seem so expensive given its fantastic conditions and the fact they were actually pretty good.
Not sure you would ever get your money back but doesnt look like it would need new floors and a full rebuild like some of the other stuff out there.
PATTERNPART said:
Wasn't the advert very shouty with someone shouting "STOP SHOUTING!" and the reply "I CAN'T!" ?
The best car advert ever, The Sweeny spoof : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9K_EkU9KZEYounger PH members wont know the The Sweeney , but it was one of the best cop shows ever.
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