USED Nissan Almera Tino MPV (00 - 05)

My car

I bought a 05 plate 2.2 143bhp diesel a year ago and can't be any happier with the car. Probably one of the most underrated cars in it's class and if like me you have 3 young children then this is superb due to the 3 individual seats in the back and even better than that they are all the same good size seats and not the usual 2 normal size and a little useless one in the middle, so you really can fit 3 kids and child seats comfortably. The boot is a decent size although not large family hatch size but it's only 1 or 2 times a year when I wish I had a larger boot so you get by. The car is good to drive and my wife likes the high seating position, same with the kids and for me and only for me when i'm driving alone is the 2.2 134bhp engine, believe me this car can fly if you want it to and it doesn't eat too much into your fuel either. Overall, I certainly recommend this car whether you have kids or not and I plan to keep mine a few years until my wife lets me buy an X-trail.

My car

Bought car 5th March 2008 for wife as she likes to drive "high up" Derisory performance was due to failed air mass sensor ,ie turbo not working at all. Remedied at cost of £49 in 10 mins,performs ok now,turbo kicks in at 1600rpm. very comfortable ride,will last us well. Seems much better than the Note. The 136 may be the best option & certainly the jap cars are abetter buy than the german( too many electronic faults nowadays) A good mechanic will verify this!!!!!

My car

We previously had a Citreon Berling Multispace 2001 (rubbish). However, we are expecting our third child and so needed a car that would fit three child seats. We looked at the Vauxhall Zafira and Renault Grand Scenic, but having owned a Nissan Primera previously, we had a look at the Tino. We honestly didn't think the three seats would fit in the back, but they do and there is plenty of room. We love Nissan's, they seem to run forever. We particularly like this model, it's really comfortable and it just goes when you need it to. However, you might want to check the rear legroom if you have long legs.

My car

We are now expecting our 3rd child, seating suddenly became a very large issue with the Primera we had. Anyone with children will know that each child car seat takes up the same space as a very large night club bouncer.

We looked around at a number of people carriers from other manufacturers and read the reviews on this web site. The alternatives that we looked at included the Vauxhall Zafira.

From the moment you sit in the Tino you realise just what makes a good family car. The visibility is great all around, the controls are basically where you want them.

The model we bought was a Nissan Almera Tino 1.8 S Auto on an 05 plate. My wife and I have the same opinion of this car, one of the nicest cars that either of us has ever driven.

We were also worried about the boot space on it because there is some compromise of the load space. However, we can get a folded double buggy in to the boot along with groceries etc. I think that makes it still quite a large load space in my mind. We bought ours from a Nissan dealership who have put a 12 months parts and labour warranty on it which includes electrics. Another great reason to buy from a dealer these days. It worked out to be the same price as buying from a car supermarket but with a years peace of mind.

All in all a sound motor. A shame that it is not in production today.