The grumpy thread

3,341 · January 19, 2011

The new Micra is made in Thailand. The margins on new Micras were so thin they were not making any money building them in the UK.

There was an interview with a Nissan UK bloke in Autocar. They have decided to go niche rather than ordinary, as since the mid 1990s their ordinary cars, bar the Micra, have just faded away in the marketplace. The sort of person who used to buy a Nissan Sunny now buys a Kia or Hyundai.

12,815 · January 19, 2011

The new Micra is made in Thailand. The margins on new Micras were so thin they were not making any money building them in the UK.

There was an interview with a Nissan UK bloke in Autocar. They have decided to go niche rather than ordinary, as since the mid 1990s their ordinary cars, bar the Micra, have just faded away in the marketplace. The sort of person who used to buy a Nissan Sunny now buys a Kia or Hyundai.

Indeed. What does a Nissan/Toyota or even Honda offer than a Kia/Hyundai doesn't? Hyundai have ebetered the S Class/7 Series market in the US with a whopping great thing called the Equus....

http://equus.hyundai.com/

This has had some very good reviews, and the current Sonata is a serious car. Remember how we laughed at the Pony 30 years ago?

25,811 · January 19, 2011

Remember how we laughed at the Pony 30 years ago?

We still do. But we call it 'post-modern irony' now...

January 19, 2011

Left home early to go to work today as I needed some cash and fuel.

1. Stopped at cash point, chuffin thing ate my card. Great, no cash and orange light on fuel gauge.

2. Get to work, punch in employee number in TMS and chuffin thing won't recognise my finger.

3. Go to coffee machine to get my morning Cappachino, put my last 20p in and machine doesn't work.

See a pattern forming

Oh and bank have cancelled card and a new one will take approx 10 days to arrive

4,380 · January 19, 2011

So after expecting to finish work on Friday, I've now been offered a place on a new project lasting until the end of march. It's easy money, saves having to look for a job and will let me save even more. So a foregone conclusion right? Well the only slight problem is all my mates and most of my stuff is in Plymouth, I'm staying at my parents with nothing to do every evening and desperately missing having my own place and a social life.

I have to give him an answer by tomorrow morning, so this will be a night of stressing out

January 19, 2011

VOC forum. Yet again.

1.2k · January 19, 2011

The new Micra is made in Thailand. The margins on new Micras were so thin they were not making any money building them in the UK.

There was an interview with a Nissan UK bloke in Autocar. They have decided to go niche rather than ordinary, as since the mid 1990s their ordinary cars, bar the Micra, have just faded away in the marketplace. The sort of person who used to buy a Nissan Sunny now buys a Kia or Hyundai.

Indeed. What does a Nissan/Toyota or even Honda offer than a Kia/Hyundai doesn't? Hyundai have ebetered the S Class/7 Series market in the US with a whopping great thing called the Equus....

http://equus.hyundai.com/

This has had some very good reviews, and the current Sonata is a serious car. Remember how we laughed at the Pony 30 years ago?

What do any of the major brands offer over the liks of Kia/Hyundai ? And I don't mean that as a jaded modern-hater, honestly what do they offer ?

January 19, 2011

I think Nissan should have kept a few of their flagship cars. A lot of people buy cars based off brand loyalty and familiarity - if some old giffer went in there to replace his Sunny/Bluebird/Primera, he'd be greeted by Jukes and Qashqais - he'd be screwed. I'm puzzled as to why they don't import a handful of the more conventional models that they still produce in Japan, just to have a more complete range. The unfavourable exchange rate would no doubt mean it would cost a few grand more than the South Korean equivalent, but you'd be surprised at how little people who are "into" a brand go round comparing prices.

6,733 · January 19, 2011

So after expecting to finish work on Friday, I've now been offered a place on a new project lasting until the end of march. It's easy money, saves having to look for a job and will let me save even more. So a foregone conclusion right? Well the only slight problem is all my mates and most of my stuff is in Plymouth, I'm staying at my parents with nothing to do every evening and desperately missing having my own place and a social life.

I have to give him an answer by tomorrow morning, so this will be a night of stressing out

Say yes - so long as you know what the notice period is, and you use the time available to look for work in Devon.

3,565 · January 19, 2011

I think Nissan should have kept a few of their flagship cars. A lot of people buy cars based off brand loyalty and familiarity - if some old giffer went in there to replace his Sunny/Bluebird/Primera, he'd be greeted by Jukes and Qashqais - he'd be screwed.

Speaking as an ex-Nissan salesman, this is a hard thing to work out. Yes, Reggie and Doris Oldfart would kill for another Bluebird.

However, Reg and Doris's loyalty to Datsuns was a major problem when it came to bringing other people into the showroom. I was working there when the Mk3 Primera came out, six-speed tiptronic style 'M6' CVT auto boxes are of no interest to Reggie and Doris, or anyone that likes cars that look like cars did in 1974. So, the new Primera wasn't gonna sell to them. The 200SX was a sales disaster, as was the QX. Nobody wanted 'em. Used to get the occasional phone call from the odd Nissan perv who'd be after two or three secondhand ones, but Nissan weren't going to flog the ones they'd registered for bugger all. The Almera grabbed some pensions in its time, but nobody else wanted 'em. The GTi was too ugly to sell well. Micras were getting old but the odd indulgent grandparent would spoil an 18-19yr old niece with one. The only way they sold was through the free insurance deal, and "minimum future value" finance... which always ended up being a disaster for Nissan.

So, when I was there, the range was Micra (expensive and boring), Almera (expensive and shite), Primera (Ã‚Â£22k for the 2.0 SE? You kiddin'?), 200SX (Ã‚Â£20k+ for the Touring), Terrano (Just say no, more like), Patrol (Just after they'd killed the big six petrol engine, nobody wanted 'em) and Vanette (less said about those things, the better).

Reg'n'Doris didn't want any of those, truth is, nobody did. I had an Almera company car... a 1.4 dimension I think.. and I used to commute to and from work in my Carlton GSi 24v, because it cost me less to run that than the Almera. Reps couldn't justify paying more for a posh Primera than a top spec Mondeo, and when it came to Micras kids didn't want to be seen in a car that was the same as Grandmas even if the thing did come with free insurance.

The forecourt was littered with six month old Almeras that had been 'accidentally' registered on a T plate and then re-registered on a V. 90% of the used stock was R and S reg, ex-Avis / Hertz / Budget Primera and Almera saloons. Place I worked for never managed to sell a new Almera saloon to a private buyer, yet we had a forecourt full of identical 1.6 SLXs direct from Avis (which was something we'd have to hide).

Nissan were fucked. Completely.

Now they've got some interesting stuff. Ok, the Juke is a bit of a weird thing but it's better than a 1.4 Almera. The gashqai seems pretty popular and at least they're building stuff that doesn't look terminally dull. Renaults involvement seems to have actually helped.

-

4,380 · January 19, 2011

Very interesting post Pete. Just going by numbers seen the mk.1 Almera and Primera seemed popular cars, the mk.2 Almera to a lesser extent and the mk.3 Primera not at all. 200Sx surprises me seeing how popular they are now but then again I doubt you had any JDM yo drift boys buying them new

19,980 · January 19, 2011

Sort of sold my house and am now trying to find somewhere to rent. Can I find somewhere decent ..can I bollocks!

Want a house with drive or somewhere to work on cars, at least one big bedroom and within walking distance of work and a fast train to Waterloo. Everything is flats, flats, flats with all space squeezed to the minimum. Then a silly price asked.

Estate agents are lying bastards.. advertising properties that are let to "get your details" well they can fuck right off. Why lie? I wouldnt lie in my job. You have a reputation of being twats for a reason. Grrrr

6,733 · January 19, 2011

Have you considered a house with patio doors to the front and using the lounge as a garage? This is not a daft question!

19,980 · January 19, 2011

Not sure GF would approve. She wants me to have a garage to stop me keeping tools in the house. She is tolerant but does get fed up of stuff everywhere all the time...

1.2k · January 19, 2011

So after expecting to finish work on Friday, I've now been offered a place on a new project lasting until the end of march. It's easy money, saves having to look for a job and will let me save even more. So a foregone conclusion right? Well the only slight problem is all my mates and most of my stuff is in Plymouth, I'm staying at my parents with nothing to do every evening and desperately missing having my own place and a social life.

I have to give him an answer by tomorrow morning, so this will be a night of stressing out

Hell I feel that pain, sorta. I moved south for a job which is okay 'n' what not but I'm stuck out in the sticks with no social life as it's a crappy little village, I have no wheels to get anywhere, not much money and I'm shit at making new friends.

6,733 · January 19, 2011

Not sure GF would approve. She wants me to have a garage to stop me keeping tools in the house. She is tolerant but does get fed up of stuff everywhere all the time...

I understand - when we got the doors put in, I said to the window guys "Great, I could get an Imp through there!" - the missus was not amused...!

3,565 · January 20, 2011

200Sx surprises me seeing how popular they are now but then again I doubt you had any JDM yo drift boys buying them new

The dealership I worked at sold two or three SXs a year, normally ex-demos. I think the owners wife may have had a new one every few months and there was occasionally a Touring in the showroom for a while after she'd got a new one. Owner ran a Patrol GR SE diesel, always blue with the silvery gold bottom half. Huge things, but not pleasant to drive on road. He'd change it for an identical one whenever the plate change happened, and quite often for the beginning of Jan.

At no point did they sell a QX. Not one. Evah!

Funny really, as the same town is full of tweaked 10 yr old SXs now. Most of 'em imports. This means there's now more Wigan registered SXs than ever left the dealership there.

January 20, 2011

At no point did they sell a QX. Not one. Evah!

I've got one of the massive QX V6 brochures that I nicked from Rochdale Nissan back in the day. It's a weird size that I can't store in any of my normal brochure folders (yes, I am that sad). I think I've seen two in my entire driving career.

Incidentally, the 200SX S14 is one of the few cars FATHA_WAT and I agree on. Even if he thinks they look shit. Then again we are talking about someone who nearly bought a Q5 because it would be 'good in the snow'. Yes, you read that right.

January 20, 2011

The grumpy thread

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