Resurrecting this thread. I was so wrong - there is a HUGE price difference in under 5 yo Nissan notes - the hybrids are around $22k and the petrols around $14k for similar age/mileage.
The current car is in getting fixed at the moment so I'm a bit more focused on replacing it sooner than later.
What I am seeing that is concerning - that there seem to be very few Nissan Noes that are not hybrid coming in at the moment - particularly for those of us not in Akl. Seems to be one dealer in Napier and Turners auctions here.
Is this because they are becoming less popular with importers - or is a temporary issue with the covid supply lines?
It may not be a bad thing - because we'd plan on holding the car for about 10 years I'd expect it may hold its value better than average?
kazbanz,
Feb 24, 3:16pm
Lissie--There are several reasons 1) C19 totally mucked up the New Car market/manufacturing in Japan so a LOT more used product is going back into the market in Japan. So there is a supply issue 2)The fall out from lack of new cars in Japan that is that the prices of cars went up by thousands. 3) when you were first looking there were still a fair few Notes not fitted with esc available. Nowadays they are very rare and usually trade ins.
The result being you are going to need to look at alternative vehicles. Just keeping in mind that the Newer not is a bit bigger than yours (not much) First suggestion is the Toyota Ractis 2012 and newer which external size wise is all but identical to the Note--but is a bit taller and the bonnet is shorter giving better cabin space. If you don't care about the actual badge a Subaru Dex is also a Ractis with a Subaru badge. Second is the Honda Fit either hybrid or petrol. It is again same size as the Note Second is the Honda Fit. (nz called Jazz) The internal space in them is fantastic. I also love the origami inside that gives you either a bigger boot than the note or a huge area in front of the passenger seats. I would still suggest looking at a Toyota Aqua just because you might well find that it does actually have enough boot room for you.
lissie,
Feb 25, 12:20pm
Thanks @kazbanz We just drove a 2019 Corolla as a rental - and it was horrible to get into and out and sight lines were bad. I may have trouble getting my partner into another Toyota LOL
Thanks for the heads up re dimensions. Our limiting factor is the width of our garage - the newer note is 5mm wider than ours - we can handle that - but I wouldn't want anything more than 20mm wider it would be a nuisance. I'm thinking though most cars are about the same width - because of the width of parking places / roads.
I've been wondering about the Honda Fitt - so I'll check that out too. Don't really know anything about Hondas - are they as reliable as the Nissans appear to be?
I don't really care about most the electronics- but I must say we rather liked having the backing camera on the Corolla - though that was partly because there were so many blindspots!
We are trying for something 2017 or newer around 50,000km - so we can drive it for 10 years or so - so the maintenance /reliability does matter (which is why we are very hesitant re hybrids)
kazbanz,
Feb 25, 1:11pm
Lizzie--a Ractis is a totally different car from a corolla so I'd say less blind spots. Honda for reliability are fantastic.
lissie,
Feb 26, 4:04pm
Doesn't look like it was made (or imported maybe?) after 2014 - therefore a bit old - though I see why it was suggested its the same sort of shape as the Note.
We generally keep cars for about 10 years - hence wanting a less than 5yo car to purchase. I have found some Notes locally so am heading to the outer suburbs ie Upper Hutt soon
lissie,
Aug 31, 4:54pm
Our current Nissan Note is a 2005 - still goes well - but we are probably looking at replacing in the next year or 2. We only have one car so electric-only is not an option - but considering an hybrid because hte price difference for a near new one doesn't seem that bad. Around $22k for a 2016/7
But I have questions - what do they cost new in NZ - they don't even show on the nIssan nz website - but I know they are big sellers.
And the big one - the battery - how long do they go for - when do they need replaced? How many km's - are vehicles exposed to cold temps have a reduced life? Can you get a battery replacement guarantee from a dealer? What do they cost?
buyit59,
Aug 31, 9:25pm
Don't believe they are sold 'new' in NZ so you are buying a second hand import .You can buy a Protecta warranty that will give you some protection against battery failure . I would ask what sort of driving ( city vs country) and how many kms do you do on an annual basis ? you might find that you can get a petrol alone car that is really quite fuel efficient anyway .
tamarillo,
Aug 31, 9:28pm
Not sold outside Japan hence no NZ price. These are electric cars with a petrol generator to provide the electricity. It’s called series hybrid is is quite different from a parellel hybrid like Toyota. The new Yaris hybrid is 28 and getting great reviews. Maybe worth extra.
sw20,
Aug 31, 11:22pm
Wouldn't be paying $22k for a four year old Jap import when for $6k more you could get a brand new 2021 Yaris Hybrid.
lissie,
Aug 31, 11:44pm
If the new Yaris is the same size as the old ones I'd consider that far too small a car. I want something that can go on the highway and carry a decent load to the tip. The Note is a perfect size for that -plus has great head room (neither of us are giants - but some small cars my head is on the ceiling and I'm only 1.75m
I will have a look the Prius Aqua - I hadn't heard of them before.
lissie,
Aug 31, 11:48pm
I don't think we do a lot of mileage - the current car has done an average of abut 16k /year over the last 10 - but it used to do more than it does now when I was driving it to work everyday- now work from home.
I hadn't really considered a hybrid until I realised there wasn't much of a premium in price anymore. The big unknown I guess is the maintenance cost -seems you might get the worst of both worlds - maintain a petrol engine and have to replace a battery.
We also tend to keep cars for a long time - so if you need a new battery at 200k that would be a negative because our current car is over 200k now!
franc123,
Sep 1, 2:06am
For goodness sake dont buy a Holden Volt at any price, they're a real orphan with next to no support in this country.
intrade,
Sep 1, 8:07am
id buy one the volt is basically the hybrids 1980s corolla and rockauto has parts for the chevrolet volt as thats what it is. the issue is its got to be cheap to buy as they only do 48km on electric only . The ones listed are way to high priced due to the problems pointed out by france. but that problem is for other hybrids also . a bit like saying dont buy a Gelely but buy a volvo when a volvo is made by them you might as well fit a gelee badge and geely clone pirated some version of the 1990s corolla. its quite complex. If it dont brakes down then you wont need parts to start with .
lissie,
Sep 1, 8:37am
I agree - I will only buy a mainstream one - that seems to come down to a Note, or . Anything else in a similar size
kazbanz,
Sep 1, 1:41pm
I would suggest having a good look at the Toyota Corolla fielder Hybrid. I genuinely feel they are the very best of the hybrid vehicles on the market currently. Drive it 100% like a normal car. Really comfortable to drive, Literally just like a petrol only vehicle. But the fuel economy of a tiny hatch back. THAT SAID- You need to do a fair few miles in order for the difference in price of a hybrid over a petrol to catch up in the fuel use.
tamarillo,
Sep 1, 3:58pm
Honda Jazz, very spacious interior.
s_nz,
Nov 27, 10:08am
The Yaris, As with most cars, they get a little bit bigger each generation. The new yaris is roughly the same size as the aqua (just under 4000mm long), both of which being abour 100mm shorter than the note. Aqua has quite a low roof-line so may not be practical enough for your needs.
The 3rd gen prius (plug in variant available) & the feilder hybrid are both a little bigger, than the note and have decent cargo space. Honda jazz / fit has the reputation as one of the most practical small car's
Regarding the Nissan note e-power hybrid, it is quite an interesting vehicle.
Very unusually for a car (especially a non-plug in) it is a pure series hybrid, where the engine has no mechanical connection to the drive line, serving solely to turn a generator to charge the battery. An 80kw electric motor is what moves the car. Most hybrids (i.e. toyota) have can run in both series and parallel hybrid modes depending on circumstances.
Main advantages to this system is that it will be like in EV to drive, with a single fixed gear ratio, quick accelerator response etc, and it gets great fuel economy 2.9l/100km on the very optimistic JC08 test cycle.
I would be interested to take one for a drive at some point.
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