Nissan Altima

dsgnr

The 1991 Accord EX had a 2.2 litre 130hp 4-cyl (the DX and LX models had 125hp). In comparison, the additional 45hp in the 2.5 S makes an incredible difference.

ateixeira

$12 bucks a month for an "incredible difference"? No doubt it's worth the additional insurance money.

-juice

keyrow

We are seriously considering the Altima for a second car and have taken a test drive in the V6 but not the I4. The V6 was very nice with excellent acceleration, handling, and roominess, but there was some wind and tire noise, is this specific to the 17" wheels? I would like to get everyone's opinion as to whether the V6 is worth ~$2500 more than the I4, that is, I am not certain if the 3.5SE is worth the extra premium over a 2.5S. Any/All opinions will be appreciated (specifically regarding engine smoothness, NVH, comfort, etc.). I keep a car until it dies so resale value is not a consideration. Thanks.

sunilb

what are people getting on their gas mileages? both engine types are appreciated. thanks!

ateixeira

The V6 with a manual has V-rated tires, the auto gets H-rated tires which might be quieter. Also, tires are cheap and can easily be changed if you like the rest of the car.

Don't you get more than just the engine for that price? The V6 may have better longevity because it is less stressed to pull the weight. It's quicker, more fun, perhaps even safer in passing situations. It's likely quieter and smoother at trip speeds, too.

Cons? Gas mileage will probably be 2-3mpg lower in the real world, plus it burns premium. Range also suffers, and insurance will be a little higher. More speeding tickets?

I would still get the V6, because what price can you put on happiness?

-juice

afty

I bought the V6 model after test driving both. I found the V6 much smoother and quieter than the 4-cylinder, but more importantly the 4-cylinder was slower than my previous car and I didn't want to take a downgrade in performance. To me, the 4-cylinder felt like any other car, but the 6 felt like a sport sedan and put a big smile on my face.

I would assume wind noise is the same in the two models, and the V6 probably has more tire noise because of the low-profile performance tires. The ride in the V6 is also much firmer.

kcb2

Are there any TSB's on the 02 Altima? I checked the NHTSA site and did not find anything. I made a note a while back about a TSB on the Engine Camshaft, NTB01074. Now that we are about ready to buy, I am not sure if my note is correct. Does this TSB sound familiar to anyone??

Also, we had a tough time deciding on a car: Camry vs. Altima. The seats in the Camry were uncomfortable on a long test drive. We rented the 2002 Camry to take it out of town. I am 5'9" and my husband is 6'3" and the seats didn't seem long enough. The Altima and the G20 were both comfortable esp with the 8 way power seats.

afty

There were two listed on the NHTSA site last time I checked. The first was the camshaft one you mentioned. I believe this relates to a problem some people are having where the check engine light comes on. The second had to do with sunroof wind noise.

jtmjw

I have been getting (according to the car computer) 25.5 to 26.5 mpg on strictly city driving. V6 manual trans. I have not been putting in premium fuel, it does not say anywhere that I can find to put in premium fuel, I have been using Shell 87 octane. I have only 1400 miles on it so far I would think that the mileage would get better as the car breaks in a bit more. As for insurance mine went up by only 40 dollars a year, my car before the Altima was a 1999 civic. 640 dollars a year for the Altima.

kcb2

Thanks afty for your post. Does anyone know if this problem noted in the TSB with the check engine light coming on because of the engine camshaft is a serious problem or if it is easily repaired? I know it will be under warranty, but would like to know beforehand if it is easily repaired.

ateixeira

Doesn't it say "Premium Fuel Recommended" on the fuel door? Or the owner's manual?

-juice

afty

It does say premium is recommended for the V6 in the owner's manual. It's somewhere near the end, I think in the technical specs section.

lsc

Premium fuel is definitely recommended. And that's all I've put in so far. The only time my car has a lower octane was when the cheap salesman put mid-grade (89) on the first fill-up. I was a little irritated but that's okay.

I don't know how the car drives with regular (87) gas, but I'll never know since I won't put anything else in. Especially at these gas prices.

I was getting better gas milage in the beginning but I'm driving a little faster now so MPG has dropped off.

obiwankenobi1

I was running 87 through my 02 Maxima SE for awhile and BOY did it sound like crap! Knocks all the time!

Since then I switched to Premium and no more knocks. So there you go!

ateixeira

But the Max engine is tuned for 255hp. The Altima's more conservative tuning may be better suited to 87 octane.

Any how, shouldn't knock sensors be in place to retard ignition timing and prevent knocking? Where you just hearing the start of knocking, or was it sustained? If it's the latter you may have a bad knock sensor.

-juice

afty

I found some more info on the TSBs out for the Altima. Look at this site:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/

Select Vehicle Search, then enter the information. They list 7 TSBs for the '02 Altima.

I noticed there are 9 TSBs out for the '02 Camry, so I guess we Altima owners are doing OK.

lsc

The 3.5 V6 Altimas are recommended to use premium fuel.

The 2.5 I4 Altimas can use regular gas. This might be one of the reasons why the HP rating dropped from 180 to 175. Maybe Nissan made a decision that 5 HP will make less of a difference than requiring premium fuel to be used. Especially when the gas prices were so high.

Don't let the engine use the knock sensors to retard timing. It can't be that good.

Of course you could have bought the Honda Accord. It's V-6 can use regular gas.

jtmjw

I did see in the manual that premium fuel is recommended, not required. I think that using different grades of fuel are just a personal choice if you want to run your altima on only premium fuel that is your choice, the manual says recommended not required. I have not even had anything close to a ping or a knock. if it doesn't hurt the cars performance or destroy the engine whats the difference, I will continue to put in 87 octane unless the car starts to knock or ping. I have had several high horsepower cars and have never put in premium fuel, I think its kind of like changing your oil every 3,000 miles, there is completely no need to do that, you are wasting your money changing your oil every 3,000 miles.

stebu

Agree about the 3K oil change. But that is only because I don't think any manufacturer requires it. Tests by Consumer Reports and others have found zero benefit (other then piece of mind) from changing it more often then the recommended interval. However, if 3K was the manufacturers recommended interval, you'd be a fool not to follow it.

The same is generally true of fuel grade recommendations. Modern engines are tuned from the factory for a particular octane. And the fact is that using a lower octane can result in pre-ignition or knock. Luckily the knock sensors and ECU's in these cars will sense it and dynamically retard the timing to compensate. Car makers don't recommend premium fuel just because it sounds cool. They do it because they need it to attain those hp numbers. So, if you choose, you can use a lower octane. But, it does extract a performance penalty and possibly hurt your mpg a bit as well.

ateixeira

TSBs don't necessarily mean much. They can even include things as simple as instructions for installing accessories. They do not necessarily mean there is a defect.

I think even the Accord V6 recommends premium. The exception is the Camry's V6, which makes far less power than the engine in the ES300 (premium required).

If wonder if CR will change their tune about oil change intervals after the Toyota sludge issues.

-juice

vocus

My 2002 Jetta recommends premium fuel. I used regular in it a couple tanks to see what happend. The performace was dampened a little, but not considerably. Economy dropped as well. It went from 24-26mpg down to 21-23mpg for the same driving loop.

Since premium fuel is only like 1.15 a gallon here in Md., I figured I would give it the best.

jrct9454

...and runs just fine on anything you care to put in the tank. The quoted hp for this engine is achievable on 87 pump octane, and anything higher is just a waste of money. Honda is quite specific about this - no premium necessary or desirable.

Toyota's Camry and ES300 [with the six] are indeed cars where the most power and least fuel consumption will be achieved with premium fuel, but either will run on regular [computers, as noted above]. Honda has chosen to go a different route on most Honda-branded engines, as opposed to Acura, where they go for a few more hp and recommend premium on most engines.

vocus

Why can't they provide 2 power ratings for the car? They could set the engine's computer to make xxxhp available with regular and xxxhp available with premium gas. That way, it would be the owner's decision if they wanted more power or not. What do you all think about that?

Also, I noticed the prices almost down to invoice levels on Carmax's website here in Maryland. That true pretty much everywhere now that the Altima has been out for a couple of months?

ateixeira

That's already happened. The pre-2002 Odyssey made 210hp on premium, 205hp on 87 octane. The Subaru H6 engine makes 212hp on premium, 208hp on regular.

They publish the higher figure (of course), but then mention that some power is lost with regular fuel.

-juice

vocus

I mean for all cars that require premium fuel.

ateixeira

That would be useful. We use 87 octane in our Mazda 626. They say premium is recommend, but 87 is specifically stated as the minimum octane to use.

I don't notice a difference, but they say by the SOTP you can't feel less than 5 horses.

-juice

km99cobra

Around here in NE Ohio, it's not so much the grade of fuel as it is the brand. Using BP gas with Honda's are a prescription for trouble. It seems that the distillate blend used around the midwest from their Toledo refinery causes fits with Honda's ECM system. They are tuned so tight (air/fuel ratio) to attain ULEV emissions level that they occasionally experience starting problems, rough idling/stalling, etc., because of the fuel quality. Happened several times to my wife's 98 Accord EX-V6. GM vehicles seem to be adversely affected as well. Don't think I've heard of Nissan problems though.

toyotas1

Stop talking abot the Accord, please! Wrong forum! Second, the saleslady today popped the hood and the first thing out of her chapped lips was that THIS ENGINE (the 3.5L), and ALL Nissan engines based off of this (Pathfinder, Maxima AND SENTRA) are designed for NO oil changes, regardless of driving, for 7500 miles! The Acura salesman told me the same thing when I tested the RSX type-s. And I would run regular gas because that is what is REQUIRED. Losing 5HP out of 240 is like Shaq losing 5lbs!

pathmax00

Funny how 20 years ago just about every car manufacturer recommended 7500-mile oil changes. 15 or so years ago this dropped to 5000 miles. Now were at 3000. Are engines changing that much or are oil companies trying to get richer!!

w2323

Hi,

Im looking at the S model with a stick. Has anyone had any problems with theirs. Also the invoice price is like 16,500. What kinda pricing have you guys been getting on your Altima?
Is the holdback enough for most dealers. The dealers I have gone to have been very rude. I cant imagine they get many sales. One dealer told me I couldnt test drive one without talking price, also said no brochure is available. Not very friendly people. This isnt the first time Ive gone to a Nissan dealer and gotten [non-permissible content removed] sales help. The price on the base S on the window was like 21,000. He said he can get me in for like 18,800, but knowing the invoice is 16,500. I doubt I'd be willing to pay much more then that.

I own 2 toyotas and I'm over them want to try something new. Looked at a low end Honda Accord but was not impressed with the interior. The engine is small too. The Altima interior appears to be a lot more Plush then the Accord.

afty

How did the window sticker on a base S model get up to $21k? Were there any dealer-installed packages on it? According to KBB, the invoice on a base S model with manual transmission and destination charge is $17,100, and MSRP is $18,539. If that S model you looked at really was base, they must have tacked on $2500 worth of crap to bump the sticker to $21k!

lsc

I have yet to put anything less than premium gas in my car but in a '99 Maxima, I definitely noticed a difference between regular and premium gas. The car seemed a little sluggish with the regular gas and less responsive.

You should try putting in premium to see for yourself.

josep2

I have an SL with a stick and it is very smooth...nope..no problems with the dealer..service was on par with the other Honda and Toyota dealerships...but no where near as bad as Ford..i got my Altima, with leather, wood and sun roof out the door with tax for $24k

w2323

heheh they didnt add anything to that car just a sticker that bumped up the price. In fact the sales guy said just ignore that sticker. I guess some idiots dont do any research and they hoped to get them to pay an outrageous amount. They did add about 250.00 worth of junk to the orginal msrp sticker. I really didnt take note of what they added probally mats or something. I did note that the msrp was 17,999 and thats all I cared about. I did sit in a top of the line altima in the dealership building. I didnt sit in the S model. I wonder how much different the interior of an s is compared to the decked out one. I found a price for an S on carsdirect.com for around 17,699. Thats more like it.

ateixeira

Fitzmall.com has 4 in stock and all of them are about $300 over invoice.

-juice

houset

I just paid 21,068 for my sheer silver 2.5S with Comf and Conv., Foglights, Dimming mirror, mats, guards and filter. Out the door, 22500. 100 over invoice, although they nailed me with the 349 Regional advertising fee.

I don't mind i still got it for 3% over actual dealer cost..

carguy585

I've seen pictures of the AUTOMATIC transmission and it has a few words engraved "shift lock" on it. What is this for? There also appears to be a light or a button below the words. When does this work?
Thanks in advance,
Carguy585

jrct9454

...is used in a situation where the interlock between the brake pedal and Park ceases to function for some reason. Without some kind of override, if that happened, you couldn't get it out of Park to drive the car. Most cars have some sort of override so that if the brake switch is not functioning, the car doesn't become disabled.

You may recall that most cars these days [because of the sudden-acceleration hoo-hah] have an interlock between the trans and brake pedal - you have to have your foot on the brake to take it out of Park. The shift lock button or feature is designed to override that if the switch fails for some reason.

vocus

That feature on my VW Jetta is weird. You have to step on the brake to get the car out of NEUTRAL as well as PARK. Is the new Altima like that too, since it just came out for 2002? Just wondering.

Any word on if they plan to update the interior or not? A good friend of mine really likes Altimas, but he said the interior looks too cheap. His car is like 8 years old, so he will me in the market soon and might get an Altima if they change the interior. Thanks.

danny25

Hey, check out the new article about the Altima S. They had high praise for it...

"Edmunds.com Says: Nissan nails a home run with the bases loaded, going from also-ran to midsize sedan class champion in one fell swoop. The Altima rocks. "

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/spin/49765/article.html

jebsdaddy

Shift lock button is so that you can get the transmission out of park when the battery is dead.

elmoblatch1

Have been away from this board for a while & was happy to see an article about the 2002 Altima S test drive. I will be buying a car in May when my lease runs out ( bye bye GM ). I am trying to choose between the Altima S & Toyota Camry. I know Consumer Reports did a comparison in January of 2002. I plan on test trying both. I have read on the Camry message board & other places that the Camry is having some problems with sludge build-up in certain engines.

The Altima got a major make over for 2002 so I would like to hear from 2002 Altima Owners what they think of their car....thanks in advance.

pat

Edmunds.com has just published their 2002 Premium Family Sedan comparison.

Check it out by following the link in the "Helpful Links" box on the left sidebar of this page.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

ateixeira

Not really fair that they used a manual tranny Passat. It was still one of the slower cars, with the auto the margin would have been bigger. Plus that would have made it the priciest in the group.

-juice

afty

I don't agree with how the editors attempted to guess the priorities of the "typical family sedan buyer" and then rated the cars based on that. Though since that was only part of the score, I guess it's not so bad.

I think the Altima is one of these genre-busting cars. It's somewhere between the utility of a typical family sedan and the performance of a sports sedan. You get most of the utility of a Camry and most of the performance of a WRX all in one package.

lsc

I can't believe the manual's 0-60 time is 8.0. That really stinks - I guess I made the right decision to pass on the Passat.

My budget would have forced me to buy the 4-cyl. Passat anyway and that would have been even worse.

I think Edmunds did a good job with their comparo. I don't mind my Altima coming in second. I may buy the Passat once I'm in my 30s but no way would I be caught dead in that car right now.

The Altima is the only sports sedan in this group. I don't mind smokng a BMW 528i in my Altima either - mine is an automatic and I'm sure his BMW was auto too.

Finally, all of you guys should use synthetic oil. It makes a HUGE difference. I'm only going synthetic from now on. I may start changing the old myself to offset the additional cost because it costs $40 bucks at Midas.

mirth

Oddly enough, the Passat 4-cylinder manual does a better 0-60 than the 6 because it's lighter and has almost the same power. Weird but true.

vocus

The Altima is a very nice car but like Edmund's said, the interior is way too cheap for an almost $30,000 car. There should not be any cheap plastic inside at all. If VW can make the Jetta (below $20K, for the most part) look as good as it does inside, why can't Nissan do it with the Altima?

And just because the Passat is slower doesn't mean anything. Some people (myself included) would buy it because of its interior amenities (close to a luxury car costing 2x more) and its cachet.

stebu

Whoa... I'm not sure it's even legal to use "cachet" and VW in the same post;-)

afty

It's true, at least around here. VW is sort of like a poor-man's luxury brand. In my opinion, they've viewed as a step above mass-market Japanese brands like Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, and a step below luxury brands like BMW, Lexus, Acura, etc.

vocus - Different strokes for different folks, I guess. As long as my car is decently put together and built to last, I don't particularly care how the interior looks. But that 240 hp engine puts a smile on my face every time I get in the car.