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Nissan Altima
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I like the new Altima, (Version 3.0) but I belive it should be a new line with a different name (sic Exulta). I was disappointed that Nissan discontinued Version 2.0.(i.e. 1998-2001) of the Altima. This car had a niche market just below the Accord and the Camry, which was reasonably affordable. I had a 1998 Altima GXE which was an excellent alternative to the CamCord. That car was quick off the line and nimble in traffic and performed well as a second family car.
With the resurrection of the Nissan/Datsun 300ZX, Nissan had the opportunity to have a potent line-up of performance automobiles. Altima--Exulta--Maxima--300ZX.
My five cents (inflation you know).
I got so excited I forgot to look at a few things:
what is the brand and the rating of the tires?
are the brakes on 3.5 SE better than those on 4-cylinder models? What size are they?
Is there any electronic speed governor?
PS I did not notice the "hole in the carpet" gas door opener. But my wife Lexus RX300 also has a hole in the carpet design.
I still do like my 300M a lot though. I like its heated, 8-way power seats for the driver and the passenger with seat/mirror/radio memory for the driver, linked into the key fob.
It is going to be a tough choice for me.
Kind of crazy... the Maxima is going for invoice on Carsdirect, while the Altima is $100 over sticker on Carsdirect.com
Good luck!
Speed
gt
I asked them about their inventory, and they said all their cars are still being allocated by Nissan. The official release date of the Altima isn't until this weekend anyway. he said after that, they'd probably be able to start ordering cars that they want to stock, but that prices could stay at MSRP for awhile. Five people apparently bought new Altimas this past Saturday alone...geez
-Bryan
Look here for screenshots of that show: http://forums.clubsi.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/012803.html
You're right though - that 4 cylinder packs a punch. When I drove the auto 2.5S today, going up an interstate bridge felt like I was in a V6...the engine wasn't straining, nothing...I may decide to get a 2.5SL 5 speed because it has loads of power, uses 87 octane fuel, and gets pretty darn good mileage at 23 city/29 highway. My V6 Saturn only gets 21/26
-Bryan
I don't know, there is something about it that tells me this is the next car. Reminds of my '92 Taurus SHO days...god I loved that car!!!
My question though is what is the top end of the new Altima? I had a '95 Altima 5-spd whose top end was supposed to be 120 yet with a K&N and after market exhaust I saw 135 or for those of you who still own this car I saw "Unleaded Fuel Only." I loved it and it gave me 120k trouble free miles...to give you an idea if you have never owned one of these on how reliable they are...my sister is still driving it with almost 150k miles on it. Oh yeah, it needed service...once...for 2 oil seals about 5k ago. Not bad. I only hope to be able to say the same about this one...IF MY DEALER WILL EVER FIND ONE FOR ME!!!!!!
They're still selling the cars around 5-600 below MSRP at the lowest. It looks like they are moving them though at a pretty good rate. The dealer I went to didn't even care that much about selling me the car. Naturally I didn't buy it.
then he talked to his manager of finance guy and came back with $380-390 per month.
You can get a lease deal on IS300 for $2500 down and $379 a month.
$430 a month for an Altima? No way...please do yourself a big favor and run as fast as you can away from that dealer!!
Note: I'm not knocking Nissan here...I used to drive an Altima myself and may buy another one in the future.
I walked away. The car they wanted to sell me did not have HIDs or ABS/TC (I looked it up on the dealer's website, they have new car inventory)
I am leasing a 300M, got it when it first came out, and that one was $0 down with $453 per month. Quite a bit more expensive car if you go by MSRP.
Once before I leased a Buick Riviera for $1,500 down and $399 per month.
And yet another time I leased a loaded Grand Prix GTP for $1,800 down and $380 per month.
So these Altima lease numbers did not particularly thrill me.
Thanks for reassuring me.
But if I go for a Volvo S60, I would want the T5 And that's a bit too expensive.
Well I have an update - he had to pay the $3K deposit to keep his insurance in effect. No choice, but they said it's immediately refundable as soon as they get a valid match for the VIN. Apparently Nissan's registrations of the Altima with the DMV did not go through the systems. Did you get yours in NY state?
Needless to say he aint a happy driver with his new Alty ..
And no, it's definitely not the same material as in the 2002 Maxima.
The seats were comfortable and the overall driving position was good. Being a big guy (6'6.5" 275lbs+) I was impressed with the leg and head room. The steering wheel was nice and fat, making it easy to grip with my big paws. All of the controls seemed to be in the proper places.
Things I didn't like:
1) Non folding mirrors. These will be expensive to replace.
2) No ltd slip diff for the 5 speed
3) No HID lights in Canada
4) Leather package. I want the CD changer stereo, extra air bags and heated seats. All cars in Canada should have heated seats! I don't want leather. It's too sticky in the summer.
I got the feeling that the dealer would not be flexible on pricing. They seemed to have sold almost all of their in stock Altimas in the first week. It also seemed that if I wanted a specific car (base 3.5L, silver, 5 speed) I would have to order it and it would take a few months to arrive. I will probably end up leasing one in a month or so. There are not to many options for large import cars. My only other option would be an Expedition or Tahoe, and I can't afford to put gas in those.
1) Folding mirrors
2) Limited Slip Diff with the 6 Speed
3) HID lights
4) Side Airbags and Heated Seats without Leather
I realize that it is a few thousand dollars more then the base Altima 3.5SE but the combination of the fact that dealers will make deals on the Maxima and the residual values of the Max are better then the Altima may make the Max almost as cheap to lease as the Altima. Besides, with the Max you also get better quality materials and a more powerful version of the same engine.
But now it is scary.
Better yet, now is the time to get a Maxima...they are giving them away at dead cost