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Nissan Altima

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Comments

  • mney6mney6 Member Posts: 116
    The MA fee is part of the invoice.
    Edmunds does not include it in their pricing but does tell you it is legit.
    Try Carsdirect.com they will give you the correct invoice which includes the fee.
    Dealer does not add MA the manufacturer does.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'm curious, is the invoice on Nissan letterhead? Is it original or a fax or copy?

    -juice
  • lgoldinlgoldin Member Posts: 90
    http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/02altima2.htm

    This review has a number for 0-100kmh in automatic version of 2.5L. 9.4s is not bad. 0-60mph in 5-sp version should be in high 7's to low 8's. Not bad for a mid size family sedan.
  • seldondgseldondg Member Posts: 17
    I didn't have an advertising fee added to mine. When we sat down to write it up I told the salesman that there better not be any extra fees added.
    Cars direct gives the invoice of my configuration at 23,265. But on top of that the dealer put on a spoiler, tinted windows and a pinstripe. So really it should be a little higher. Anyway, I paid 23,888 for the car.
  • mney6mney6 Member Posts: 116
    Cars-direct does give the correct invoice in which the ad fee is included.
    Edmunds does not.
    How's the car ?
  • seldondgseldondg Member Posts: 17
    Love it. Even more than I did on the test drive. Loaded up this car is great. I went to pick up some food on the way home and my wife waited in the car. People were looking at the car and they couldn't see her because of the tint but she heard them say "It looks like a Lexus."
    Then when I came out they told me how great it looked. Only had the car 5 minutes and already got compliments on it.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
  • joel29joel29 Member Posts: 3
    I am having a very difficult time finding a 2002 Altima 2.5 S with ABS. The optional ABS is state of the art, which is great, but it is almost impossible to find. If Nissan wants the Altima to compete with the Camry, they better put ABS in more than 2% of the cars. I know it keeps the cost down, which makes it competive. But I believe most buyers in the market for a $20,000+ vehicle are going to demand and are willing to pay for ABS. Does anyone out there know why there are so few 2002 Altima's with ABS?
  • seldondgseldondg Member Posts: 17
    I had no problem finding ABS on a 2.5S. In the end I got the 2.5SL though. The only thing was that to get the ABS I had to get the convenience package too. With convenience it near impossible to find.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    I've got it on my car. If someone had offered me the option of 500 off the sticker to get rid of it, I'd have jumped at the chance. I never slam on the brakes that hard that I have the need for ABS and that's after 12 years of legally driving on public roads at highly illegal speeds.

    Seems more like a gimmick. If you look at 60-0 numbers over the past 10 years the influx of ABS hasn't really shortened stopping distances. All it does is allow mom and dad lazy driver not to think about releasing the brake when veering.
  • hawks1hawks1 Member Posts: 57
    I can't recall the publication, but a few days ago I read a new buyers guide in the grocery store that stated the 2.5S auto had a 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds. This I consider outstanding when compared to say an ES 300 Lexus that has an 8.1 second published time for their V6. I've test driven the 2.5S auto and I know it's much quicker than my '90 Acura Legend with a 2.7 liter V6. As for ABS breaks, I don't want a car that has them. My Legend has them and their nothing but a pain to stop the car when they engage. Perhaps newer model cars have more sophisticated systems but I'm still not convinced.
  • mcarlo24mcarlo24 Member Posts: 13
    Juice, yes it is on a Nissan letterhead. Says Nissan North America, INC. in huge letters across the top.. Tells ya where the car was manufactured, when, vin #, what dealer it was sent too, invoice #, MSRP, Invoise, etc... It says in very small fine print on the buttom, ......This invoice does not reflect the actual cost to the dealer. It includes Holdback (HB), financing assisstance (FA), and may include advertising promtion/marketing funds (MA). It does not reflect allowances and incentives which may be paid or collected on a per vehicle bases....etc. Hope this helps ya and I hope ya can find a way that I can get rid of it cause we are about 300$ from making the deal... I wanted 600$ over invoice without this MA fee, and they are at 500$ over thier invoice which includes the MA fee of 400$...

    Its a 3.5 SE (pewter) automatic, Moon roof, Spoiler, mudguards, floormats, filter, wind deflector
    Thier so called final price is 23, 789

    23,789-12,700 for trade-in value = 11,089 x 6% NJ taxes = 665.34 in Taxes

    23789 + 665.34 = 24,454.34 + 88.50 registration + 119 documentation fees = 24,661.84

    24,661.84 final out the door price
    MSRP is 25243
    Invoice is 22889 before 400 MA fee so their Invoice was 23,289
    My deal is 1,454 under MSRP and 500 over their invoice

    I originally asked for 600 over the 22,889 invoice, so I'm at 900 over their invoice
    Now in my case we traded in a Leased 99' Acura Inteagra with a buyout value of 13,000. So they gave me 12,700 for it, which I than still owe them 300 (but I still have 5 payments totaling 1267$, so i'm happy to get out of the lease ahead of the game)

    24,661.84 + 300 = 24,961.64 - 3,500 down payment = 21,461.64 total financing value

    Now they gave me what they showed me as a no mark up rate of 5.39% for 60 months which is lower than any rate on the net...

    Montly payment is 410$ and some change

    Paper work is all filled out because we thought we agreed on the numbers over the phone, went in to finish the paper work, and they were like 1500 over what I asked for ;( Man was I MAD!!!
    Next day on the phone they knocked it down to the 23,789 number..

    Please help me... Should a take the deal... they gave me a very nice interest rate, great deal on the Integra, etching is on the windows, they are going to give me a pinstripe, gave me a price of only 200 over their cost for a 5 year 100,00 mile warranty for 900 (dont know if i want it yet, would bring monthly payment up to 426$)... So these are things that I wuold most likely have to rehaggle to get them to match the price, besides getting a better offer on the car.. And they went and got the Pewter with the exact options that I wanted....

    Should I take it,
    <--Mcarlo24
    <--So very close to being an Altima owner.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    You are from Columbia! I live about 60 miles away from you, in Union South Carolina.

    Anyway, I have also noticed that it's hard to find the new Altima with the ABS pkg. Try using carmax.com I saw a loaded 2.5SL in Super Black with ABS Monday morning. That's the first Altima I have seen with ABS since the redesign. I honestly think the ABS should just be standard. It's a shame that the Altima cost as much as 29K and still can't be found with ABS. Maybe it's a regional thing. Again, try Carmax.com and see if you can locate one with the ABS pkg. I at least saw one with this pkg., and there had to be about 30 Altimas on their lot in Greenville.

    BTW, aren't you near Dick Smith Nissan? They don't have any Altimas with ABS? That's one of the dealerships I haven't been to yet. I might drive down there one day and check them out.
  • mney6mney6 Member Posts: 116
    Just a question.
    If Edmunds included the MA under the invoice amount would you still be willing to pay 600.00 over ?
    Max and Joel
    The reason for it being hard to find ABS is because the first cars dealers received were automatically given to dealers.
    We didn't have a say on the equipment packages that were on them.
    You should start to see more Altima's with Abs now that we can order the way you and I would like to see.
  • otoluvaotoluva Member Posts: 196
    I have been in the market for V6SE 5 spd,and my silver baby MUST have:sunroof with wind deflector,spoiler,mudguards,mats,filter, Total cost $24,442.The best price I got from my local dealer was$23,000.Any advice??
  • mcarlo24mcarlo24 Member Posts: 13
    You are correct and the answer is yes... I did my home work at Carbuyingtips.com, and the philosophy was to find the dealers actual cost and offer a 3-5% profit... And with this car, it came out to be 600 over invoice... Only thing is, this fee is for advertising and it urks me to be paying anything for it.... I thinks I'm gonna swallow my pride on this though and go pick up my sleek pewter SE rocket.......

    Tomorrow is Altima day!!!!!!! WWWoooooooooHHHHoooooooooo!!!
    I'll keep yas posted
  • volcano2volcano2 Member Posts: 20
    Does anybody know if there's S's out there w. ABS, & sunroof? Dealer seems of decent size, but only had ABS on the SE. Now we've decided to go for the sunroof option, but I can't wait 60-90 days for delivery. Dealer originally said he thought ABS had to come w. the convenience package (I knew it didn't & corrected him), then when I called & added the sunroof, he said the same thing. I saw that the catalog had it as a stand alone option; he said the dealer book had it as a combo package & would fax it to me. I asked him to check which was the misprint, since I really wanted it.

    He's been pretty good, but I'm wondering if he's just trying to close an almost done deal. Does anybody know how these are actually packaged, and where I might find it? I also want Mystic Emerald/Frost interior - doesn't seem too popular.

    Thanks!
  • otoluvaotoluva Member Posts: 196
    Sunroof is an option by it self and it is not part of a package,also ABS are hard to find at least that's what I been hearing,I personally dont want it on my Altima.
    Good luck
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    vOLCANO2.In NYC I have seen a couple of 2.5S with abs pagkage and micron filter,mats and day nad night rear view mirror.I have'n seen too many of them though.You have to go to large volume dealers where you will more than likely find one.The Mystic Emerald and frost interior is a hot color as well as Silver.In Queens County I see more Silver and Pewter than any other color on the road.In the dealerships I see a lot of Seacape in the lots.Looks like in Queens County not many people are going for that color.
    Abs is an excellent feature. It really works especially in winter on the slick road.That ABS kicks in and keep the car straight.Another reason the ABS package is a must, If you are struck By an SUV the side impact bags will protect your head and shoulder.As you are aware an SUV will hit way above the doors in a 90 degree crash.this is just food for thought.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    hawks1- "their (they're, perhaps?) nothing but a pain to stop the car when they engage" what the hell does that mean?
    if anyone has had to slam on the brakes in the rain because, for example, some dumbass decides its smart to pull out of a mini-mall parking lot directly into your path(as has happened to me), he or she would tell you that the steering control facilitated by ABS is certainly reassuring.
    blueguydotcom-"If you look at 60-0 numbers over the past 10 years the influx of ABS hasn't really shortened stopping distances."
    NEWSFLASH- ABS is NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE SHORTER STOPS ON DRY PAVEMENT, nor has it ever been. ABS is designed to allow the driver to maintain control in emergency braking situations. Try steering with your wheels locked and see how easy it is. I'll agree with your statement that ABS doesn't provide shorter distances. But why does everyone believe that is what the system is intended to do? oh and by the way, it has nothing to do with being lazy. A laziness option, IMO, is cruise control.

    Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but mine is certainly that ABS is a mandatory option, especially on a family car.

    Note: if anyone here receieved the Altima CD ROM in the promotional package, you'll note that in the section describing ABS, it directly states something like "contrary to popular belief, the actual intention of ABS brakes....".

    ~alpha
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Read the whole paragraph:

    "All it does is allow mom and dad lazy driver not to think about releasing the brake when veering."

    I know what it's intended for and I think it's one of those anti-darwinian devices that allow unskilled drivers to remain at large ruining lives. It's like stability control and yaw and pitch sensors. Ick.
  • irontigerirontiger Member Posts: 20
    Without ABS your wheels can lock causing you to possibly lose control of the car. To prevent that you have to fan (pump) the brakes. With the ABS, the computer does this for you, and much faster than the human can.
  • b4zb4z Member Posts: 3,372
    Can't beleive in the year 2001 we are still debating the merits of ABS. Even if we were to put Michael Schumacher in a car without ABS, the ABS equipped car would still provide a better safety margin in a wet condition accident avoidence manuveur.

    I have evoked ABS in both my intrigue and my impala, it made a difference in turning and in overall stopping distance.
  • volcano2volcano2 Member Posts: 20
    Thanks everybody for your advice on the ABS. I could have used it a week ago to help me convince by SO, but we've decided it's a go.

    Sunroof - has anyone found this without the convenience package?

    Otoluva - the catalog lists it as a separate option, however edmunds, carsdirect & dealernet list the convenience as a requirement.

    I can't take this - want my car!!!
  • mney6mney6 Member Posts: 116
  • mney6mney6 Member Posts: 116
    It irks me also.
    Not only does it cause a problem between dealers and consumers.I really believe that buying a car should be easier.
    It also cuts the margin of profit I have to work with.
    You may want to se if they will split the 300.00 diffence that way you both win.
  • volcano2volcano2 Member Posts: 20
    I'd like to know the process/best way to protect myself in signing the paperwork/making down payment. I want to make sure I've got the dealer's financing approved & detailed on the contract before I sign, and certainly before I put any money down (it'll be $10,000). I assume the approval can be done within a day?

    The dealer will be finding the car elsewhere. As long as I have signed the contract (after getting loan details in writing?) I shouldn't give my down payment until I get the car - right? I've read so many scary things & this is my 1st purchase. Thanks.
  • mney6mney6 Member Posts: 116
    No I wouldn't give the money down until you are able to inspect the car.
    I do however require a customer to put at least 500.00 down before I do a dealer trade.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    The Altima 2.5S does require that you have the conv. pkg. the Altima brochure has a few errors in it. But according to Edmunds.com, Carsdirect.com and the latest Consumer Guide, in order to get the Altima 2.5S with the sunroof, you have to have the Conv. pkg. As you stated, you don't have to have the Conv. pkg. to get ABS, but you do have to have it to get the sunroof. Hope this helps.

    Max
  • steve0729steve0729 Member Posts: 8
    In addition to the conv. package you also have to take the Bose Stereo and wind deflector in order to get the sunroof.
  • joel29joel29 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for all the good dialog concerning ABS. I have learned much over the past day or so. Seems like some love it and others hate it. But it is a fact that right now, it is difficult to find an Altima S or SL with ABS. I agree with MNEY6 that we should see more after the new year as dealers order what the consumers want. I highly encourage those who love ABS to let their dealers (not just the salesman) know that you require ABS. Mention the phrase "Most Camry's have ABS" and watch them squirm.

    PS: I think the ABS study that the insurance companies are hanging their hats on so they can discontinue premium discounts for ABS is all wet. I feel fairly certain that a prior wreck was caused by my car not having ABS and the vehicle in front of me having ABS. The road was slick, and a car pulled out in front of the car in front of me. He stopped quickly and I slid (hydroplaned) several hundred yards until I crashed into him. Yes, I know pumping my brakes might have helped. (Karl Flaig, alias blueguydotcom, please don't call me "lazy".) In a crisis situation, it was difficult to remember to pump the brakes. These emergency situations are not a common every day event.

    You had better believe that if I plan on letting my teenage son drive my new (and later OLD) Altima, it will have ABS.
  • otoluvaotoluva Member Posts: 196
    volcano2-I probably didnt make clear statement on the sunroof issue,although its a single option however convenience package is required(s model).Dont be scared this should be a fun experience,I would try to bring someone with me the day I sign all the papers.I'm counting the days til I get my rocket,reason is I'm going on a long trip n dont want it to just sit while I'm gone,you are lucky you are getting your baby now.Keep in touch and let us know.Gd luck
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    The BOSE system is not required to get the 2.5S with a sunroof. Dicksmith.com had an Altima 2.5S for a while that had the sunroof but no BOSE or sunroof wind deflector. It only had the Conv. pkg and the sunroof. Where did you here this from Steve? Also, Mossy.com has a few altima 2.5S models without the sunroof wind deflector or BOSE audio.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    If you have ever wanted to say "I love you" to someone, do it now. I just lost one of my best friends to violence. Her mother's boyfriend killed her, shot her mother and then killed himself. Right now, I am mad, sad, hurt, shocked and feel very very guilty. There were so many things I should have said to her, to brighten her day, so many times I should have just told her, that she could always depend on me, if anything happened. She is gone now, and she was only 15 years old. She had a 1 year old child, and the child was there during the whole thing. I will also say this, if you have been going through life, wondering what is wrong, turn it over to Christ, get him in your life while you can. Don't play around. TIme is ending! I now believe that this world really is coming to an end. I don't want to go to school, I don't want to chat, I just want to cry. I can't bring LaRita back, but I can at least think of the good times I had with her. I know this is the wrong place to post this, but I just want to touch someone's life out there. Someone who needs to find that direction. I am going back to the church, I not going to play around anymore, I am going to do my best, not just enough to get me by. Thanks for reading this, and God bless you. I'm going to continue to read this board, but as of right now, I could care less about buying a new car, I will try to help all with questions and concerns about the new Altima.

    My town is very small, we only have about 300 students in our high school and that's grades 6-12. We need prayer right now, and we also need prayer for there family. This is very tough for anyone, but in a small town where everyone knows everyone, it's even worse.
    Sincerely

    Reginald Gist
  • steve0729steve0729 Member Posts: 8
    Follow-up to my earlier posting regarding Sunroof $ Bose Stereo. I spoke with a customer service rep from Nissan. They verified what the dealer told me regarding the sunroof and stereo. This started beginning of December. Cars produced before Dec 1st came thru without requiring the Bose Stereo.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    My fault. If you look at it, by the time you add the Sunroof and Bose to the Altima 2.5S, you might as well get the 2.5SL.
  • volcano2volcano2 Member Posts: 20
    Reginald, what an absolutely awful thing to have happened. Nothing like this should EVER happen - it's very sad, and excruciatingly painful for anyone touched by it. I wish there was some way to make sense of the terrible things that happen in this world.

    My mother has had a couple of tragedies in her life, it's amazing that she has stayed so strong and spiritual. Her belief (and that of many others) is that we each choose our own path before we get here, things DO happen for a reason, and we even possibly choose how we leave. That may sound kind of crazy, and too much to even contemplate right now. But the point is that we cannot control all the events in our lives, and somehow, though I sometimes agree with you that the world is going to hell, it's really not. Ever since the beginning of time crazy and unjust things, and beautiful and wonderful things have occurred, and will continue to occur. Everyone's life is a journey and I believe how you live your life and how you touch others is the point. I also believe that there is an afterlife, be it after one or more tries (who knows?) "down here" - life is not just an exercise in futility. IN TIME we must learn to find a way to lives our lives in a way that allows us to not be taken over by the sad events, but be changed for the better. You have already started to do that, not because you weren't good enough or didn't do something right, but because you are reaching out to others, even during such a rough time. Hopefully, you will even be able to touch LaRita's baby's life. That would be a good thing.

    You sound like you are very strong yourself, and have your head on straight, especially for someone relatively young. Don't think for a moment that you didn't make enough of an impact on LaRita; I'm quite sure that you were a good, caring friend. Very few of us declare our thoughts and emotions to those we care about; it's something that's understood by virtue of the fact that you're there, and are that person's friend, especially when other aspects of that person's life are tumultuous.

    Reginald, you should feel all of those things that you are feeling, except for guilty. Guilt is natural only in the sense that you care so much and want to make it all right, but it isn't logical or correct, and it will take over your emotions, which basically, means you. Pray to LaRita, and tell her how you feel. There is much more to this life than our daily routines and physical happenings; there are spirits around us. Lean on your family and friends, and those at church, and be there for them also.

    I hope none of this sounds like I am preaching, or dismissing this tragedy as something that just happens; nothing could be further from the truth. It's just that some words in black and white are hardly adequate for real life. God bless you, and I hope that your pain will be eased.
  • joel29joel29 Member Posts: 3
    Just want you to know that you will be in my prayers this Christmas season.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Well-tuned ABS will beat even the best drivers in the world. To even attempt to match ABS, you would need to equip your car with four brake pedals, because ABS modulates each wheel independently. Think about surfaces with split traction - even if you are 100% perfect you cannot get the most effective braking from all four tires.

    I was just slammed into by a non-ABS Saturn, and I'm sure she regrets not having purchased ABS. It was raining and I was able to stop short and straight (ABS pulsing).

    She was behind me and started skidding. I could only watch her, helpless as her Saturn plowed into me. She even got a little sideways, so most likely her right side locked up before her left side did.

    I ended up with $1200 of damage, but hers was much worse. She lost her hood, bumper, 1/4 panel (the plastic actually broke apart), lights, turn signals, even wheel well covers. It would have been totalled if it weren't brand new (still had temporary tags).

    -juice
  • mcarlo24mcarlo24 Member Posts: 13
    Just wanted to pass along some key learnings that I have learned in purchasing my Pewter, 3.5 SE Automatic... I did all my home work using http:/www/Carbuyingtips.com. From their I learned the ins and outs of negotiating the best deal that I could get... Main issue was to find out what the dealer paid for the vehicle and offer a fair 3-5% profit and 99.9% of the time, it is
    well under MSRP..

    After filling out the excell spreadsheet that http:/www/Carbuyingtips.com offers, I found that I should offer a price of 600$ over invoice... I wound up getting from the dealer, 500$ over invoice..

    Key learning #1 is that the invoice pricing that http:/www/edmunds.com and KBB offered DID NOT include a 400$ MA fee that was on the original invoice of my 3.5.. Now carsdirect.com includes this MA fee in their invoice and even gives an explanation of what the fee is for (Advertising mostly)I didn't like the fact that I payed 300$ out of 400$ dollars of this fee in my deal...

    Key learning #2 is that I should have taken my 600 over invoice (without the fee) and figure what that was under MSRP and Dealed that way... Not 600 over invoice, but 1754$ under MSRP... I actually payed 1454$ under MSRP. reason being that the fee is added to the INVOICE only and not to the MSRP.

    Key learning #3 is that before we made the deal and was negotiating, they showed me all the Altima deals that they had done for the month and 90% of them were at MSRP price.. Well LMFAO!!! The reason for this is that they pad up the trade in on the contract, giving you cash in-hand to put as a downpayment and than they raise the FINAL PRICE of the car up to around MSRP.. My ex... My deal was for 500$ over invoice and 12,700 for my trade in.. Well on the contract, they showed my trade in as 14,174 and sold me the car at MSRP.. Unreal!!!!! No wonder the dealers are pushing MSRP as final price...

    Other helpful info (I bought mine in NJ):

    Registration fees : 88.50
    Documentation fees : 119.00
    5 year/100,000 warranty (50$ deduct): 759.00
    5 year/75,000 SILVER service fee) : 400.00

    That's it.. I have a pinstripe and etching on the car, but didn't pay any extra for it..

    The best senario would be to find out all these fees before ya make an offer and but together a final out the door price and once they agree, there are absolutely no surprises...

    I know it was long winded, but if this helps just one person, that is was worth it to me..

    Mcarlo24 ---> Dan <---Proud owner of a 3.5 Pewter Rocket
    Happy Holidays to you and yours!!
  • otoluvaotoluva Member Posts: 196
    Congrats on your new purchase,sounds exactly like my future altima except mine will be 5 spd and silver colored.I think you did great on the price and thank you for the few tips you shared with us I'm sure they will be helpful to many buyers.
    Happy holidays
  • gerapaugerapau Member Posts: 211
    Actually, the best drivers in the world CAN outbrake ABS in most situations. It has been shown many times that threshold braking will stop a car more quickly then letting the ABS do it. In real world situations though, most people are better off with ABS.

    There are certain situations where ABS is not preferred though. On very snowy roads, a car would actually stop faster (maybe not quite as straight though) without ABS then with ABS. This is because the small amout of snow that builds up in front of the tires when they are locked up actually helps the car stop quicker.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    For first generation early ABS, maybe. But well tuned ABS and traction control in racing became so dominant over the best pros that it had to be banned in many forms of racing.

    You can threshold brake on a perfectly dry, even surface, but otherwise you will brake at the threshold of the tire with the least grip. Exceed that and by definition one tire will lock up and you will lose directional stability.

    True, for snow and sand, you may be better off disabling ABS, but in some cars you can just pull the e-brake up one click to accomplish that.

    -juice
  • storytellerstoryteller Member Posts: 476
    Does anyone have a good guess about when Nissan will revise the Altima for the next model year? Are we looking at the next model in September? And what about the interior? Will Nissan respond to criticisms that it looks cheap by making a significant upgrade? Or will they leave a brisk-selling model alone?
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    I would guess that the '03 Alty will debut around September of next year, since that seems to be the usual time for Nissan to introduce its new models. As for the interior, I very much doubt we'll see a significant upgrade because the Altima is selling so well. Unless sales drop off significantly by next year, of course.

    I would expect an interior upgrade for '04, since the new Maxima will debut then. Nissan can then upgrade the Altima's interior without fear of cannibalizing Maxima sales.

    Not that I really know any more than anyone else here, just my opinion.
  • one_loveone_love Member Posts: 28
    For the Viewers Choice Award on MotorWeeks website

    www.pbs.org/mpt/motorweek

    This is where it got 0-60 in 5.9 seconds. Show everyone that it is the "Cure for the common car"
  • venus537venus537 Member Posts: 1,443
    their latest issue did a road test of the Passat, Camry, Accord and Altima (all with the four cylinder). Altima came in last of these cars tested. However, it did rate very good overall. The main culprit: CHEAP interior. Next month CR will test the Camry V6 and Altima V6 plus a couple of domestic V6 cars (this should insure the Altima finishing at least second). But the Altima will still have the same cheap interior. This might of been my next if it wasn't for the interior decor. Therefore, I'm really ticked that Nissan cut corners when it came to the interior. Hence, my constant negative posts in regards to the Altima.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    If you were Nissan, with the Altima selling like the Pet Rock in the 70s, and profits high, would you change it? They'll probably do a minor update in 2004, but I'm sure their efforts right now are on the next Maxima.

    CR is the first to complain about the interior. If you've followed this thread for a while, we've pointed out several articles that complemented the interior.

    The 4 banger tied for quickest 0-60, and IIRC it also had the lowest price.

    -juice
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    A recent Car & Driver comparo included a 3.5SE, and they carped about the seats, the funky "three tunnel" gauges, and the dash reflecting onto the windshield. They thought the doors sounded tinny, too. Altima came in third out of a field of eight cars.
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    C/D didn't like it, but not because it was cheap. They disliked the seats because they were "wrongly shaped," and they just disliked the design of the gauge cluster. They didn't say anything about the "plasticky" nature of the materials as so many here have complained about. And the Altima may have come in third, but it was only only 2 points behind the winner (Accord) and 1 point behind the 2nd place (Camry).


    The article is here, if anyone wants to read it:

    http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/comparisontests/ 2001/december/200112_comparo_concealed.xml?&page=6


    You'll have to join the link because I can't post words over 115 characters.


    For what it's worth, I've had my new Altima for 2 weeks now and I have no complaints about the seats or the gauge cluster. Well, actually, I think the seats are too high (I'm used to a low seating position), but that's really a matter of personal opinion. I also have not noticed the dash reflections they mention in the article.

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