Nissan Altima

redline65 · June 2001

A loaded 2001 Altima runs around $23.5K, MSRP. A loaded 2002 Altima will have to top that by at least $1500, if not $2K - $3K more. And the demand will probably be pretty high at first, so there may not be much discounting. I'm guessing one with all options and automatic tranny will cost most people around $25K + TTL.

roninjouten · June 2001

23k for a 4 banger that's smaller than its comp and weaker in every respect! I had no idea Nissan was this stupid.

nikecar · June 2001

roninjouten Jun 7, 2001 10:59am

The loaded GLE tops in the 23K. Compared to Accord EX at 22K+. However, the GLE includes leather bigger tires and some others. Honda doesn't include those. Add to the fact Nissan discounts more and that 23K is gone. If you spend 23K on MSRP you are a fool. I know 2 people who have gotten under 20K loaded. Try that with an accord.

redline65 · June 2001

I agree. The current Altima should be heavily discounted right now, with the new model coming in September. Anyone wanting to save some money on a 4 banger would probably want to get one now rather than wait until the 2002 models, since there will most certainly be a nice price hike.

roninjouten · June 2001

um...got the leather and its MSRP is 25,540. Carsdirect price $23,224.

If you mean the Accord EX with the puny 2.3L 4, then the MSRP, with leather is 22,990 and the carsdirect price is 20,758.

Not very hard to get an Accord under MSRP. In fact it's quite easy.

lsc · June 2001

Nissan had a good thing going with the first generation Altima. They just botched it up with the 98 - present Altima that has no character, not to mention being smaller than the Camry and the Accord 4 cyl. You see how Honda responded with the 98 Accord, when it realized that the smaller sized Accord was not what the customers were looking for. Nissan must have the dumbest marketing research folks out there because it doesn't seem like they have a clue.

Case in point - Q45, just when all the luxury cars were going for performance. Nissan/Infiniti reduces the HP in the 1997 Q45. They claim performance advantages and even changed the slogan to Accelerating the future, yet the new Q is slower than the Lexus. And I don't think the new Q is more luxurious than the almost Rolls Royce like LS430. Just watch..even though the Q is a very, very nice car and they have come a long way...if the new Q's 340hp only does 0-60 in 6.5... it'll be another also ran in the luxury market.

The new Altima seems real nice but the other carmakers are not resting on their laurels... we'll see what the new Camry looks like and in 2003, the Accord. You don't think Toyota can make a 3.5 ltr engine that can put out 240hp? Honda can just put the 3.2 liter Type-s engine from the TL/CL...and wholla! No R&D cost and a 260HP engine!!!

Nissan has a long road ahead, they need to hit home runs for the next 5 years to become a formidable power again.

ludacris · June 2001

at least nissan was finally able to gain profit last year (after many years of debt). hopefully they'll be able to keep it up

lsc · June 2001

the first thing that Nissan has to make sure is that they retire the lame 5-speed in the Maxima..another opportunity lost, if I might add... and put in a decent 5-speed worthy of the rest of the car. If they put the same 5-speed in, which will most likely be the case...it'll be history repeating itself... another Nissan car with a terrible achilles heel.

Still wondering if they'll have the automatic climate control in the top of the line Altima. Anyone know?

ludacris · June 2001

the maximas getting a 6 speed manual this fall (with the 02s)

nikecar · June 2001

roninjouten Jun 7, 2001 2:09pm

well then your area pricing is different.. EX 2.3 with leather is
Carsdirect: 21,569
MSRP: 23,790
Invoice: 22,774
(Honda2001.com lists MSRP WITH spoiler at 24,359 as no option with Carsdirect)

Altima?
CD: 19,545
MSRP: 23,314
Invoice: 21,295
including ABS, Security, cabin filter, 6 disc changer and standard spoiler. Let's not forget 16" rims, and a longer powertrain warranty.

hmmm so I can get a comparable car with a longer powertrain warranty, bigger tires for $2000 less than an Accord thru Carsdirect. hmmm decisions..

an looking at the options of next year's Altima.. 180base HP or a 240 HP V6 big jump from this yrs Accord. better options IMO.. hmmmm.

venus537 · June 2001

"hmmm so I can get a comparable car with a longer powertrain warranty, bigger tires for $2000 less than an Accord thru Cars direct. hmmm decisions.."

Some of us don't think the current Altima is a comparable car to the Accord. hmmm...

hkchan · June 2001

Most people consider the Accord more car for more money. If one thinks they're comparable, that's all it matters - to that person. Just accept the fact that you're in the minority - nothing wrong with that.

cncman · June 2001

Ok,
Other than the fact that the accord is slightly larger inside, how is it more for the money?
you have a standard 155hp DOHC engine with a timing chain VS, an optional 150hp SOHC with a timing belt, the V TEC also requires a valve adjustment at I believe 30,000 miles. Altima has 2 liquid filled engine mounts, accord one. Suspension modifications on the altima are not even available on the accord, (ASD shocks, strut tower brace, Sport trim). No home link transmitter on any 4cylinder accords, 4channel ABS vs 3 channel, 100 watt CD& cassette VS 80 watt CD.
and 5yr/60,000 mile warranty VS 3yr/36,000 mile warranty. And actually JD power data does show that the 4cylinder accord, camry and altimas are heavily cross shopped. So, please explain for us the minority how all of this for a couple thousand less is less for the money? What would you compare the 4cylinder accord to, a Maxima?

hkchan · June 2001

The majority is the American car-buying public. It doesn't have to be right. It's all in the perception. Why's Nissan coming out with a much-larger Altima? Why do people say "Nissan can finally compete with the Accord/Camry"? When the new Altima is finally released, most people will prefer it over the current one. A minority will, however, still prefer the old one. They may say the new one's more like the Accord/Camry. I'm looking at this topic from a marketing point of view. Sell to the public what it wants (if you're going after volume).

blueguydotcom · June 2001

Nissan's old Atlima was narrowly marketed to those budget minded people who were willing to sacrifice a few things for the lower priced, smaller Altima compared to its supposed competitors the Camry and Accord. In reality, the car buying public saw the Altima in some odd never-never land, not quite a puny compact like a Sentra and not quite a midsize like a Camry/Taurus.

Nissan is going for distinct branding now. The New line up will involve a Sentra, Altima and Maxima at all the major selling points for non luxury cars. Before they had the Nissan competing against the Civic and the Max as a minimal contender with either the Avalon or Camcord. The Altima was odd man out. Obviously that marketing and design approach was wretched. With three clear lines and three segments to attack Nissan stands a better chance of making serious inroads with the Altima and Maxima brands in 2003 (when the Max goes toe-to-toe with the Avalon).

cyranno99 · June 2001

Also, remember that the Altima was a replacement for the slow-selling Stanza which competed well against Ford Tempo and such - not against Accord/Camry/Taurus.

hvtec2000 · June 2001

I talked to my friend who's working at the dealer and he said that the new 02 altima cost about 20,000 on the road with full option. I think V6 will cost about 22,000 +. That's all I know. But count me in for this nice car... I'm driving the civic 01 and it made from plastic bottle with recycle engein.

speedracer3 · June 2001

http://maxima.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=131822&page=2

nikecar · June 2001

speedracer3 Jun 13, 2001 12:04pm

beat me to it... aaarrrggghhh

speedracer3 · June 2001

Speed <---- quick at the draw

har1bush · June 2001

Wow, if those prices hold true, these cars will be selling like hot cakes! Now it'll be just a matter of how the Maximas are priced as well as how the new Camry will look and drive (although it probably won't compare with at least 20 hp less than the Altima!!!).

dudka · June 2001

i am a current honda civic owner, and i am thinking about getting an altima. the only reason i am considering altima is because it is smaller than accord and bigger than a civic. but after reading here about people's problems i am not so sure i want an altima. right now nissan offers a $2000 rebate on 2001 altimas. the question is, is altima as reliable as civic? what about resale value?
thank you

nikecar · June 2001

dudka Jun 14, 2001 8:48am

I find my 99 as reliable as any family member's Accord or civics. (5 cars in extended family).

Resale isn't as high, but its still pretty good. Of course you are paying for that resale value up front

blueguydotcom · June 2001

The Altima is not nearly as reliable and its resale is horrid. Those rebates hurt the car's resale in the long run.

Plus this is the last year of a design that sold poorly.

Of course luxury wise an Altima is leagues beyond the Spartan interior of a Civic. Additionally, the 150 hp engine pulls much more strongly than Honda's anemic VTEC system on those puny 4's. VTEC, IMHO, should be banned on any car with fewer than 6 cylinders.

jmfreshour · June 2001

My wife has a 95 Altima SE with 106k miles. Only item replaced has been a faulty air bag computer. I've had all of the scheduled maintenance performed and regular oil changes. A buddy of mine has a 93 Altima GLE with 180k miles. No major problems. I can only assume that the newer Altimas will be just as reliable. The Smyrna, TN plant has won quality awards in the past. But this topic is about the 02 Altima. If they keep the pricing right, we'll be getting another one. The 02 has to be aggressively priced to compete with the perception of superior Honda/Toyota quality. Fine cars in their own right, but in my experience, Nissan is just as reliable. If the 02 undercuts Camcords by $1,000 or so, I'm quite positive that Nissan will have a huge hit on their hands. My $0.02. Cheers.

blueguydotcom · June 2001

Anecdotal "evidence" is essentially useless, even if you have 200 friends who claim their Altimas ran perfectly. CR, Edmunds, JD Power all keep track of these issues and while an Altima may rank higher than American counterparts, but it falls far short when compared to the legendary reliability of Hondas and its Civic and Accord lines in particular.

I owned a nissan ofr 6 years and it ran very well -great car- but compared to an Acura or Honda I must be realistic.

jmfreshour · June 2001

When you add up everyone's "anecdotal evidence," don't you get what CR, JD Powers, Edmunds, etc. report as being the reliability issues? Where else do you think they get their ratings, just make them up? You will get no argument from me that Hondas are excellent cars, with stellar reliability. I, for one, have had great experience with Nissans. I never purported to be speaking for the entire group of Nissan owners (I'll leave that to CR, JD Powers, Edmunds, etc.), only what I have experienced. I'm sure that one could also find Honda owners who have had bad experiences with their vehicles. The bottom line is, Nissan also makes a great product.

speedracer3 · June 2001

The Altima won this year's JD Power's initial quality award. I don't see any Civics or
Accords in that list. Therefore I would make the argument that the Altima is more reliable than the Civic or Accord. No anectdotal evidence here.

http://www.jdpower.com/auto/winners.asp?StudyID=517&CatID=1

cncman · June 2001

Here's more non anecdotal information, Intellichoice which rates vehicles on cost of ownership, including resale value, repairs, insurance, maintenance, fuel cost etc. The Altima costs 42 cents/ mile to drive, the EX accord 4cylinder costs 45cents/mile, I mean come on here, both the nissans and the hondas are extremely reliable, the fact that data varies so much from third parties just proves that there is not a huge gap between the two. And blueguy, where do you get your info from anyway? The altima sold about 150,000 units 99-00 year, 4cylinder accord about 200,000. And this is without rebates! I wouldn't call that slow selling, why do you? Also as far as the resale value, with the rebates now, you can buy a GXE limited edition in the mid $15,000 range, 99-01 altimas GXE's are still selling for $12-13,000 depending on miles and condition, I don't think this is too bad.

s852 · June 2001

Initial Quality and reliability of the long term is not the same thing.
JD Powers now has some kind of bogus rating that allows unreliable cars to be rated highly. I think it is something like "Most Desirable" or some other ridiculously subjective rating.
VWs and some other unreliable, but "interesting" cars score well under this category.

blueguydotcom · June 2001

because the entire Accord lineup sold far more than that.

I'm a Nissan fan but their resale value is so bad in my area, Southern CA, that purchasing a new one is a good way to lose 4-5k in one year. While shopping for a new car I came across some disturbing things. A 2000 Maxima with an MSRP of 27k was offered to me for 21k. Altimas appeared to fair poorly too. Flip through the Mossy site and year old Altimas that sported MSRP's near 20k are reselling in the mid teens. Hondas seemed to carry astronomical used costs - though the cars are banal to the extreme.

Even Nissan would admit the Altima has been a major sales laggard the past 2-3 years. Same with the Maxima actually. If not for the insane number of Altimas and Maxes going to rental fleets, how many would Nissan really sell?

I do look forward to the new 2002 though. I hope it signals Nissan's willigness to build a car that can really compete with Camcord.

speedracer3 · June 2001

Initial quality relates to problems found in a car in the first few months of ownership. According to the JD Power survey, the Altima had less initial problems than the Civic or Accord. That is pretty compelling info when contemplating a car's reliability.

cncman · June 2001

Well,
I guess you would say honda has been a slow seller too, the Camry far outsells the accord too. I don't think it's accurate to compare the sales of V6 accords to the altimas, since as you say, most folks compare those to the maxima. Sure it sounds like a big hit when you look at the first year depreciation compared to MSRP! If the cars were selling for MSRP new you may have a point, When you say an altima that had an MSRP of almost $20,000 I assume you are talking about a GXE, their MSRP was about $19,200, you can buy one for in the $15,000 range after the rebate now, so if you are saying they are in the mid teen range used, again, that does not sound bad to me. And what makes you say Nissan would admit the altima and maxima have been in a sales slump the last 2-3 years? Altimas and maxima sales have been steadily increasing over the last 2-3 years, Maxima has been the best selling import V-6 for the past 11 years or more. Also old body style SE's and GLE's (maximas) 96-97 are still selling in the $15-18,000 range. Again, I do think the Honda has a slightly better resale value, but it is not in the thousands of dollars of difference VS a Nissan.

speedracer3 · June 2001

Nissan is the 2nd largest (1st is Toyota) Japanese manufacturer by volume. Yes, they sell more cars than Honda. Does it this mean that Nissan cars are better than Honda?. No. Does it mean that Toyota cars are better than Nissan?. No.

nikecar · June 2001

The Altima is not nearly as reliable and its resale is horrid. Those rebates hurt the car's resale in the long run.

Well its either pay up front more cash and get a higher resale at the end, or pay less now if youplan to keep the car and don't care for resale. rebates won't hurt anything.

as for reliability, does my brother who's brought his Civic in for brake work 3 times in his first yr of owning it make it less reliable than my Altima? no. Does me bringing in my altima for window rattle 2 times make it less reliable than a Civic? no.

what goes on with Honda is that the perception of excellent reliability is aiding in its sales. Look at all the new 01's being sold (civics). forget that every review says its woefully underpowered, yet people buy it.. why? its Honda so it has to be good.

I'd rather spend a few bucks less and get a nissan than deal with a Honda dealer who wants my wallet empty.

maxamillion1 · June 2001

I do not know if this has been posted here already, but I will give it a shot.

2002 Nissan Altima,

Models available:
2.5: Basic, no optional packages.
2.5S: Mid-grade, optional packages, the best seller.
2.5SL: Luxurious, leather the works.
3.5SE: Sporty, fast.

5 speed will be offered on all models, SL included.

*In addition to what we already know, here are the optional packages available for the new Altima.

Convenience Package:(2.5S)
16 inch alloy wheels, 8 way power driver seat with manual lumbar support, auto on/off headlights, dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors with sun visor extensions, leather-wrapped steering wheel, front passenger's window auto-up feature, key operated front windows up/down feature, key fob operated windows down feature, multi-function trip computer with steering wheel controls, 6 speaker am/fm/cd with speed sensitive audio volume, steering radio controls, Vehicle Security with Immobilizer and cargo net.

Leather Package:(SE Only)
Leather appointed seats, fake leather door trim, 8 speaker BOSE am/fm/ in dash CD6 Radio Data Systems (RDS), auto dimming rear view mirror, Homelink Universal Garage door opener, AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL!!!

Power Sliding Glass Sunroof:(All except 2.5)
One touch open/close sunroof

Cold Package:(SE only)
Requires Leather Trim package:
Heated front seats and outside mirrors, low washer fluid warning indicator and trunk lid trim

BOSE Audio System:(2.5S, and 3.5SE)
8 speaker am/fm/ in dash CD6, 150 watts, Radio Data System(RDS)

ABS: (All except 2.5)
requires Side impact airbags
includes Brake assist, and Electronic Brake Force Distribution

Side impact airbags:(All except 2.5)
requires ABS::
Front seat side-impact airbags, roof mounted side-impact curtain air bags

Rear spoiler(3.5SE only)

Traction Control:(3.5SE A/T only)

High Intensity Discharge (HID) xenon headlights:(3.5SE only)
requires rear spoiler and sunroof

Simulated wood grain trim:(2.5SL and 3.5SE)
SE requires leather interior.

The way it looks, the 2.5 will be the competitor to the current Accord DX and Camry CE, but with many more feature, really enough to compare with the Accord LX and Camry LE.
Power windows and locks, 16 inch wheel covers, rear defrost, the basics.

The 2.5 S adds

*Driver and passenger seatback pockets
*Dual height adjustable driver's seat
*Cruise Control
*am/fm/cd with 6 speakers
*60/40 split rear seat with lock
*CFC free air conditioning
*dual power mirrors
*remote keyless entry

2.5SL adds to 2.5S

*16 inch alloy wheels
*LCD in meter trip computer with dual odometers, outside temp, distance to empty, average fuel economy, average speed, drive time.
*Vehicle security system with immobilizer
* dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors with sunshade extensions
*Auto dimming rear view mirror
*Cargo net
*Homelink garage system
*Auto on/off headlights
*BOSE am/fm/in-dash CD6 with 8 speakers with RDS
and steering wheel audio controls
*Leather appointed seats
*Fake leather door panel material
*8 way power driver seat
*key fob operated front window down feature
*Key operated window up/down feature

3.5SE adds to 2.5S

*17 inch alloy wheels
*P215/55R17 tires all season radials(v rated manual, H raterd auto)
*Fog lights
*Leather wrapped steering wheel
*8 way power driver seat
*LCD trip computer with dual odometers, outside temp display, distance to empty, average fuel economy, average speed, drive time.
*6 speaker am/fm/cd player with steering wheel audio controls
*Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors
*Vehicle Security System with immobilizer
*Auto on/of headlights
*Cargo net
*key operated window up/down feature
*key fob operated front window down feature
*240 hp 3.5 liter DOHC V6 engine, 24 valves
*Dual exhaust with chrome tips

I sure hope this answers a lot of your question, if you would like to see more, go to www.Nissannews.com go to the info about the 2002 ALtima, when you get there, click on specification, it has since been updated, but not with the MSRP of models or packages, I would not expect it until late August since the car doesn't come out until September.

Also, notice how the 2.5SL and the 3.5SE compare to each other in a sense, the SL has all the luxury goodies with the 4 cylinder, while the SE has the v6 with cloth.

I was also suprised to see the Automatic Temp control and Cold weather packages available for the new Altima, I was also surpised that since the packages are offered on the 3.5SE, why not offer them on the 2.5SL, it is suppose to be the luxury model of the 4, and if you are like me, and do not like the look of the titanium looking trim, wood grain trim is probably available for all models as an accessory.

Altimas next year are expected to be sold 80% as 4 cylinder models, while the remaining 20% will be the 3.5SE.

With the many unique features, and great styling, Nissan should be able to sell all of the predicted 190,000 they expect to sell next year, I will be one of the first in my area to test one of these babies.

Anyone with more info, I would sure like to see more.

maxamillion1 · June 2001

Can we please stop talking about the resale value and reliablity of 2001 and later Altimas, this is a forum about the new redesigned 2002 Altima, and I am pretty sure the resale value and reliablity, while not yet predicted, will be better than previous Altimas.

Good Night All,
Reg

venus537 · June 2001

"I guess you would say Honda has been a slow seller too, the Camry far outsells the accord too"

Not so. I believe the Accord is outselling the Camry so far this year. In any event, the Camry has never outsold the Accord by a large margin.

The current Altima seems to be a car between the Civic and the Accord. The new Altima will shatter that image though. I'm hoping the 4 cylinder engine is a smooth operator. 180 bhp/180 ftlb is good enough for me. Looks like the V6 model will come with too much "stuff" I don't really need or like. I hate spoilers.

s852 · June 2001

I just noticed the post above that said that the 3.5 SE is going to be also available with the woodgrain interior trim if you get leather seats. This will eliminate the need for a 3.5 SL model. I never liked the looks of the aluminum interior trim in the photos.
I really hope the interior plastics quality looks more like a VW and less like a Chevy or Pontiac. Unfortunatley there seem to be no pictures available for any interiors other than the SE with aluminum trim. It would be good to see a photo of the S and SL model interiors and the wood trim.
I hope a power remote trunk release is available.

The only thing it doesn't seem to have that would be nice is optional gps navigation on the top end SE model, but I guess it would step on the Maxima too much with that feature since even the Maxima doesn't have GPS.
I'm hoping the top of the line SE with leather and automatic will be available for about $23K since you can get an Accord EXV6 which has most of a fully-loaded SE's features less 40 HP for about that price after discounting from MSRP. In a little over a year an all-new Accord will be out.
I don't see many people wanting to spend more for a V6 Altima than an Accord EXV6 even though the Honda has "only" 200 HP compared to 240 on the Altima.
The new Altima's possible horrific gas mileage fiasco remains to be resolved and, in the 3.5 SE model, I could live without the ride-quality penalty the expensive-to-replace standard low-profile 17 inch tires are probably going to punish passengers with.

qin2 · June 2001

s852 · June 2001

It looks good. Too bad the one thing I haven't already seen, the interior of a non-SE model, still cannot be seen because of the all the reflections in the window of the photo.

At least this should mean the car should be available soon and I should be able to see one in person.
I would think that next months car magazines should have road tests, but it wouldn't be surprising if all the road tests turn out to be only on the SE models at first.

maxamillion1 · June 2001

The Altima looks really good, it looks better in these pics than the pictures at the autoshow. I like that white color. Those wheelcovers look similar to the alloy wheels on the current GLE Altima available now.

s852 · June 2001

Anyone notice that Nissan is dumping alot of information about the new Altima months before it's released? The only information not available is pics of the inside of base, S and SL models, the MSRP pricing and the GAS MILEAGE.
On the other hand, pretty much all the info is only available on the internet and some minor articles in car magazines. I suppose I would have not known anything about the new Altima if I did not have internet access.

Toyota is much more secretive with their new Camry that should be out only slightly after the the new Altima. The only thing out on the Camry is heavily disguised spy photos that may not even be legitimate. No firm information about new features on the 2002 Camry is available.

Maybe Toyota is afraid of hurting sales of the current Camry if they release any info on the new Camry.
The current Altima is so weak compared to the new one. I think this means that there is going to be a big price increase on the 2002 models or else huge rebates on the 2001s or it will be impossible to sell a 2001 Altima once the 2002s are here.

speedracer3 · June 2001

Thanks gin2

ludacris · June 2001

great job on getting those pix! howd u get them? working for a dealer?

tim_hooligan · June 2001

I knew it looked like a car already on the roads, and today I saw a caddy in the parking lot. Both look dead similar in the rear area (except for those clear taillight...still not a fan of those).
overall, lookin' pretty good! about MPG, if you saw the nissan site eariler it had those controversial MPG numbers on it. now it's listed as N/A. most likely a misprint at first. look for 19-20 city and 27-29 highway for the V6 and maybe 22-24 city and 30-32 highway 4 banger. just like most 6's and 4's.
overall, if nissan offers this baby in the low 20's, i may be selling off my pathfinder!!!

xmf314 · June 2001

I saw a silver 2002 Altima parked on the street today, with California distributor plates like those in the above photo. Nissan has wrapped the new Altima in georgious sheet metal. It looks much better in the flesh than in pictures.

speedracer3 · June 2001

Some Nissan cars look better in person than on pics. Everyone that has seen the Altima in person thinks it is a gorgeous car. Same situation with the new Z car.

randyt2 · June 2001

The new altima looks really cool, thanks for the pic's. I couldn't tell in the pic's if the side mirrors are folding or not. Can anyone tell?

sdatta · June 2001

Thanks for the awesome pics. I assuages some of the concern I had about the rear end-- still not great but not as bad as I had thought.

But guys, you may want to wait until spring of 2002 when the new G35 comes out. I just saw a picture of it at www.nissannews.com and it is flat out gorgeous! It will probably have the same Hp as the I35, which is 260. Unlike the Altima and Maxima, it will be a rear-wheel drive. I think Nissan is getting ready to take on the BMW 3-series.

I know what you're thinking: if I want a sports car why not just wait and get the new Z concept? With a family, a convertable is totally out of the question for me.

And then there's the new Maxima. Who knows what that will turn out to be like.

Man, the future is looking great for us Nissan lovers, eh?

Nissan Altima

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles