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Let the vs. wars begin, they're always fun - especially because Nissan and Mazda are the only two manufacturers who give a &^%*& any more (IMO)
If I had it to do all over again though, I'd give serious thought to the Opal Blue and Ruby colors. There are too many silver Altimas around.
It might have to do with the fact that they are light colors, reducing heat in the summer and also being easier to keep clean. I know my silver car (when I had it) was very easy to keep clean. The white one I have now is not too hard either.
i would have bought black if I knew Silver was going to be this popular.
For all of you 3.5 SE owners out there - is premium fuel recommended or required?
For all of you Altima owners, any regrets on your purchase?
Having said that, my favorites in the tire business are Michelin, Bridgestone, and Dunlop, probably in that order. That generalization hides a multitude of complicated details, however, because there are so many models of touring tires in the H and V ratings to choose from in the sizes that Nissan has chosen for the Altima.
The only virtue the Contis bring to the table is that they are dirt cheap as OEM to the factory. Michelin just opted out of bidding any more on GM-Europe's business because GM wanted the price for OEM tires so low that Michelin felt it couldn't make a profit selling in volume at those levels.
Honda generally does the best job of picking quality OEM tires for their cars, and yes, that includes the Firestones on the Civics that are nothing more than a Bridgestone design with a FS label. Toyota is one of the worst, especially with the shotgun approach they take with the tires on the Camry. You could wind up with any one of 5 brands/models of tires on the Camry, and there appears to be no rationale other than what was coming in the factory door at that hour when the car was built.
I've had my Altima for 6 months now, and I have no regrets whatsoever. I'm really enjoying my car.
5spd manual
Convenience pkg.
ABS
$17,011(Invoice)
540(Destination)
1,457(Convenience pkg.)
+ 693(ABS with side airbags)
= $19701
In this case, say I want to pay $400 over list, then the price is $20,101
If I were to go by the sticker, and pay $500 over it, the price would have been:
$18,499(MSRP)
540(Destination)
1,679(Conveience pkg. MSRP)
799(ABS with Side airbags MSRP)
=$21,517+500(over MSRP)=$22,017
That's a savings of: $1,916
$22,017-$20,101= $1,916
I hope this helps you out.
Since then there have been no problems.
I'm thinking of replacing the factory speakers. I don't have the Bose and the sound has become less than satisfactory. Anyone else change their speakers?
They sell only because they have a certain edge (as do mazda's products) and handle well, without sacrificing too much ride quality. If you expect them to wallow about like Lincolns or Tauruses or Accords, then no one will buy them any more!
5-speed. They were able the match the 6.3 seconds to 60 that Motor Trend (my least favorite mainstream mag) acheived when the car first came out.
~alpha
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/roadtests/2002/august/200208_shorttake_altima.xml
~alpha
Quality
Ride comfort and interior functionality
MPG
Value / Total Car expenditures - Long term
Dependability
Dealer cust service
...
...
...
Beating my neighbor to the next red light
If it takes me 10 + seconds to merge onto the highway, that's OK. I'll pass you later.
NOW, for the "need for speed" folks, anyone get the new Altima over 110 ? How does it handle ?
~alpha
Man, do I love my Nissan!!
Whats New?
Trim Level
* 2.5 SL trim level is a new package (2.5 SL Package)
Mechanical Feature
* Improved 3.5-liter V6 engine (3.5 SE)
- Horsepower increased
Exterior Features
* Two new colors available:
- Sonoma Sunset
- Crystal Blue
* Nouveau Ruby and Opal Blue Metallic no longer available
Interior Features
* Rear coat hooks
* Padded, cloth cover on front center armrest
(leather on leather-equipped models)
* Bright titanium-tinted interior accent colors
* Improved texture quality on specific interior pieces
* New charcoal-color seat fabric
I like both the Ruby and the Opal Blue colors although the Opal Blue cars always look "spotty". Dark patches, then light patches if you know what I mean. Too bad as those are nice colors.
Good news about the interior as well - if they could just replace some of the hard plastic with the kind of material that feels a bit softer but still looks the same - I can't describe it very well but it's the same stuff as is in my Expedition.
Still would love to know when the '03's are gonna be out - I need a car pretty quick but I want to wait for these. However, if I'm looking at a November time frame, I may have to break down. Didn't the '02's come out in September last year?
2.5S:
2.5S is available with three Convenience pkgs.
Con. pkg.(same as 2002)
Con. Plus pkg. (Con. pkg plus Sunroof.)
Prem. Con. Pkg. (Con. Pkg plus Sunroof and BOSE.)
ABS is still optional on the 2.5S
2.5SL:
2.5SL will stay as a current model, BUT it loses the 5spd manual model. It was a rare seller anyway.
New standard features include heated front seats and outside mirrors, automatic temp. control
ABS is still optional
You can get either the regluar 2.5SL, a 2.5SL with Sunroof, or the 2.5SL with Sunroof and ABS
3.5SE: No standard feature changes
Optional Pkgs change though
Leather pkg. adds sunroof, heated front seats and outside mirrors
Prem. Leather pkg. Has the wood trim added, I hope it looks better.
Sport Pkg.: Sunroof and Spoiler
Sports Plus Pkg.: Sunroof, Spoiler, BOSE, Hids
Leather Sports Pkg: Leather pkg plus Spoiler, Hids
I hope this helps. The source from FA stats that the new Colors in the above post will replace Opal Blue and Noveau Ruby(My favorite color.)
The all-new third generation Altima was introduced as a 2002 model with a totally new exterior, interior with increases in all major dimensions, along with a totally new platform. It also introduced, for the first time, a choice of 4-cylinder or V6 engines. Altima was named the 2002 North American Car of the Year and has enjoyed record sales throughout its first year. For 2003, several minor enhancements have been made to the interior, while a new packaging system has simplified the option choices for customers.
Enhancements to the 2003 Altima include:
· New charcoal seat fabric (late availability), padded cloth front center armrest cover (genuine leather on leather-equipped vehicles), bright titanium interior accent colors for all models
· Two new exterior colors - Sonoma Sunset and Crystal Blue
· Standard automatic transmission, heated front seats, heated outside mirrors and simulated wood trim for 2.5 SL
· New 3.5 SE Sport Package, which includes sunroof and spoiler
· New 3.5 SE Sport Package Plus, which includes sunroof, spoiler, Bose® audio system and xenon headlights
· 3.5 SE Leather Package now includes Bose® audio system, sunroof and Cold Package
· New 3.5 SE Leather Sport Package, which includes Leather Package, spoiler and xenon headlights
· New 3.5 SE Premium Leather Package, which includes Leather Sport Package, plus simulated wood trim