2008 Nissan Altima Coupe

mable91367

Hi, Do anyone have any information on the 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe? I saw it at the Los Angeles Car Show, and I really do like it. When will it be available?

maxamillion1

...on www.nissanews.com.

But to sum it up. The Coupe is available in S and SE trims...has the 6MT and CVT transmission available. Will make the same horsepower as the Altima sedan counterpart and will share it's interior.

It's slightly shorter and has a smaller wheelbase and it goes on Sale this Summer.

bodble2

Does it not look strikingly like the Infiniti G Coupe? Wonder if it would canibalize sales from the G Coupe to some degree? :confuse:

The Skyline GT-R also seems to share similar styling theme. With the Z car included, Nissan/Infiniti would end up with several models that overlap each other somewhat, IMO.

twain

The Altima coupe is a wonderful bargain for those who don't need the status symbol of an Infiniti.

IMO, it's already made the Maxima irrelevant.

wale_bate1

I dunno 'bout that, twain.

If they had taken the 350Z and effectively offered a 2+2 version, which is what the G35 coupe is, I'd agree, and assuming all other things being equal, and some decent styling, I'd look at it seriously.

But as is, specificaly as a FWDer, it doesn't interest me as an alternative to the G coupe (which I prefer to anything else Nissan makes). Subjectively, also, I think that though it's styled in a very familiar way, the final execution is nowhere near as sleek or even corherent as the G. To me it has detailing where it doesn't need it.

Taken on its own, though, I think it's a very nice offering.

bodble2

Perhaps the Altima coupe is targeted at the buyers who only want to look sporty, but couldn't care less about ultimate performance. But I wonder if that is too narrow of a market segment. But as twain said, there is too much overlap between the Maxima and the Altima, coupe and sedan. (I know Maxima doesn't have a coupe). IMO the new Altima looks better than the Maxima. I know if I'm spending my own money, I would buy a fully-loaded Altima over the Maxima, and pocket the difference in $$. :shades:

wale_bate1

"Perhaps the Altima coupe is targeted at the buyers who only want to look sporty, but couldn't care less about ultimate performance."

Find nailhead; hit it with big hammer!

That's a major bingo. I think the niche may be bigger than you think, though. An awful lot of mfrs exited the personal coupe category over the years, or else executed it so poorly they were forced out.

I think there's room, and they did a nice job coming up with something to fill it.

I don't care much for this gen Max, personally. I find it ungainly, and way too big for a daily driver...

groove269

First off i like the idea nissan is having with a coupe, i think it will sell very well. How can you compare the G35 to the altima coupe? Its not even in the same range. But since some of you are knocking off this car, think about this. A 2007 Infiniti G35 (very good looking car) has 307HP@ $35,000-good price for a sports car. Now, the Nissan Altima Coupe has 270HP@$25k-26k. Do the math 307-270=36! $15,000 more for 36HP??!!! No thank you! Im not saying the altima coupe is better than the G, but if your in a budget it wouldnt hurt to look at Coupe. Also, please dont knock cars that you havent test driven yet. It like booing a movie that hasnt been released! (my 2 cents)

bodble2

But who's knocking anything? I know I wasn't. Saying the Altima coupe looks similar to the G coupe is not knocking it. Actually probably complimenting it. I was just wondering if there is a sufficient market for it. If anything, I guess the Maxima is being knocked.

wale_bate1

the car? Looks like a good deal in a class that isn't all that expansive in scope these days.

As a personal driving choice, I most certainly can knock FWD in favor of RWD, and I feel pretty comfortable in that, but that isn't about the car itself, just about options in the marketplace for the kind of driving experience one wants.

Really not about horse count either. Awful lot more factors than power that separate the two...

joshman9

1) How much will the 2008 Nissan Altima Coupe cost?

2) What is a cool 2008 sports car that will cost less than 27,000?

blondeblue

I will be interested in the altima coupe if its front wheel drive. I live in the northeast. Rear wheel drive just won't cut it here especially when the car is low too. I realize sports car people only believe in rwd, which is fine if you either have two vehicles or live in a non-snow area. Sporty and with fwd will fit the bill for me.

I had a Dodge Stealth that was just great to look at (engine, well that was another issue!!) and it was terrific in the snow with front wheel drive. It was fast and handled really well. So time will tell with the sales!!

bodble2

The Altima Coupe is FWD, is it not, since the sedan is FWD?

blondeblue

You are correct. It is FWD, I looked at the specs. Sorry should have done that first,head slap!!!

paisan

Yup FWD, it'll be competing with the FWD cars such as the Accord Coupe, Eclispe, Avenger (or whatever DC is putting out that's coupe/FWD) etc.

Should be a nice vehicle.

-mike

tianoogle

Man, your maths sucks.

imkramer

Yes, his math sucks. But your spelling isn't any better.

lucernefast

Is there any information on the capacity of the new CVT in the 2008 Altima Coupe per it's limits to handle HP and Torque. If you start to tune it up how far can you go without compromising the tranny. 50-100 more HP????
Any engineers out there?

greanpea68

I work at a Nissan Dealer and the Coupes will arrive with in the next two weeks. Place a order now while you can!!!!

oldfarmer50

Just read the Edmunds review. At one point it says the Altima has a 68.8 slalom but at another says it's 66.8mph.

Any one know what the right figure is? Either way that's not bad handling but the higher figure would make it really good.

BTW, how do they get decent handling with 67% front weight bias? I thought that led to understeer issues?

toomuchrock

I drove one today which had convience package, moonroof, and AT. It drove like a dream. The shifting was so smooth i could not even feeling to change gears, which is apparently a newly designed feature.
Inteior was spacious, very few blind spots, turned smoothly, handled nicely and priced very nicely. Window tag after all fees was 24500 i beleive, he offered it to us for 23000, plus tax tag and title which i beleive made it somewhere around 25600... he also offered a 120,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty for 1500. Do you think this is a fair price to pay for this car?

bodble2

"The shifting was so smooth i could not even feeling to change gears..."

It's a CVT tranny, so in essence there are no gears to change.

madmanmoo

We aren't discounting these vehicles. Almost all are presold. I can't believe someone said they would take off $1,500 from a brand new vehicle that is very hot right now.

Looks awesome!

-Moo

greanpea68

You should run back and buy it if they are taking $1500 off. Nobody is going to discount these for awhile :shades:

madmanmoo

I was surprised by how good they looked in person. What'd you think, greenpea? I know they have a real hit on their hands with this vehicle. I wonder how many coupes we can reasonably expect to sell though. When I worked for Honda, their Accord coupes accounted for about 10% total of their Accord sales. I wonder if it will be the same for the Altimas.

-Moo

bodble2

There hasn't been much of a market for coupes for as far as I can remember...at least coupes spun off of a family sedan.

mlubes11

How many does your dealership have? One in my area (Philly area)is one of the tops in the nation. From what I know they were getting more than others and were able to play wiht the price. Regardless, my current lease isn't up for three months. I figured by then I'd have a little more leeway to negotiate. I'm going to go with the 2.5 S with convenience and sunroof (unless my raise comes early, then I get leather). 2.5 is better for me because of my commute. If the price isn't right I'm getting the 2.5 SL sedan which I just test-drove.

madmanmoo

Well, the numbers show that there is definitely a market there. Civics and Accord coupes both do very well for Honda. G35 coupe was a wonderful hit as well. There's definitely a sizeable market for them, I just wonder how many total will be sold. I guess we'll have to see.

-Moo

madmanmoo

We're the 3rd largest dealer in Georgia and we're all sold out. Almost all have been presold as well. They are all going for sticker. I have no reasonable explanation for why someone would discount this right now. The market will definitely hold on them for awhile.

-Moo

snags

went to a Nissan dealer in Cherry Hill NJ and saw a white coupe with blond leather interior. looked really nice. Went to the sticker and from a distance could see a dealer add on which I thought was one of worthless undercoating,etc.

Nope a market adjustment of are you ready $3,000.00.
Yes you read it right. I dont know whos kidding who but this is ridiculous.

A market adjustment for an auto that just came out and was priced by the manufacturer.What market and who came up with this amount?

thenebean

i don't see anything wrong in the dealer trying to get as much money as he can for a vehicle he's selling. if you don't like it, you don't pay it. that's all.

some people don't seem to care about the market when they want to buy a hot car that is selling at MSRP at invoice...so why not try to sell a hot car above invoice? there are people out there who pay.

my two cents...

-thene

snags

You are right nad of course i wouldnt buy the car at that price.

I can understand the dealer getting MSRP for a "hot" car but to charge $3,000.00 over and the reason being market adjustment with no further explanation seems a little much.

The MSRP is already over invoice and at MSRP the dealer is still making a better then average profit.

It seems like they are taking it out of the price range the car was meant to sell at by Nissan.

I know Nissan doesnt probaly care what the dealer makes but it could force someone to choose another car.

bodble2

I have yet to see one on the road here.

madmanmoo

They just came out bodble2. That would explain why you aren't seeing them on the road right now. Yes, I would say this is a "hot" car.

Quick story from a neighboring dealership. One of the transport trucks was bringing in some of the first coupes to the dealership. A lady had seen one of them on the truck and followed the truck to the dealership. She got a salesperson and pointed at the coupe on the truck and told him that was the one that she wanted. He charged $3k over and she went home very happy.

I would term that "hot". And again, we're presold of almost all our allocation. Our dealership has only received 1 so far.

-Moo

thenebean

market adjustment is the reason!

the market will bear a $3000 over sticker price for these cars right now, so why should they not be allowed to charge it. who cares how much over invoice it is with MSRP and then the addendum. if people pay, thats what matters. it will come down once people don't pay that price.

just like its not a crime for a consumer to ask for a price under invoice, it shouldn't be an issue for a dealer to ask over sticker.

if you don't like it, go to another dealer, or wait until the car isn't as popular. simple as that.

nissan won't care what dealers sell the car at. they got their money from the dealer. the dealers will want to sell cars, and if they aren't selling at $3000 over anymore, they'll drop the price

-thene

bodble2

Interesting story. I wonder what is the primary age group, and what gender, Nissan is targeting with this car? I wonder because my 17-year-old car-nut son has only shown passing interest in the car. We saw in at the auto show, I asked him what he thought, and he gave me his patented "indifferent" shoulder shrug. :confuse:

jd10013

I don't think they're targeting an age group, just filling a hole in their vehicle lineup. they have two entry level cars in the versa and sentra, family sedans in the altima and maxima, and high end performance car in the Z. I think nissan is just trying to provide a product for people who want some of the features, amenities, and size of the altima; but want something a little sportier and without 4 doors.

jaeger1

Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD. Of course the dealer can ask wahetever they want for any car, but to me, a $3k boost smacks of gouging. It is within their rights to do so and within mine not only to pass on this deal, but any future business that might have gone their way. I'd let them know about it as well. To say this would be a poor approach to building customer loyalty would be an understatement. At least they are being up-front about it, I suppose that counts for something.

thenebean

i don't see it as gouging. they are within their rights to charge what the market will bear for a vehicle. people will find a lot of value in that price $3000 over MSRP if they get to be the first on the block with that car. to each their own.

-thene

jd10013

I believe the same thing happened with the toyota prius when it came out. high gas prices + limited availability + 3k tax credit sent the price of those through the roof. It got so bad that used ones would often sell above MSRP of a new one.

thenebean

it happens - and it continues to happen because people out there pay those prices. now i wouldn't (unless i had lots of money when the new Nissan GTR came out) but everyone has different priorities.

its funny that the prices were so high on the prius so people could save money on gas, but they were paying so much more for a car...i bet it was a wash (or will be in another 3 years)

-thene

snags

There is a fine line between what the market will bare and someone taking advantage of a situation.

I agree that everone has a choice to either pay the price or not.i think it boils down to future business and dealer reputation which in long run may cost them more.

I ,for one ,will not deal with a dealer who has those add ons artificially raising the price . Who asked for lo jack or unneeded undercoating .

We dont even no yet how good the altima coupe is anyway and a single test drive is not enough.Other then being the first on the block, an ego thing,I dont see any reason to pay 3,000.00 over MSRP.

We have people on this board that dont want to pay invoice let alone 3k over.

ezshift5

...We have people on this board that dont want to pay invoice let alone 3k over.

....plus it looks like this 3.5 liter new Altima Coupe:

....is almost a half second behind the old Accord coupe any way you seem to slice it.

I'm not doing anything (maybe a test drive) until we sample an '08 Accord with VCM, better crash protection and better numbers (accel, mpg and ........MAYBE even weight).

thenebean

i wouldn't be paying over sticker either - as i know that price will come down eventually. but someone out there thinks its a deal to buy one of the first XYZ mobile out there at $5000 over sticker - otherwise the dealers wouldn't ask for it

im sure some people on edmunds might not be happy if they bought the car for $3000 UNDER invoice :P

-thene

jaeger1

I'm not doing anything (maybe a test drive) until we sample an '08 Accord with VCM, better crash protection and better numbers (accel, mpg and ........MAYBE even weight).

You sure seem to have a lot of hard data on a car that isn't even out yet. Do share. Don't know why you would even test drive the Altima if you already know that the '08 Accord is faster, gets better fuel economy and offers superior crash protection.

Those are some pretty conclusory statements when comparing a car you haven't driven to a car that no-one has driven.

dannyr

Take this price gouging as a blessing because let the other people buy this initial production run of cars and let them deal with all the inherent bugs, defects and glitches that are almost guaranteed to occur at a much higher rate with a brand new model. I was one of those suckers who bought a brand new model car(mazda 6) a few weeks after it came out because I was impatient and wanted to be one of the 1st ones to have one. Althougth I still got it for a little bit under MSRP(had I waited a 9 months I would of got it a lot under MSRP) the mechanical and fit and finish problems have been non-stop and I have vowed never to get sucked in of having the 1st one on the block syndrome again.

I want the new coupe but I will wait at least another 6 months to a year when A) it will be much cheaper as Nissan is doing the Nintendo WII thing-reducing supply to create an artificial demand and buzz for the car, the oldest marketing trick in the book. and B)the rate of failure will be much lower because Nissan will have figured out how to bulld this car properly and the guinea pig models will be long gone. Sure it has the same platform as the sedan but the suspension and body panels are different enough where there can and will be a host of problems. Nissan's track record with the tire feathering problem on the 350Z is enough cause to be concerned.

If you love this car and want it badly you will still sleep at night waiting until next spring to buy it. It won't be the end of the world and no matter what anyone says, the FWD coupe market is weak at best and MSRP prices will not be sustained for long and you will be saving yourself thousands by waiting and peace of mind that the chances of your car being a buggy mess has been greatly reduced.Good things come to those who wait. Now there are some who are leasing and have no choice but for the others who aren't, pardon my french, but don't be a moron like I was and buy one now unless you like hanging around dealerships waiting for your car to be fixed.

dairyshick

I completely agree with how ridiculous someone is to spend thousands OVER MSRP on a new car that isn't even ground-breaking. The Altima coupe doesn't blow away the competition or have anything significant that another car wouldn't have. Sure, it's a sleek, new car with some good features, but many cars do. So, the ONLY (yes, the only!) reason to spend that much more on a new car is ego, as was stated earlier. Sadly, though, that is why a good majority of people spend thousands more to own a mercedes, bmw, lexus, etc..(a topic that could make for another lengthy discussion, but I digress!). I'll give a small percentage of people that own these cars the benefit of the doubt that they truly enjoy the car over a non-luxury badge and that's why they bought it, but that's really not the case in most situations.
The worst part about paying over MSRP for the sake of being the first to have a car is that you'll only be the only person on your block to have that car for maybe a month...at which point the rest of the town will be littered with your same exact model! But, apparently, there are some out there that feel $3K - $5K, or even more, is worth the price of telling their friends they're the 'first' to have this car...I tend to think they are the ones that weren't hugged enough as a child or had their hearts broken by too many people to the point where superficial niceties are their only enjoyment.

Anyway, in summary, don't be stupid and buy an altima coupe for a single dollar over MSRP!...especially when Nissan is almost always promoting discounts. But, to each his own...so whoever makes such this intelligent choice can rest soundly at night knowing they were the only one with that car for a few days...cheers to you!

jd10013

A) it will be much cheaper as Nissan is doing the Nintendo WII thing-reducing supply to create an artificial demand and buzz for the car, the oldest marketing trick in the book. and B)the rate of failure will be much lower because Nissan will have figured out how to bulld this car properly and the guinea pig models will be long gone.

They're not intentionaly holding back supply, there are just limits to how many can be produced, Probably no more than a hundred or two a day. with somewhere over a thousand NA dealerships, It will take a little time to get each one stocked with a few.

And there probably won't be many (if any) issues with the car. Its essentialy just an altima with a different body style. And nowadays, cars are throughly tested (both computer simulation and real world) that even the cars with the worst first year reliabily score typicaly have no more than 1.5 to 2 problems.

But, I do agree with you guys, no way in hell I'd pay over msrp for any car. But I guess for people who have more money then sense, its not an issue. :P

dannyr

"And there probably won't be many (if any) issues with the car. Its essentialy just an altima with a different body style. And nowadays, cars are throughly tested (both computer simulation and real world) that even the cars with the worst first year reliabily score typicaly have no more than 1.5 to 2 problems."

You have obviously never owned a Mitsubishi or a Volkswagon. Anyways I have to disagree on this point. With all the options available on today's cars it's a breeding ground for problems, specifically electrical, and with everything depending on what computer code pops up you are limited to taking it to a dealer and being appropriately gouged as independent garages can't fix alot of these cars.

I can't remember how many times I've had CEL's pop up because I didn't close the gas cap well enough and being charged $50 just to tell me that and that's when they can find the problem. With today's plethora of options available all car makers have thier fingers crossed when they introduce new models just because cars have become such complex pieces of machinery.

ezshift5

....Those are some pretty conclusory statements when comparing a car you haven't driven to a car that no-one has driven.

...Right...(those are some pretty 'conclusory' statements)...

A fifth of Old Beltbuckle sez those same statements will validate with time...............stick around.

..ez..

rennie4

I never saw an accord hit 60 in 5.8 seconds with an automatic!! The stick should be even faster! The 4-Cyl are faster than a comaprable 4-cyl accord coupe also and gets better fuel economy to boot.