Nissan Altima

riez · September 2001

I'm looking for a serious all around affordable sport sedan. Comfy ride is way down on my list of desires. If I want that, then a $20,000 Taurus can deliver in spades. Or I can pay $30,000 for an Avalon. But if I want that sport sedan, then suspension is critical. I can't wait to see what Nissan does with the next generation Maxima. They'll fix the primitive rear and keep her competitive with Altima.

amazing2u · September 2001

By that I meant that the rear was not hoping all over the place.

Problem is, I was not that impressed with the Alti. I can get the Altima 3.5 SE for 22,000$US (FULLY LOADED) or the Max for 24,000$US (FULLY LOADED). those dollars are converted from Canadian prices. It IS a great car but, like I said, I was disapointed with a couple of things:

- Carpet tickness: My Mazda 626 has ticker capret and beter fibers.

- Wind noise: How could they not see the piece of ruber (foam?) sticking out of the right handside windshield???

- Leather: Good quality but feels weird to the touch (not as smooth as the Maxima leather)

The Maxima has it's shortcomings to (like you said, suspension

), But the resale value IS there with a max. Not so sure with the Altima (new model?).

In the end, for around the same price, I think I will choose the Max.

P.S.: Rumours has it that the next Maxima (2003,2004) will be a full size car with V8 and ALL-WHEEL DRIVE (freshalloy forums)!

WOOHOO!!!

pat · September 2001

We have a separate Nissan Maxima discussion, to which all of you interested in that vehicle are invited. And if anyone seriously wants to compare the Maxima to the Altima, please feel free to hop over to our Comparisons - Sedans vs. Sedans folder and fire one up.

We do not need to continue the discussion of the Maxima here. Please, let's get back on topic.

Thank you.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

amazing2u · September 2001

It's done.

amazing2u "Nissan Maxima VS. Nissan Altima (new model)" Sep 23, 2001 5:41pm

pat · September 2001

oac3 · September 2001

ruski: maybe I should've compared to the '02 Max, but I was looking at comparable prices - the '01 Max SE was a demo with 6K miles (dealership GM used it) and priced at $26K, while the '02 Alty 3.5SE sticked at just over $25K. This is my price range. The '02 Max GLE or SE were priced at >$28K and a little too rich for me.

maxamillion: the 2.5S had cloth and the 2.5SL had leather as I wrote in my post (check again).

A comparison b/w the Alty and the Max is in order, imo, since the former has climbed in price into the entry luxo price range (mid 20's), so amazin2u had a good point in creating a forum such as this. I, for one, will like to see what we all come up with. My verdict has already being given - the Max is the better put together model, while the Alty bests in the all subjective "looks" department.

ahossa · September 2001

I drove both I4 and the Camry is much quieter.Toyota is known for its total dedication to eliminating NHV(Noise,harshness and Vibration). I know that the Camry is boring but when I compared the two the Camry was better built, seemed sturdier and the materials used in the cabin was done neatly and the ride was soft and smooth. In the Altima the lines on the doors seemed to be overlapping and everything seemed to be delicate, if you grab them too hard it seemed as though it was going to fall off. The Altima was fairly quite but you can hear the engine in the cabin when the car is in Drive and Park.I thought it needed a tune up.The salesman told me the V6 is quieter but I did not drive one. You do not hear the engine in the Camry when it's in park.

donmauricio · September 2001

I went for a test drive on Saturday and got the chance to drive a 3.5 SE, sadly enough this dealership only had automatics. THEY WILL GET 5 spd's in 3 weeks???

Anyways I drove the fully loaded 3.5 and I took the chance to floor it quite a bit and do some
barely legal manuevers. (READ: extremely sharp turns at a very high speed.) to test the suspension. I was very impressed. The car handles extremly well for such a large sedan.

But I am sure those that have tested the car know that. But on the low side, the materials, such as the plastics on the dash seemed on the cheap end.
Also the center arm rest, oh my god, I felt that if I tried pulling it just a little to hard the thing would come right off. Also the sunroof was pretty loud. (Although a sunvisor --is that how their call? Would clear that problem.

I am not huge on materials since I am a true driver, and I am young enough, still, who will not get anything less than a manual tranny.

But the interiors did leave something to be desired. I can only credit that to the fact that
most of the Alty's budget when into the handling,
engine, suspension and styling. Which is good...
but only to a point, if one starts letting themselves go interior....and in my honest opinion
the Alty is pretty border line.

It is difficult to get a well rounded car, and by that I also mean fun to drive and not too expensive.

donmauricio · September 2001

I went for a test drive on Saturday and got the chance to drive a 3.5 SE, sadly enough this dealership only had automatics. THEY WILL GET 5 spd's in 3 weeks???

Anyways I drove the fully loaded 3.5 and I took the chance to floor it quite a bit and do some
barely legal manuevers. (READ: extremely sharp turns at a very high speed.) to test the suspension. I was very impressed. The car handles extremly well for such a large sedan.

But I am sure those that have tested the car know that. But on the low side, the materials, such as the plastics on the dash seemed on the cheap end.
Also the center arm rest, oh my god, I felt that if I tried pulling it just a little to hard the thing would come right off. Also the sunroof was pretty loud. (Although a sunvisor --is that how their call? Would clear that problem.

I am not huge on materials since I am a true driver, and I am young enough, still, who will not get anything less than a manual tranny.

But the interiors did leave something to be desired. I can only credit that to the fact that
most of the Alty's budget when into the handling,
engine, suspension and styling. Which is good...
but only to a point, if one starts letting themselves go interior....and in my honest opinion
the Alty is pretty border line.

It is difficult to get a well rounded car, and by that I also mean fun to drive and not too expensive.

brown33 · September 2001

I finally test drove an Altima 2.5S this weekend. I test drove the 2002 Camry 3 times. The Camry is much quieter, smoother, and despite the Altimas 175, the Camry felt quicker. The interior, especially dashboard, was much nicer in the camry also. Overall, pretty disappointed with the Altima. Although the Altima is slightly less than the Camry.

aniryu · September 2001

Hmm. thanks guys!

I'll be driving the Altima and from what I have been hearing it's road noise is pertty noticable when compared to the Camry.

If the road noise is too bad, I will just go with the Camry. I am a sucker for quite cars. I cannot stand ANY road noise, but I can't afford a LS.. oh well.

afty · September 2001

This is odd, because USA Today said in their review of the 2002 Camry that the new Altima's 4-cylinder was "either quieter or makes nicer noises than Camry." They also said the 4-cylinder Camry was "underpowered and underwhelming compared to either the '02 Altima or the V-6 Camry."

Review is here:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/columns/healey.htm

altimase35 · September 2001

My car is the only one I have seen on the road in St. Pete. It flat out flies. I enjoy looking at peoples faces when they see my car. It definitely has a wow factor. My wife is always telling me to slow down (no speeding tickets yet). The shifting is a little notchy, but I can live with it. I have been averaging 23.4 miles to the gallon so far. I drive a lot in traffic, plus I have been heavy footed with all this power. I love blowing past all these old folks, it helps keep me sane. Road noise is pretty quite, but at 80 I can hear wind noise through the sun roof. If I close the shade it is much more quite. Bose system is good, love the 6 disc indash player and the controls on the steering wheel. I am 6'3 and there is plenty of leg room, but the head room is a little tight with the sun roof. Head room is tight in the back seat but leg room is good(better than 2002 camry) The Air-conditioning is also very good. Brakes seem very strong. The only thing I don't like is the glare of the dash on the windshield, maybe tinting the windows would help.

nautiker · September 2001

Of those of you who have purchased Altimas, have your purchases been below, above, or at MSRP??

As I read these posts, it becomes apparent that many people who don't even care for this car spend much time posting their opinions. I've seen the redesigned Camry and am very familiar w/ the current generation Accord. I can't recall any current or previous posts that question the reliability of any of these 3 Japanese automakers. So, I would think it is safe to say that those who are interested in the '02 Altima are more "driver" oriented than those who can't stand not having a cover for the fuel release or having hard plastic as opposed to soft plastic on the dash.

I am definitely "driver" oriented when it comes to test-driving and buying vehicles. I have test driven both the 2.5 I4 and the VQ 3.5 6, both engines and drive trains set the Altima apart both Honda and Toyota. Smoothness, responsiveness, low end torque and overall HP put this car @ the top of my list. I have to agree w/ whatever source I read this from stating the 2002 Camry went from "vanilla" to "French vanilla" w/ their redesign. Honda would have been a possible 1st if it weren't for the dated design. . .we'll have to see what they do in sept '03 w/ their redesign.

All of the posts on this car have been helpful but the majority of the time seems to be spent on the smaller differences between the Altima and other makes. I think we can all agree that Nissan has improved 10-fold over the previous generation Altima and have given buyers a serious alternative to the Camry and Accord. . .just my $0.02. . .

mannie31 · September 2001

Just from look of the camry vs the altima I feel they both lood nice on the outside but terrible in the inside. Me being a Nissan fan I do agreed the interior of the camry looks more durable than the altimas interior. But why not consider a Maxima instead of a camry.

bsproles · September 2001

I went back to my local Nissan dealer today, initially to check out the new Maxima (hearing about that six speed with 255hp SE made me drool

, but sadly the tilt wheel doesn't go high enough for me. I barely have any room between the steering wheel and my legs, which makes for a fairly uncomfortable ride, so the 2002 Maxima is off of my list.

Onto the real star of the lot, the 2002 Altima: the dealer finally had several cars in stock, so I was able to test drive both a 5 speed 4 banger and an automatic V6 (I'll definitely be back when they have a 5 speed V6 on the lot

General impressions: A lot has been said about the Altima's interior. When I first looked at it, the plastic around the stereo seemed very flimsy and thin to me. Maybe it was an early model, because when I checked it out again, while it's still somewhat thin, it didn't feel as flimsy or cheap this time around. I would definitely be willing to accept the interior plastic as is for a good price.

The cloth in the 5 speed was nice - not terrific, but not bad either. The leather in the 3.5SE was extremely nice. I definitely intend to get leather if I buy an Altima.

2.5L engine, 5 speed: This engine is amazing. For a 4 cylinder car, it has a ton of horses under the hood and great torque (175hp, 180 ft-lbs.) It went over interstate overpasses with no complaints, and merging wasn't the horror that it usually is in a 4 cylinder car.

I was *highly* impressed with the 5 speed shifter though. Not only did it feel natural and comfortable under my hand, but the shifting is smooth and you feel a solid and satisfying (to me, anyway) *thunk* as you land in each new gear. That's the ultimate in shifters for me - I don't like shifters that you just push until you can't go any further...this felt like a real sports shift.

3.5L V6 engine, automatic: Two words - *MONSTER POWER*! This car blows the doors off of my respectable Saturn L300 (182hp and 190 ft-lbs of torque) with a whopping 240hp and 246 ft-lbs of torque. Those overpasses I mentioned before? This engine eats hills for lunch

The only thing that could possibly be better than the 3.5SE that I drove would be to add the 5 speed to it. Thankfully it's standard on all models

(of course, it depends on what the *dealer* decides to stock in inventory...)

All I know is that if things go as planned, I'll be selling my current car within 6 months and getting a 3.5SE V6 with a 5 speed, leather and sunroof...and I'll be loving every minute of it :-)

-Bryan

tim_hooligan · September 2001

well geez, if the writer's opinion in usa today says it's more quiet, then it MUST be more quiet! ignore all the other people who have testdriven both of them!
j/k

i don't trust a usatoday car review. almost as much as i trust bin laden.

afty · September 2001

I'm just saying that people should check it out for themselves rather than just believing whatever they read. I've read lots of different things about these two cars so it's hard to tell what's true and what's not. Some people say Camry is quieter, some people say Altima. Some people say 4-cylinder Camry is faster than 4-cylinder Altima, some people say 4-cylinder Altima is faster than 6-cylinder Camry. Some say Camry's ride is better, some say Altima. Some prefer the Camry interior, some prefer the Altima. There are lots of different opinions out there, but the only one that matters is YOURS. :-)

godeacs · September 2001

..just got back from a local dealer and they are selling the 2002s at MSRP and higher! Up to $2K over sticker - that is crazy......

afty...good pt. Some people are so quick to bash other's opinions if not agreeing with their's. FTR, I found the Altima and Maxima to be very quiet....

wayne1638 · September 2001

Good points all. Waited to buy until I could drive an Altima SE V6. Disappointed overall. Quick ride, no doubt, but found it rather stiff and the interior was very cheap - too bad. Salesman said his mgr instructed them that MSRP was it - no deals at all. 27K for an Altima? No way. The TL or the Maxima is a better value. I think Nissan believes their car is better than it actually is and feel the public will pay a huge premium for a few extra ponies. Accord & Camry (which I bought) owners really have nothing to fear. If you don't care about quality, why not just buy a Mustang and go like hell?

donmauricio · September 2001

Well, price wise, then it is better to live in Canada because, over here they would not dare
(at least a good dealship, anyways) to charge more than MSRP. After all it is a family sedan,
with really good sporty intentions, or course.
But a family sedan never the less.

I agree that the Altima's interior does leave a lot to be desired. I think that I am just dissapointed, for the fact that it feels like
some aspect will not last too long or that they might be easily brakeable\damaged.
Since the interior of the car does have this feel of fragile manufactering.

Driver or no driver, no one can ignore this fact because it will cost more in the long run to repair.

donmauricio · September 2001

I just checked on the website on nissan.ca
and it says that in order to get the sunroof on a
3.5 SE you HAVE to get the leather package!
What type of dumb thinking is that?

I want no leather. But if I want the sunroof
I have to shell an extra $2800 because I have no choice?

Nissan is going to loose a lot of customers with this oversights....

ruski · September 2001

this is typical Nissan packaging.

go to www.carsdirect.com and try to pick options on a Maxima. Very quickly you will find out that in order to get something, you must pick 5 other options that you don't want.

aniryu · September 2001

hmm. i will test drive.
from the photos, i am in love, but i think i will not like it when i test drive it.

maxamillion1 · September 2001

I was driving by my local dealership today when I saw a young couple driving a new Altima 2.5S in seascape. I tried to follow them, but I got caught up in about 3 stoplights. Looked real nice out on the street. It had the mudguards. I later went back to the dealership, and I noticed them there again, apparently they had been test driving it. I looked around in it, and I noticed that in place of where the fog lights go on the 2.5 models, there is a mesh looking material inside the fog holes that looks real sporty. Still no brochures though.

mackabee · September 2001

I agree whole heartedly with afty's post. The only opinion that matters is YOURS! I had a chance to look at the Altima on Sunday evening. It was already dark out but the lot was well lit. I somewhat agree with the comments about the dash, the center piece from the stereo up to the dash does look cheap, the rest of the dash looks OK to me. The cloth interior on the 2.5sl looked very similar to the Camry Le's cloth. The leather on the 3.5 se was not as nice as the Maxima's next to it. I prefer the folded look versus the tight drawn in look that the Max has. Otherwise the car looks like a winner for Nissan. Although I still believe Toyota owners will still buy Toyotas, no matter the price advantage of the Altima. Honda's new Accord can be seen at www.thehollywoodextra.com just go to the car pictures section.

: )

Mackabee

himomer · September 2001

I went back to my dealer today, he had been calling me to come take a look at the SL again. So i went back and i was just going to see how stubborn he would be over the pricing. The car had every available option, and stickered for just over 26K. The salesman and I talked for a little while about various things like the WTC, today's bomb threat at a local high school, stock market, etc. We started talking about the SL again and finally I made him the offer of 24K including destination, and to my surprise, he accepted it, if only i were serious about buying a car. The invoice price is like 23.5K so it would have been 500 over invoice and 2000 under MSRP. Now i want to go see what i can do at the toyota dealership!!

s852 · September 2001

For about the same price of $23500 or so, you could get a 2002 EXV6 sedan with a more refined and more powerful engine.
The only advantage I see on a loaded SL is that you can order side curtain head airbags for extra safety.
Considering you can't actually buy a 2002 Altima SL for invoice anyway, makes the pricing even less attractive for the Altima.

mackabee · September 2001

Your post belongs in the inconsiderate buyers forum/ you are exactly what us pro's have been talking about all this time. "if only I were serious about buying a car" if you are not serious then what on earth are you doing there talking price! Then you say "Now I want to see what I can do at a Toyota dealership!! I'm really proud of you! I hope you don't show up at my store and waste some salespersons time who is really trying to sell you a car.

: |

Mackabee

cupholder1 · September 2001

That just makes up for all the time that you guys try to sell rust proofing and tinting for $1000, or add hundreds in various fees at the Finance office.

ruski · September 2001

yeah I hope no one will show up at your store, or they might waste your time.

cncman · September 2001

Actually, you can get the SE with a sunroof and cloth seats, either the site was missposted or it was missread. THis is how I see everything, I agree that for around $29k I would not get the SE-V6 altima loaded out, I would prefer the Maxima or other cars mentioned, but I would say the same thing about the camry which lists for even more than the altima loaded out. Nissan, like toyota expects to sell mainly the 4 cylinders and if you look at a loaded SL altima for around $23-24K, about the same MSRP as a loaded GLE for 2001, I think it is a heck of a value. it's bigger than the CAMCORDS with more room, it's more powerfull, I think better looking, has more standard features and available features for less money. So far as the hard plastics, the camry has the same hard palstics in the lower dash area, the upper dash area is not really softer plastic but vinyl covered padding, the kind that can rip fairly easily. I agree it feels nicer, but when I drive, my hands are usually on the wheel not the dash. And there have been several people complaining about toyotas "GM like" interior. I just don't see a huge difference there, plus Nissan has a great reputation for excellent mechanics, fantastic reliability, low maintenance, class leading performance. it's quiet, handles fantastic, and has gobs of power. And like someone else said, look at and compare everything, it's your money and there are a lot of excellent choices out there, I don't think you can go wrong in the long run with a camry accord or altima or maxima, they all will give years of service and are all defintiely better than anything offered by the big 3. And if you work at it at all, there is no way you should pay MSRP or for any add-ons for an altima, you should be able to get at least $500 off if not more.

mackabee · September 2001

go back and re-read the post. "if only I were serious about buying the car" etc..

Mackabee

blueguydotcom · September 2001

It's by some prevaricator who goes by the name Vince Burlapp. Total rubbish. His stuff appeared on other auto sites too. He's been banned from a few places. He doctors photos of existing cars and claims they're from an inside source.

crikey · September 2001

these pictures are speculative at best.

joeandcarol2 · September 2001

Car salesmen prey on the ignorant. I was at a Nissan dealership this weekend where they were trying to sell an 02 Maxima GXE for $2,800 over invoice!!! And I'm sure some un-informed sucker will buy it eventually. How about all the useless extended warrenties that never get used? None of the Japanese cars I've owned would have ever used them. How about playing games with people's trade in prices??? etc etc etc.

blueguydotcom · September 2001

but not generally on Nissans. Now VW is a whole different story.

I've got a 10 year old Nissan that's built better than my 2001 Jetta. Go figure.

gerapau · September 2001

If you go back and take a look you will see that the individual that mentioned no sunroof without leather was a Canadian making reference to the Canadian web site. It is very possible that the options available in Canada are not the same as in the US.

mney6 · September 2001

Bought a 96 Honda Passport in 98 and bought a service contract for 800.00. New engine last month for 3500.00.

blueguydotcom · September 2001

That's like buying a Mitsubishi or Suzuki. It's not exactly an American car, but it sure as heck isn't a Honda.

lsc · September 2001

So far I've only seen 2 Altimas actually on the road. Both silver. The exterior sure looks nice.. too bad the interior isn't up to snuff.

I saw the interior of the 2002 Honda Civic and it's quality is higher than the Altima. Certainly is a shame.

Anyway, are they purposely slowing the production of these Altimas for the dealers to get maximum profit? (An old Honda trick)

Like others have mentioned, the Accord EXV6 looks to be the better all around car than the Altima (value wise)

The VW Passat is drawing my interest these days...the build quality sure looks top notch...better than even Toyota and Honda

pat · September 2001

Folks - the designated place in Town Hall to beat up salesfolks is on our Smart Shopper Board. There are many discussions underway there where the tactics of buyers and sellers are being debated. We don't need to revisit all of that here.

That said, I need to make a personal observation. You folks who are attacking mackabee apparently haven't been around Town Hall very long. Otherwise, you would be well aware of the fact that he is one of a core group of salesfolks that hang out in Town Hall being very helpful to our members. Some of you have made some gross generalizations about people in car sales and applied them to mackabee. I suggest you get to know him a bit better before you do that.

Please follow the link above and find an appropriate discussion to continue the conversation about the appropriate or inappropriate behavior of sellers and/or buyers. Chances are, mackabee will be there as well.

Thank you. Now let's get back to the new Altima.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

maxamillion1 · September 2001

I don't know where they are going, and who are buying them, but everytime I go to Benson Nissan in Spartanburg South Carolina, they have a different set of Altimas there. What really surprised me today is the fact that they just can't move the 2001 Altima GXE Limiteds of the lot, I don't get that at all. The new Altimas are always going. The Seascape model I saw yesterday was sold to the couple I saw testing it. They did seem pretty impressed with it. They did finally have a SE with leather. It was Noveau Ruby with Blond interior trim. To me the leather reminds me of the 2000-2001 Maxima, not like the leather in the 2002 Maxima. I didn't like it at first, but after looking at some of the new Cadallic Devilles on the lot, the Altima's leather looked better than theirs!!! I am loving this car more and more, the salespeople have gotten use to me coming around daily looking at their cars, and for the most part, they are not hassling me at all, and they don't try to rush me off the lot, like many salespeople at a Toyota dealership I go to alot, but even they are treating me nice now, this tragedy is really helping people to become better, nicer, more compasionate people. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!

prontospyder · September 2001

<<Anyway, are they purposely slowing the production of these Altimas for the dealers to get maximum profit? (An old Honda trick)>>

Actually, they're producing about 4420 Altimas per week (which equates to 229,840 Altimas per year). That's about 40,000 more than Nissan's goal of 190,000 Altimas. Seems like Altima is off to a great start.

prontospyder · September 2001

source of my figures is from autonews.com

himomer · September 2001

First of all, I was called by the salesman twice at home to come down to the dealership and look at the SL again.

Second, I told him that I wasn't looking at buying a car until mid 2003.

Third, I only made the offer to see if he was going to push the car for MSRP.

Fourth, I wasn't the one wasting time, it was him. He called me and he has it in his little book to call me only when they get a SE in because he wants me to test it out. That is the same thing he did when the 2000 Maxima came out, the 2002 Max, and the 3.5L Pathfinder, usually when i come to test out a new vehicle it is his first time also and we both discuss pros and cons.

Fifth, the salesman and I are good friends and if i was wasting his time, trust me when i say he wouldve told me

Sixth, I told him i would not even consider buying this car until the 03 Accord debuted

Seventh, If anything i was helping him out by coming down, because i was only the 3rd person that he had helped that day and it was 4:30pm

I could keep on going, but hopefully you are now seeing that before you jump to a conclusion and make a generalizing statement about someone, it would help to ask questions instead of assuming answers.

donmauricio · September 2001

Yes, in the Canadian website -- where I got the info -- it seems that you are required to get the leather in order to get the sunroof.

Why do you need to bring the price of a car so low if at the end in order to get what you want to have to pretty much load up the car anyways.

A strategy? Yes. An intelligent strategy? No.
Well, just in case I am still waiting for the
dealership to call me to test drive a 3.5SE
5 spd. I hope that the second time a test drive the car I won't be as shocked about the interior as I was the first time.

The reason why I feel this way is because I have been driving a VW Jetta and a '96 Acura, and the interiors feel much superior. I think I am just somewhat disapointed. Oh well, in the end, it is just a car.

cncman · September 2001

Well who cares about Canuks anyway! (JK) Sorry I did not notice the flag, and I would have probably figured the options would be mostly the same. I would still recommend checking with the dealer to confirm what you have to get there.

speedracer3 · September 2001

At least they were selling when I went to see one. The dealer could not keep the new Altys on the lot. They had only one SE left and it was sold that's why I could not drive it. I had to test drive an S which was one of the three Altimas that were not sold. While I was at the dealership, people were coming in just to look at the Altima. BTW...my dealer is one of the biggest Nissan dealers in South Florida.

danny25 · September 2001

I finally saw some on the road. This weekend on my way to Austin, TX and back from DFW, I saw 3 new Altimas. One velvet beige, 1 seascape, and 1 silver. It was kind of exciting to finally see some driving, all the ones I'd seen up to then were on the lot.

Nissan Altima

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