Nissan Altima

Canyoncrest · October 2001

I think it is a pretty stupid idea to send out something like that after 911. When my daughter handled over to me, I asked everybody to stay away until I find out where it came from. It just looks bioharzadous to me.

mchadwick · October 2001

What are you talking about canyoncrest?

maxamillion1 · October 2001

I think they should have just given us brochures in nice little packages instead of sending those large containers. The money used to do this could have been spent on the inteior and it's mateials.

mchadwick · October 2001

Any word yet on those missing VIN #'s?

bwia · October 2001

I too received the Rx looking package. I think the promotion is a clever one although I had to be cautious about opening the package with all this talk about anthrax and bio terrorism. I guess good intentions do not always materialize as planned.

I like the new Altima, (Version 3.0) but I belive it should be a new line with a different name (sic Exulta). I was disappointed that Nissan discontinued Version 2.0.(i.e. 1998-2001) of the Altima. This car had a niche market just below the Accord and the Camry, which was reasonably affordable. I had a 1998 Altima GXE which was an excellent alternative to the CamCord. That car was quick off the line and nimble in traffic and performed well as a second family car.

With the resurrection of the Nissan/Datsun 300ZX, Nissan had the opportunity to have a potent line-up of performance automobiles. Altima--Exulta--Maxima--300ZX.

My five cents (inflation you know).

ruski · October 2001

Wow. Nice.

I got so excited I forgot to look at a few things:

what is the brand and the rating of the tires?

are the brakes on 3.5 SE better than those on 4-cylinder models? What size are they?

Is there any electronic speed governor?

PS I did not notice the "hole in the carpet" gas door opener. But my wife Lexus RX300 also has a hole in the carpet design.

I still do like my 300M a lot though. I like its heated, 8-way power seats for the driver and the passenger with seat/mirror/radio memory for the driver, linked into the key fob.

It is going to be a tough choice for me.

fasterthanu · October 2001

Sorry to see you're having the same VIN problem - I won't have any updates until Tuesday when I return to work and talk to him. Would hate to call him just to see what his VIN status is .. will post update then. Good luck resolving your problem. Is the insurance company asking for a deposit from you as well?

cupholder1 · October 2001

What's going on with the pricing of the Altima? Are they still trying to charge sticker?

Kind of crazy... the Maxima is going for invoice on Carsdirect, while the Altima is $100 over sticker on Carsdirect.com

mchadwick · October 2001

No word yet on the VIN #'s. So far the insurance company hasn't asked for an increase on our premium-YET. Our rep wont be in till tomorrow so we wont know anything till then. Please keep us informed when you hear something. However if anyone can answer this-" Why are dealerships allowed to "sell" cars or even put them on the market ready to "drive", if the VIN #'s aren't updated in the insurance systems? People should not be allowed to drive these cars off the lot unless they are properly insured. This should have been taken care of. Shame on Nissan for allowing this.

mckague · October 2001

I agree with bwia that Nissan should have chosen a new name. That might have taken some of the sting out of the mid $20k price tag. I've heard the question "~$26,000 for an Altima?" exclaimed in disbelief quite a few times.

ruski · October 2001

any V6 auto owners here? Can you report on your 0-60 experiences?

knight0205 · October 2001

anyone know why it is hard to find a 3.5SE with 5 speed manual? Is Nissan not making much of them? I want one with fully loaded, but I can seem to find any in bay area. I left my phone # to two dealers about 2 weeks ago, and they haven't call me yet.

speedracer3 · October 2001

Motor Trend clocked the SE 5 speed at 0-60 time of 6.28 secs and 1/4 mile 14.72 secs @ 96mph. I'd venture to say that you are looking at the low 7's with an auto.

afty · October 2001

I think about 5-10% of Altima production is going to be the 5-speed V6, so that's probably why you're having a hard time finding one. I'm in the market for one as well, and around here (Boston) I've seen several. Each dealer I've talked seems to have one or two. Then again, manual transmission cars sell pretty well in Boston for some reason.

ruski · October 2001

low 7's, that's what I am guesstimating. Damn, I wish it was mid 6 with auto.

gtspec · October 2001

I'm in the market for either a 2002 1.8T Passat or a 2002 2.5S Altima. I went to both dealers and test drove the cars, performance wise they are all pretty good (Altima slightly better). However, interior wise Passat is much better! I know Passat is a safer car, and Altima is a more reliable car, but I can't really decide which one should I buy (I MUST make my decision this week for some personal reasons). Can any one offer their opinions on either car? THANKS a lot!

speedracer3 · October 2001

It really is a matter of personal choice but here are some things to consider. If you keep cars for a long time I would stay away from the Passat simply because the cost of ownership is high, and reliability is less than stellar. If you are leasing and the warranty covers the lease period then it really doesn't matter. It is a tough choice, they are both good cars.

Good luck!

Speed

lindathomp2000 · October 2001

I'm seriously considering getting a new 2002 2.5 SL Altima. Currently I drive a '96 with over 130,000 miles and in great condition. Looking for a bigger car and the new altima looks great. Anyone know of below invoice deals around and/or 0% financing?
gt

bsproles · October 2001

I went to my dealer today to get my test drive coupon validated. I already tested an auto V6, and a 5 speed SL, but I decided to go ahead and try a 2.5S 4 cylinder auto. Not too bad, but I prefer the 5 speed

I asked them about their inventory, and they said all their cars are still being allocated by Nissan. The official release date of the Altima isn't until this weekend anyway. he said after that, they'd probably be able to start ordering cars that they want to stock, but that prices could stay at MSRP for awhile. Five people apparently bought new Altimas this past Saturday alone...geez

-Bryan

pbhatti · October 2001

actually on motortrend tv they got 0-60 of 5.9 seconds and 1/4 mile of 14.4 @ 100 mph. i'm expecting the maxima to get 5.7 or 5.8

hawks1 · October 2001

Test drove a 2.5S automatic today and was very impressed with this car - great acceleration for a four banger! Also, this car handled exceptionally well on both local roads and the interstate. Suspension was supple yet not harsh and the 4-speed auto tranny was buttery smooth on both up and down shiftings. Engine was only turning about 2400 rpm's at 70mph so tall gearing will obviously mean good gas mileage. Plenty of torque at the lower and mid-range rpm's. The dealer had no V-6 to drive but I can imagine it must be a rocket. So impressed with the 2.5's performance that I may forget about buying the V-6. The only downer with this car was the quality of the interior - they could have definitely used better materials. All in all, otherwise very impressed though. Nissan has hit, if not a homerun, certainly a triple with this car. Going to pass on the Camry I was looking at. -- Does anyone know if the V-6 requires premium grade fuel? The 4 cylinder can use 87 octane.

qin2 · October 2001

It wasn't Motortrend's television show that got those times pbhatti, it was Motorweek.

Look here for screenshots of that show: http://forums.clubsi.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/012803.html

pbhatti · October 2001

bsproles · October 2001

Nissan says it's recommended to use premium fuel in the V6 to get the full power out of it. If you use lower grade, you'll just get lower performance.

You're right though - that 4 cylinder packs a punch. When I drove the auto 2.5S today, going up an interstate bridge felt like I was in a V6...the engine wasn't straining, nothing...I may decide to get a 2.5SL 5 speed because it has loads of power, uses 87 octane fuel, and gets pretty darn good mileage at 23 city/29 highway. My V6 Saturn only gets 21/26

-Bryan

gerapau · October 2001

http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2105.shtml

jimxo · October 2001

It's nice to know you own a car that can do this with a professional driver, but most people can expect to squeeze 6.5-6.8 if there good.

offset_98 · October 2001

I do not have times for the 4, but the 6 will sprint to 60 in 6.3 manual and 7.2 auto. BUT think about this...for all those performance nuts out there like myself. This engine is the same engine that will produce 300 hp in the upcoming 350Z and I35. I am willing to say that with a little tinkering and an after market upgrade or three you could be looking at 0-60's in the mid 5's and 1/4's around 13.8-14.2 @ 98-109+ mph provided you launch correctly and managed to get the 300 horses out of it.
I don't know, there is something about it that tells me this is the next car. Reminds of my '92 Taurus SHO days...god I loved that car!!!
My question though is what is the top end of the new Altima? I had a '95 Altima 5-spd whose top end was supposed to be 120 yet with a K&N and after market exhaust I saw 135 or for those of you who still own this car I saw "Unleaded Fuel Only." I loved it and it gave me 120k trouble free miles...to give you an idea if you have never owned one of these on how reliable they are...my sister is still driving it with almost 150k miles on it. Oh yeah, it needed service...once...for 2 oil seals about 5k ago. Not bad. I only hope to be able to say the same about this one...IF MY DEALER WILL EVER FIND ONE FOR ME!!!!!!

mckague · October 2001

For the most part, it isn't really a matter of being good to get these numbers, it's a matter of willing to be abusive. I'd bet good money that, in order to get a 0-60 of 5.9 sec out of the Altima, those folks were dumping the clutch with a good number of revs built up. Not a practice I would recommend with a cat you plan on keeping for a while. Still, it's a darn fast car.

speedracer3 · October 2001

Motorweek's 0-60 times are usually higher than anybody elses, so I was stunned when I saw they had better numbers than Motor Trend. 5.9 seconds for a family sedan is awesome, you can literally race a Porsche Boxter with the Altima!. I guess you can call the Altima "mom's taxi on steroids"

afty · October 2001

The actual times you see don't really matter, in my opinion. What does matter is how they compare to other cars' numbers from the same publication. In a vacuum, a 5.9 sec 0-60 doesn't mean a whole lot to me. But when you consider that the same publication got a 6.9 for the RSX-S, a 6.6 for the TL-S, and a 5.6 for the Subaru WRX, that gives a pretty good indication of the acceleration of the Altima. Pretty darn fast.

lsc · October 2001

I also agree that the 2.5S w/ 5-speed feels like a V-6. The engine revs very eagerly. I decided to drop the clutch from around 3500-4000 rpm and the tires spun like crazy. A lot of torque steer too!

They're still selling the cars around 5-600 below MSRP at the lowest. It looks like they are moving them though at a pretty good rate. The dealer I went to didn't even care that much about selling me the car. Naturally I didn't buy it.

ruski · October 2001

the dealer I went to actually tried pretty hard to hook me up with a lease. He said that last weekend they had a special leasing deal downloaded to them by Nissan. He gave me $1500 down, $430 per month, for 39 months with 12K miles

then he talked to his manager of finance guy and came back with $380-390 per month.

hvan3 · October 2001

Rip off! No mid size econo car is worth $380-390 a month.

You can get a lease deal on IS300 for $2500 down and $379 a month.

riez · October 2001

But if the lease is for 36 months and you have to put down $2500, then the real per month cost goes up by about $69 to around $448 a month.

stevem327 · October 2001

Whatever you do, DO NOT sign a lease for $430 a month. Geez, you can lease a Honda Accord LX for $239 a month with $1,980 down...or lease a Volvo S60 for $399 a month with about $3,700 down. Or a Volvo S40 for $289 a month with about $2,600 down.

$430 a month for an Altima? No way...please do yourself a big favor and run as fast as you can away from that dealer!!

Note: I'm not knocking Nissan here...I used to drive an Altima myself and may buy another one in the future.

ruski · October 2001

hehe thanks!

I walked away. The car they wanted to sell me did not have HIDs or ABS/TC (I looked it up on the dealer's website, they have new car inventory)

I am leasing a 300M, got it when it first came out, and that one was $0 down with $453 per month. Quite a bit more expensive car if you go by MSRP.

Once before I leased a Buick Riviera for $1,500 down and $399 per month.

And yet another time I leased a loaded Grand Prix GTP for $1,800 down and $380 per month.

So these Altima lease numbers did not particularly thrill me.

Thanks for reassuring me.

But if I go for a Volvo S60, I would want the T5

And that's a bit too expensive.

fasterthanu · October 2001

Chadwick

Well I have an update - he had to pay the $3K deposit to keep his insurance in effect. No choice, but they said it's immediately refundable as soon as they get a valid match for the VIN. Apparently Nissan's registrations of the Altima with the DMV did not go through the systems. Did you get yours in NY state?

Needless to say he aint a happy driver with his new Alty ..

qualityguy · October 2001

Altima rocks. Screw the interior - same matewrial you can find in Maxima. 3.5 uber alles! After all it is just a car, and though NOT REFINED AS A LUXURY CAR, it is still a good car!

offset_98 · October 2001

Ok, for those interested...I did manage to find a 0-60 time for the 4cyl 5-spd only. I read 7.5 secs. Not too bad...that would probably land the auto somewhere around the original Altima's 2.4L 5 spd. version of approx. 8.1 secs. Still not bad!

amazing2u · October 2001

totally useless post. :-)
And no, it's definitely not the same material as in the 2002 Maxima.

speedracer3 · October 2001

I agree, The interior materials on the Maxima are WAY better than in the Altima. But despite the interior I agree with qualityguy that the Altima is STILL a good car.

speedracer3 · October 2001

Ask the dealer for the residual value of the car for the period you would like to lease (say 36 months etc) and the money factor (depends on your credit, should be low now), and I'll tell you the correct lease payment.

yjguy · October 2001

Last night I drove the base 3.5L 5 speed. It was a really comfortable car. Lots of low end grunt. I spent most of the drive chugging around in third gear. I though this was good with aprox 600lbs of people in the car. I was impressed with the ride doing 120km/h on some back roads. Driving the same roads in our 94 civic can be pretty bouncy and loud.
The seats were comfortable and the overall driving position was good. Being a big guy (6'6.5" 275lbs+) I was impressed with the leg and head room. The steering wheel was nice and fat, making it easy to grip with my big paws. All of the controls seemed to be in the proper places.

Things I didn't like:

1) Non folding mirrors. These will be expensive to replace.
2) No ltd slip diff for the 5 speed
3) No HID lights in Canada
4) Leather package. I want the CD changer stereo, extra air bags and heated seats. All cars in Canada should have heated seats! I don't want leather. It's too sticky in the summer.

I got the feeling that the dealer would not be flexible on pricing. They seemed to have sold almost all of their in stock Altimas in the first week. It also seemed that if I wanted a specific car (base 3.5L, silver, 5 speed) I would have to order it and it would take a few months to arrive. I will probably end up leasing one in a month or so. There are not to many options for large import cars. My only other option would be an Expedition or Tahoe, and I can't afford to put gas in those.

gerapau · October 2001

Did you check out the Maxima while you were at the dealer? It is basically the same size as the Altima with roughly the same leg, head, and shoulder room in the front as the Altima and over 2 inches of extra hip room in the front seats. The SE can be had with a 6 speed (available soon) and DOES have:
1) Folding mirrors
2) Limited Slip Diff with the 6 Speed
3) HID lights
4) Side Airbags and Heated Seats without Leather

I realize that it is a few thousand dollars more then the base Altima 3.5SE but the combination of the fact that dealers will make deals on the Maxima and the residual values of the Max are better then the Altima may make the Max almost as cheap to lease as the Altima. Besides, with the Max you also get better quality materials and a more powerful version of the same engine.

lazura · October 2001

The reason the lease payments are too high for the 2002 Altima is because the residual percentage is a ridiculous 49%! What kind of manufacturer brags about its' newly redesigned (and supposedly improved) vehicle and then comes out with an abysmal 49% residual factor?? This factor to me shows that the short-term praise for the Altima will fade quickly and the long-term value of this car is not good. Therefore, if anyone is paying anything close to MSRP, then you are losing a ton of money on resale value! Note: This % is directly from Nissan's captive Finance company.

speedracer3 · October 2001

49% for what term?, which model?. BTW....49% is not great, but it far from ABYSMAL. Go here http://www.carwizard.com/index.cfm and check out the 36 month residual factor for a Chrysler 300M 42%!... now that's abysmal. Sorry Ruski!.

cupholder1 · October 2001

The '02 Maxima is going for dead invoice on Carsdirect.com

ruski · October 2001

hehe when I leased 300M it was a completely new model and they did not have any hard data on residual values. So they optimistically projected it to be something like 50-55%

But now it is scary.

storyteller · October 2001

Hello. I'm new here. I've been reading everything I can find about the new Altima, including posts on another Internet car site. In general, people who have driven the car tend to love it. Some folks don't like the seats. But even most people who love the Altima think Nissan laid a great big egg when they chose cheap plastic for the interior. I'd hope Nissan fixes this quickly, for they have a beautiful car here with one huge pimple on it. Beyond that, is it possible for some aftermarket supplier to create panels or coverings to make the 2002 interiors look better? One owner said he was going to have carbon fiber trim added to his Altima to make it look less cheap. Does this seem practical?

speedracer3 · October 2001

Same here, when I leased my Maxima it had just come out and residuals were in the 50% range. I am sure you realize that if lazura is correct about the residuals, the Altima will be dollar for dollar less expensive to lease than a 300M. If I were you, I would beat the Nissan dealer up on the lease details, and you might get a good deal.

Better yet, now is the time to get a Maxima...they are giving them away at dead cost

Nissan Altima

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