Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Nissan Altima

1…5354565859…97

Comments

  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    silver_bullet is right, you cannot just put in xenon bulbs to convert your headlights. If you do that, you're not putting in true xenon lights, probably just halogen bulbs with a blue tint. True xenon lights require a ballast placed somewhere in the engine compartment, for example.

    I am fairly sure you could add xenons aftermarket, as I think there's a conversion kit from Nissan. However, expect to pay at least $500 for them.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Bang for the buck? What do you mean by "bang"? If you mean acceleration, I would stick with a manual tranny Maxima or Altima. The Accord only comes with an auto and simply cannot keep up.

    HIDs are certainly not just a $40 bulb. But you could buy it after the sale and install it yourself, though you may need a wiring harness. Nissan has to have it, though, as I'm sure they replace them in case of an accident.

    -juice
  • storytellerstoryteller Member Posts: 476
    bagmanss: If you shop well, you always get more bang for the buck with a quality low mileage used car. That's just the nature of car pricing. You have to decide if these slightly used cars are really what you want.

    As for TMV, the Altima is very new and popular. Dealers have been trying hard to get MSRP. But prices are beginning to fall pretty rapidly, as you can see by reading the past two months of this thread. The Edmunds TMV probably hasn't been able to keep up with the quick changes taking place in the marketplace.

    steve
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    I'm sure you could piece together an HID conversion by buying all the bits from the parts dept., but I'll bet it will cost a fortune. A friend has a 2000 323i that he ordered without xenon lights (they were a 500.00 option), then decided a few months later he wanted them. The lowest price he can find on the conversion kit (using his club discount and a wholesale parts vendor) is 1,200.00. Live and learn.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That rings a bell. A long-term Lexus IS300 was in an accident, and it was more than $800 to replace I think one HID head lamp.

    Then again, parts prices always carry a big markup. You could try to find a wholesaler.

    -juice
  • speedracer3speedracer3 Member Posts: 650
    Confusious said....he who buys direct pays less, he who buys retail pays through his tail.
  • lsclsc Member Posts: 210
    Oh well, you're right..you live and learn. I guess if it seems like it's too good to be true, it probably is.

    What a bummer...oh well. The Altima's standard halogen lights are still pretty bright though. I've gotten high-beamed several times already.
  • otoluvaotoluva Member Posts: 196
    Can anyone tell me y the hell they exist in the first place?They definitely bother other drivers on the other side of the road at night and I dont see a practical need for'em,y would anyone want to pay $500 for something totally unnecessary?!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Some people have poor night vision.

    A good HID system will be self-leveling, and they don't operate on the high-beams so as not to blind others.

    -juice
  • obiwankenobi1obiwankenobi1 Member Posts: 290
    Yup. $1,000 per light is what I hear it is to install aftermarket.

    Why HID's? Well, in my opinion they sure do light up the raod better. I can much clearer than any of my previous cars. Plus, they don't bother me (but then again, I have dark tint and also an auto dimming mirror).

    Just one 02 Maxima owners opinion.
  • ronoboyronoboy Member Posts: 32
    We have the S version automatic and gas mileage has been consistently 20-21 with all city miles (sometimes even below 20), and then 25 or so with an even mix of city and highway. The one time we had an all highway tank it was in the high 20's. We got the car in October and have 4,500 miles and it doesn't seem to be getting better yet. We drive a fair number of short trips in a small city. I know others have posted much better mileage results with automatics, but so far my results have been the same as yours - decent highway mileage but we haven't come close to the "23" figure on the sticker yet for all city mileage.
  • perrydperryd Member Posts: 5
    I have a 99' SE and I think it's pretty lively. I think any of the older 4 cylinders are the same in any trim.

    I would not hesitate in saying it can go. I drive 75 + miles an hour sometimes and when you want more power you can get it !
  • is300tm7is300tm7 Member Posts: 20
    after putting some options on altimat 3.5s, sunroof, leather, abs , hid, etc to equip similiar to Infiniti I35, the cost is very similiiar, who wouldnt want to buy Infiniti? instead of Nissan, how can Nissan price them so similar?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Answer: independent rear suspension.

    Also, HIDs, 6CD, and heated seats cost extra on the I35, so once you load it up there is still a price difference.

    -juice
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    Some people don't want/need all the extra stuff on the I35. Leather, for example. Or the automatic transmission.

    You can equip an Altima up to the price of a $30k I35, but you can't equip an I35 down to the price of a $25k Altima.
  • kcb2kcb2 Member Posts: 22
    I am looking at the 2002 3.5 V6. Edmunds invoice is $21,046. When I got a drive out price from the dealer, he added a $400 "MA" fee which he said was an advertising charge from Nissan to the dealerships. He offered me the car at "$500 over invoice," but his "invoice" price was $21,046 plus the $400 MA fee. He subtracted the $609 holdback, but then added a $289 fee to "pay the people upstairs in the office". Also, a different salesman told me the Edmunds invoice should include the $727 for the automatic. Before tax & title, his offer was $22,951. I didn't write a check. What are they going for right now? What fees are negotiable?
  • jtmjwjtmjw Member Posts: 6
    picking up my 3.5se 5 speed manual trans tommorow, had a hard time finding a manual transmission. I only found 2 in my area one black, leather + wood, spoiler, sunroof, bose. the other was mystic emerald, I choose the black. I really wanted silver but several dealers said that they had coming in but the had deposits for them. is anybody having a hard time trying to find 3.5se manuals? especially silver? I had to pay 600 dollars below sticker, I tried to get a better deal but the dealer said that the 3.5se man trans was to hot to discount more than that. anybody have any similar problems or stories?
  • jtmjwjtmjw Member Posts: 6
    I am picking up tommorow and I am not paying any fees at all, The sales person gave me the price of 600 below sticker, and when I asked if there was any other fees they said nothing but title and reg. I think that if they would have started adding on other types of fees that people are saying I would have walked out. These dealers should not be passing on these fees to the consumer.
  • kcb2kcb2 Member Posts: 22
    jtmjw, thanks for your reply. The MSRP was $23,926 on the V6, and the offer was $22662 + $289 fee, after the $400 advertising fee was already added into the $22662. I was working from invoice up, instead of MSRP down. MSRP is just a number they pick out the air, IMO. Edmunds invoice, plus options plus destination charge plus a 2% profit on the dealer cost seems reasonable. I found the www.carbuyingtips.com web site very helpful, but it didn't mention the regional advertising fees. Also, I also found out that the holdback on the Altima is 1% of MSRP plus 2% of invoice. That was $659 off Edmund's invoice. When the dealer showed me his "invoice" it said the holdback was $609. I don't think I am going to buy from that dealer. BTW, I am looking for a silver with frost interior and not finding it right away.
  • otoluvaotoluva Member Posts: 196
    Manual tran.is not that hard to find even with silver,in fact when I was shopping for one a couple of weeks ago two dealerships in my area(Boston metro.)had 5 spd on at least 3 colors incl. silver.I negotiated a deal at $500 over invoice NO other fees.
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    Kcb2: In NYC and most other areas Nissan dealers are charging the advertising fee. This is a legitimate charge. The office fee I don't really go for.One thing I can tell you though is that the difference between the Msrp and Invoice price is not a huge spread so the dealers don't have that big wiggling room.The altima is a hot car and most dealers are holding out on their price especially in NYc. In spring they will haggle less.
  • speedgalspeedgal Member Posts: 7
    I recently negotiated for a 3.5 SE, manual, with the ABS, floormats, microfilter, and side sills / splashguards (last 3 are mandatory "options") with 3 different dealers. Edmunds MSRP for the configuration is $21,828 which doesn't include any advertising fee. Local guy (Albany, NY area) insisted on ~$400 advertising fee as part of the invoice and wouldn't go below $22,750 on price. Remote guy (Oneonta, NY) also insisted on an advertising fee, only $200 in this case, but wouldn't go below $23,028 as a sale price. More remote guy (Rome, NY) offered a price of $22,199 on my first phone call...

    You can guess which one I went with... $370 over invoice w/out advert. fee is about the best deal I've seen in these posts. Car needs to be ordered, of course (good luck finding a 3.5 manual without the spoiler on a dealer lot...), so I won't get it until early April.

    There are deals out there. For you NYC folks, Rome's only a 240 mile drive...
  • cevans2cevans2 Member Posts: 23
    I'm thinking about purchasing a 3.5SE Altima pretty soon and have been doing some research. The Edmunds review likened the results of the Altima slalom run to that of an M3. I remember another article that also made this comparison. Am I to believe that the handling of the FWD Altima is close to that of the vaunted RWD M3? I haven't test driven one yet so any input would be appreciated. What do you V6 Altima owners think of the handling? 240 HP is a lot of go-power for a FWD. I've read that the steering is a little light at high speeds.
  • e173me173m Member Posts: 5
    My dealer says there is a $595.00 bank fee involved in obtaining financing through them. Is this ok? has anyone heard of this? Also in financing agreement and purchase document dealer will not break out the fee. What's the deal?
  • sdawson713sdawson713 Member Posts: 34
    I dont know what area in the country you're in. In my neck of the woods, NJ, some of the less reputable dealers are offering 0% loans on the Altima.

    Here's the numerous catches.

    1. Have to pay sticker.
    2. Have to pay 595.00 as a credit application fee.
    3. Can only finance 15,000 for no more than 3 years.

    Basically, what they do is buy down the rate from the bank. If they won't list it on the buyer's order, its very suspicious.

    The only time you should have to pay a fee to finance the car is if you lease. Its usually called an aquisition fee, and I believe its 450.00

    Sid
  • e173me173m Member Posts: 5
    I questioned the dealer several times regarding the fee as to whether the fee goes to the dealer or the bank. Every time I asked they told me this fee goes to the bank. Deal was $22,000 @ 6.44% + bank fee of $595.
  • e173me173m Member Posts: 5
    forgot to mention I live in NYC
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    Get the loan yourself.There should not be any bank fee for getting a loan. It's another way of obtaining the price they want to charge.However,if your credit is not good it may not be such a bad deal.My friend who has bad credit is getting a loan from Nmac(Nissan Financing)at 11.9% on an Altima.As you can imagine his credit is shot.
  • sdawson713sdawson713 Member Posts: 34
    That's nonsense. As someone who works in a dealership, I can tell you that we never have to pay a fee to the bank on a purchase deal. In fact, the bank pays us!

    Go to a different dealer. There's no need to listen to that BS.
  • blu01altima4meblu01altima4me Member Posts: 1
    I had a problem about 2 months ago with my 01 Altima GXE LE and I was just curious if anyone else has had this problem with their Altimas...

    I got my car washed and about 5 minutes after driving away from the carwash, I noticed water dripping into my car from underneath the glove compartment. I panicked of course and pulled over to find where the water was coming from but when I felt behind and under the compartment, it didn't feel wet at all. So, I assumed it was a freak incident and tried to forget about it.
    A few minutes later it happened again but this time 100x worse - now, water was POURING into the car from the same spot! The next day, I drove my car straight to the dealer's maintenance dept. (i had to put paper towels all over the floor because the water had already soaked right through my floor mat) When Nissan was through fixing the problem, the explanation that they gave me was that the 2001 Altima's were made with a drain that was too small and that they were recalled for this reason. The guy said that too many leaves had clogged the drain hole and the water overflowed INTO my car. They replaced the drain with a larger one and promised I would never have that problem again...and I haven't. BUT i think the explanation I was given sounds a little STUPID and I feel as though the guy felt he could say any crap that came to mind and it would be good enough to satisfy me. This is not the 1st time that this particular dealership has "brushed me off" or basically made me feel like a "dumb girl".

    Anyway, I just want to know if anyone has had this problem or even HEARD of anyone else with this problem, because to me it sounds like crap.
  • squirrel11squirrel11 Member Posts: 7
    I got mine Friday and I love it! I don't remember all the financial stuff, but it seems that we got it for about $2500 under MSRP.

    I live in Georgia and it was very hard to find the right color with the ABS Brakes and side airbags. The dealer ended up locating it in SC. It was at the dealer's the next morning.

    The car is so loaded with standard stuff that the only options we asked for were the ABS brakes/side airbags, and floor mats. The car ended up with a few extra but that's okay. The price was still below everyone else's deals.

    BTW, the dealer thought that we had wanted one color and looked for that. He found it in SC with that color. We decided to go back to another dealer to see if we could get a better price. We had dealt with one salesman at Dealer #2 but of course he wasn't there so we dealt with a more-slick salesman. The dealership wouldn't come down $500 for the color car we wanted sitting within view so we went back to Dealer #1 who found the color we wanted!
  • carmadnesscarmadness Member Posts: 5
    I had a similar problem to yours with a Ford. The carpet area below the glove box would get wet after a car wash. After the vents and drain holes forward of the windshield were cleared of leaves and pine needles my leaking problem stopped.
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    Squirell: What color did you get and what price did you pay out of the door? How's the drive .Give us details.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    I was at my local Nissan dealer here in Pompano Beach Florida this morning for a free oil change on our '01 Altima and they had plenty of new Alty's in all colors except black. The car looks very nice in person but both the wife and myself prefer the last generation, different strokes for different folks I guess. New version is very nice though. I see alot of them on the road now so production must be in full gear. Good luck to y'all with your new Alty's!
  • squirrel11squirrel11 Member Posts: 7
    I think that the drive out price was $25,160.65. with ABS and Airbag Pkg, Fog Lights, Sunroof/wind deflector, floor mats (which should be standard anyway!!), splash guards, microfilter. The ride is terrific! It's been sort of like learning to drive again b/c you are sooo careful with your new car, lol!

    Hubby made the comment about the $2,500 savings but I'm not really sure what he meant. I'll have to ask him when he gets back into town (no he didn't drive away, lol.)
    I love the sunroof. It finally quit raining so I could enjoy it. The sound system is reaaallly cool. Normally, that kind of stuff doesn't impress me..but this does! The ride was very smooth. I haven't ridden in the backseat, but hubby said it was nice.

    More later :)
  • steeler75steeler75 Member Posts: 1
    Just purchased a 2002 Altima S 4 cyl auto with microfilter and mats for $100 over invoice which included a $300 marketing chrg $18,332). After driving this vehicle the last 7 days a few comments. First, I love the look of the car and the ride is very nice. Gas mileage on highway has averaged 26 mpg. One noticeable problem I have experienced is the torque effect on the steering, pulls to the left, when accelerating.

    Took back to dealer to check out and said that all fwd has this. I also have 2001 Acura TL which does remains straight when accelerating. I test drove another Altima and true to the Mechanics word, It pulls to the left as well. When driving 100 miles a day, it gets awfully tiring and truely irritating. Anyone else have this issue and if so, can anything be done about it? I really like this car otherwise.
  • obiwankenobi1obiwankenobi1 Member Posts: 290
    Good thing you don't have an 02 Maxima SE with 255 hp! You want to talk about torque steer! That thing practically rips your hands off when you gun it! I have gotten used to it.

    Torque steer on a 2.5 S should be REAL minimal. If you can't handle that, better move to RWD.
  • colorsofspringcolorsofspring Member Posts: 16
    WOW you got a pretty good deal on your Altima. Where are you located? Care to share the dealership you used?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The G35 will solve that. $27k for starters, not bad.

    -juice
  • rkirkirkirki Member Posts: 8
    How do those of you with new Altimas feel about the accuracy of the fuel gauge?

    After my first fill-up, I zeroed my odometer so I could calculate fuel economy. After 334 miles of travel, the low-fuel warning light came on, and this seemed premature. (I would have expected to get at least 440 miles from a 20-gallon tank at minimal fuel economy of 22 mpg.) When I filled up, the car took 14.7 gallons, meaning there were 5.3 gallons remaining. So the gauge told me I was hovering on fumes when in reality a quarter of a tank remained.

    After that fill-up, the needle is dropping at a similar rate. What have the rest of you noticed?
  • rkirkirkirki Member Posts: 8
    Looking through my owner's manual, there are three alternative maintenance schedules for the Altima: Premium, Schedule 1, and Schedule 2.

    Since I am not a mechanic, I'm having trouble weighing the costs and benefits of Premium vs. Schedule 1. I'm wondering whether the extra services provided under Premium might not be cost-justified--or are they a good investment? (I've ruled out Schedule 2 because it seems to be too infrequent.)

    Second, this is the first car I've owned where there is a 3,750-mile interval between scheduled maintenance. In the past, the cardinal rule I followed to give a car longevity was to change the oil every 3,000 miles. Has automotive technology improved to allow for less frequent oil changes?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Most fuel gauges are very conservative. And the low fuel light may come on with a few gallons left because Nissan doesn't want you to use that last gallon or so that has been sloshing around in the tank for a long time.

    As for service intervals, some now allow up to 10,000 miles between changes. I'd say 5k is about average, and 3750 is more than often enough.

    -juice
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    The fuel gauge in my 3.5SE is similarly pessimistic. With the needle just below the 1/4-tank mark, I have only been able to put in 12 gallons. I think it's due to the design of the car, preventing you from accidentally running out of gas.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    If it were the other way around, customers would be really peeved! :-)

    I always use my trip odo anyway. I guess the actual range on the Altima is good, especially the 4-banger since the gas tank has the same capacity.

    -juice
  • stebustebu Member Posts: 204
    I know this will be argued by some (many), but the old 3K oil change is little more then an urban legend. Engine technology has improved as far as materials and tolerences and oil filters have improved over the years. Plus, there have been improvements made to the additives that are routinely put in todays engine oils. The bottom line is that it is not necessary to change your oil more then the manufacturer recommends unless you are abusing your engine somehow (i.e. racing it). And I don't buy the argument, that I've heard more then once, that the manufacturers purposefully under rate the interval to ensure shorter engine life in order to boost long term sales. No way, it doesn't make any sense. Who here is going to go back to any car maker after they've had one of their engines seize in the first 100K miles or so after following the manufacturers maintenance recommendations. I know I wouldn't. You can bet the auto makers know that as well.

    Another myth is that some brands of oil offer more protection then others (for now let's ignore the synthetic vs. mineral oil debate). As long as they display the same API/SAE ratings, they offer the same protection.

    I recall a Consumer Reports article not that long ago where they tested the 3K theory. I think they used taxis for some of the testing. Pretty tough customers. What they found was that engine wear on the internal moving parts, cylinder walls, etc.., was negligible. Likewise, gas mileage didn't improve. In short there was no real benefit when using the shorter then recommended oil change interval over time. And CR isn't the only ones that have debunked the 3K interval. As for myself, I've put 100K - 150K trouble free miles on several autos using nothing more frequent then the vehicles suggested schedule. One thing that everyone does agree on is that the oil filter should always be changed with the oil.

    For many, the 3K oil change is like religious dogma, they can't REALLY prove it's benefits but their not willing to stop believing... just in case. So if shorter then recommended intervals gives you piece of mind, then go for it. But, it's basically an unneeded, expensive, and wasteful habit.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    German cars have service lights that come on when the oil is "spent", and it often takes more than 10k miles for that to happen.

    -juice
  • rcpathfinderrcpathfinder Member Posts: 3
    I just recently acquired a 2000 Altima GXE Automatic and I am having a hard time determining my gas mileage. The manual says that the gas tank can hold 15.9 gallons. However, yesterday I was able to pump in 17.9 gallons and it still wasn't full! Has anyone else noticed this problem? If so, were you able to determine the actual size of the gas tank? It appears to be bottomless!!!!
  • gman40gman40 Member Posts: 15
    You should check the Gas tank for holes, the most I ever pumped into my 99 altima was 15 gallons.
    Maybe the pump was faulty and needs calibration,
    If this happens at every fill up you may want to consider checking for that hole though.
  • beanctrbeanctr Member Posts: 99
    I know the issue of torque steer has risen on the 2.5S (which surprises me being its a 4 cylinder), but I was wondering if the current owners of the 3.5 SE (w/either manual or automatic) encounter torque steer under normal driving conditions. I am considering purchasing a 3.5SE but have not had a chance to test drive one yet. Given the 3.5SE's high torque rating, I would anticipate torque steer during hard acceleration but would hope it wouldn't occur during normal driving. In a recent Car and Driver Family sedan comparison test they mentioned that the "engine torque tugs on steering" but didn't mention how they were driving when this occurred. I would appreciate any input from current 3.5SE owners.
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    I have a 3.5SE manual, and I only experience the torque steer during hard acceleration. In everyday driving there's no torque steer. In fact, after having the car for a month and a half now, I don't really notice the torque steer in hard acceleration anymore. Doesn't mean it's not there, just that I've gotten used to it.
This discussion has been closed.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles