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Nissan Altima

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Comments

  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ..."way cooler" I can take to the bank. Oh well...
  • keyrowkeyrow Member Posts: 214
    I can get an Infiniti I35. More room, far superior materials, better warranty, better customer service and a guaranteed loaner whenever service is required. This is a no brainer. Why would anyone even look at an Altima at this price?
  • dabtijdabtij Member Posts: 20
    That is true. But I don't think anyone's going to actually pay 29.5K for an Altima. They definitely move off the MSRP.

    Infiniti, on the other hand, really won't, especially for the G35.
  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    you can't get an I35 with a real transmission and for some people that makes all the difference in the world.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    I need a "REAL" transmission.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    If I had a choice between an Infiniti I35 and an Altima, I would definitely take the I35. Better customer service, loaner cars, the "snob appeal" that comes with the Infiniti cachet.

    I wonder if the seats are the same as the Maxima's though? I rented a 2002 Maxima SE for one day, and could not get comfortable after messing with the seat controls for about 20 minutes...
  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    but again, no manual means I ain't buying it.

    Funny how it is more upscale than the Altima but it still gets panned for the interior which isn't up the level of the competition (which, to be fair, generally cost quite a bit more).

    Your points about better dealer treatment are valid, but can't overcome the lack of choice in the drivetrain (for me).

    Not that I could really afford one without breaking the bank, but next year when Infiniti brings out the manual 6 speed I might be interested.

    What's the deal with these automatics anyway? Lexus's IS300 is a nice car, but the biggest gripe against it was the lack of a manual. They fixed that now. Didn't Infiniti learn from that?
  • stebustebu Member Posts: 204
    The I35 is very nice. I can't say enough good things about the 3.5L engine. But I'm not alone there. Not sure where you are getting your information about the I35 interior. Even Edmund's editors, who generally speaking are not big Infiniti proponents, had this to say, "The roomy, comfortable and feature-laden cabin is another plus". Of course interiors are largly subjective, but having driven an I35 as a loaner for a day, I must agree with Edmunds on this point. Forget the sports package with this car. As an entry level luxo-cruiser, the I35 is quite the bargain.

    As for the IS300, the gripe about the lack of a manual hurt it somewhat with it's target audience but I don't think that is a killer. The market it plays in is dominated by cars sold mostly with automatics, including BMW. I, too, am a big fan of rowing my own gears. But, I must say the IS300 with the steering wheel mounted shift buttons was a fairly engaging experience once I started to get the hang of them.
  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    come from the two comparos I saw in Motor Trend and Road and Track. Both rated the I35 quite highly in performance, second only to the BMW. Similarly the editors commented that the interior was inferior to the competition. Don't know if the interior is significantly weaker or if the editors just latched onto that as evidence of their objectivity -everything must have its plusses and minuses. On the BMW, for example, they harped on the price and the run flat tires.
  • dabtijdabtij Member Posts: 20
    The engine sounds good, but looking at the car, it looks very BLAND. The Altima has it beat in the looks department, inside and out. Of course, that's all subjective. I haven't owned an Infiniti before, but I would think that the less you see of the dealer during your ownership, the better it is...
  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    As I go back and relook at those two issues, the comments on the interior were less pronounced than I thought.

    R&T said that the design was generally liked by all the editors, but that there were some concerns about the long-term durability of the materials.

    MT didn't say much at all.
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    I think you are talking about the G35 and not the I35. The recent Motor Trend and Road & Track articles tested the G35.
  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    Indeed I am. Disregard all my drivel.

    Dang.
  • meegs24meegs24 Member Posts: 3
    Black paint on the 02 Altima is cheap indeed. I haven't seen any bubbling of the clearcoat (yet) but it doesn't take much to scratch the paint. I use sheepskin mits and a supposedly "scratch-proof" squeegee when I wash my car and it still scratches quite easily. Don't get the black.
  • dabtijdabtij Member Posts: 20
    And I wanted a black Altima too. But the main reason would have been because everyone and their mothers have silver. Oh well, I guess I'll have to blend in with the masses...
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    I'm one of the masses with the silver. I bought it mostly because it's easier to take care of than other colors. I can go 3-4 weeks without a wash and it still looks good.

    I was rethinking my decision the other night when I was driving to a friend's place. I came to a stoplight, looked around, and spotted 2 other silver '02 Altimas at the same light! At that point, I concluded that this color may be a bit too popular.

    Have you seen the new blue and red colors? I think they look good. Pewter also looks good to me.
  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    I liked the 02 Ruby color and the opal blue or whatever it was. The new blue doesn't appeal to me much. The seascape is different, probably not for me though. I do like the mystic emerald and have only seen a few on the road.

    My wife likes silver, but I really don't.

    BTW, is it me or has something changed in the last few years to make silver a more popular color?
  • dabtijdabtij Member Posts: 20
    I haven't seen the new blue. I didn't like last year's definition of "blue". It was more of a teal color I think.

    Is the new blue closer to a darker navy blue? It seems a lot of its colors are more pastel, instead of bold and defining.
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    I haven't seen the new blue in person, but from pictures it seems darker than last year's opal blue. Still not a dark blue like you were hoping for.


    I actually liked last year's ruby and opal blue colors as well. I don't know why Nissan got rid of them.


    Let me see if I can include a picture of the blue:

    image

  • cfocfocfocfo Member Posts: 147
    1) The new RED, Sonoma Sunset looks great to me. Anyone have poor paint issues with dark RED ? Or are the paint problems primarily with Black and darker hues as mentioned ?

    The thought of buying a new car and having bubbling clearcoat ??!!, well .... let's say a cheesy interior is do-able with the 2003 fixes, but Bad Paint on New Car, Scarey !

    I might add that the 9 year old Honda we own is still fun to handwash, (well - twice a year) as the paint still looks & feels brand new !

    2) Regarding the 2003s, are we back to looking at near-sticker prices, the way the 2002s were priced when they rolled out ? Or was that just because of the new model change ? I think the 2002s are now priced around $200 over invoice, ($ 1, 800 under Sticker).

    Thanks
  • dabtijdabtij Member Posts: 20
    Hey, that looks pretty good! I might check that color out.

    I talked to the salesperson a couple of weeks ago and I asked about the '03s. He didn't mention anything about the pricing being anything unusual. He was offering me $600 over invoice on a 2002 and I would think he'd have mentioned what a good deal it was if they were sticking to MSRP on the 03...
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    Here's a pic of the new red color for those interested:


    image


    It doesn't look that different from the old ruby color, IMO.

  • indyaltimaindyaltima Member Posts: 4
    Dealers are giving good prices on the '03's. I am in the midwest and I was about ready to buy an '02...it was a fully loaded SE that stickered at $29,500 and I had a great deal at $27,000 ! However I thought I would wait a week or so and price the '03's, I have been shopping via the net and I already have quotes from two dealers on a similar '03 SE of about $27,200. So obviously they are dealing on the new ones as well.

    It obviously takes some time but if you do some home work and shop online with their internet managers, there are good deals out there !

    Hope this helps with the pricing questions.....
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...if you consider $27k for any Altima a great deal. I surely do not.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Wholeheartedly agree. You can get a Maxima GLE for that...
  • indyaltimaindyaltima Member Posts: 4
    ...if you are looking for a Maxima then no, it is not a great deal ! But if you happen to want an Altima then I would say that it is. Either way, it is all subjective.
  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    Here's how I almost went nuts.

    I saw an Altima in the parkling lot and work and thought it was a Q45. I walked beside it and when I saw Altima I about passed out. I went inside and started pulling up stats on it. Up until that point I was mainly interested in the RSX-S.

    While on a trip I went to Nissan dealer across the street from the Hotel. After reading the reviews and seeing the internet prices I was shocked when I saw the window sticker on the 3.5s. $29k. "I can get a maxima for that."

    Start comparing the Maxima as I had always liked the Maxima, but had considered it above my price range. Configuring a nice SE, "I can get a TL for about that price..."

    "But why get the TL when I can get a IS300 for a little more?"

    after a while I was looking at A4 Avants, and Passat wagons. Finally I started calculating monthly payments and shook myself out of the sell up cycle.

    I'm still interested in the Altima SE, but the assinine way they have configured the options is starting to turn me off. Why can't I get any decent features without the sunroof and all the other crap?

    It's like they think that if you want the 3.5 then you must automatically want all the other crap, otherwise you'd be looking at the 2.5s.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    ...and I personally think it looks okay at best. I looks nothing like the old Opal Blue though. It's VERY VERY bright. Almost too bright for my eyes. I'd consider it, but I am sure that I will like Sonoma Sunset better.
  • wackawacka Member Posts: 16
    I'd have to agree with you on that one, I am waffling between the Altima and Passat, and what really turns me off on the Altima is how they are handling the option packages..

    I am also ticked off that in the SL level trim which they said they upgraded the leather for 2003, you can not get it in a Manual transmission anymore (according to build your own on the Nissan site)... ARggh....

    It's the pacakaging BS that has pissed me off, cause I can't get the options I want, or powertrain without getting a bunch of crap I have no use for...

    Side note, every Nissan dealer I have been to in the Northern VA area are jerks, and every VW dealership I've been to has been quite cordial. However, I've been hearing alot of bad things about VW's service departments in this area..

    Sigh.. the madness continues..
  • grogman1grogman1 Member Posts: 76
    I agree with the above..........Nissan could use some technical help to at least simplify the "build" part of their site. I've tried four times to build a 2.5SL with the features that I want and each time have said "screw it" shortly into the process due to the delays created by all of the pop up windows......and I haven't even had the chance to experience the "joy" of dealership experience of the previous posters. Oh well.
  • speedracer3speedracer3 Member Posts: 650
    And if you read enough posts in VW boards, you'll discover that with a Passat you'll probably visit your dealer's service department often.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    I hate that Nissan had to get rid of that combo.
  • ronoboyronoboy Member Posts: 32
    In regards to post 3621: ) "The new RED, Sonoma Sunset looks great to me. Anyone have poor paint issues with dark RED ? Or are the paint problems primarily with Black and darker hues as mentioned ?"

    I have the Ruby Red on our 02 Altima and I had to buy a paint touch up bottle within the first month (hmmm they used to give those away at dealers, cost 6 bucks now!) Plenty of paint chipping problems in bumper area, and one or two on the door. Seemed to be more of a problem the first few months, haven't seen any chipping for a while (have had the car 11 months). Some paint chipping happened when the dealer washed it after an oil change, other chips just appeared from gravel or whatever. Not a great paint job!
  • wackawacka Member Posts: 16
    I am finding just in general everyone gets a dud vehicle from every manufacturer. I certainly see that looking at ALL the cars that people here rate. It's just a question how often it happens, it seems to happen more with domestics (yeah that's a my opinion so what)...

    My parents owned an 86 Jetta diesel and that thing was a tank. We drove that dam thing for 14 years and a lot of that time I was using the vehicle and driving it into the ground. It would not die! The problems that I do seem to notice and I can relate with VW's, is they have electrical annoyances. We had several such as the radio dying and stupid lights on our dash going on all the time or just never turing off. We also had these crappy door handles.

    But never anything engine major, or serious $$ for repairs never..

    I am actually quite stunned by the Passat, I was in need of a change and hooked on to the Altima except the interior sucks, and at the time the 2002 SL had really crappy leather compared to the Passat which is a NIiiiiiiiice...

    One thing that really stuck with me though, was I of course see many Passats in my area and I talked to a couple owners about some of their purchases. They said they had great dealings but didn't like the service department. One person showed me her car and when they prepped it, the idiots got wax all over the window edges!! She told me she was furious, and she took the thing home and stuck Q-tips in there to try and get all the gunk out. She didnt get all of it and I could still see the residue when she showed me the vehicle. Talk about idiots..
  • speedracer3speedracer3 Member Posts: 650
    Sounds like you are sold on the Passat. Go for it then, drive what you like. Personally, I'd get the A4, but that's me.

    Enjoy

    Speed
  • 1offroader1offroader Member Posts: 208
    Just purchased a new 2002 2.5S, auto, with convenience package, ABS/air bag package, floor mats, splash guards, and microfilter. Color: opal blue (we love the color), and charcoal interior. The sticker was about $22,250, we got for $20,837 (+tax & lic.). This is the TMV price that Edmunds recommends. It took some bargaining (several days), but I told the internet sales manager that TMV was the highest we would go. I think we got a good price - any comments?? Thanks, Edmunds!!!! BTW, we are in the Los Angeles area.

    I can't believe some of these posts about the prices bewteen $25-$30K. I like the Altima, but this is WAY too high for the Altima. For that kind of money you can get an Infiniti G35.

    BTW, an advantage of the Altima is that the engine has a timing CHAIN, as opposed to a BELT, at least on the 2.5 model. This is an expensive maintenance item to change, which does not have to be done on the Altima.
  • jsherpjsherp Member Posts: 1
    I am considering buying a 2002 altima. Two things I did not like about the Altima was the orange instrument panel lights and the shoulder part of the seat belt.

    I found the bright orange lighting on the instrument panel to be distracting. I'm afraid that during night driving the distraction will increase.

    The shoulder strap of the seat belt would slip down when I turned my body while backing up. I had to manually move it back up. The salesman made all possible adjustments to the seat position and to the shoulder strap height. I had the same problem in multiple Altimas. My size is average, so this should not be part of the problem.

    Has anyone had problems with the instrument lighting and the seat belts?
  • 1offroader1offroader Member Posts: 208
    No problems with the seat belt, but I am 6'3". You could do what my wife does - she likes to use a sheepskin shoulder strap cover - it is less irritating on bare skin and makes the belt a little "grippier".

    The dash lights can be adjusted for brightness - from very dim to very bright. There is a reostat wheel switch on the left side of the dash to turn the brightness down. I agree, on the brightest setting it is very bright & might be distracting.
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    The instrument lighting dims when you turn on your headlights. I like the lighting at night as long as I have the dimmer wheel turned down a bit.

    Also, I had a chance to stop by a dealer and check out the new Crystal Blue color. It is brighter than it appears in that picture I posted. Frankly, I like the old Opal Blue better.

    Nissan should sell a dark blue on this car. I think it would look great.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    Crystal Blue looks nothing like the old Opal Blue. I saw a a 2002 Altima 3.5SE in Opal Blue yesterday parked beside a 2003 Altima 2.5S in Crystal Blue, talk about a world of differences. The Crystal Blue looks more neon-ish than the opal Blue, the Crystal Blue made the Opal blue look very similar to Blue Anthracite (A Grayish-blue color on the Passat.) I didn't like the Crystal Blue on the S model, but later I saw it on the SE model and it looked better for some reason. Also, I DO NOT LIKE the new titanium accents, I think they look cheaper than the regualar accents on the 2002 model.
  • johnncjohnnc Member Posts: 4
    Anybody have any problems with the alignment? I've got a steering wheel shimmy at about 120 miles on the odometer. Maybe the wife parked bad or something. I'm heading to the dealer Friday.

    Other than that , LOVE the 2003 Alitma 3.5. Interior is not fancy, but will do just fine.
    Traded in an `01 Maxima GLE, wife didn't like the hard leather seats, plus a/c/heater fan was very noisy.
    So far, really like the Altima, enjoying the power and the ride!
  • 1offroader1offroader Member Posts: 208
    Yes, we've got the same thing. On close examination, there was a loose wheel weight on the front left wheel. I removed it, and about 50% of the shake went away. I think it is due to wheel imbalance. An earlier post said the same thing, and he/she said that a good re-balance solved the problem entirely.

    Re: colors, I don't like the new blue at all. Too bright. Also, the old Nouveau Ruby was much nicer than the new Sonoma Sunset (?). It's also too bright. I think dropping the opal blue and nouveau ruby was a mistake. We considered both colors, and bought the opal blue. We wouldn't even consider either of the new colors - too gaudy. Each to his own, I guess. Some people like statues of pink flamingoes in their yard, so I guess that says something.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    What Nissan should do next year is add Majestic Blue and Gray Lustre to the Altima line up, now that would be nice. I LOVE Gray Lustre.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I saw a new grey colored 03 Jetta the other day on the road somewhere. It seems that greyish-brown type color is coming back. I usually hate gray, but would go for that shade of it. Better than the 100 million different shades of silver you see around all the time! :)

    The Lustre is from the Maxima, right?
  • cheerioboy26cheerioboy26 Member Posts: 412
    grey lustre is the color of my 2000 maxima - not sure what other years it is (was) available
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    Gray or Grey Lustre has been available since MY 2000 on the Nissan Maxima, and is by far my favorite color. I saw a 2003 Maxima SE at the local dealer with Gray Lustre paint, and that car looked great!
  • cfocfocfocfo Member Posts: 147
    I really REALLY liked the Ruby color of the 02s. I wanted a darker red like a burgandy. The new RED from the photo looks almost too RED for me. Oh well, I wanted to wait for the better interior of the 03s.
  • okmomokmom Member Posts: 37
    We are shopping for '01 Altima GXE LIMITED.
    There are many to chose from.
    However most of them don't have ABS.
    Do you know why?
    To us ABS is must.
    Also, any known problem with this model?

    Thanks.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    My wife bought hers new and it didn't have abs either, none on the lot had them. But believe me, the regular brakes are great! Never have we missed the abs yet!
    The gas mileage is not great, rather unhappy with that part, and the oem Generals were garbage, lasted only 17k miles.
    Besides that, the car is good and you can't go wrong. Her idler pulley went bad but was fixed under warranty last month. She chose the titanium frost color and it looks real sharp and hides dirt real well.
    Good luck and let us know what you finally get!

    The Sandman :-)
  • 1offroader1offroader Member Posts: 208
    Our 2002 has had a steering wheel shimmy between 45-55 mph. I took it back today to have the splash guards installed (they weren't on the car & had to be ordered), & while the wheels were off they did a re-balance. Voila, problem solved, the steering wheel is rock-steady and the handling is great. Splash guards are functional and LOOK GREAT!

    While I was at the dealership I bought a set of wheel locks (Nissan brand but made by McGard). This gives some peace of mind against theft of these nice alloy wheels.

    When I got home I also removed each wheel and lubricated each wheel lug. I highly recommend this procedure because nearly every new car I've purchased shows evidence of some sort of corrosion on the threads. This can be permanently cured by taking an old toothbrush and putting some Never Seize copper-based anti-seize compound on the brush and putting a LIGHT coat on the threads of each wheel lug. This will prevent seizing/binding/rusting of the threads and makes lug nut removal and replacement much easier (also true for spark plugs - try it!). I learned this trick from a mechanic friend and have done it to every car I've purchased - it's a cheap and easy improvement.

    Also, if you've purchased an Altima recently and haven't checked the tire pressure I suggest you do so. Max pressure is 44 psi on the factory Continentals, but they ranged from 31-38. I set them all at 40, at least for now.

    So far, the car has been great and the wife is extremely pleased (which is very important - if the wife ain't happy, ain't nobody happy).
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