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Nissan Altima

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Comments

  • stebustebu Member Posts: 204
    I'll give you just a couple of examples where a manual pays dividends. It allows you to select your exit gear from a turn as you enter into it. This offers both a real performance edge as well as the sensory thrill of having almost total car control. Another example is when I need to pass a slower moving vehicle on a road that doesn't offer a lot of passing opportunities. I can downshift to put the engine in it's rpm sweet spot and have instantaneous trottle response when the coast is clear to pass. All this AND better gas milage.

    However, I do understand how this can be mute to anyone who needs to constantly drive in stop and go traffic.
  • ctalericoctalerico Member Posts: 23
    I have an automatic Altima but I used to have a manual Honda CRX. I loved it in the winter because in the snow and slush I could downshift (before applying the brakes) to slow down instead of slamming on the brakes (which could send you into a 360)to avoid accidents. I don't need a manual now because I no longer live in a "snow zone".
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    I bought a manual Altima because I enjoy the feel more that of than an automatic. The torque converter in an automatic makes for a slushiness in the drivetrain that I greatly dislike. For me it's not a practical or performance-driven decision, just a question of personal preference.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I had to get auto because I drive in traffic alot, and never really got the hang of driving a stick shift either. :) I have a Jetta, and it's got the Tiptronic, which is really cool in bad weather. You still can downshift it to slow if you want, and then put it in fully auto mode and let the car do the work when you wanna be lazy. :)
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    Northshore Honda.They advertise in Newsday every
    Friday.Paragon Honda has both the I4 and V6 to test drive.
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    Anyone knows where I can get an 02 Altima's manual
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    The '03 Altima manual can be downloaded here:

    http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/pdfs/og//altima/2003-Nissan-Altima.pdf
  • crashnburn2crashnburn2 Member Posts: 23
    I might head out to Paragon Honda. South Shore Honda didn't have alot. After all, all they had was a silver LX (demo) when I brought my 99 Accord EX in for service. The dealership was not open yet so I could not go in. I walked down and looked through the glass and I saw an EXV6 in Graphite Pearl. Or at least I think thats what it was.
  • acmeroadrunnracmeroadrunnr Member Posts: 81
    In your mightiest of opinions, Is this the right forum for the hondaphobes (ahossa crashnburn...) to discuss Hondas? After all, if anyone wants to read up on honda all they have to do is go to the honda thread, not Altima.
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    If you look a few posts up you will see that i was making inquiries about the Altima. Crashburn is undecided as to an Accord or Altima and I suggested he compare both. More important I purchased an Altima on Oct6 and picked it up on Oct 08, 2002.I'm not a Hondaphobe.Other than reliability I have a patent dislike for the car. I try very hard to like something else in that car.I'm also tired of their color schemes.Boring car.I love my Altima.I'm very happy with my decision.
  • acmeroadrunnracmeroadrunnr Member Posts: 81
    point well taken, but this is a altima forum and as i read through it appears there are quite few threads in here about non-altima vehicles and unrelated conversations. quite frankly, its a pain in the a** to have to sift through information that is useless and, in my opinion, should not be there. good luck with your new car and i hope you enjoy it. btw: what model did you get?
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    I got the 2.5S with the convenience package in Satin White.It's a great car. I really love it. Thank you Afty for the link to Nissan. I was able to download the manual, 256 pages of it.
  • crashnburn2crashnburn2 Member Posts: 23
    I presented both cars because I was comparing them. I had asked ahossa which Honda dealer it was because I also wanted to test drive the new Accord so I can choose between the two. So far I only test drove the Altima. It was a 3.5SE and I loved the power so all I need is the Accords impression to make my choice.
  • ultimaultima Member Posts: 96
    This may be of assistance to some folks...


    http://www.altimas.net/tsb/


    Altima TSB (Technical Service Bulletins)

  • acmeroadrunnracmeroadrunnr Member Posts: 81
    there is a new forum opened up that compares the accord and altima (I think the original was archived for some strange reason), that would be a more appropriate area to discuss comparisons.
  • acmeroadrunnracmeroadrunnr Member Posts: 81
    let me save you some time. only 3 of those tsb's are for the NEW ('02+) altima and none would be considered major. while you are there take a look at the accord tsb's, many of these are considered serious issues. when your done there then go look at the maint and repair section in edmunds on the accord, it is on version 3 and shows many unhappy customers (i was one of them and my only resolution for a problematic honda accord (tried dealer and Honda HQ) was to trade the car -i refused to sell it myself). the information is there, just spend some time reading through the forums before buying and remember that more than one of these *happy* accord owners that post here are actually honda salespeople.
  • ultimaultima Member Posts: 96
    I was surfing altimas.net, stumbled accross the TSBs, and read about the fix for the "buzzing" roof/inside lamp -- which others have addressed on Edumunds and just assumed there were other things that might help other 2002/2003 Altima owners.

    By the way, I've had MY 2002 3.5SE since March and have had NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER.

    Thanks Again!
  • carnut_robcarnut_rob Member Posts: 6
    I've had my Alty since April and haven't had any recalls or TSB's yet.

    Rob
  • aftyafty Member Posts: 499
    I brought my Alty to New Hampshire International Speedway this weekend for a Driver Education event. It was my first time ever on a track and I had a blast! The instructor did things with my car that I didn't think possible! The Alty made a good showing and received several compliments from the other drivers. I, on the other hand, have quite a bit to learn. :)


    Here's a picture of me exiting Turn 10:

    image

  • jazzmaniajazzmania Member Posts: 3
    Just thought I'd post my MPG to date. I'm driving an '03 2.5SL. I've done about 2000 miles so far and I'm getting 20.3 MPG. BTW My hand calculations are coming out very close to the trip computer.
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    I have had my car 1 week now and the trip computer says 14mpg.This seems incorrect to me. I'm keeping a manual record of it and when the tank is empty I will make a tally and post.
  • fredvhfredvh Member Posts: 857
    I would think that a 4-cylinder Altima should get better mileage than 20mpg. The 3.5L should even get 20. The engine apparently is not very efficient. The new Accords are getting 35+ on the highway according to several owners of the I4.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Cars' engines take time to break in, and the mileage is usually lower when breaking in. Also, the type of driving (city/highway) and also driving style has alot to do with fuel mileage.
  • stebustebu Member Posts: 204
    I agree with vocus concerning the things that effect mpg. I would also add ambient temperature to that list. But in my experience, all of these things don't typically average out to much more than a 5-6 mpg low to high range for a small to medium 4-cyl engine in a car application. With the longterm average falling near the middle of the range. Of course, 4-cyl truck application can be very different.

    At any rate, I'm starting to follow these mpg figures more closely. I will be appalled if it turns out that an Altima 2.5SL w/auto, under typical conditions, is averaging barely over 20mpg. It's hard to believe when the engine is rated at 23/29. I've never had a vehicle perform that poorly compared to EPA figures. And I'm a fairly heavy footed driver. I also agree that even the 3.5L should be doing at least 20mpg. Again, under reasonable mixed driving conditions. If what I'm hearing is accurate, Nissan's new engines, especially the 2.5L, would indeed seem to have a bit of an efficiency problem. I guess it's a good thing they compensate somewhat with above average performance. However, Nissan is walking a fine line here since, IMHO, the average 4-cyl shopper in the mainstream sedan category isn't looking to sacrifice above average mpg figures in the name of all out performance. Just my .02.
  • fredvhfredvh Member Posts: 857
    Stebu and vocus have very good comments. I strongly agree with stebu on his comments on the typical 4-cylinder owner. They want a mid-sized 4-door sedan that gets good gas mileage. The Altima competes directly with the Camry and the Accord and apparently the Altima gets far less mpg than the other two. There is still a group of people out there who are more concerned with performance but invariably they purchase the 6-cylinder. The large percentage of sales in this class of vehicles are purchased with the 4 cylinder. Gas mileage is only one category to consider when purchasing a vehicle but it is to many of us important.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    My car is an 02 Jetta 1.8T Tiptronic, rated at 22/29 c/hwy. I average 24-26mpg usually, on 89 octane gas.

    The Altima is going to average in the low 20s because it's a pretty big, heavy mid-size car.
  • fredvhfredvh Member Posts: 857
    Here are the 2003 vehicle weights (auto trans) which actually show that the Altima is slightly lighter than the other two:

    Nissan Altima 2.5S- 3095 pounds

    Toyota Camry 2.4LE- 3142 pounds

    Honda Accord 2.4LX- 3113 pounds
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Looks can be deceiving then, I guess. The Altima looks pretty large to me in person. The Camry does look bigger though, and ugly. :0
  • cfocfocfocfo Member Posts: 147
    Anyone know where on the internet I can get an invoice for a 2003 Altima SL with NO options ?

    Or an invoice with just the floor matts, splash guards and micro filter if I have to play that game ?

    Thanks
  • clpurnellclpurnell Member Posts: 1,083
    www.carsdirect.com and build your own try a zipcode of 90210 it will show invoice. I know when I enter my texas zip it doesn't because of some wacky texas laws.
  • pbhattipbhatti Member Posts: 87
    You can also try Kelley Blue Book. They give the invoice and retail price for every item.
  • amazing2uamazing2u Member Posts: 67
    Just so you know, your 1.8T Tiptronic Jetta (3,155 lb) weights more than the 2.5SL Altima (3,106 lb)! :)

    VW are very nice but they are notorious for there weight!
  • anonymouspostsanonymousposts Member Posts: 3,802
    VW's are notorious for their weight, their price, and their reliability (or lack of it).

    Does anyody know how long Nissan is going to take before they significantly update the Altima?
  • cyril1cyril1 Member Posts: 5
    Now after 1350 miles, mostly highway driving (~70-75 mph) on the last tank of 93 octane I avg. 27.9 mpg (hand calculated, which came very close to what the trip computer reported). Not sure why you folks with the 2.5 are getting such lousy gas mileage.
  • ultimaultima Member Posts: 96
    I read the following post on Altimas.net in response to someone else stating the 2002 Altima gets poor mileage. Don't know if it's true, but it sure sounds good... (:-D

    Here's the post:

    "The tank scale is not linear and you quickly realize that. Just check your mileage and fill the car at 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, and Empty and see how much it takes. It is that simple, don't worry, be happy. Approx Numbers: Above Full = 100% in tank; Full = 90%; 1/2 = 60%; 1/4 = 30%, Empty = 15% in tank"

    Can anyone confirm or refute this?
  • acmeroadrunnracmeroadrunnr Member Posts: 81
    That's a little better than my (calculated on fillup) 25mpg average on my 3.5 auto.
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    to get a decent amount of heat in the car, I have to turn the dial all the way to end of red. I took the car to the dealer and they found that this was normal. Somehow, I believe that this is not suufficient heat in the cold winter months. Anyone has this problem?
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Was the car fully warmed up when you did this? The temperature rheostat will react differently, depending on how warm the engine is.
  • fastaltfastalt Member Posts: 24
    I have a 02 Altima 3.5 SE automatic with 3000 miles. You need to do the manual calculation of miles expended divided by gallons of gas at fillup to get an accurate mpg calculation. do not depend on the gas gauge. on the highway I get about 25mpg... city mpg is about 17mph. that's using premium gas...I had a 6 cyl 99 Accord and mpg was much better, but the Accord was a slug compared to the zip in this Alty...
  • cfocfocfocfo Member Posts: 147
    Thanks fastalt for the info, but that's not very encouraging. Hwy MPG sounds fine.
  • ahossaahossa Member Posts: 152
    The car was fully warmed up. I tried again this morning and same problem. do you own an Altima? If you do can you tell me if you get warm air just as you turn the dial pass the blue markings. I get cold air until 3/4 way down the red marker.
  • piecekeeperpiecekeeper Member Posts: 18
    My first mileage test on my 03 2.5S was 31.5 MPG. My second test was 16.1 MPG. My third test was 32.8 MPG. My last test was 25.4 MPG. I use the trip meter and divide by the number of gallons to fill up. I try to fill up to the point the car won't take anymore gas. Someone told me this is a no no as gas will get someplace I don't want it. I used to fill up by watching the top of the fill tube till I could see the gas. On the Altima, its hard to do that. I was told by another member to let the pump run on auto till it clicks off, then hand hold it till it clicks off two more times. I suspect my 25.4 MPG test is the closest to the truth. That was mixed driving. Does anyone know if gas can flow from the top of the filler cap into a tube that could hurt the engine??????I know about the over flow tube.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    I would recommend listening to your friend. You don't want gas in the filler neck. Let the pump click off 3 times, or round to the nearest $ like I do when I fill up.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    No, I do not own an Altima. Sorry. :(
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    17mpg seems about right for such a big V6 engine in the city.
  • acmeroadrunnracmeroadrunnr Member Posts: 81
    That sounds a bit low, but it will vary with driving habits. Jumpstarts etc. will drop you mileage quite a bit. I use 93 Sunoco and my overall (city and hiway) average is 25mpg.
  • pda97pda97 Member Posts: 91
    The Altima got a significant update back in 02. Besides, why do u care ? Shouldn't u be at the Honda forums touting Honda's reliability and resale value ?

    When is Honda gonna significantly update the 03 Accord ? Please tell me it's gonna lose its hideous looks soon.
  • acmeroadrunnracmeroadrunnr Member Posts: 81
    anonymous believes that ugly is beautiful, just because honda told her so.
  • vocusvocus Member Posts: 7,777
    Let's not night now. Be nice. :) Being in the US is all about having your own choices and opinions. Remember that. :)

    And to the guy who got 17, your car is very new. Give it time to break in a little, usually around 1000 miles at least, before measuring economy.
  • acmeroadrunnracmeroadrunnr Member Posts: 81
    whose nighting? :-)
This discussion has been closed.

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