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I say "new", meaning it may be just a reskinned car.
I JUST test drove BOTH the 2003 Accord i4 and V6.
Size? While the "specs" may be what they are, I can tell you the Accord definately feels like it has LESS room than the Altima... Much smaller trunk than the Altima too.
Power & Torque? No way does it compare to the Altima. The engine is smooth, the car feels tight, but you have to jump on to get the same "oompf" you do with the Altima... And when you do, it doesn't kick-in as smoothly as on the Altima -- it kind of revs high then kicks in (I'm speaking of the V6 right now, by the way).
Does it have enough power/torque to get you from A-to-B? Absolutely, and nobody should say otherwise.
Mileage? If the mileabe numbers on the Accord (21/30 on the V6 for example) are correct, that's certainly better than the Altima at 19/26 (on the V6).
Styling? Hands-down the COUPE is the clear winner with the "Mercedes-like" tail-end. But IMHO, not nearly as "upscale" looking as the Altima (from side & rear views -- replace the grille on the Altima with a chrome Billet/Trenz grille, and that solves the front view look on the Altima).
Price? Altima all the way... Honda just asks far too much for this vehicle -- with tax/lic etc. you're looking at $29,000 for the V6 and $25,000 for the i4. I paid $25,000 for my Altima 3.5 SE Automatic (V6) out-the-door with custom two-tone interior the dealer agreed to do for me (i.e., not standard). BUT... The Accord is new, so premium pricing is probably expected for a while.
Ride & Interior? Nice and tight and handles the bumps well, but not nearly as "fun" to drive as the Altima. Nice interior, but the seats felt a little flat compared to the Altima. A few more interior styling "spiffs" on the Accord splashed about, but nothing that made me think wow -- but certainly a little nicer than the Altima.
Resale? My guess is the Accord will probably have a better resale... We'll have to see -- You simply can not compare past resale numbers on the old Altimas with the new one... HOWEVER, if I were to put money on it, I'd say the Accord will still have the better resale.
Overall? Both the i4 and V6 are VERY nice cars and I think anyone would/should be happy with it... In summary I'll say this:
If you want decent styling, little plusher interior, decent power, mileage, and good resale value, go for the Accord.
If you want great styling, power/torque, room, driving fun, and are less concerned with 30 mpg freeway and fabric on the door, go for the Altima.
Final note: Couple things I found really irritating were the radio controls were not "intuitive", and when you grab on the the auto-shifter during acceleration (an automatic reflex from driving a stick for so many years) it very easy to pop the car into 3rd... Not a big deal, but it just bugged me that it was so easy to accidentally do that -- but again, not a reason to avoid the car by any means... Also, if you test one of the new Accords, make sure the "traction control" is OFF -- makes a BIG difference.
As for pricing, an Accord EX V6 MSRP is $26,200 vs. an Altima MSRP of $26,500 if you option them the same. Don't know where you saw a $29,000 Accord but it doesn't make sense to me.
As for the shifter... Nope -- you can easily while the car is in drive just pull the shifter back in into third. But again, it's something I'm sure anyone would get used to pretty quickly.
Hey, thanks for your thoughts!!!
(:-D
As for my Altima... Sheer-Sliver, 3.5SE (Auto), Two-Tone Custom Leather, Micro-Filter, 17" Alloy Rims, Mud-Guards, Floor Mats, ABS... Hmmm... I think that's it -- didn't want the sun roof.
Accord EX V6 Coupe "TMV" @ $26,360
Accord EX V6 Sedan "TMV" @ $26,260
Maybe I incorrectly wrote down $26,460 instead of $26,360 for the Coupe, but even Edmunds supports the price I quoted.
I don't want to start an argument about this, but like I said, even Edmunds' pricing agrees.
Whether tax, lic, etc. comes out to 8%, 9%, 10%, etc. depends on where you live. I'm in Los Angeles, so out here Tax, for example, is 8-1/4 percent...
Anyway... The Accord is a nice car, I just "personally" like the Altima more -- though I do wish it got the Accord's mileage, and I DEFINATELY wish it came in a 2-DOOR COUPE.
By the way... If you want to see what the Altima would look like as a 2-DOOR, go to:
http://www.pacificnet.net/~evh/FavoriteCars.html
(:-D
Accord EX V6 Coupe "TMV" @ $26,360
Accord EX V6 Sedan "TMV" @ $26,260
Maybe I incorrectly wrote down $26,460 instead of $26,360 for the Coupe, but even Edmunds supports the price I quoted.
I don't want to start an argument about this, but like I said, even Edmunds' pricing agrees.
Whether tax, lic, etc. comes out to 8%, 9%, 10%, etc. depends on where you live. I'm in Los Angeles, so out here Tax, for example, is 8-1/4 percent...
Anyway... The Accord is a nice car, I just "personally" like the Altima more -- though I do wish it got the Accord's mileage, and I DEFINATELY wish it came in a 2-DOOR COUPE.
By the way... If you want to see what the Altima would look like as a 2-DOOR, go to:
http://www.pacificnet.net/~evh/FavoriteCars.html
(:-D
Altima's a nice car and I'm glad you like it but if you are going to compare prices make it a fair comparison.
Thanks for the volley!!!
By the way... I read about a couple of "mods" to the Altima that are supposed to make a difference.
1. Advance the timing 3 degrees -- supposed to noticably increase low-end grunt and improve mileage a bit?
2. A free 2 minute creation of a Warm Air Intake by removing the air scoop from the front grill -- allow the motor to suck in more air... Heard could add 5-7 horsepower? (I have an Adobe Acrobat/PDF of this for anyone who wants to read about it)
Has anyone else heard of (or tried) these "mods" to the Altima?
A couple people on VWVortex.com had the same problem with increased fuel consumption from their VWs when adding K&N filters.
Use the search feature and you'll find the thread.
(:-D
I'm thinking of a 2.5S with automatic, sunroof, conv pkg and ABS.
My questions for other Altima owners: What do you truly like and dislike about your cars? What would you like to change if you could?
For me, the plus side of the ledger includes: power, range on a tank of gas, roominess, features for price.
The downside is pretty much limited to the way the interior is put together ... just seems less "nice" than, say, the Accord or Passat.
Thanks in advance to all comments and responses.
ALTIMA:
- Great styling
- Decent interior
- Great power/torque and driving fun
- Average mileage
- Average resale value
- Great amount of room
ACCORD:
- Decent styling
- Little nicer interior
- Decent power/torque
- Good mileage
- Good resale value
- Good amount of room
CAMRY:
- Average styling
- Little nicer interior
- Average power/torque
- Good mileage
- Good resale value
- Good amount of room
Hope this helps...
Even with the V6, there seems to be a delay of power. This is very apparent (to me) with the 1.8T. Some owners say manually shifting the Tiptronic will help with this.
Mileage is about average at 22mpg for the V6 and 24 or so with the 1.8T, both automatic.
The interior is very upscale for this class, and VW seems to be the benchmark for their interiors. The room isn't as good as the Altima's though.
I can't really compare the Passat's driving characteristics to the Altima's, having never test driven the 2002 Altima.
And you are right ... the 2.5S cannot have leather added as an option. So, to have the manny tranny and leather, you'll have to move up to the 3.5SE .. which, IIRC, is a whole lotta money.
By the way... What you're doing is EXACTLY what I did -- bought a 3.5 SE and just had them add the two-tone leather... Way better than Nissan's leather, plus Nissan doesn't offer two-tone.
Enjoy.
I am close to a deal on a leftover 02 Millenia but thye've raised the lease price on me. 42mo., $394/mo., 15000mi., with first payment and security. I am wondering what kind of deal I can get on leasing a 2.5S with 0 down just basic power equipment, CD and a leather package thrown in. Intellichoice has a 2.5S lease deal listed as exceptional but at $319/mo with $1500 down and an aquisition fee of $500 it doesn't sound that great. Especially compared to an absolutely loaded Millenia (power everthing, moonroof, leather, traction control, ABS, 50000 warranty and free loaner car). I would be interested in knowing anyone's price experience on leasing an Altima.
I guess I didn't read enough of the thread to realize the person was looking at the 4 cyl.
The climate control was not a big deal for me -- so I didn't care... Certainly many like this.
As for the premium gas... Yes, that kind of "blows", but I noticed it runs fine on the mid-grade too -- but yes, you will pay more at the pump with the V6. Truth is, though, when you step on her and she rockets up to 100 mph in a blink of an eye, you almost forget about the premium gas thing. But thinking "practically", it is an issue to consider.
As for the saving money with the stick... I don't know? I remember looking at the stats once and thought there was only a one mile per gallon difference with the stick vs. the auto.
As for the stick vs. automatic thing... I'm with you all the way. I drove (and still drive) my Nissan Hardbody truck/5-Speed for years.
Living in Los Angeles, I couldn't wait to get an automatic. L.A. Traffic SUCKS man!!!
(:-D
The engine is the most powerful in the compact sedan class, so it's definitely powerful enough. The 6 is geared toward more "sporting" drivers.
Jury is still out, however, on whether I'm going to get the Altima or perhaps the Saturn L300 with the V6.
However. I can get a V6 L-series for about the same price as the 4-cyl Altima (with roughly the same levels of equipment), plus the L-series comes standard (at least on the V6) with traction control.
Decisions, decisions. I'm still leaning towards the Altima, for reasons best described as "intagible".
You might want to get a car you won't be embarrased to be seen in.
Now if you said Honda Accord was your other consideration, that might have made more sense to me. It's got Saturn like looks but a better 4-cyl. engine that's more fuel efficient (and quieter) as well as the higher quality interior.
Now, to find one with the equipment I want on it!
2.5S
Automatic
M02 package (conv pkg + sunroof)
ABS/Side airbags
Wife says no red, white or black; any other color OK.
Thanks to one and all for your feedback. Will be a few weeks before pulling the trigger on the new car; but I'll check back when I've done so.
And why not white? It's the easiest color to keep clean. That or silver. And please don't get silver, all the Altimas on the road (almost) are silver.
Not much can be said for the Ion's styling either other than it looks like an ugly version of the Neon.
Regardless, the Altima is a far better choice on almost every level, not just styling.
The Velvet Beige is a nice color, as is the Crystal Blue (similar to our Beetle). I think I'd be happy with any of them, to tell the truth. Though, if I had to rank them, it might be something like:
Crystal Blue
Seascape
Mystic Emerald
Velvet Beige
Silver (you're right, everyone now has a silver car, it seems)
We'll see what the dealer can do; I'm more interested in the equipment being right, then I'll deal with the color.