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Nissan Altima
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Comments
So far everything seems to be in great working order except the radio, which has some bad reception.
I plan to have the radio worked on soon because it has some problems.
The interior is a VAST improvement quality wise, but some things are still a bit lacking.
I can't complain too much because the car is a joy to drive and a lot of fun. Not to mention powerful.
My mother and stepfather like the car a lot and I am very satsified with the purchase.
I do wish the car had adjustable headrest in the rear, but I won't be sitting back there much anyway so I don't have to worry about that.
The trip computer functions are super cool as well as the new steering wheel radio controls.
Overall, I am satisfied with my Smoke with charcoal cloth 2.5S Altima.
http://www.nissannews.com/multimedia/nissan2005/altima_se-r.shtml
I was interested to hear what you think is still lacking in the redesigned interior. Anything major?
The door panel is misaligned.
Overall, I like the interior a LOT! The exterior is HOTNESS!!!
Fan will not blow heat and air conditioning except at the highest fan speed setting.
What could this be? Is the fan easy to get at and or remove?
Not sure if it is the selector button or fan speed resistor.
How would I find that out?
Thanks for the reply.
1. Which car in a comparison do you guys like the 2005 Altima w/ 250HP or the current Maxima?
2. Do you guys think that Nissan should offer a V8 in the Maxima around 300HP, to give it that extra edge over the Altima, and take the Maxima into the luxury division?
There was a time when the Maxima was the "Top" Nissan and the Altima was the more economical family sedan. Today, the Altima is sportier, better looking, better handling and just as roomy as the Maxima.
Also, with the 05 update, the Altima actually has a BETTER interior (Design and materials) than the Maxima.
Nissan has a SERIOUS problem on there hands.
The styling of the Maxima is too derivative of the Altima and thus seems like a copy of the Alitma. To many people, the Maxima is too bold, while the Altima is sporty looking and nicer.
Nissan needs to give the Maxima AWD, about 300 hp, a NICER interior that is worthy of the price they want to sell the damn car for, and leave the price the SAME.
Until then, the Altima is the better choice IMO. That is why I bought an Altima after YEARS of wanting a Maxima.
- - x post from 2005 Altima Future cars board - -
Just returned from a test drive of a 2005 Altima SL 3.5. (With NAV and Traction Control / Air Bag Pkg.)
Overall, given that this is a FWD car, it is a pretty impressive effort.
I had driven a 3.5 automatic (4-speed) just after introduction. The difference between that car and this one was more dramatic than I would have expected. The interior materials, fit and finish are clearly improved. The NVH improvement is substantial. And the 5-speed automatic has an excellent man-u-matic mode. Very well executed and to my taste.
The ride and handling under mildly aggressive driving was solid, firm, well damped and responsive.
The 3.5 L V6 is still a very good motor. At 250 HP / 249 TQ through this trans., it certainly delivers performance that most anyone would find adequate. And most would likely find sporty. With an EPA rating of 30 highway and a 20 gal. tank, the cruising range potential is useful and pretty remarkable.
If FWD were not an issue for me, I would very seriously consider this car. For just over $30K list as driven, with a pretty effective NAV system, this looks to me like a attractive package.
Just my $.02 contribution (less $.03 rebate – I owe $.01!!!)
- Ray
Impressed.
Essentially, if one thought the exterior design of the Maxima was more appealing than the G35... or if one thought the G35 is just too small... just personal preference as usual... every little thing counts, not just cost. The Max looks bold, whereas the G35 sedan looks conservative.
I'm sure Nissan marketing will think of something.
~alpha
what the big deal with torque steering and the altima, the altima is not the only car this, ok you can't slam on the gas with your hands off the wheel so what, name one 240hp car you can do that on, the 3.5 altima is a great and fun car to drive and the 2005 model is even better, the altima sales very well so it not a problem so the altima torque steering need to be laid to rest.
AWD max is hard to say with g35x and future 2006 m35 AWD it a good chances but i think a trim level may die if the Altima SE-R sales well IMO
Now an Infiniti G45x would potentially interest me.
- Ray
AWD + 4.5L V8 could equal LOTS of fun to drive . . .
2)"portknoxxa"
does the Evo hurt Galant GTS sale no why cause they are made for different people, Altima SE-R is a tricked out Altima with 18' rims, body spoiler, aggressive looks. this is not a conservative near Luxury car like the Max/G35.
TL A-Spec vs the RL
WRX Sti vs 05 legacy 2.5GT
S4 vs A6 v8
IS300 vs ES300
Performance models don't affect Luxury or higher class model even if they are in the same price.
What about how Altima's differ for different years? Do you know if any specific year/model has some specific problems with reliability, engine or whatever?
Is it alwasys true that 'the latter the better'?
What to take under $5000?
Thank you!
Your best bet, in my opinion, would be to consult the reliability charts in the April Auto Issue of Consumer Reports. Unfortunately, however, those do not go all the way back to 1994. Id stay away from that model anyway, which had issues with poorly designed passenger side airbags (changed for 1995). The 1998 Altima was redesigned, but used same engine/transmissions, slightly tweaked. If you can afford a newer one withe the same miles as an older one, you're probably better off with that one.
~alpha
I was thinking of trading it in on a 2002 Protege ES (Dark Green) with 50K miles. It has a spoiler, moonroof/sunroof and side air bags...along with the all other things you get in an ES. The deal I have worked out currently puts me at about 3.5K plus tax and tag...which I would pay cash for.
OR, I could get a 2000 Nissan Altima SE, with the same options (car is black) with 63K miles at about the same price.
What woudld you guys do?
BTW, if you were going to trade the Camry for the Protege in question, it should be a straight up trade. In other words, you should not have to pay any additional money. Where I live you can buy a used Protege ES with 50K miles for about $5000. Don't you think your Camry is worth more than $1500?
I'm in Pittsburgh, PA...the Protege is a 2002...a 2000 ES is being offered for 7,950...it has less miles and is not as nice.
The sticker on the window of this Protege is 9,999...a 2003 ES up the road has 16K miles and a sticker of 12,000...
I realize you should never pay sticker, but in this market, I'd have to pay 1/2 of the sticker/window price to get the deal you are talking about...
Go for an Altima, a much better car, in my opinion. The GLE's are really nice also!
The Sandman :-)
BTW, the 96-97 Altima with a little spoiler on the trunk looks sweet. Not one of those tall looking spoilers looks a souped up car would have. I'm talking about a factory spoiler which would probably come standard on the SE trim(the sport model)if I'm correct for the 1st generation Altima's.
The 2nd generation Altima was on my shopping list for a first car 5 years ago.
2000 Altima SE, 65,000mi,auto,burgandy color,power moonroof,good condition
Any idea on how much I might be able to get this for? See many GXE's, not many SE's. This is for my 18 yr old son.
ALso, when buying used, shouldn't the primary factor be what the dealer paid for that trade as opposed to the average selling price?
The asking was 9.9K and when I stopped negotiating, we were at 8.9K. The trade-in on this car is about 6.5-6.7K. My objective was, like you, to get the best price relative to what the dealer probably paid for the car. I figure he paid between 6 and 6.5K, so if he would give it to me for 8 - 8.5K, we would have a deal (I have a trade-in as well).
The problem is that TOO MANY car buyers get lured into the nice financing rates, even on used cars, so the dealer here figures someone will come along and grab this car for the 9.9K on the window. He's probably right. I wanted to do a cash deal, and he was just outside my comfort zone.
Who knows, maybe as the end of the month nears, he will be willing to go a little lower...
They always throw all kinds of stuff your way about how they "checked" the vehicle and added this or replaced that. The truth is, only one dealer I went to would show me a shop bill for what was done to a used car they brought in. So when they say "our shop bills for refurbishing this vehicle are 1.5K", ask them politely if you can see them. I'll bet they change the subject quickly.
Essentially, you should be TRYING to reach a price that equals what the dealer paid for the car (let's say 6K, although they will never show you/tell you) + what they put into it (let's say $500 because it needed "nice" tires and an oil change) + warranty (in this case 3 months, 3K miles so that is a big fat ZERO) + dealer profit (let's use your $500 example). Some certified used cars (like some Hondas I have seen) offer a 7yr 100K mile warranty...I might be willing to pay $500 for somehting like that, depending on the details of the warranty.
So, using the example above you get 7K. Now this is about 2-3K less than the "retail". So you can see that my offer of 8-8.5K was 1-1.5K higher than the 7K the car might really be worth, so why wouldn't they deal?
I go back to what I said before, the higher the price (or difference betwen your trade and their car's price), the more likely someone will finance it... and if they finance it, the dealers usually get money for those finance contracts (not sure how much), so financing is better for them. And if the car is sporty looking and in great shape, the longer they will hold out for the dad or mom that wants to buy the car for their son or daughter. Because they know dad will think $200-250 a month is affordable.
Now, if EVERYBODY knew enough about the values of the vehicles (and people didn't walk in saying "I need a monthly payment of $250 or less"), we could all get better deals! But since there are enough people who walk in and say that (I used to be one of them!), the dealer takes the gamble that eventually someone will do just that.
Also, if you have a trade-in, they will sometimes tell you they are giving you more money for your car than they should. From what I have learned, you trade is worth X...and X is what they determine from looking at auction values. So, if they say your car is worth 4.5K on the first offer, then later come back and say we have bumped up your trade to 5K, what they are really doing is lowering the asking price for their vehicle.
I saw the O5 for the first time Saturday and was impressed with the upgraded interior. The materials quality still falls short of the Camcords, but it looks much better.
Unfortunately, about 90 percent of what is on the lots in Central Florida are strippers that look like they belong in rent-a-car fleets. It's almost impossible to find an Altima equipped with ABS and curtains.
And most driving enthusiasts would prefer to have all this blazing power in a rear wheel driver( a must for me ).
3.5SE 3.5SL:
"Traction Control System (TCS) [T] [T]
<snip>
[T] Part of TCS and Side Air Bag Option "
- From Nissan USA web site.
Cheers,
- Ray
Understanding why TC is very desireable on a relatively powerful FWD vehicle . . .
I read on the Nissan website that a 5 speed automatic with manual shift feature is available as an option on the 3.5SE and standard on the 3.5SL. Yet, when I tried to configure a 3.5SE on the website, when I got to the choosing drivetrain section, I clicked on the automatic transmission information link and it stated it as a four speed. What gives? Is it offered or not? If it is offered, is it offered standard on SL, and optional on SE, yet for the four cylinder versions it is still 4 speed? Thanks!
I have a question/scenario to run by some of you.
I have a 1997 Nissan Altima GXE (96XXX miles). I have no complaints with the vehicle (Other than gas prices ). The Service Engine Soon (SES) light came on, and I brought it into the dealer’s service dept. for service.
They stated, “It is not something that will leave you stranded on the side of the road.” Cleared the error message and on the invoice flagged it as an invalid code. Charged me $85.00 smackers.
However, about a week later guess what happened? Needless to say the SES light is back on. I drive about 72 miles round trip, so I have concerns about an item that may need to be replaced, before causing additional issues, or even worse causing me to burn more gasoline than needed.
The code for that is,
P0475 – Line Pressure Solenoid Valve
My questions are,
1. Where/What does this error code equate to? (E.g. Fuel Line, Transmission, Oil, etc.)
2. Is this something that should be “ignored” as was implied by the Nissan technicians?
3. Could a dirty air filter cause this? I have a premium air filter, which I cleaned just this weekend, but since the error code is logged, I cannot see if that was the problem. I’m looking into possibly clearing the code manually and seeing if it returns, but thought I would check some forums first.
4. Any other thoughts or ideas?
Thanks in advance for any information.