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Nissan Altima

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  • paduccipaducci Member Posts: 9
    like everyone, i'm anxiously awaiting the 02 altima...especially the SE. i am putting off going gung ho for a subaru wrx in anticipation of the late august release of the altima.
    question is, if i decide i want this car, which i probably will, and if the price is within reason, which it should be,.....will i be able to get it without waiting a month...or maybe even much longer??? i sure as heck hope not, i'd like to have it in a week or two after test driving.
  • jimxojimxo Member Posts: 423
    Altima will be plenty full. Take your pick and name your price.

    If the dealer gives you any crap tell them you are strongly considering Accord and Camry.

    If Nissan wants to sell 180,000 units they need to move these cars out the door quickly.

    In this price range there are many nice cars available its a buyers market.
  • ruskiruski Member Posts: 1,566
    where are the driving impressions?
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    The 27th embargo date simply means that all of the press people who were invited to drive the car at the offical intro are now free to publish their impressions. What did you think, they were going to run down the street shouting at the top of their lungs? You want to read about it, then you get the next issue of Autoweek, Car & Driver, Road & Track, Automobile, etc. ad nauseum, either at the newsrack or online. The first of these with a publication date closest to today will be the next weekly issue of Autoweek, which should be in my [or your] mailbox today or tomorrow.

    Embargo dates are imposed after these mass introduction deals so that no individual publication gets the scoop on everyone else...but that doesn't mean that each pub's individual issue date isn't going to be a factor. You want the quickest, look for it in Autoweek either in the upcoming issue [dated 7/30] or the one after that. Then all of the monthlies should have it in the Sept issues, that go on sale later next week.
  • speedracer3speedracer3 Member Posts: 650
    I am sure you'll have to wait for the magazines to publish driving impressions, but I am sure folks like Freshalloy will publish something soon, they have already driven the car. I am surprised it is not posted already.
  • jimxojimxo Member Posts: 423
    The "all new 2002 Nissan Altima" club is open.

    Post your photos.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    Just put up a review of the 2002 Nissan Altima
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    That's not a review. It's a damn brochure.
  • bigbadboss101bigbadboss101 Member Posts: 54
    I find many of their review are neutral. Not much bad to say, doesn't help anyone make a decision.
  • jagat1jagat1 Member Posts: 31
    I'm impressed with Nissan's strides to improve it's image and one of the testaments to this is the all new Altima.

    Features of the new Altima include an aluminum hood & trunk, 180hp 2.5 4-banger/240hp 3.5 V6, aluminum suspension components, multilink rear ala Skyline......Great car. But ABS is OPTIONAL! I can't believe it!

    How can Nissan omit such a safety feature? ABS is not a new technology. And it's not that expensive anymore for it not to be a standard feature on cars nowadays. Mercedes Benz, the progenitor for all car trends pioneered this safety feature decades ago. Nowadays, it's a common feature/standard among other car brands (VW's, Audi, BMW, Volvo, Subaru, etc.). Sheesh! Even a basic VW New Beetle GL has ABS!

    Looks like Nissan still has a lot to learn making safe cars to drive, IMO.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Pretty funny how the world loves ABS, yet most people refuse to use ABS equipped cars correctly. People feel the pulsating of the pedal and lift off. Just not really convinced it's a worthwhile option. Maybe in incelment weather, but around here, there's no need.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Edmunds.com's "First Drive" of the 2002 Altima that some of you have mentioned is now linked at the top of the Additional Resources box on the left sidebar of this page. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

    Pat
    Host
    Sedans Message Board
  • katraakkatraak Member Posts: 33
    like me who do not need ABS and so why should they pay for it when it comes packaged with the car? It's good that it is an option because buyers who dont need it, need not pay for it and people who need the feature can get a car equipped with it. Don't you think it's good to have an option?
  • jimxojimxo Member Posts: 423
    Stay away from car salesmen that take drugs.

    It clouds there judgement and sense of the way things are not how they think things are.

    MSRP SE loaded will be 26k max, with an invoice close to $23,500.
  • c1rybickc1rybick Member Posts: 35
    For the people that don't believe in ABS, I would've liked it today when my mind was wandering and I had to stomp on the brakes to stop at a red light. Sure, it was my stupid mistake, but sliding 30 feet to a halt was not fun. A well designed ABS ought to be standard on every car sold today IMO. Saying you don't need ABS is rather masochistic. You can be the most careful and defensive driver on the planet, but that won't stop the 80 year old grandma with cataracts from pulling out right in front of you.

    And my car manages to slide just fine on bone dry pavement, like today. I've stopped HARD from 80 mph in a 97 Grand Caravan and a 97 Honda Civic EX (both with ABS) and I know I can stop faster (even in the heavier van) with ABS than without.

    Way to go Nissan. Your logic fails me.
  • ajacatajacat Member Posts: 63
    21/19; 26/26 for the V-6, manual/auto...not as bad as 18/23--puts it around where Honda's merely 200 hp V-6 is, iirc. I'm thinking we can either deal with the 19 or I will decide that driving stick while dealing with a preschooler is not too much of a distraction!

    They had the 4-cyl mpgs too but I wasn't really looking at them. Just check nissannews.com--

    pricing not out yet--ahhhh, I can sleep better tonight--(I told my DH I may fall in love with a car for the first time and he said he thinks it's already happened)
    ajacat
  • ajacatajacat Member Posts: 63
    With 19/26, it's the same as the 222-hp 2001 Max. But then how does the 2002 260 hp Max keep such good mpgs as well? (I don't know how long they've been posted, but they're there now--amazing, considering the hp) (Although the 2000 Max supposedly got 20/28 with the 222 engine, why I don't understand--must be some other factors--if anyone knows, btw, I'd love to learn why).

    I know mpg isn't the main point of this car--as I said we've glanced sideways at a Prius but then come back to our reality with a preschooler--and with our desire for acceleration and fun--but still, I want to be able to continue to feel superior to SUV owners :).

    Maybe a 2000 Max is the way to go. Or maybe this. It does have better safety features.

    Best to all,
    ajacat the bleeding-heart family racer
  • pbhattipbhatti Member Posts: 87
    On the nissannews website they lowered the HP for the 4 cyl. Altima to 175 and for the Maxima to 255. The V6 Altima is still 240hp.
  • jagat1jagat1 Member Posts: 31
    And I pray that I won't see you folks on the road....:)
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    There are reviews on Edmunds and FreshAlloy.

    No prices, just more wild guesses and speculation at the likely price, but most of the review sounds wonderful other than the fact that Nissan has apparently failed at copying the interior materials quality of VW as the Nissan excutive had claimed they wanted to do.
    The FreshAlloy article mentions cheap-looking hard plastic interior materials.
    However, it was still a pre-production vehicle that was road tested, so it is possible that it will improve on the "real cars."
    The also mentioned that the powerful V6 models were troubled with torque steer.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    I hope they fix the problem with the interior material, I really like the interior material used in the VW, and since Ghosn(sp?) mentioned that Nissan would start using material similar to VW, they better improve it, and what's up with the horsepower decrease? Great to see that the 4 cylinder 2.5SL will be availble with the Cold Package. I REALLY like this car!
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    With the Cold Package now listed as available on the 2.5 SL, it looks like the only luxury item available only on the SE is the automatic climate control.
    I would think the SL will have a softer, more refined and quiet ride than the SE, with its harder, low profile 17" tires, rumbling V6 with dual exhausts and the stiff sport handling suspension.
  • himomerhimomer Member Posts: 59
    I know I'm not the only one wondering why there is no 0-60 time being posted on the new Altima, it's because of all the problems with the Q45's advertised 5.9sec 0-60 but after 24 test runs averaged 6.7sec, meanwhile, Nissan decided not to publicize a 0-to-60 time for the all-new Altima sedan that debuts later this year.

       "We are going to let its performance speak for itself," said Tim Gallagher, Nissan spokesman.


    Here's the article http://www.detnews.com/2001/autos/0107/26/a01-254941.htm

  • xjxxjx Member Posts: 7
    From what I am understanding, ABS doesn't reduce the time nor the distance to stop the car . It just prevents the car from skiing in case when there is not enough friction on the road (icy, wet, snowy, etc.)
  • har1bushhar1bush Member Posts: 207
    then I'd say you are misunderstanding the concept of ABS... when driving on dry pavement or wet roads, ABS will prevent the wheels from locking up, which means the car will stop from the friction caused by the brakes rather than the friction caused by the tires and the road. This is especially important under wet conditions because the tires will not have enough friction with the roads to stop faster. The only time when ABS will hurt braking is when driving off-road, which I'm not sure why, but then again, no one would drive off-road with an Altima! I definitely agree that ABS should be standard at least in the SL and SE models because it's an important safety feature.
  • clpurnellclpurnell Member Posts: 1,083
    The pricing on the 2002 Maxima was released. Amazingly the price only went up $200. The GLE stickers for 27k. That means a fully loaded altima can only possibly be 23-24.5 as thats where the base maxima stands. In 2001 the altima topped out a 23.3k fully loaded if it only increases 2-800 dollars that would make the hands down best buy. If it does go for that price don't expect a discount. Take a look at the Acura TL it is considered to be a bargain and in most parts of the country it doesn't sell at much of a discount. I would expect the same of the altima. I know some of you will say the altima is no TL. But the older model tl's did terrible and were sold at huge discounts. The new model however has done verry well and has not been discounted much in over 3 yrs of release.
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    Even if the 2002 Altima was only going to go up $200-$800 similarly-equipped to a 2001, which is quite possible, the loaded price would still be much more since there are now many more extra cost options for 2002 that do not exist with the 2001 model, not to mention the fact that the V6 model does not exist with the current Altima.
    There is no reason there cannot be some price overlap with the Maxima, just as there is a very large overlap in prices between a loaded Camry XLE V6 and and a base Avalon.
    Also, the fact that the huge rebates and incentives that exist on the 2001 Altima will not be offered on the 2002 Altima is, in effect, another price increase in of itself.
  • ruskiruski Member Posts: 1,566
    didn't they already announce that Altima's 0-60 would be 6.3 seconds with manual tranny?
  • jimxojimxo Member Posts: 423
    This car will be well positioned to move inventory and compete with Camry and Accord.

    I spoke to a Nissan Manufacture rep (friend) and was told that everyone including the dealers will be very surprised with the pricing on this car regardless of trim level and engine.

    Of course he knows I post messages here and would not want to lose his job over confidentality rules.

    He also said 0-60 times were same or better than the current maxima times.

    I guess I will wait for the car magazines to confirm all of this.

    My guess is this car can be had for 500.00 or 3% over invoice.

    I will not buy this car above 3%, knowing I can get a 2002 Camry or Accord at 3%.
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    How do you know you are going to be able to get a 2002 Camry for 3% over invoice when it first comes out?

    Even with more power than a Camry, I think the Altima still will need a price advantage to compete with the 2002 Camry. However, if the the MSRP is low enough, they won't need to discount them much more. If the car is nice enough to be "worth" $23K to buyers, why would it be better to pay $23,000 for the car that was stickered at $26K and then severely discounted down to $23K than to pay the same $23K if Nissan decided to just agressively price the car at $23K fully loaded to begin with and not discount it much further? It's the same money. The Acura TL is not discounted dramatically because the MSRP is already lower than most of the competition even after large discounts are offered on competing cars.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    The TL goes for about a grand below MSRP on Carsdirect and dealerships gladly beat that price from what I've experienced.

    As for the Altima. I'll say it again, I'll be blown away if a Nissan dealership has the audacity to attempt to sell any Nissan near MSRP. A few hundred over invoice seems fair. Under invoice sounds better. It is afterall a Nissan. And yes, I one of my cars is a Nissan. Love it. Still find it in some ways more fun than my normal driver. But I think nissan's bad name should result in buyers getting good deals. If a dealer refuses to budge, laugh and tell him you're off to get a Camcord. They'll move the price for that.
  • speedracer3speedracer3 Member Posts: 650
    The rumor is that Nissan is in a hurry to get the new Alty to showrooms and the car may show up in Nissan dealers as early as the end of August. The reasoning behind Nissan's rush is that they want to hit market before the 2002 Camry does and give the Alty some momentum. Good strategy, because the new Camry promises to be sportier and more powerful. I dunno about you guys, but Toyota is gonna have to work very hard to convince me that a Camry is "fun" to drive.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    Explain please.
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    I did't say "no" discount at all. A grand off MSRP on a $30K car that has not changed much since 1999 is no great discount at all.
    If the MSRP on the 2002 Altima is low enough compared to competing cars, the there will be little reason to discount further. When the Xterra came out, there was little competition in the same price range, so there were few discounts on that Nissan truck in the first year or so.
    I don't see the point of having a unrealistically high MSRP just so it can be marked down back into reality. If they just price it right to start and there is no better alternative available for about the same or less money elsewhere, why would they need to discount the new Altima any further?
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    The 4 cylinder Camry will have more power for 2002, but the V6 will have the same power as a 2001.
    It will have sportier styling than a 2001 and a new SE model will be available with firmer handling and sport appearance trim.
    It will also have a more luxurious XLE model with available navigation system.
    I'm expecting the new Camry to be priced higher than the new Altima, but pricing is not announced for either the Altima or the Camry.
  • har1bushhar1bush Member Posts: 207
    You might not expect Nissan dealers to sell the Altima near MSRP, but supply and demand might drive the dealers to that point. Nissan's only making 180,000 Altimas, which is much lower than the 400,000+ Accords and Camrys Honda and Toyota puts out. If dealers have 180,000 Altimas, but there are 200,000 people wanting to buy an Altima, chances are, Nissan won't have to make any kind of deal -- look at the Chrysler Prowler... it sells above MSRP and if you ask me, I would NEVER buy a Chrysler for above MSRP!
  • tim_hooligantim_hooligan Member Posts: 143
    maybe it's just me, but there's NO WAY I would ever spend MSRP on a mainstream mid-sized family sedan. If it appears they're going to have demand over 180,000 , Nissan will turn up production to meet demand. A mass-market car like this one finds its niche in selling quantity, and there are not that many consumers ready to shell out sticker for a new car. I'm definitely going to put it on my testdrive list, and if it's everything everyone hopes it is, it could be my next car!
    as for a remodel, expect a few glitches in quality like any first-run car, but nothing too major (i.e. 1990 Ford Taurus!).
    and PLEASE...don't let it have the horrible paint quality like all other Nissans that lead to major chipping in the paint! ARGH!!!
    my vote is for the 4-banger with leather and sunroof for 21k.
  • oxmeadoxmead Member Posts: 79
    I've seen most of the specs, but does anyone know what the front and rear track numbers are? Also, This car looks great and I really don't think they'll be discounted for a while. Nissan has a real winner on it's hands and others are gonna have to play catch up. Just my humble opinion.
  • cncmancncman Member Posts: 487
    I think some folks need to learn what ABS is and does, it does not help you stop in a shorter distance, it is designed to maintain steering control, sometimes ABS will actually increase the stopping distance, and I know of many people, (some that have gotten in accidents on dry pavement) That freaked out when the ABS started vibrating the pedal. And why do some people think that just because XYZ car has ABS as standard that you are not paying for it? Anything that is standard is built into the base price, one way or another you are paying for ABS, why not make it an option so that people that don't want it don't have to pay for it, since the people that do want it will be paying for it one way or another, and Nissan does have a superior ABS system VS, toyota and Honda, 4 channels and it pulses more times per second. SO instead of paying for an inferior ABS system in the base price, why not spend the money on the better system if you really want it? Looks like NIssan does know safety and gives consumers more options on what they want and like.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    This car is about moving numbers. If Nissan won't deal, everybody else will. You don't pay near sticker for a Camry or Accord, so paying MSRP on a Nissan is just plain silly. Additionally, it IS a Nissan, thus it's saddled with the company's reputation for being the third man among Japanese car companies here and abysmal resale value. Anyone look at the resale on a Maxima? Freaky. Sticker on a Max is 27k and a year later they're resold for 19k off a lot. Part of this is due to the car selling for less than invoice and the other part is that Nissan just doesn't get props the way Hondas and Toyotas do. BTW, I do own a Nissan and love it.
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    When the car is sold for below invoice, of course the resale will appear poor compared to the MSRP.
    It doesn't matter if the sticker said $27K if you paid thousands less for it new, then the 19000 for a used one is not that great of "actual" depreciation is it?
    If they price the 2002 low enough that it is actually "worth" what they ask, then they don't have to mark it down futher and it will in turn have better resale value because the dollar difference between the original MSRP and the used value will not be as large.
    I don't understand why you want to get a discount off of an inflated asking price instead of just having a reasonable asking price to start and little if any more discount.
  • blueguydotcomblueguydotcom Member Posts: 6,249
    Consider the poor sap who traded in his 2000 Max SE fully loaded that they Nissan dealer was reselling for 19k. That means that guy maybe got 17k out of them. He paid, at least 24k prior to taxes for that fully decked Max. That's a 7k hit (more with tax) on a car with only 15,000 miles in a year. Ouch!

    "I don't understand why you want to get a discount off of an inflated asking price instead of just having a reasonable asking price to start and little if any more discount. "

    I want next to invoice on any car I buy. The dealership deserves the holdback on the purchase. That's their profit. Beyond that, I'm insulted at the notion I should give something as useless as a dealership another 1-2k. Why would you willingly hand money over to people who exist only as middlemen-leeches?
  • s852s852 Member Posts: 1,051
    Suppose they were to price the 2002 Altima SE so low that the MSRP (maybe $22K) of a loaded Altima is less than invoice of a 2002 Camry with the same equipment (invoice of $24K) and suppose you test drive both and greatly prefer the Altima. The Camry was available discounted to the invoice of $24K and the Altima dealers would not discount below the MSRP of $22K. In that situation you would go buy the Toyota for more money even if you like the Altima more just so you can get it for invoice price?
    It is possible that Nissan could make the difference between the invoice price and MSRP much less than is typical if they want to have a very aggressive MSRP.
    Trading is a profit center for dealers. You cannot expect a good price for a trade-in. If the person had sold the car on his own, he would have got more money and perhaps the $24,000 he spent originally was too much if the value of a 1 year old model is only $17K. He would ahve been better off buying a 1 year old model instead.
    Those things contributed to the high perceived depreciation. Add that to the fact the he sold after only 1 year. The heaviest depreciation is usually in the first year of any car.
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    In that situation you would go buy the Toyota for more money even if you like the Altima more just so you can get it for invoice price?

    I don't think he's saying that all all.. rather if he had to buy a car X, he's not going to pay MSRP if he can get it Invoice.After all, paying 2K more for the same Camry goes against: I'm insulted at the notion I should give something as useless as a dealership another 1-2k</>.

    but if Nissan in your case insists on MSRP, then wait a month. good bet they will discount it on your second trip...
  • mirthmirth Member Posts: 1,212
    Does anyone know which car mags are going to have articles on the 2002 Altima next issue?
  • danny25danny25 Member Posts: 119
    I believe Motor Trend is going to have some kind of info on it. If you go to MotorTrend.com and enlarge the picture of the Sept. issue, you'll see a line that says something like "Nissan's new 240 hp Altima!".
  • lindseylindsey Member Posts: 41
    FreshAlloy's First Drive report can be found here. Check it out.
  • lindseylindsey Member Posts: 41
    FreshAlloy's First Drive report can be found here. Check it out.
  • mirthmirth Member Posts: 1,212
    Thanks!
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    My copy of Automobile arrived in the mail today - a good review of the new car, with a ringing endorsement of the 4 cyl in particular. Ride is better with the 4 [no surprise - 16" wheels with higher profile tires], and they actually prefer the handling of the 4, as well [less weight on the nose].

    Anyway, in answer to the question, all of the car magazines will have something on the new Altima in their Sept issues.
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