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Comments
Got to drive Yaris, Fit and Versa back to back.
Yaris isn't even a real car in my opinion. The interior is like something from an 8 year old Hyundai. There is absolutely no NVH management. All you his is drivetrain noise, until some suspension wind or tire noise is loud enough to drown it out.
The seats in the Yaris are the worst of the 3. Also I can't stand those center mounted gauges.
The Fit is nice from the front seat. However, the Versa has a more comfortable front seat and more features for the price, intelligent key, blue tooth, etc.
The Fit rear seat is only magical for people who don't have to sit there. Its like sitting on a a steel park bench with a cloth covering.
The CVT rocks and the Versa is very smooth.
The Versa has 96 cubic feet of interior. Bigger than the Focus even.
The Versa also has the most rear seat leg room of any Nissan except for the Armada and the Quest.
Mark
Again, it all comes down to personal preference, Honda vs Toyota vs Nissan...
Tony
wulybugr
I've been seriously looking at a Versa for the last week, although the local dealer is totally unresponsive. I guess they have so many sales they can't bother returning phone calls or internet requests. IMO, the Versa is the most "European-like" of any of the new small cars on the market, and for me that's good. Having owned several small European cars from marques no longer imported into the USA, I find the Versa's design very refreshing. And, back in the '70s, it wasn't unusual to have a car the size of the Versa with a 4-cylinder with no more than 70HP on tap, so I can live perfectly with the engine in the Versa.
The Yaris may have an interior a similar to "an 8 year old Hyundai," but certainly not like the current models from Hyundai. Hyundai has come a very loooong way, and one needs to be very, very cautious in using Hyundai products as a negative implication or comparison. For example, during the same day last year I test drove a 2005 Civic LX and a 2005 Elantra GLS, and the Elantra was head and shoulders above the Civic in NVH control and ride quality, and almost on par with the Civic in terms of interior quality - plus, it was $4,000 less than the Civic. FWIW -- one has to be careful with any statistics gleaned from Initial Quality Surveys as long-term quality is certainly more important -- Hyundai only trailed Lexus and Porsche in the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey. Hyundai is no longer the butt of Rodney Dangerfield jokes.
If the Mexico plant can churn out well assembled Versa's I think Nissan has a winner. The dealers need to be careful, however, as they can turn possible sales into losses with their attitude toward prospective Versa buyers.
I will often browse the lot, or check out a car in the showroom while waiting. I've only had a salesman approach me once, and before I could say "just looking" he simply introduced himself, handed me a card, and told me he had to go take care of some people who were waiting, but if I had any questions please ask. I suspect these guys are too busy to be "high pressure".
It's funny, during the "dog days" of Nissan, when SUVs ruled the world, you could have fired a cannonball through the place. Now, they sell every Nissan that hits the lot pretty quickly (except for the same few Armadas and Titans they've been sitting on all year).
On-topic, I did see a silver/black Versa S 6spd when I was there last week. I sat in it, what a neat car. It seemed even roomier than my Maxima, though it was probably the bigger greenhouse playing tricks on my mind.
No one would believe me that the Versa has more rearseat leg room than any other Nissan except for Armada and Quest.
Its really huge.
Mark.
Ben
Regarding insurance, different insurance companies rate people different. I have found that AIG (www.AIG.com) and 21st (www.21st.com) have to lowest rates. When I bought my Versa 6 weeks ago, my insurance (21st centruy) company could not pull up the VIN # and had to give me a manuel quote I haven't gotten a quote from AIG yet, since thier web site does not include 07 model year. I have been too busy to call them to see what they can do for me as a rate. I'll have time later on today and well post my quote.
Tony :shades:
Ben
http://www.suntimes.com/output/auto/cst-fin-car20.html
Where did I get my information? Can't remember just where but it was in an early review by a writer in a magazine who supposedly spoke to Nissan.
Ben
Tony :shades:
That sounds about right. When I was in Japan in April and spoke with a very nice Nissan salesman who showed me a Tiida, he told me that Nissan chose not to give the Versa a double folding seat ( = seat back folding forward, and then flip up the whole seat) in order to equip it with a higher quality, full-size rear seat instead. Maybe that's the official sales line, but I can see the point.
Apparently, there have been enough complaints about the non-flat cargo area of the Tiida in Japan, so that when Nissan later released the Note, basically a smaller sibling of the Tiida, it came with a flat cargo area (plus a few other nifty tricks akin to the Fit's).
http://www2.nissan.co.jp/NOTE/E11/0501/EQUIP/main3.html (caution: a very slow website: click on the photo on the far left)
That's exactly the way the Nissan Note cargo area works. And it has lost the vertical space for the price of a flat cargo floor. On the whole, however, more people seem to prefer the flat cargo area.
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http://www.nissan.co.jp/OPTIONAL-PARTS/TIIDA/C11/td_057.html
Good luck!
Ben
Invoice price is $700 for the package, I'm not sure what the list price MSRP is.
It is pretty much a body kit, imagine if you will the difference between the base Fit and the Fit Sport.
In Japan, there have been no big talks about the Tiida's reliability. In other words, people over there do not have to think about it when consiering the Tiida.
My impression is no car is as reliable as the Toyota
That is generally true. Statistically, Nissan has more problems than Toyota. But so does every other auto manufacturer.
I paid #16,500 for my Versa SL, with convience package..
Tony :shades:
Documentary Fee: Is a fee charged by the dealer in an amount that covers costs and reflects the value of the benefit provided by the service. In some cases, the fee includes some services that may be optional or may be performed by the Customer.
Most states have non-discrimination clauses that prevent a dealer from not charging a fee that is charged to other customers.
Please keep in mind that you are paying the bottom line. Just ask for that fee to be taken off of the selling price of the car.
Mark.
As you can see, we're moving toward more focused discussions. Please visit the top level Nissan Versa group to see the new discussions. Feel free to add some of your own that you think might be of interest to other members!
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Try warrantydirect.com. I hear their prices are very reasonable, and their coverage is better than the extended warranty from the dealer. For one thing, you can take the car to any ASE-certified shop, not just the dealership. Hope this helps.
Mark.