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Nissan Altima Hybrid Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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Comments

  • karolpl7karolpl7 Member Posts: 40
    Finaly arrived.... after two dealers and almost 5 months of total wait time;
    sonoma red, blonde leather, tech package, sunroof, carpet floor mats, kick plates, moonroof wind defelctor.

    Dealer picked it up somewhere in NJ where they're being delivered from the factory, and apparently everyone's fighting for them when they get unloaded.

    Car is great. Drives great. Perfectly quiet, then engine kicks in, hardly noticable.
    It does take little bit time to learn how to drive it in electric mode as much as possible.

    Oh, and Nissan offers 3.9% financing for hybrids at the moment.

    Best of luck for those still waiting! :shades:

    Karol
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    GRRR. Good luck while I still wait. Rub it in. Enjoy
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    5 months to the day I ordrered on June 12th, I received the VIN number of the car. Small advances. While the delivery date has now been said that it is officially December 7 (I was told end of November) he still feels their is a possibility it could come in by the end of November. What do you think?

    Does anyone know a site I can track it?
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    Can you give us a more detailed impression now that you have had it a few days?
  • karolpl7karolpl7 Member Posts: 40
    Hi emgr,

    The car is awesome. It takes little getting used to but I've had it for few days now and it's just great.

    Everyone who gets in or stands around it is impressed how quiet it is - almost silent. You can comfortably cruise up to around 20+ mpg before engine kicks in, without pressing gas pedal too hard. If you drive on a highway and let the car roll, the engine will shut off at 40mph and below. It's like driving a go cart.

    If the engine is cold (I'm in NY and it's around 40-50) the gas engine will probably kick in when you start the car, especially when you put the heat on. Once the engine warms up (couple of minutes) it will shut off.

    The battery gets used all the time, if you drive on a highway and floor it, you'll see the battery gauge hit 50kw and up - it's using the battery to give the 4 cylinder engine a boost. When you let the car roll again (or break) the battery needle drops below 0 - now it's charging - back and forth all the time. Dealer said it drives like V6 but I didn't drive Altima with V6 so can't really confirm. Did drive other 4 cylinder cars in the past and Altima hybrid is so much better.

    So far I've been getting 33mpg. I don't know how other people can get 40mpg on it. I would say it's a big challenge to get 37mpg+. I did get 58pmg for first few miles driving back from the dealer as I was stuck in heavy traffic and was only using the battery. Now it's around 33pmg which is still pretty good for a big car. Hopefully the engine will wear in little bit and it will get better.

    The interior is great by the way. I don't know how people can compare it to Camry - Altima is so much better. Just go to a car show and jump in from Altima to Camry back and forth couple of time and you'll see.

    GPS is great, screen is awesome, back up camera makes parking the car a breeze, traffic updates are OK, reads tags from your mp3 files from recordable CD (check manual for detail info). Leather, sunroof are great too... did I mention the car is great?

    Oh yeah... truck is on the small side. And make sure you check your tire pressure after picking it up. Apparently pressure is lowered for better grip during transportation. Dealer mentioned it was checked and the low pressure light should go off in two days. It didn't so I checked it, pressure was way too low. Corrected it, the warning light went off in few miles. The engine temperature light freaked me out at first - but it comes on when the engine is cold when you start the car. Goes away in few minutes.

    I hope yours coming soon. Let us know!
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    karolpl7. That was a good report. I can't wait. Have you tried to do Pulse and Glide to increase mileage at all? Let us know how things continue to go. I really enjoy reports like yours. I will do the same...whenever I finally get it. At least I have a VIN number.
  • karolpl7karolpl7 Member Posts: 40
    Ha... never tried Pulse and Glide, in fact never heard of it but does sound interesting. I had to actually read this page.
    ..but anyway, I don't think it will work on a crowded highway where everyone goes 70-80 and if you start slowing down for no reason you'll have some angry people zooming by. It might work on a long trip highway that's virtually flat over long run and there's no traffic to interfere with 'pulse and gliding'. I might try it on a long overnight trip one day.
    Main point is to ENJOY the car and don't go too crazy trying to save every drop of gasoline out of it. Nissan's site realisticaly states that hybrid gets 35/33mpg (I'm getting 33 overall so far) -that's still better then 23/31mpg for a 4 cylinder and 19/26 for V6!

    Enjoy the ride.
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    Your right. If you do pulse and glide on the highway you will see people telling you that your #1 with their finger. It si more for city roads and rural. But 33 is good and not even broken in yet. Sounds like you may well match the new EPA figures. You seem to already be. Also what did you finally use as your tire pressure? What does the side walls say for maximum pressures that you can use although you would take it that high.

    Also there as been a lot written about the difference between the Camry and the Altima regarding how they respond to the swtich from electric to engine startup and back again. It is said the Altima shuttres compared to the Camry. How noticeable is it when the engine comes on and is it distracting?
  • karolpl7karolpl7 Member Posts: 40
    Hi emgr;

    Side walls say 35psi for all tires. My tires were 27-30 from the dealer (hence the low pressure warning light). I got them all to 35, warning light is off now.

    I did drive Camry hybrid so I can't compare both as far as difference in noise when switching from gas to electric. I liked the overall interior/exterior look of Altima so never bothered with the Camry (but that's only my preference).

    If you pay attention to the engine you will hear slight vibration when switching into the gas mode -it's like going over a tiny pathole. After a while you will forget about it. I do still try to drive on battery as much as possible, so I don't accelerate much and don't speed up if I know I will stop on the next block - so the gas engine doesn't kick in just to shut itself off again in next 5 seconds. Once the gas engine kicks in I don't drive that efficiently any more. I'm still toying with the car basicaly.
    I wish the car could run on the battery little bit longer but I guess you have to balance out the battery consumption, the heat it generates etc.

    Found this page with nice pictures of red hybrid.
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    karolpl7

    35 psi for maximum pressure listed on the side wall seems would have expected the side wall to say something between 45 and 50 psi. What type and brand of tires are on your Altima? Sorry if I am making you look.
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    continental contisports. i think 35 is the recommended pressure. i forget the maximum but i think it's around 45 psi
  • frankiedfrankied Member Posts: 3
    They aren't selling the hybrid in Minnesota, so I ordered it at the nearest dealer I could find. That was in Albany,New York. Picked it up in mid June, drove back to the TwinCities and have been in love with it since. It is a quality vehicle, and I have lots of new and used car experience, including the purchase of a Riveria - my last american car. Mileage is great, I am filling the tank once a month, and find the anger and stress of visiting a gas station is greatly reduced. I would buy this car again in a second. One funny experience I had driving the car to Minnesota, stopping one night in Indiana. There was a lot to learn about the car and so when I parked the car for the evening and unloaded suitcase etc. I did not have the radio on - unusual. Locked the doors, (the horn did not sound) which surprised me, but checked in for the night. In the morning there was a trail of water under the car, which I discovered was from the air conditioning - - the car had been running all night. As it was silent, this taught me to always check to be sure I have turned it off. It still took less than two tanks of gas to get from New York to Minnesota. And, the stereo (Bose) is the best I have ever heard- even my wife who does not care about music likes it and allows me to have it on louder than I have in previous vehicles. Buy one!
    :shades:
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    the horn does sound now though...right? lock+unlock on the keyfob for 3 seconds?
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    Wow ! Now that's what I call devotion and determination. It is not available yet in PA either so I went 60 miles into NY and ordered mine. I hope to have it in a few weeks. We'll see.

    Frankied, how do do you find the switch between electric and gas? Is is noticable as some of the mags have suggested?
  • bcp01scu05bcp01scu05 Member Posts: 19
    I've had mine for about 4 months, for reference.

    The switch is noticeable, but not dramatically so. The car doesn't make major jerks when it turns on or off, but you can usually feel it. Frankly, I prefer it this way--coming from driving a manual prior to this car, it lets me keep "in tune" with the car similar to how shifting did previously.

    The complaint I do have is more when the car is stationary (ie, at a stoplight), particularly when the car is warming up. Sometimes, the engine will turn on (again, often when the car is warming up) and it seems like they didn't do a good job of engineering the switch when the car isn't moving; it feels like the car wants to start going immediately and doesn't realize for a split second that it should be in "neutral", so the car jerks briefly. It's a fairly minor complaint, I guess, but it'd be one thing I would hope they'd improve in the 2008 or 2009 models.

    I'm overall extremely happy with the car. I've averaged around 33-34 mpg, with a range of 31-36, while generally driving normally (not pulsing and gliding or similar tricks). I love the feature set the Tech package comes with. If I had to make my list of complaints, I'd say the one listed above, the common complaint that the trunk is too small and also that the build quality on the interior roof is sub-par, as I've gotten a number of occasional rattles from the roof area. That's really about it, though.
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    are you sure the rattle isn't your sunglasses? that's mine
  • keitha3keitha3 Member Posts: 124
    I just recently added the Altima hybrid to my list of potential cars to buy later this year. Hadn't been on my list, but at the recent auto show here in Sacramento, sat in one and loved the thing.

    Agreed that the inside looks a lot nicer than the Camry and that the leather quality betters Camry as well. Have been reading many posts and reviews which indicate that its ride is much more to my liking than the Camry as well.

    I don't fault people for going with the Camry hybrid. It too is an excellent choice, but for me, if I go hybrid, I'll probably go in Nissan's direction. Then, we'll be an all-hybrid family as my wife owns the Prius.

    Your review was excellent and made me more excited about the possibility.
  • karolpl7karolpl7 Member Posts: 40
    I would agree about the small rattle/jerk when the car is stationary and the engine decides to come on all of a sudden (heat is on and the battery is very low). That does catch you by surprise sometimes, but that's also due to the fact that you expect the car to continue to be totally silent. If you stand on a traffic light, have all windows closed and music off... it's dead silent.
    The 'rattle' is hard to notice once you drive. I often look for the 'EV' sign if the car is going electric or gas.

    Car is so quiet you can sneak up on people around you. I did it to a friend today, he was amazed.

    I think the 'rattle' (which you can't feel 90% of the time anyway) is a small price to pay.
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    That's very good to know. I think I have read the Camry does the same but less noticeable on some.
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    i don't get a rattle (besides my sunglasses)

    my chairs squeaks but my car never rattles
  • frankiedfrankied Member Posts: 3
    Yes,
    the hors does sound when locking the car. However, as I discovered, if the car is running it will lock, but will not give the horn sound. :):)
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    ok, cool, good to know!
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    As a future owner of an Altima Hybrid with Tech in about 3 to 3 weeks (I hope), what you do you like most and least? probably this belongs in another thread but I will ask it here and let the mods move it if they want.
  • bcp01scu05bcp01scu05 Member Posts: 19
    Not unless I've somehow managed to store my sunglasses above the rear passenger seat when I otherwise thought they were in front of my eyes! :)

    My sunglasses (when in the cubby above the center console) do also rattle occasionally, but not to the point where it's an annoyance.
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    ok, i'll listen for it, but i don't think i've ever heard rattles from back there
  • hiwaymanhiwayman Member Posts: 98
    We've had our NAH since mid-August. It has almost 8K on it now. We got the full-boat Tech package with leather. Passed on the kick panels and wind deflector (dealer told us they weren't worth the money oddly enough). The two things that took some getting used to were 1. The slight (VERY slight) shudder when the engine starts at a stop light. 2. The sensitivity of the gas pedal.

    The shudder is really, really nothing of any significance. It probably wouldn't spill a brimming cup of water in a cup holder more than a drop or two. It's just something that's odd for people who are used to feeling vibrations of an idling engine at a stop. If a full-on gas engine did that bump, you wouldn't even pay attention to it. It's just weird to go from dead silent (other than the quiet whir of some cooling fans, to a slight vibration.

    The sensitivity of the gas pedal (we were used to drivng a big, V-6 SUV) just took some getting used to. At first, when we were driving, the car was constantly surging, until we realized it was our driving style. Keep a steady foot on the gas, and the car stays steady as she goes.

    Overall, the only complaint we have (a minor one) other than the shoe-box sized trunk, is the environmental (cooling/heating) system for the car. It tries to be too smart, and sometimes does things you don't want it to do, and can't figure out how to stop. Not really sure if that's a bug in the controls, or if we're just stoopid.

    We went to a party the other night. Pulled up at friends' house to find a brand new BMW 5 series sitting there with the dealer tags still on it. We traded sitting in each other's car. I'll take the Altima, thank you very much. The beemer drivers were oddly silent after sitting in our car. The only thing they could say is they liked the lines of their beemer better. OK. I'll give them that. They're styled very well. But the NAH is no slouch. Looks pretty cool. My only wish is that they'd extended the wing on the trunk over the headlights like the old 80's era Supra wings. The short wing makes the car look kind of clunky from the rear. I actually like the Altimas WITHOUT the wing, better, but you get the wing when you get the tech package, so eveyrone knows you've got the top drawer stuff, I guess...
  • purlisspurliss Member Posts: 3
    I am likely going to buy a new NAH, and I want to get all the bells and whistles. Looks like few if any 2007s exist. Any experience with Carsdirect.com? What are some of the latest best prices out there? Is the government tax incentive still in effect?
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    no new 2007 nah's exist with all the bells and whistles...you need to get a 2008
  • bcp01scu05bcp01scu05 Member Posts: 19
    I went through Carsdirect and had a great experience, although I would suggest knowing exactly what you want (since there's no test drive involved, etc), and you will probably have to give them two color choices. I was able to get my first choice, though.
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    Without calling the dealer daily, is there a way to track a new Altima order before delivery?

    I have the Vin number.
  • hiwaymanhiwayman Member Posts: 98
    Unless there's a new part of the Nissan website that I haven't found, the answer is "no". I'm not sure how Nissan does it everywhere, but in Northern California, the cars are taken to a central depot once they're taken off the train. They are then transported by private truckers to the dealerships. Even the dealerships don't know exactly when the car will arrive, as far as I can tell, because of the private trucker variable. My dealership kept telling us the car was coming in a day, in a week, in a day, in a week. They had JUST told us the car wouldn't be in for a week, and a couple of hours later, they called us and said the car was IN. Weird... You'd think in these days of GPS locating, and electronic tracking (Like FedEx and UPS does), they could get a better ideal, but apparently not...the good news is, if you've been given a VIN, it won't be long, now. That was one of the last events to happen to us, before we got our car.
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    Hiwayman.

    Your last few lines wree the most encouraging I have heard. I am going to contact the dealer tomorrow as he said that he still thought the car would be in by the end of November. I will just tell him "Guess what? It is the end of November."

    Almost 6 months of waiting.
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    Notifiied today that the Hybrid with Jade and Tech package I ordered 6 months ago will be able to to picked up on December 5, next Wednesday.

    Has anyone by driving slow been able to move the Altima up to 40 MPH in EV mode only without the engine coming on? does it say in EV mode about the same as the Camry?
  • redturq9redturq9 Member Posts: 6
    I'm checking internet prices for an '08 with Tech package and sunroof...am getting quotes around $29600 to $30000 at various dealers in the Riverside, CA area. Seems pretty good to me but am curious if this is currently a fair price to pay...anyone else getting similar or better offers?
    Thanks,
    Steve
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    The list on my altima Hybrid with tech package and sun roof was $33,325. My price with destination is $30,300. That is in New York. So I would say you were quoted a good price. More competition your way I guess.
  • divewreckdivewreck Member Posts: 50
    I was quoted an internet price of $30,377 from Mossy in San Diego. Not sure if he threw in mud flaps & mats
  • tropotropo Member Posts: 17
    We have the exact same car (jade, Tech and Sunroof), We did not wait for it for six months, but a month as the dealer swapped it with another dealer. You will enjoy this car.

    We test drove the Camry Hybrid, and we feel that the EV mode is the same. As far as getting the Altima to 40 MPH in EV mode, it could be done in the following conditions:
    1. There are no cars behind you at all.
    2. you are not in a rush and have got all day
    3. Accelerate ever so gently that barely touch the gas pedal.

    In simple practical terms, no you can't get it to 40 MPH on EV mode. On the other hand, we average on the car close to 40 MPG.
  • hiwaymanhiwayman Member Posts: 98
    You CAN get the car to get close to 40 M, PH in EV mode EVENTUALLY. We do it all the time, now, on flat streets, driving like there are egg shells between your foot and the accelerator pedal. Don't expect that to happen right away, though. The machinery is very tight when it's new. Our experience was that the gas mileage got better and better as we put more miles on the car, and the EV mode would stay on for higher and higher MPHs. When we got our first oil change, we saw a significant jump in performance.

    On the rare occassions I get to drive the car (my wife has claimed it as hers) I try to make a game out of it, and see what speed I can get to before the ICE kicks in. I've actually briefly gotten it over 40 (milliseconds, it seems like) but getting it to high 30's under the right conditions (flat road or slight downhill) is not uncommon.

    The other thing we've noticed, which doesn't take a physics major to figure out is that the faster you go on the freeway, the worse your gas mileage gets. The car WILL go quite fast (I've had it over 100 on desert roads). The gas mileage seems OK up to about 70 or a little over, but you get above that, and your computer will start calculating gas mileage numbers that are a little less than you'd like. We recently charged all the way up the I-5 from LA to San Francisco at about 75, and our gas mileage was in the 34 MPG range. Not bad, but not the best the car can do.

    EV is where this thing shines. I actually LIKE sitting in stop-n-go traffic, now, because I know I'm getting mid-40s gas mileage. Unfortunately for us, we live in a semi-rural area, so we don't get much in the way of traffic snarls, and rarely see the really, really good gas mileage.
  • emgremgr Member Posts: 109
    Thanks you Hiwayman and tropo for your updates. That is especially helpful. While I was reading your response. I received and email from my New York State dealer (I am in Pa about 60 miles away) that my NAH came in. I hope to pick it up Friday.

    I will report. I will have a nice 60 mile local highway trip back to report.
  • hiwaymanhiwayman Member Posts: 98
    Excellent! Enjoy! We love our car (at least my wife tells me we do ;) )
  • hiwaymanhiwayman Member Posts: 98
    When we bought our loaded car, the salesman (who is a friend of ours) told us that the "mudflaps" (which are just small accents on the rear of the wheel wells) and the floor mats actually just come with the car, and Nissan just pops you for them as if they are added at the dealership. He didn't charge us for them, and we paid $1000.00 over invoice (this was in August of this year). We thought that was a pretty good deal until we found out that the profit margins on these cars are razor thin, so we probably just paid very slightly under MSRP.

    At the time we bought the car, you couldn't find them for any price and people in this area were paying as much as 3K over MSRP to get them at other dealerships. It seems like everyone is calming down now, and people are getting some pretty good deals, especially when you consider that gasoline is headed full-tilt to $4.00 a gallon soon.

    We have no regrets, though. The car is a fine car, and in the land where Priuses travel in packs (San Francisco area) it's nice to have a hybrid that's NOT a Prius (at least on the outside). The car is comfortable, has enough buttons and knobs to sate the techo-geek in me, performs well, and looks good (and I don't feel like a total tree-hugging, tofu slurping, hemp-clothed geek when I drive it.)

    My wife DID try to sneak a "Hillary 08" sticker onto the bumper, to complete the package, but I replaced it with a National Rifle Association "They'll get my gun when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers" stickr and a Nader 08 sticker under that. Neither currently visible sticker reflects my politics particularly; I just like to give people something to ponder when they're behind us in traffic. I'm expecting new stickers to appear very soon....
  • viperjoeviperjoe Member Posts: 7
    Well after months of deciding what to get I am purchasing a 08 NAH with tech no sunroof for $30100. It will cost me $600 to get it delivered to texas but with the 1.9 interest and the tax rebate it seems like the way to go. I have driven a camry hybrid and a 3.5 altima and I liked the nissan interior alot better than the toyota. I hope I don't regret selling my 05 G35 to get this but at least the gas mileage will be alot better and no more having to use premium fuel.
  • townboy325townboy325 Member Posts: 37
    u need to change the way of driving u'll get lot more better gas milage... know how to step off and back on gas when u have no traffice
  • divewreckdivewreck Member Posts: 50
    How is it being shipped, by dealer or privately? I live in GA and debating about that.
    Did you consider picking it up & driving it back?
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    you're going to stick a Ron Paul bumper sticker, won't you? what do you mean the profit margin is razor thin? i know Nissan Motor doesn't make much on this car, but as for the dealer, they probably made 2000. i think it's fair enough though. i paid about $800 over invoice
  • viperjoeviperjoe Member Posts: 7
    I considered driving but you have to pay cal sales tax which is 8 or 8.5% and buy a 21 day plate which is another $50 add in two days of driving, one nights lodging, gas and mileage on the car made shipping the only way to go.
  • tropotropo Member Posts: 17
    Hiwayman, if your wife will not tell you how you feel and what you want, how would you know yourself? :)
  • hiwaymanhiwayman Member Posts: 98
    When we bought the car, we were told that the mark up (difference between invoice and MSRP) was about 1200 bucks. So, at first blush, it seems like we got a pretty good deal. What the dealers never tell you is what THEIR incentives are. Where the real truth is is a bit different. They get kick backs from Nissan for the numbers of cars they sell, how well they move less-popular body types, customer satisfaction scores, etc, etc. In some cases, the parent corporation will actually start charging the dealer if the don't move the car within a specified amount of time. Both positive and negative incentives. When they tell you they're selling you a car "below invoice" they aren't mentioning all these other ways to make money. If it was just straight invoice v. MSRP, a dealer selling below involce would be going out of business pretty quickly. The problem for us mortals, is finding out what a dealership REALLY makes on each car (they could tell you if they wanted to, but that's a deep dark secret, kept in a vault in the basement of the dealership owner's mother's house).

    Each company is a bit different in the way they handle this. Some companies, like Isuzu, for instance, have a set up where the factory owns the vehicle until it's sold. Their dealerships aren't as motivated to move cars and you may not get as good a deal. For dealerships that have to buy their inventory from the factory, the motivations to move hardware are much higher. But then, like I said, there's all kinds of incentive shenanigans going on in the background that put buyers at a disadvantage in the negotiations, without them every realizing it.

    Next time a dealer puts "their invoice" under your nose, just smile and say, "OK, now let's talk REAL money." :D
  • hiwaymanhiwayman Member Posts: 98
    Tropo, that's funny. I'm a completely independent thinker (looking at wife now, and saying "Right honey?") HAHA!

    When our old SUV finally started making "I'm going to retire soon" noises and we started shopping for new cars, I wanted an Xterra or a Pathfinder. My wife wanted a NAH. We comprimised and got the NAH. HAHA. At least I have motorcycles to ease the pain....but that's a discussion for another forum.... ;) Actually, I was reluctant to get a hybrid at first. I don't really like the looks of Priuses, and I literaly couldn't fit in a hybrid Civic. We had heard that Nissan had come out with a hybrid, so we went to the dealership. I was fully expecting another geeky looking little shuttle pod like the Prius. When they told us that the Altima was the car, I was pretty happy. We took the thing for a test drive, and I was sold immediately. In hindsight, especially now that gas is pushing 4 bucks a gallon, I'm pretty glad we didn't get another SUV. Now if they'd just make an Altima with 1 foot ground clearance and 4 wheel drive, it would be perfect :D
  • langjielangjie Member Posts: 250
    www.carbuyingtips.com

    but anyways, i understand all of that. for nissan's, there is a 3% holdback so the actual cost for your 30000 invoice car is actually 29100. you can't factor in how much the dealer is making from incentives and stuff, they need to make their money somehow. but i think that paying that close to invoice on a car that is pretty hard to find isn't that bad. it's not about how low you can get the numbers, but more like not getting ripped off.
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