Dependable. Good gas mileage. Great handling. More than adequate pwr with the 5 speed. Great passenger and driver leg room.

The plastic hub caps keep falling off. When you go to have your tires changed, if they do not have them placed on exactly right, you will lose your hubcaps while driving down the road.

Also, that is the worst place for a cup holder. It is placed right in front of the radio.

Great dependable car. I bought this car straight out of college. I had just gotten job in sales and had to supply my own car. I bought the bottom of the line car. 5 speed, no pwr windows or locks, and the dealer added the stereo. This car turned out to be just what I wanted. Not a luxury car, but a very nice dependable car. It now has 312,000 miles. The fuel pump went out at about 200K and the compressor for the A/C went out at about 250K. Other than that, it has only been small minor things that occur to a car with age. Bottom line, I did not begin to sink money into the car until I began to approach 200K. The car still drives fine and I am going to keep this car and buy a frontier.

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I runs

I've had it for less than three years and it's given me the following problems:
the computer went out - had to buy a new one
the brakes are horrible - they squeek
the CV joints had to be replaced
the lubricant system is messed up
and now
something's wrong with transmission

I hate my car.

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Like/Miss my old car

Price vs options

Transmission, suspension

I can get passed the trans quirk....car at 35-45 mph at light tourque will shift back and forth. I hear a little more noise from rear suspension when it reacts quickly than I like but can live with it. Overall with leather, premium sound, sunroof w/deflector, 16" aluminum wheels, internal cabin air filter, remote trunk release none of which was on the Galant (and they wanted $200 more dollars) the altima in my opinion is a great buy for the buck.

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Mitsubishi Galant....too pricy for same options

I LOVE my car!!! Quiet, smooth, flawless so far! I have driven standard for 10 years now, and for the first few days with this car, I almost forgot I wasn't in an automatic...that smooth! Did I mention...I love my car? Even despite the price of gas, it still has pretty good gas milage. I will NEVER own a car without power EVERYTHING, ever again, and if this car is as good to me as the '92 Sentra I traded in, I will forever be a die-hard Nissan fan! Oh yea, and I LOVE MY CAR!!!!

Absolutely no weaknesses so far!

What originally sold me on Nissan was the good service I received from everyone from the salesman to the mechanics and even the Nissan Corporation itself. Like I said, I will probably never buy anything BUT a Nissan, ever again. I did absolutely nothing (other than oil, brakes and tuneups) on my Sentra, and she was still going strong the day I traded her in. I loved the way my Sentra handled the winter roads, and actually look forward to feeling safe next winter in the Altima. Anyone that I have spoken to personally (who owns a Nissan) have all agreed...."This is the best car for it's price...and then some"! If I could rate 10 stars...you'd see it here!

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Hate to say this, but I will probably never own an American vehicle again. I've had more breakdowns with American cars, and never so much as a minor flaw with Nissan. I owned my '92 for 6 years, and had it not been for a new family member and needing something bigger, I wouldn't have parted with my "baby".

- Comfortable ride, relatively quiet (for size)
- Nice handling
- Excellent pickup for 4-cyl engine

- Poor gas milage
- Flimsy rear cup-holder

I came to this car after my old vehicle (a '93 Ford Taurus) blew a head gasket and was sent to the big detailing shop in the sky. Immediately started doing research on small to midsized cars (including on this site). The Altima kept coming up as a good bet for my price range.

I'd really had my heart set on buying car with a 6 cylinder engine, but after taking the Altima out for a test drive, I was very surprised at the responsiveness of acceleration. The car is nice and quick off the line, with somewhat diminished (although more than serviceable) torque at higher speeds.

The placement of the cupholder, which I've seen mentioned above, has been addressed in the 2001 model: it's now located near the shifter, in a recessed panel with a retractable cover. Definitely an improvement from being in front of the radio. The rear cup holder has a very flimsy feel to it, however, and I'm basically waiting for it to snap off while on a road trip with friends (at least it folds up out of the way). The SE comes with a 6 disc in-dash system standard. The radio preset controls are a bit goofy on the unit, but it gets a decent sound, and I'm slowly becoming addicted to having the changer.

I've only had the car for just over a month, so while I haven't had any reliability problems yet, I can't really project whether or not that's likely to continue. One irritating thing I've noticed is that the gas consumption is worse than I expected: although it's EPA rated at 21/28 MPG (for automatic - manual is 23/31), I've yet to get 20 out of it. My average is around 19, including a mix of city and highway driving.

In the end, though, this car has made a very favorable impression on me. If you're still in sticker shock after pricing Jettas, you should probably take a good look at this car.

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2000 Saturn SL1: The Altima is better. We'll just leave it at that.

Acceleration and gas mileage are good. Handling is sporting. Build quality and reliability are excellent.

Rear seats don't fold. Glove box is lousy. Brakes can be noisy in warm weather.

I bought my red 5-speed GXE in 1996 for $7800. It had 89,000 highway miles on it. The previous owner had kept meticulous records. I recently sold the car to a friend. It now has 169,000 miles. The engine still runs like new. The interior has no ripped upholstery or cracked vinyl. How many cars can you say that about with so many miles?

During my time with the car I replaced an idler pulley and a starter. Those were the ONLY repair items.

With the 5-speed transmission this car accelerates strongly. In contrast to what some others reported below, my gas mileage ranged from 27 mpg in the city to 32 mpg on the highway. Granted, this is less than what one would get in a Civic, but the Altima is so much roomier and more fun to drive.

I am still amazed at how well the interior has held up. I was in a brand-new Buick Century, and some Olds Intrigues recently. The interior door panel, the center console, and various other dash pieces wiggled and flexed noisily while the same pieces in my seven-year-old Altima don't move AT ALL.

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1994 Honda Civic, 1995 Ford Contour
When I bought my car in '96 I practically had to stand in line to test drive a used Civic. The prices were high, and the acceleration was poor. The Contour is fun to drive, but didn't feel as well screwed together.

Reliability - This car has needed few repairs for the price paid
Power - Compared to the competition (4 cylinder, 4 door Japaneese midsizes) the Altima does quite nicely, plenty of torque, decent acceleration

Too much plastic on the interior
Cup holders suck
Gearbox (5 sp manual)

Well, first off this car has far exceeded what I expected from it. I bought it in March of 2000 for just under $4000. The unusually low price was due to the high milage (112k, at purchase), and a couple of small rust bubbles around the rear wheels. I usually subscribe to a you-get-what-you-pay-for philosophy with cars, but my previous experience with Nissans was good. I test drove a few other comperably priced Japaneese cars, namely late 80's and early 90's Hondas and Toyotas, but in the end I felt like I got the most out of the Altima.
After over a year, I feel like it was a good decision (mostly). I have put about 40k miles on the car, with only one major repair (starter went at about 125k, cost about $400 to replace). Shortly after buying the car I took it to my mechanic for a tune up and look-over, and he could not find a single significant problem with the car. I have driven this car from coast to coast on two occasions, something I would never do in most other cars of this age and milage.
Recently a disturbing rattle began to show up when the engine was reved to about 2200 rpm, but it turned out to be a loose exhaust clip, replaced for about 15 bucks. This car gets about 28-32 mpg still (it's a 5-speed), mainly because it doesn't really scream performance. I find myself driving this car much more conservatively than my 96 Saab, mostly due to the difference in the feel of the two. The Nissan is simply a comfortable, reliable, everyday car.
The downsides to my Altima, though few, are annoying. The shifting is stiff, with a poor feel when going between gears. The clutch is also vague, making it a little hard to shift smoothly between gears. I hate the placement of the cup holders. If you try to carry anything besides a small beverage in them they completely block the radio, sometimes even bumping radio controls. The check engine light also comes on from time to time, a problem my mechanic has looked at several times and has not been able to correct. The power in this car, though ample for it's class, does not feel especially even like on most other cars. With moderate acceleration there are several pits and peaks in the in the power band.
All in all there is not much to complain about. This has been a great daily driver, without giving me many problems. I consider myself somewhat of an enthusiast, and this car offers enough of both worlds to keep me interested. The styling is still attractive after 8 years, and the handling is good for a car this size.

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1988 Nissan Sentra - Much better styling and power
1999 Honda Civic EX - The Honda is a quicker car, but much less room

Are there strengths?

Everything

I bought this car used in 1999 with 75000 miles on it. This car is a nightmare! One transmission and $2000 more later the same problem still isn't fixed. This car is a lemon! If I had bought it new I would've gotten another one by now because of the lemon law! Gas mileage is awful. If you are in the Cincinnati area, don't buy a car from any Kerry dealership. They are a bunch of jerks! They don't treat you with any respect. Thank the Lord I'm getting rid of this car in two weeks!
Stay away from this car!

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I have a lot of good memories with the Altima. I'm sure that doesnt help any of you.. but it was the first car that my boyfriend and I ever had. There were a lot of times that the 2 of us had 1 million things to do and only one car. I love the gas milage.. I can fill it up and roll around like a clown for a little over a week. I like the passageway to the trunk from the backseat. I have the gold package with a gold stripe... the hubcaps have the gold nissan symbol. The car looks great.

Very volitile car. Very unstable. I hate to list all of the problems that I have had with this car.. but I have to honestly say you get these problems with every car. It's not a question of IF you'll need repairs, but WHEN.

Oh wow... the car was new with 3 miles on it. In the first week, the tape deck broke...(in 1994 who could LIVE without a TAPE DECK?!) The GOLD warranty saved my life because this car has had some major repairs while under 100K.

The breaks wear down at an ungodly rate and before you know it you need struts and calipers. It's had calipers done about 3 times. The alternator has been replaced 4 times. It has an electrical problem and the interior lights used to flash on and off sporadically - until they found some faulty wiring. The GEAR SHIFT! Oh wow... this thing used to stick and they told me that I spilled soda into it.. (well isnt that YOUR fault by putting those cupholders in that dumbazz place?!) It would stick if it was cold outside of it I had put it in park without being supergentle on the previous ride. I installed a CD player and it swivels... right into the cupholders... DOH!

The major repair... we had a big flood here in 98 and the car just stopped working. The ditributor cap or something.. and the car wouldn't start. It went to the dealer for a month and turns out that they had to REBUILD the engine. They asked for proof of oil changes.. and after that they just repaired it.. *pretty fishy!*

My cruise control went out.. just doesnt work and its not a fuse issue.
My sunroof used to leak.. the replaced the weatherstripping it still whistles...
The console broke off and it lays around
The GOLD "quote endquote" has RUBBED off of the handles....
The snesors hardly work
The lock have been replaced 2 times and now the driver's side lock is broken AGAIN
The alarm doesnt make the same noises it used to.. the horn just honks
The muffler and flex joint have been replaced
The CV joint has been replaced
Axel broke and was replaced
The visor broke... they fixed it and put it on too tight.. I broke it trying to get it to move
The windshield wiper relay broke.. (had to be the DRIVER side...) that cost me $130...
The blower doesn't work on the 1 2 and 3 setting.. just 4. So I'm either very hot or very cold
The rear lights have shorts and they get me pulled over all the time
The chimes are all broken.."chime, you left your lights on" or "chime, you left your keys is the ignition"


I recommend that you get the EXTENDED warranty on any car you buy.
Why do I love this car? Because I am a glutton for punishment...

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I just bought a 2000 Alero. My Altima is a dear old friend, that is comfortable and familiar. I drive the Alero when I want to look rich.
=)

reliable, never had a major or minor problem, feels open when driving, easy to drive

Gas milage is sometimes lacking, gas needle isn't always accurate and sways a lot, leather seats kinda hard, paint scratches easily, wish the ride was smoother

It's a good car for college but I would not buy another one for myself. I have never had a problem and I have over 22,000 miles on it. It's the perfect size if you dont want a huge car or a compact. I rate it highly because it deserves it...definately a great car for it's price.

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My first car and it has been good to me