Reliability, gas mileage, styling, interior looks

Comfortable around town but a bit small for long family trips. Front brake pads have a short life.

I bought this car new and have loved it ever since. I drive it every day to work. The only problem I have ever had in seven years and 95,000 miles was losing a starter at about 80,000 miles. Very quiet and solid. The seats are very comfortable in the front and back. A family of four can fit easily in the car. The engine requires very little maintenance.

I bought it used with 25k mi. It now has 76k and my one and only problem in 4 years is a leaky oil pressure seal, small leak, that just materialized.

My only complaint, I dont have a CD.

Highly recomend buying this vehicle.

Similar Products Used:

Accord LX, Camry.

Nice styling, it grows on me. From some angles its a little dowdy but then I'll look again from another view and it looks good. Strange. The interior is very nice, good seats, nice dash layout, everything easy to find and use. ALso Nissan used high quality materials inside. Our family of 4 has taken several long trips in it and we get out feeling good. Good torque delivery for a 4cyl engine and decent mileage. Good grip with stock tires. Engine sounds good when you push it. Lots of features for the money; has an overall quality feel to it.

The steering is accurate but not alot of feel coming thru the wheel. If you lug the engine, the big 4 sounds a little agricultural, you have to rev it somewhat to get a good 'on the cams sound'. The windshield seems close to your head and the inside review mirror is quite close. That's about it.

I bought it new for $17,000 in mid 1998. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good family car value. Its not a sports sedan but its close to that for a very fair price.

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Acure Integra, Ford Escort, VW Jetta

The car has great pick up and passing power. Won't get stuck for boost when the red light turns green. Haven't needed an alignment, yet. Holds steady on windy days riding on the highway. Nice wide 205/60/14 tires, grips the road on sharp curves. I like my manual drive. Quiet inside, with a killer system and the right music you will be in your own little world. Great evasive action for avoiding accidents.

My distributor went out on it during the dead of summer. We thought it was the alternator or battery. My extended warranty, I got a new distributor installed, parts and labor only cost a $50.00 deductible and the car was ready that same day. Hasn't had a problem since. Speakers could use more juice. I used to have to change my inside ceiling light often, but not in a while so far.

Originally went to the Honda looking for an Accord. The salesman gave me such a hard time with the pricing. I asked if they had any sales or rebates. He told me, "We're Honda, we don't do rebates". I didn't want a toyota, nor an American car, and I was in my car listening to the radio when a Nissan commercial blared: Sales, rebates! My mechanic is an electrical engineer from NYC and I watch the cars that he services and ask him his opinion. He said the only problem he's had with Altimas, is their alternators going out after a year or two. Otherwise they've got great engines and last if you take care of them.

Similar Products Used:

Nissan Sentra (not strong enough), Mercedes Benz 300, BMW 530i, Honda Civic, Toyota Carolla.

Price!!! One would be hard pressed to find A better car in this catagory that gives you more for your money.

None thus far...

In this price range this is one tuff competitor. Reliability is great. Handling insprires confidence. Power is adequate. Options are plentiful. Its just an all around great car. Do yourself a favor, before you buy a Honda or a Toyota give the nissian Altima and Maxima A look. Great cars that can be bought at a reasonable price with a little negociating. This car will put a smile on your face and then stretch it to its furthest extent when you think of what you paid for it.

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I used to work at a used car lot which offered me the oppurtunity to drive and play with the latest offerings from pretty much all makers..

Practical, reliable, lots of features for the price.

Buzzy 4-cyl mocks us for not getting the Maxima SE for not much more $. Sticks in Park sometimes (relay problem)

17K out the door, but the Maxima SE was only $2K more at the time. The Maxima gets the same mileage and is more powerful and quieter, so this was our one regret.

The Altima delivers a long list of standard features for a great price. An excellent overall car, but think about a V6.

Similar Products Used:

Accord, BMW

more bang for your buck...compared it to Hondas in its class and it had much more to offer..power, assesories, size..everything....
great MPG...

maybe a little more torque...

I think that this car is great overall cause of the price and what u get from it...plenty of power...roomy...looks good.."i cleared my front corner lights of my silver altima"...nice interior....go try to get a honda at this price and see what u get...haha...the honda dealer asked me if i wanted A/C with my car...toyota dosen't have a car in this class..either the camry or corrola...too pricey or too weak...overall good value

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1990 corolla...honda accord

a good solid car, not too much in repair costs

not all that sporty, not the pick up you might expect

All in all a solid car, if you dont want anything too sporty . If you have kids its a great choice. Nice for trips to the beach

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camery

The car is a great value considering the ride, amenities, and the performance when pitted against other cars in its class. The actual appearance of the car is very appealing as well.

Even though the car has adequate power it would be nice to have something with a bit more muscle.

I spent a good amount of time shopping the Accord, Camry, and Mazada 626 and for the money and performance between the competition; the Altima definately comes out on top. The Accord and Camry simply can't compete in its price range when trying to compare similar amenities and options. I am totally pleased with my 2000 Altima SE.

Sport car like handling, roomy, nice interior design, classy, but not gawdy, good engine

The major weekness is it's only offered in 4 doors, not 2. I will not buy a 4 door car, nor will I buy a 2 door truck/SUV. Engine has good power characteristics, but it needs some pedal to get into the RPMs(compared to a V6), for the powerband.

The main gripe is this car is not available in a 2 door version. I will not buy it for that reason. I only buy 2 door cars and 4 door SUVs. A 4 door car makes a statement that I'm older, have kids, and don't prefer the sportier things in life. It pretty much makes me feel old and settled down. I'm not, I still want fun out of life with no obstacles holding me back. A 2 door SUV says to me, old man trying to relive his youth, but in a truck chassis. The whole idea of having a truck is for the room. A 2 door truck makes no sense.

The main item of this car that draws attention is the excellent engine. It's deceiveing, feeling much more powerful than it is. While it's still a bit lower in the torque department than a higher displacement V6, it's torque is still developed in lower RPMs than other 4 cylinder engines. The weight to Hp ratio and weight to torque ft/lb ratio is similar to the Plymouth Neon, with the Neon a tick quicker. The wild thing is that extra power from the Neon is delivered at full throttle, where it's forced. The Altima has good torque where power is readily available, without the full pedal, then let off technique, that's familiar with higher Hp/lower torque 4 bangers. The thing feels faster than it is from the torque powerband. The handling is very good also. It has more of a sport suspension, than a luxury suspension. The car is clevery designed with storage compartments where you need them. The Lumina/Carlo by comparison, was just simply, not up to par, or near the class of handling, engine power, design, or comfort this car offers. Carefullness on acceleration is a must. If the pedal is pushed down on startup, like normal low torque 4 bangers, you'll leave a nice tire patch.

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'97/'98 Chevy Monty Carlo/Lumina, Nissan Sentra, Chevy Camaro, Ford Escort, Nissan Xterra, Plymouth Neon