Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My wife and I had a very scary Datsun 1200 many years ago, and since that experience I haven't been inclined to even consider a Nissan.
Fundamentally, though, if you're looking at Japanese cars it's hard to see why you would ever choose something other than a Toyota or a Honda, or a Subaru if you need AWD.
They made some good cars back in the 80's and 90's. Cars like the Stanza, 240SX, and Hardbody pickup were pretty rock solid.
I've got a '12 Altima base (no radio, lower than "S" model-that's right, it didn't come with a radio) that I've put all of it's 61K on. Besides the battery going out (replaced under warranty), I've literally not had a single problem. It gets great gas mileage and is very roomy. My father in law has a '98 Villager (same as Quest), and he hasn't had many issues with it either. It's got well over 200K on it.
I will say though they don't appear to hold their value as well as Honda or Toyota do, which kinda stinks for trade in/resale purposes so my advice would be not to get ripped off.
The Nissan frontiers made before 2008 are junk. My in law has a 2007 Nissan Frontier, and has had his timing chain and tensioner replaced twice before 60k miles. The Frontier is not even half the truck as the old Nissan Hardbodies.
XTerras are horrible too. Every time I talk to an XTerra owner, they trash talk the vehicle.
It depends on the year model. Nissan went through a stint with the Altima and Maxima eating head gaskets (I believe this has been resolved), then a stint with supercharger problems on the Frontiers/Xterras, electrical problems on the Xterra/Titan/etc..
They have made some really reliable cars. They've also made some junk. If it's a 50/50 mix of reliability that's pretty risky IMO. Every manufacturer has that one model of vehicle which has issues but Nissan has had issues plague almost every model during some generation or another.
2002-2003. And it wasn't head gaskets.
The pre-cats would overheat, the materials inside would melt, and the result was the exhaust shooting particles back into the engine, eventually ruining the valves, drinking oil, etc.
They fixed it in 2004.
(By the way, I had a 2002 Maxima... All I did was drill through the pre-cats with a large concrete drill-bit. Problem solved )
When I lived in Southern CA I did not see many but noticed how many Toyota's I saw.
My car prior to the one I have now was an Altima and many years ago I had a Pathfinder. Both cars I enjoyed but I don't know much about cars and only leased both of them. My car battery in my Altima a few months prior to my 3 years ending needed to be replaced which I thought was odd since I never in the past with cars had to do that.
When I lived in Southern CA I did not see many but noticed how many Toyota's I saw.
My car prior to the one I have now was an Altima and many years ago I had a Pathfinder. Both cars I enjoyed but I don't know much about cars and only leased both of them. My car battery in my Altima a few months prior to my 3 years ending needed to be replaced which I thought was odd since I never in the past with cars had to do that.
Why? The Sonata is a better car than the Altima now. Better transmission, better handling, quieter ride, etc..
It is? While I like the Sonata, I have to wonder what makes you think the Sonata's transmission and handling are better.
Nissan's CVT is far improved from its initial models, and most reviewers and drivers give it nothing but praise.
Its handling is also considered to be a leader in its category...
If there's one thing Nissan has been handling very well this past decade, it's the Altima.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
