2.5 vs 3.5

[RaZmAn]

Every person I talk to who owns an altima tells me 'DON't get the 2.5!' is it really that bad? What's going on here? :|

The only reason I ask is I cannot for the life of me find any dealer who can find a 2009 black 3.5 SE....is it time to downgrade to a weaker engine?

[Hussain]

ive driven 2.5 altimas and 3.5 altimas and this is the way i look at it, if you get a 2.5s the ONLY transmission to get is the 6 speed. if you get the 3.5se you can go for CVT or the 6 speed.... i'm not trying to bash any of the 2.5 CVT owners but as a CVT owner myself, i know that my car does not feel as fast as the 6 speed. however, since i have the 3.5 i have more then enough power so it still feels fast.... plus the 6 speed 3.5se's cant get traction and just spin all the time (except mehdi).

if you're looking for a 3.5, go for the 3.5. the 3.5 is what $4,000 more then a base 2.5? well look at it this way, the convenience package and moon roof come standard on the 3.5. each one of those is i believe $1,000. so for $2,000 more you get 100 more HP! sport tuned suspension, better rims, LED turn signals, and anything else i may be missing.... its a much better idea to go with the 3.5 unless you get the 2.5 in stick or really do not care about performance.

[PHENOMenalVinyl]

ive driven 2.5 altimas and 3.5 altimas and this is the way i look at it, if you get a 2.5s the ONLY transmission to get is the 6 speed. if you get the 3.5se you can go for CVT or the 6 speed.... i'm not trying to bash any of the 2.5 CVT owners but as a CVT owner myself, i know that my car does not feel as fast as the 6 speed. however, since i have the 3.5 i have more then enough power so it still feels fast.... plus the 6 speed 3.5se's cant get traction and just spin all the time (except mehdi).

x a million

i have the 6 spd n its fun as hell but if i got the damn 3.5 ide be sooo much happier bc i feel like its to slow

[RaZmAn]

My frustration might get the best of me though. I have been actively waiting for 2 entire months to find a 3.5 SE available ..I've searched dealers 5 states across from me and still nothing. The dealer that did find one for me is now non-responsive. I don't want to buy used. All I see is a s***load of 2.5's It took me forever to finally decide on the nissan altima coupe...and now this new problem has arised. No one has allocation for the 2010 near me yet.... I really wanted the car before mid november...this seems unlikely now.

[DiamondWVU]

i have a 2.5 CVT. and S*** id love to have a 3.5 any day. but thats all i could afford. if you can afford the 3.5 wait it out. it's definitely worth it. i mean i love my 2.5 no doubt. but it'd be great to have that extra horsepower.

[Rob.Vegan]

I've been in many 3.5's and many 2.5's both stick and CVT. The 3.5 definitely has power, you notice it. The 2.5 not so much, it has power but you can tell the engine is working really hard to put it out

I wanted the 3.5 stick but I knew it was going to be too much for me to handle (17 at the time). The car was a gift and I was happily set on the 2.5 stick but wound up with the cvt. I love my car to death but wish I had a stick every time I enter the car (except if I'm hungover and just want to get home).

I say, if you want a 3.5... DON'T settle for the 2.5, you will be disappointed and most likely regret the purchase soon after. The manual mode on the cvt will suffice any shifting urges you have unless you have driven stick for a long period and really want that feeling. Luckily when I was shopping the dealers close to me were able to get every coupe imaginable (2.5, 3.5, 6mt, cvt, packages) but I was left with the 2.5 cvt which is most abundant. The wait will be worth it in the end if you decide to hold out

[TrueFaith]

I have a 2.5 with 6MT and it's more than adequate for my needs. I was never a big fan of overpowered cars and fuel economy was a big factor in my choice. Plus any new car I bought had to have a manual shift, like every car I've ever owned has had. The first time I downshifted to 3rd and passed another car I sprouted a grin from ear to ear that I still haven't gotten rid of. I have yet to get into a situation where I couldn't get the power I needed or where the car seemed lacking, but I don't drive it like a sports car either. If you have a lead foot you might prefer the 3.5, but for everyday driving and the occasional breathtaking pass, the 2.5 with 6MT is perfect. It doesn't hurt when I get queries from my gasoline credit card company wondering why I don't use my card as much as I used to and offering incentives to do so.

[Marisha]

Like others have said, if you have your heart set on a 3.5, don't settle for 2.5, you'll definitely regret it.

That said, I feel like I need to defend my little 2.5S CVT...she's awesome! I wasn't looking for power, I was looking for something efficient that was fun to drive...and boy did I ever get it In retrospect, suspension mods were definitely a must for me, but I don't know how much of that was 2.5 and how much an AC thing. I don't think I've ever wanted a 3.5 since I got mine. I do want some of the features (turn signal mirrors being one of them), but I can add those on my own if I ever get the gumption.

[yoonzilla]

Ok, I'll be the odd ball out in this discussion. Settle for the 2.5 . JK!

[RaZmAn]

If I end up getting the stillen kit.....I would have to repaint my entire car right? So ....if I ended up buying another color car..and then getting the kit..and then painting it all black...would that result in the same thing? Because there are literally no black 3.5's left...but I found a few silver or white ones. And how much is a usual full body paint job cost?

[Viper5000]

If I end up getting the stillen kit.....I would have to repaint my entire car right? So ....if I ended up buying another color car..and then getting the kit..and then painting it all black...would that result in the same thing? Because there are literally no black 3.5's left...but I found a few silver or white ones. And how much is a usual full body paint job cost?

then you might as well try to get a new '10 dude... because a full paint job would be rather expensive to be spending on a new car....

[Blackmobile]

nonono... if you get the stillen kit you only paint the kit to match the car, you don't repaint the whole car...

most people get the 2.5 for one main thing, cost. less on gas, less in purchase price, less on insurance, and it still has some oomf to get around with some kick behind it. so if you've got the cash for the 3.5, get it. otherwise, save some money and get the 2.5, that's why i got mine, i'm really happy with my 2.5 but if i was given the choice at the same cost, there's no reason why i wouldn't get the 3.5

[RaZmAn]

hmm....but don't people repaint their cars once they add a kit? I seriously have no idea...that's what I thought...but I guess with black there can't be that much of a difference in the blacks?

edit: thx blackmobile , i get it now .. makes much more sense...common sense.

I contacted 6 other dealers last night...2 have responded, none have 09, some have 10 but in 2.5. guess my journey continues....I walk the lonely road the only one that I have ever known :>

[boystar22]

And a total repaint on a new car, plus changing the color would kill any resale value in the future.

Black always looks good, but coming from a black car, NEVER again. I like not having to wash it twice a week, I'm lucky if I was my slate once a month, and I still doesn't look dirty then. I really enjoy the dark grey, but in hindsight I would have gotten the 'Precision Grey" it seems to be a bit less common. I see the slate ones EVERYWHERE.

[RaZmAn]

slate is actually becoming very common these days. All the scion TC's here in tallahassee are dark slate. They do look pretty good though and the curves of a car come out more visible making the car look more sleek imo.

[Viper5000]

hmm....but don't people repaint their cars once they add a kit? I seriously have no idea...that's what I thought...but I guess with black there can't be that much of a difference in the blacks?

edit: thx blackmobile , i get it now .. makes much more sense...common sense.

I contacted 6 other dealers last night...2 have responded, none have 09, some have 10 but in 2.5. guess my journey continues....I walk the lonely road the only one that I have ever known :>

well maybe if worse comes to worse you can put in an order for them to build you a '10 to your spec... may take a while, plus by that time they may have what you want anyway.... hard to tell, the '10's are just rolling in....

[RaZmAn]

It's not even like my specs are that demanding...all i want is super black with premium package lol, and well with the 2010 I guess I'd have to add the leather package too.

Has anyone ever built their car to order? How long is this process? That's how the whole allocation system kicks in right?

edit: I found a 2009 super black 3.5 se new....but it has cloth seats

[Viper5000]

Raz, do you work at the Fish and Wildlife on Lafayette/Gadsden st?

[RaZmAn]

Raz, do you work at the Fish and Wildlife on Lafayette/Gadsden st?

Yep, on meridian street

[Viper5000]

Yep, on meridian street

ha ha, I work at the DOT right across the street....

[RaZmAn]

ha ha, I work at the DOT right across the street....

lol nice! part time or full? I'm still finishing off my engineering degree while working part time here.

[Viper5000]

Full time... I do server/ networking support.

[RaZmAn]

nice. We could definitely meet up and compare our cars (once I get one lol)

[Blackmobile]

I found a 2009 super black 3.5 se new....but it has cloth seats

you can always add leather afterwards for about $1000 from katskins, and then you can make it custom colors

[RaZmAn]

you can always add leather afterwards for about $1000 from katskins, and then you can make it custom colors

is this a job I can do myself or would I require a shop to do it?

It says to not use seat heaters if I use custom seats o.O I guess it's good I live in florida

edit: If the 2009 has cloth seats then that means no premium package either ... that means no 9 speakers, etc right ?
Modified by RaZmAn at 11:17 AM 11/6/2009

[Mr. Music]

Do you really want leather? I hate leather... Gets wayyy toooo hot in the Florida sun and subsequently burns your butt and doesn't last very long.My two cents about the 2.5 vs. 3.5 debate... I have the 2.5 CVT, and after my issues with the CVT, I HATE the d*** thing (the transmission, love the rest of the car). If you get a 2.5, try not to get the CVT if you want to avoid any possible issues. The 3.5 uses a different CVT and is supposedly not effected by the issues I've experienced. If you want an automatic transmission, don't consider the 2.5. If you've got the money for a 3.5, wait it out. I've driven a couple of them, and the extra power is nice. From what I remember, several members on here have ordered their car to their specs, and it usually took about three months for delivery.

[RaZmAn]

omg...3 more months to wait..... kill me now

[Ranga14]

I'm rather shocked you're having this much of an issue finding a car. Hell, the dealership I bought mine at always has a ton of each variety and other dealerships in my area are about the same way.

[RaZmAn]

I'm rather shocked you're having this much of an issue finding a car. Hell, the dealership I bought mine at always has a ton of each variety and other dealerships in my area are about the same way.

I live in a small city and it also seems that the east coast is dried up of A/C 3.5's.. for 2009 anyways. I called dealers in alabama, tennessee, georgia, south carolina, and florida and all said they had none. I don't know if I would want to pay like 700 bucks delivery or w/e it is to get one from all the way in texas...unless I drive there and back

I also find it funny that dealers are telling me they can get me a 2010 3.5 SE....and I'm like isn't it an SR? Not a big deal at all...but I mean they should still know this.
Modified by RaZmAn at 1:23 PM 11/6/2009

[RaZmAn]

I didn't want to make a new topic about this so im just going to ask in here...

is the navigation worth it ??? Mind you I live in a tiny town where I already know where most of everything is....I won't be living here forever..but still.