Buh Bye Altima Coupe?

[Bubba1]

http://wardsauto.com/north-america/niss ... tima-coupe

Looks like Nissan is going to drop the Altima Coupe in 2014. I suppose that was inevitable as the only money Nissan appeared to spend developing the sleek little coupe since they introduced it was making CVT it's only transmission.

RIP

[gwoods]

Never grew on me the proportions were not coupish. 350Z seemed to be a better choice for anyone looking performace or coupeyness. I will not mourn nor miss it.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

eh, it was a decent vehicle for someone that wanted something sporty they could drive year round (in the snow even).

[Bubba1]

eh, it was a decent vehicle for someone that wanted something sporty they could drive year round (in the snow even).

Right, it also has a devoted following on NICO.

[MinisterofDOOM]

eh, it was a decent vehicle for someone that wanted something sporty they could drive year round (in the snow even).

Or drivers could just stop being pansy-a** whiners and drive real cars in the winter. Been daily-driving rear-drivers year-round for well over a decade with no issues. I can't figure out what everyone seems to have such a hard time with.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Good riddance. Such ugly cars. I would NEVER even consider buying one.

[nissangirl74]

I test drove one with a manual once. Granted I didn't put a lot of miles on it but it seemed to be a very capable car and the manual made it a lot better than the CVT. It sucks because the potential was there and Nissan didn't do much to foster it, or work out the bugs.

[Jesda]

That's a bit disappointing. I've never been a big fan of the AC but I did appreciate Nissan building one while other less daring manufacturers phased theirs out. I've wanted to see GM do an Epsilon-based coupe with a manual and 3.6L V6 or have Mazda bring back the MX3 and/or MX6.

I guess that leaves Honda with the Accord, which is supposedly an excellent sporty coupe with the manual.

[nissangirl74]

I guess that leaves Honda with the Accord, which is supposedly an excellent sporty coupe with the manual.

I need to put that on my list

[float_6969]

Yea, and the new Accord coupe is decent looking IMHO.

LOL, I just remembered something. When I first swapped my CA18 into my old S13, I was (stupidly, I know) racing every moving object in town, kicking their azzez and thinking I was pretty cool. So an Accord coupe pulls up next to me and revs. I'm laughing in my head, and thinking, "This is gonna be too easy!" So the light changes colors, and that Accord walked me like I was standing still. Little did I know that Accord coupes were available in a V6 with a manual. Apparently some light mods (headers, high flow cat, exhaust, and CAI) makes it fast enough to spank my 180whp S13. And he was probably more comfortable and reliable when he was doing it, LOL!

[gwoods]

R&T or C&D ran a Accord coupe test a few months back and had a picture of it in a graveyard with tombstones for all the other brands coupes in front of it. Visiting its competition was the photo caption or something like that it was funny.

[DJ_B_Easy]

I owned one for 5 years. I am glad to see them go. Buh bye...
On another note, I would not have found NICO otherwise so yeah, there is that.

[nissangirl74]

It's amazing how many people on NICO don't drive a Nissan anymore and yet we're still here.

[DJ_B_Easy]

It's amazing how many people on NICO don't drive a Nissan anymore and yet we're still here.

Yeah, I go help the newbs in the AC section where I can. Cruise Gen Chat where I can. Troll where I can.

[gwoods]

I used to lend my biased uncomprimising opinions on the G35 forum but now I just troll Gen chat posting Jaguar stuff whenever I can.

I did replace a mirror and passengerside rear door of a 2001 Altima GXE this evening so that was fun. Then we claybared and waxed the oxidized beast.

[nissangirl74]

That particular Nissan paint color doesn't stand up too well to the AZ heat.

[gwoods]

Especially true if the previous owner didn't keep it waxed. You can have a red car in AZ you just need to wax it a couple times per year.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I've really never understood the need for a 2-door version of an average family sedan. It made a little more sense back in the '90s when it was the same bodywork with different door openings. But now?

I just can't fathom the appeal of having to climb into a back seat instead of just opening a friggin' door.

Sedans also tend to have nicer proportions than "coupes" (really 2-door sedans in this case) when a back seat is involved. Something even the very capable Pininfarina has struggled with (see rear roofline on the 456 and 612).

MoD's Cardinal Rule of Automotive Styling #11:
If it has back seats, it MUST have back doors.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

what about jokes for back seats, like 911s, Mustangs, Camaros, BRZ/FRS, 240?

[gwoods]

I can sit in the back seat of a 996 vert

[Kompresshun]

My brother carted around his family of 5 people in a fox body Mustang for years. Mustangs and Camaro's don't have terrible back seats.

[nissangirl74]

Just out of curiosity, now that people are aware that the Alti coupe is going away, do you think there will be a mad scramble at the end of the run to buy one?

[Kompresshun]

I have not heard a single person even mention wanting an Alti Coupe in nearly two years. I don't think it will be greatly missed.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

They've only been building 2.5 CVTs for a while, so no.

[Jesda]

I love the look of a coupe. The long doors, long hood, and long rear seem as if they were intended for each other.

Not all coupes are lookers though. The MX6 was almost RX7-like with its graceful curves and arched greenhouse. The Eldorado had distinctly American C-pillars and doors that were long enough to swallow a fridge. Same for the E46 coupe; the sedan's doors were too short and made the car look too economical.

The C-class coupe, however, is a dud.

[Bubba1]

They've only been building 2.5 CVTs for a while, so no.

I agree, as Nissan unwisely deballed them like they did the Mall-find...er Pathfinder. But I could see the older ones with a manual transmission and V6 perhaps maintaining a very small but loyal following. I don't envision them ever becoming a significantly collectible.

[MinisterofDOOM]

what about jokes for back seats, like 911s, Mustangs, Camaros, BRZ/FRS, 240?

Chop 'em out, improve the wheelbase, or shift the driver backward and improve weight distribution.

I love the look of a coupe. The long doors, long hood, and long rear seem as if they were intended for each other.

I agree. The problem is that 2-door sedans are NOT COUPES. And those three things don't work right. 2-door sedans have HUGE SWATHS of sheetmetal behind the doors. It looks silly. On my Coupe DeVille, the doors reached nearly to the rear wheel arches. On modern "coupes" like the Accord, Civic, Altima, Camry/Solara, and the rest, you end up with awkward proportions and a doorline that just doesn't work. It's the rear seat that's the cause of all this. It stretches length and height, destroying styling proportions and leaving lots of awkward empty tie-ins.

Pre-1980, most sedans looked better with two doors (Impala, Galaxie, even midsizers like the old A-bodies). But these days, even very talented automakers struggle with making a 2-door sedan work. The 3-series is one of the best examples, and it still ends up with the emptiness behind the doors. The roofline and aft proportions are perfect (and different from the 4-door) but you still end up with that "why doesn't it have 2 more doors back there" look.

The Accord coupe itself is a disaster. Looking a lot like the C-class coupe, it's an a**-heavy, awkward wedgey mess with an ENORMOUS, bland, lazily designed curving rump. The last Accord coupe that looked good was the early '90s model. After that they got hideous.

[RicerX]

Just out of curiosity, now that people are aware that the Alti coupe is going away, do you think there will be a mad scramble at the end of the run to buy one?

If they had all their original powertrain options, I would say yes. Sadly, you can only have a 2013 if it is a 2.5 CVT. It will die without much of a fight, I fear.

If it is the lamb that must be sacrificed for a BRZ fighter, I'm all for it.

I loved my AC, but I will say that I had the best possible one you could get (after a couple tries ... lol) - I had a 6MT 3.5. There isn't much else for the money I'd drive. In fact, the only other thing for the money I'd drive... I'm driving it - my MS3.

The AC did a lot for me - style I liked, reliable power I liked, a manual transmission, a "sporty" drive but very comfortable for long drives... a well rounded front driver.

That said, it was a period of denial that, with a little patience and savings, I could have overcome and just bought my damn 370Z in the first place.

[nissangirl74]

For s*** and giggles, I looked up the 3.5 + V6 on Autotrader. 1 within 200 miles of us and 47 in the USA. There's a 2012 with unlisted mileage for $36,542. Is that normal? That's Z money. I've never priced one but that seems exorbitant. It was the most expensive on the list by a long shot. I found several for less than $20K and a (seemingly) nice one in Miami for $9,000.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... rd=1&Log=0

[Bubba1]

For s*** and giggles, I looked up the 3.5 + V6 on Autotrader. 1 within 200 miles of us and 47 in the USA. There's a 2012 with unlisted mileage for $36,542. Is that normal? That's Z money. I've never priced one but that seems exorbitant. It was the most expensive on the list by a long shot. I found several for less than $20K and a (seemingly) nice one in Miami for $9,000.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale ... rd=1&Log=0

That autotrader ad is likely someone seeking a real sucker. On Edmunds.com, a clean loaded low mileage 2012 V6 is maybe $20K here in the northeast..