Coming to the dark side...

[FrayAdjacent]

So I have been looking at trading my current car in on something more versatile and efficient (30+mpg), and had actually been dealing with a Honda dealer to get a 2007 Fit Sport. Well, the internet sales manager quit her job right in the middle of it, then the guy that replaced her supposedly ordered the car for me. Fast forward to now, which is about when my Fit was supposed to come in, and the original woman is back, and it looks like the guy that replaced her DID NOT order my car! She says she can get/has an automatic, but I don't want the auto...

I started toying with the idea of a Toyota Matrix, but they're a little more expensive when optioned out like I'd want one. Plus there are freakin TONS of them around here!

So I came back to the Versa, optioned one out like I'd want, and it's only $160 more than the Fit Sport I wanted. (SL, 6 speed, Convenience Package). Checked with the internet sales manager at a local Nissan dealer, he says he found one, in silver which I like, that he might be able to trade for, and get in next week!

So what are things I should know about the Versa? I've seen people saying some of the tire pressure sensors have had some issues? How does the Versa handle? (I love a car that can take the twisties)

I'll be reading around the forum, soaking up info. Any tips, pointers, hints, suggestions, opinions... etc... are appreciated.

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Modified by FrayAdjacent at 12:23 PM 11/4/2006

[threeinchblitz]

http://www.nissanversa.org/own-faq.shtml

[FrayAdjacent]

http://www.nissanversa.org/own-faq.shtml

Great link, I'm reading up on it!

[proxim2020]

There's nothing that you have to look out for really. The major things that people are discovering are included in the link that threeinchblitz posted. The only thing that's getting close to the point of a recall will be the TPMS. The V handles well, is good on gas, and has a lot of potential if you're looking forward to the aftermarket. If you haven't, you should take a long test drive to make sure it's the car for you.

[FrayAdjacent]

I think I'm going to call the Nissan guy back and see if he has a Versa on his lot, at least so I can go look at it, sit in it, and poke around.

Comfort is something that I'll be interested in... The Fit had me worried- some people say there's almost NO lumbar support. That would kill my back on long trips... and I'm planning on some road trippin next year.

I will likely do a few things to the car... window tint is a MUST here in Texas! I'd like to get some bigger aftermarket wheels, maybe lower it a bit (not too extreme), and do a little stereo upgrading. Maybe a CAI if there's a decent one. I don't want to end up killing the fuel economy, so we'll see what direction we go with this car.

(My current car is an 03 Tiburon GT. Intake, headers, catback, 17" wheels, short shifter... a few minor things here and there. Love it, but the back seat is useless for people, and I only get 21mpg average)

[OKVersa]

I live in rural Oklahoma, which, like Texas means you use the a/c most of the year.

I'd ask you:

1. Will you have passengers? Then you want a Versa. 2. Which is more important, comfort or gas mileage? Are you willing to sacrifice comfort for mileage or mileage for comfort? The Versa is the comfort car. Can you live with 33 MPG going 65-70 with the a/c on? Then you want the Versa. If you require better gas mileage, then you won't want the Versa, but you will give up the comfort. If you take long trips, you will be shocked how comfortable it is. If you haven't sit in one, you just have to before deciding!3. The a/c works great! No waiting around for it to cool off. Can't say the heater works as quickly, but again, we don't need it as much as the a/c.4. It handles great, and if you live in West Texas, then you should know it handles great in the wind, too.

Just make sure and test drive one before deciding for the Fit. At least then you won't have regrets.

[FrayAdjacent]

I live in rural Oklahoma, which, like Texas means you use the a/c most of the year.

I'd ask you:

1. Will you have passengers? Then you want a Versa. 2. Which is more important, comfort or gas mileage? Are you willing to sacrifice comfort for mileage or mileage for comfort? The Versa is the comfort car. Can you live with 33 MPG going 65-70 with the a/c on? Then you want the Versa. If you require better gas mileage, then you won't want the Versa, but you will give up the comfort. If you take long trips, you will be shocked how comfortable it is. If you haven't sit in one, you just have to before deciding!3. The a/c works great! No waiting around for it to cool off. Can't say the heater works as quickly, but again, we don't need it as much as the a/c.4. It handles great, and if you live in West Texas, then you should know it handles great in the wind, too.

Just make sure and test drive one before deciding for the Fit. At least then you won't have regrets.

Thanks for the input!

I rarely have passengers, but I can see probably having more in the future. I'll likely end up keeping this car until I drive the wheels off of it. I have a '69 Porsche 911 that I'm restoring that will be my 'fun' car.

Comfort is a must, as it will be the car I spend the most time in. As I mentioned, word about the Fit seats is they lack good lumbar support, and that would cause problems on long trips for me. (I had an Insight a few years back that had virtually NO lumbar support... my back hurt after a couple hundred miles!)

I'm thinking the AC usage and gas mileage can be mitigated. I should only have to use the AC here maybe at most 6 months of the year, with some of that being able to leave it off. Spring, fall and winter can be pretty pleasant. Like right now... perfect temperature for windows down.

I bet I'll be able to squeeze at least 30mpg out of it average (which will put it at about 150% of my current car's average), and I bet on highway driving, I could get to, if not more, than the 34mpg.

I've driven a hybrid, and it really taught me what habits improve fuel economy, so I'll be able to apply techniques learned there.

Did get an email from the Honda sales manager... she can get me a white Fit Sport auto in about a week... I really don't want an auto. Put that as a negative for the Fit, and if I can get the Versa that the Nissan sales guy said he found, that's a major plus.

[Ever Victorious]

Like your Tibby, my previous car had the 2.7L Delta engine (Kia Optima V6). It was a fun, powerful engine, but wasn't good on gas. I would get 20 mpg.

I moved to the Versa for its combination of fuel economy, cargo space, and comfort. I drive over 100 miles per day, and have never felt uncomfortable or fatigued in the seat (it has memory foam in it!).

I have also taken 4 adults (3 of whom were 6' tall) on a cross-state trip, about 200 or so miles each way. Very comfortable for all, and still had enough room in the trunk for luggage for all of us AND computer I was hauling to my parents' place.

You'll love the V. Try one out. It took about 3 blocks for me to make up my mind.

[OKVersa]

I should have mentioned that mine is the CVT. We are also remodeling (actually adding on!) our home. Trips to Lowe's are frequent. We carried 12 8' pieces of trim without any problems but putting it the length of the car between the two front seats. We have only put down the back seats once for hauling things.

On one trip, we had two passengers in the back, and still managed a trip to Sam's! With that much leg room, you have room to put a purse or bags on the floor and still have room for legs/feet.

[FrayAdjacent]

Like your Tibby, my previous car had the 2.7L Delta engine (Kia Optima V6). It was a fun, powerful engine, but wasn't good on gas. I would get 20 mpg.

I moved to the Versa for its combination of fuel economy, cargo space, and comfort. I drive over 100 miles per day, and have never felt uncomfortable or fatigued in the seat (it has memory foam in it!).

I have also taken 4 adults (3 of whom were 6' tall) on a cross-state trip, about 200 or so miles each way. Very comfortable for all, and still had enough room in the trunk for luggage for all of us AND computer I was hauling to my parents' place.

You'll love the V. Try one out. It took about 3 blocks for me to make up my mind.

Yep, the Delta is a decent engine... I just did a CAI, headers, high flow cat and a Borla catback. It sounds dead sexy, without being too loud. It is a bit loud in the cabin, though, and it can be annoying on roadtrips (drove from Austin to Virginia and back last year). I'd suspect with the mods, it's getting at or just shy of 200hp and 200ft-lb at the crank. It's definitely fun, but I really try not to get on it much... so I've been able to average 20-21... pure highway gets about 26ish, but I had one freakish tank this year that hit 28mpg.

I really think the Versa is going to be a car I'll be happy with. I'm glad to hear it's very comfortable to drive, as I'll probably be trying to do a road trip (or two) every year. The 6 disc in dash MP3 playing head unit will make sure I don't run out of tunes. I currently use a single disc MP3 player, and I love it. The bluetooth feature will be nice, as I just switched to a PDA style phone, and prefer to use a headset with it. The Smartkey seems like a pretty awesome feature, too, though I wish you could set it to automatically unlock and lock the vehicle when you come in/ go out of range. I bet it could be done, but the controller would have to be hacked.

Can't wait to hear from the internet sales mgr I spoke to earlier today... I might be in my Versa within a week!

[FrayAdjacent]

So the dealer emails me today, says they got a couple Versas in, one that wasn't on their list, but had their name on it.

Silver SL, with the convenience package, but it's a CVT.

I looked at it, sat in it, and I dig it. It's VERY roomy inside, plenty of head and leg room, even in the back seat with the front seat all the way back.

The CVT comes in about $1k more than I wanted to pay, but I said run the numbers anyway.

The finance guy comes back after having my current car appraised, and shows me the monthly payment amount, and it's about $50 higher than my comfort limit. He says they can only give me $x for my trade in because of hail damage on the roof. Their offer was $3000 less than KBB's trade in value for my vehicle in FAIR condition. I'd honestly rate my vehicle solidly between 'fair' and 'good'. It's definitely not 'excellent'. He says something about hail damage on the roof. "what hail damage on the roof?" was my response! There's no hail damage anywhere on that car. There are a few door dings, and chips in the paint, which is why I rate it between 'fair' and 'good'.

So I walked out. The finance guy didn't even seem interested in talking about it. I said that amount is way too low. He said 'thanks for coming in'. I walked.

We'll see if the sales manager I was talking to calls back. If they want my business, he'll call. If not, oh well! I'll try another dealer!

[Ever Victorious]

Well, at least you go to see what we mean about how great the car is, even if the dealer was being an a$$.

[FrayAdjacent]

Well, at least you go to see what we mean about how great the car is, even if the dealer was being an a$$.

Yep. I'd have bought that CVT today if they hadn't lowballed me. I do really like the Versa. VERY roomy inside, and the seats are very comfortable.

I'm hoping the sales manager will call me... it kinda surprised me that they didn't try to work it at all... the finance guy just said 'thanks for stopping in' and let me walk away. I guess with the Versa, they'll sell it anyway, so no use in fighting for a sale? Who knows. I might just have to wait a few more months.

It sucks. I could have paid what they came down to, but I just didn't want to float that much from my old car.

[OKVersa]

Good for you for walking out. We walked out of the We-Screw-You Honda dealership who apparently thought our last name was "Sucker."

[LA02MAX]

Oh trust me, they'll call...When my friend was buying her versa (in july when they just came out) she said her offer and they wouldn't budge from MSRP so we walked out. Less than two hours later they called and agreed to her offer and we went and picked it up! I'm sure you can get one for the price you want...

[FrayAdjacent]

The price wasn't the bad point. I'd like it to come out closer to what he found the 6MT for... but still, $3k below KBB value for my car, even the LOW end of KBB value...

That's farking rediculous.

if the mgr came down on that Versa by 1k and up on my trade in by 2k, I'd be there. I'd have driven home a new car today.

The sales manager I was talking to was no where to be seen when the finance guy blew me off. If he calls me, I'll tell him flat out. 1k off of the car, 2k more for my car, and we might have us a deal.