getting a coupe soon !

[carloslg]

just found this site today and it's perfect cause im currently half way through saving up for a black altima coupe and i cant wait! any advice/tips? ??

[Hussain]

buy a stick shift. Harder to come by but well worth it.

[carloslg]

hussain,i thought about that i still havent made up my mind though will definitely be nice though

[JdsCoupe]

Welcome to NICO!

Here's the basics:
if you want a 6 speed, don't settle for a cvt. you'll regret it.
If you're thinking of putting a turbo in, get a 6 speed. the cvt can't handle more than 5psi.
Go with the 3.5, the extra performance at the expense of ~3-4mpg is ABSOLUTELY worth it.
Talk the salesperson down on the price so you have some $$ left over for AEM goodies!

Good luck!

[Hussain]

my sales guy lied to me. If I waited another week or 2 I could have gotten a stick shift. I'm still mad about that lol .......so are you planning on getting a 2.5 or 3.5?

[carloslg]

guys honestly im really new to the car game, im 21 and have a 97 camry that ive had since highschool so jds you lost me and hussain i dunno which is better between 2.5 or 3.5 lol

[Innovazn]

guys honestly im really new to the car game, im 21 and have a 97 camry that ive had since highschool so jds you lost me and hussain i dunno which is better between 2.5 or 3.5 lol

Put it this way.... 2.5... Floor it and youll see beetles passing you...

3.5... Wellllllll lets just say youll be able to haul a**.

2.5 is 4 Cylinders for the economic tree huggers
3.5 is 6 Cylinders for those who like to let their balls hang.

I am still waiting for my 3.5 6MT Coupe. I am quite pumped. I drove the v4 and absolutely hated it.... I used to own an R50 Pathfinder that used the same Engine as the 3.5 Altima... I loved it... 1 and 1 together and I was sold to the 3.5. My understanding as well is the 3.5 has a much better suspension as well

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Welcome! I'm sure we will be able to help you out!

You have some decisions to make.

2.5 or 3.5
MT or CVT

Good luck!

[Innovazn]

Welcome! I'm sure we will be able to help you out!

You have some decisions to make.

2.5 or 3.5
MT or CVT

Good luck!

Just to add to the comment, Consider driving style, I have a habit of holding the shifter when i make turns (i dont know where i developed this habit but it happens) so every time i make a turn, I would end up pulling the CVT shifter into the "sport" mode or however you would like to call it. That screwed me up during the test drive and I did not like this. Strongly advised to test drive both engines and variants before you make the purchase!

[JdsCoupe]

Haha, I was in your shoes not too long ago (I'm 18 and this is my first car I'm really putting money into) let me explain:

The 6 speed is the stick shift (manual transmission). This means you have to shift gears yourself, your camry is most likely automatic and does this itself. In the altima and the altima coupe, the automatic transmission is a CVT, or Continuously Variable Transmission. It drives unlike any other automatic I've ever driven and took me a while to get used to it. The CVT in our (your so-to-be) car is much weaker than the 6 speed option. Due to this, the heat and additional torque that a turbocharger produces has caused many CVTs to fail. I believe the 3.5 CVT can handle ~400 horsepower to the wheels.

The 3.5l v6 (marked 3.5SE or 3.5SR on the trunk of the vehicle) is the largest and most powerful engine that the altima coupes are offered with. It comes stock with 270 hp and 258 ft lbs of torque. It gets ~19 city MPG and ~27 highway MPG. The 2.5l I4 (marked 2.5s on the trunk of the vehicle) is the basic engine that altima coupes are offered with. It comes stock with 175 hp and 180 ft lbs of torque. It gets ~23 city MPG and ~32 highway MPG. In my opinion, sacrificing the ~4/5 MPG for the additional hp is well worth it. Not to overwhelm you with information, but I have the 3.5 and with a larger mid pipe and a short-ram intake, I'm averaging ~32 mpg highway anyway.

Hope that clears my previous post up :p

[JdsCoupe]

Welcome! I'm sure we will be able to help you out!

You have some decisions to make.

2.5 or 3.5
MT or CVT

Good luck!

Just to add to the comment, Consider driving style, I have a habit of holding the shifter when i make turns (i dont know where i developed this habit but it happens) so every time i make a turn, I would end up pulling the CVT shifter into the "sport" mode or however you would like to call it. That screwed me up during the test drive and I did not like this. Strongly advised to test drive both engines and variants before you make the purchase!

I do the same thing and end up having my engine scream at like 3-4k rpms. Good way to wake you up in the morning!

[carloslg]

holly crap man you guys are awsome thanks for all the feed back, jds you put it down super simple bro apreciate it, so far im definitely going for the 3.5, im super excited for the car although it looks like mid/end of june iswhen i will be able to get it. like you guys said sacrifiing the 4-5mpg for more hp sounds worth it, will it matter if its automatic or stickshift (the 3.5) ?

[Ranga14]

If you're going to deal with traffic a lot and don't plan to do many mods then the CVT is fine, otherwise go with the MT.

[Blackmobile]

my advice, buy used. you'll save big on the initial drop in price once you drive it off the lot. even if it's just 1 year old, you'll save a bundle.

[ShadowAC]

^^ this, bought mine used and im glad i did, left alot of room for me to spend money on upgrades i wanted.

and the CVT isnt as bad as these guys are making it out to be (no offense at all ) with this thread it is making it sound like it is the worst ever but for an automatic front wheel drive car the CVT isn't awful

and make sure you take Ranga's advice and think about what kind of driving you'll be doing and what kinds of modifications you want to do before you choose a transmission.. the CVT will hold up to all bolt on performance mods (exhaust, intake, pulleys, ect.) except forced induction (turbo, or supercharger)

good luck and welcome to the altima and altima coupe and nissan family , we will be expecting pics when you get it

[PhillipRumans]

I have an 08 3.5 V6 cvt coupe and a 12 2.5 I4 cvt coupe and both are great. The 3.5 is fast and the 2.5 is relatively quick for a I4/auto combo. The 2.5 actually feels lighter/ better balanced making a turn (from one street to another).

[ShadowAC]

i didn't know we had some one with a 3.5 and a 2.5, good for you much respect for dedication.. is one the wifes or husbands?

[Florida240sx]

I have a 2012 altima coupe 2.5s. Just broke 1000miles. Got the gray with rear spolier. cvt transmisson. I drive 80miles a day, and on a highway that gets backed up all the time. so i went cvt.
Due to my experience with ym 240sx ka-t with 400ft lb clutch, you'll get wworkout just trynig to get home.
so far my average mpg is 28.9
The question is what do you want the car for? I saved by getting the 2.5, due to I have a motorcycle and my 240sx for speed. so no need for the 3.5, and no plans to mod it....
well except for.... lol
So if i was you, I would test drive both, and think about your everyday driving on which suits you better. Then figure out which you can afford without worry.

[AllenB]

...Strongly advised to test drive both engines and variants before you make the purchase!

This is EXCELLENT advice, but...

I discovered the 3.5 was hard to find in the Coupe and one with the 6sp manual transmission version was a unicorn... Impossible to test drive.

The closest I came was driving a co-worker's 2008 3.5 6sp sedan. Since the 6sp is now only offered in the 6sp coupe, a true comparison may prove VERY difficult.

I ultimately bought a 3.5 6mt that the local dealership had to go waaaay out of area to find and LOVE it! I guess it was a bit of a leap of faith to buy without driving but the dealership shipped the car in on nothing other than my curiosity- no deposit, no promises. They called me, I drove it as was SOLD.

I can't speak about any other variants of the coupe since I never drove anything other than mine and have never driven anything with the CVT. I still suggest driving what you can before diving in though; I'm just a bit older and knew what I wanted.

If you have never driven a manual transmission car, it is not difficult to learn but I would search out one (maybe even a rental) to get a basic feel before diving into a purchase. The Altima drivetrains are pretty darn tough, shift well and have a light clutch compared to most cars out there. In traffic, it is easy to drive and doesn't result in fatigue. For actual "performance" most manual transmission drivers will get their butts kicked in a drag-race in a comparable auto car- you just can't miss a shift in an auto! With that said, the driving feel and experience in a manual is preferred my most enthusiasts but that is a personal preference (mine being obvious, I bought a 6sp).

If the transmission is not a decider (you are looking at only the CVT automatic) then comparing a 2.5 to a 3.5 will be easier based on availability of the cars. Given the 2 side-by-side, the choice for me would be even easier- 3.5 any day and twice on Sunday! The "smiles-per-gallon" are well worth it!


Hope that helps a little...

/r

Allen

[PhillipRumans]

i didn't know we had some one with a 3.5 and a 2.5, good for you much respect for dedication.. is one the wifes or husbands?

.

The 08 was mine, now the wife has it and I drive the 12 2.5. They both have almost the same options. No Navi, but everything else. The 3.5 is white and the 12 is ocean grey. So far had the 12 for about a month and have roughly 600 mi on her.

The 08 has about 27k mi. I would say she has held up well. We need to have the headlights resurfaced and the front grille is a little faded, otherwise good shape.

[carloslg]

all this advice is awsome, so far im a kinda leaning towards a black 08/09 3.5, i will be buying it used sicne it will save me tons of money and any monthly bills other than insurance lol after that is done im definitely gonna try my hardest to install a bodykit on it but thats a whole other ball game lol

[carloslg]

also id like to mention that when i do get it (and i cant wait lol) il be going more for looks than speed, just thought i should mention it lol im no racer

[Blackmobile]

if that's the case then you should get the 2.5 6mt (that's what i have) and save yourself some gas.

i'm the same way, not big into speed, but i have upgraded a ton of suspension and a few body mods for looks. i'm trying to sell my car but it's a tough market around here, not much interest in the coupe.

[Adambomb]

For you performance guys, I have a 2.5 now. I would've much rather gotten the 3.5, but it just didn't play out that way... What are some things, if any, that I can do to my coupe for performance?