Interested in the Versa

[blushbaby]

I see a lot of people on here like it. I just saw it today for the first time. I liked the red one which was a hatchback. What are everyone's pros or cons of the Versa and would you advise me, a crappy driver and college student who will be driving in the BAD Atlanta traffic to buy this car. Also, which do you prefer, hatchback or sedan? And, how does it compare to the honda fit and toyota yaris? thanks

i would add a sedan/hatchback poll but i dont see a poll option. I used to have a ****ty saturn btw.

[motoguy128]

We're all a little biased here, because we bought one... you can get the same biased opinons for hte Fit and Yris on other message boards.

Search through the older posts and you should get all the info you need.

In summary, I think the hatchback looks better and I think offers more flexibility for loading large objects. The sadan also wasn't available until recently.

The biggest advantage of the Versa is that it's much larger and more comfortable that the Fit and Yaris. The Yaris is probably the easiest to see out of for commuting and is a little shorter than the Versa and gets the best mileage of any non-hybrid. But it's smaller, noisier, and has the centrally located gauges up on the dash that can be distracting.

[blushbaby]

yeah i know you guys are biased. i alreayd like the vera but i need to hear raves to convince me. EVERYONE has the yaris too. ugh. Thanks for your reply. Im browsing the older topics as i type

[kc5f]

Yes, I'd be glad to rave about the hatchback, too. But I think the most telling thing was that when I went to the Toyota dealer after seeing the Versa for the first time, the salesman wouldn't even show me the Yaris. He know it was a toy compared to the Versa and tried to sell me a Corolla. Still not nearly as nice! (I didn't care for the feeling and price of the Fit, either...)

[OKVersa]

Uhm...if you are a crappy driver, then I recommend you don't waste a Versa on poor driving skills!

Is there anything more sad than a wrecked Versa? And you know, your life is pretty important, too!

[motoguy128]

Uhm...if you are a crappy driver, then I recommend you don't waste a Versa on poor driving skills!

Is there anything more sad than a wrecked Versa? And you know, your life is pretty important, too!

So true... besides most parts are backordered, so if this person is a really bad driver... look at a used Corolla or Civic ... there's tons of parts for those.

[cyberdeity]

Welp, while browsing thru the other threads, you'll probably find plenty of people bragging about what they love, so I'll touch on a couple things I don't like first.

1) I paid extra for the upgraded sound system (better head unit & sub in hatch) = waste of money. It was something like $700. I can't even notice there's a sub back there (other factory radios I've heard have equal quality/volume bass without one). The headunit doesn't do very well at volumes above half way up. The volume on radio & xm radio are not as loud as the volume on CD. The MP3 playback doesn't read the MP3 tag information for the display. If you get a Versa and were thinking about upgrading the radio, I highly recommend you buy aftermarket systems like others here have done.

2) The driver's seat doesn't go back quite far enough. On long drives, I like to be able to occasionally stretch my legs completely out for a couple seconds, and I can't do that sitting in a V. Normally I'd accept this as gospel for a sub-compact, but with the driver's seat all the way back, there is still a ton of space behind that seat. They should have simply made the slide track for that seat a few inches longer.

3) The gas mileage isn't what the commercials/dealer will lead you to believe. There's many threads on this, and the estimates were revised down to more reasonable levels, so no need to elaborate on this one.

4) Rear drum brakes instead of disc. Not a biggie, but I would have preferred disc (I personally think they're much easier to replace myself).

In case you're still reading this far, I'll cover a few of my favorite things:

1) Comfort/Space. I've now test drove a Fit, Yaris, and SX-4. None of them compare to the space and comfort of the Versa

2) Options. CVT and smartkey are the greatest things since sliced bread. I'm thinking about Googling to see if there is such a thing as a smart-key for house front door locks. LOL. The CVT is very smooth and quiet.

3) Style. This is a personal thing, but I think the V simply looks much better than the Fit & Yaris. The Scion Xa is probably my 2nd choice, with the SX-4 a close 3rd. The Fit/Yaris just look like cheap cars to me - I think the belong in a seperate category with the Aveo. :-)

4) Value. I think the overall value of what options/features you get for the price, the Versa is a slight leader. I'd rate the SX-4 second in this category, due to the availability of AWD. I don't even think you can get options like sunroof and smartkey on the Fit & Yaris.

If I was rich I'd have bought a fully loaded Murano probably. But, since I'm not, I settled for the next best thing. :-)

[Bubs daddy]

Quote »The MP3 playback doesn't read the MP3 tag information for the display.[/quote]If you keep pushing the display button there are 6 or 7 different display modes and it does read the song and artist.

I regularly get between 31-34 mpg consistently.

[HirosRide]

I only saw a few Vs, thought they were pretty sweet, and then I realized it was the car on one of my fave shows Heroes as well. I was looking for a fuel economy car since I have a Murano as well, which is pretty decent already with gas for it's size but the gas here has gotten to $3.31 and it's not summer yet.........disturbing, so I went to go look at a Prius, ugly little egg and actually was still going to get it even though I wasn't wowed by the test drive and the low HP but then I found out Vs have CVT, just like my Murano which is the sweetest trany ever! SOLD! It's a fab little car, roomy inside, tall people enjoy it more than my old Montero, more comfy apparently.

The Fit and Yaris look like silly little cars to me, the V is the safest out of these 3 too since you are apparently a bad driver, might as well be safe. I think the HB is the way to go, more flexibility and they look better to me. If you get it then, you can at least try to improve on your driving skillz right? So you don't break all our hearts hearing about a wrecked V.

The Ipod jack doesn't show the song info but oh well at least we have an Ipod jack which is a very nice feature.

Oh and if you can afford the Intelligent Key, get it, IT IS BETTER THAN THE INVENTION OF SLICED BREAD!

[Buzzardbob]

I am approaching 2000 trouble free miles and love the Versa so far. I love the way it looks (Magnetic Grey, Black Interior), love the way it handles, love the roominess, loved the price and have gotten 31 to 34 mpg.

[Ever Victorious]

Some people here have put on quite a bit of mileage with little to no problems. I put on less than 8,000 miles and had 5 different warranty failures and a rear-end accident. Between these, my V was off the road for 63 days out of the 5 months I owned it.

Most of that was spent in the body shop waiting for parts.

If you are a "crappy" driver in "crappy" traffic... buy yourself a beat up civic/corolla/impreza... heck, even a few year old Kia would probably do. Save up your dough, use your beater to improve your driving skills, and then get the car you really want when 1) you have a little money saved up and 2) you're not going to earn a "frequent customer" card at your body shop. And even if your driving situation doesn't get better by then, at least parts will be available in quantity for the V by then.

Now... as for raving... My Versa was the absolute bomb, whenever it was actually in my possession. Averaged 30 mpg, good stereo (I don't need to blow what little is left of my ears out with dB from hell), very roomy, and good looking. I had the hatchback, which indeed was versatile for carrying people and stuff. I would buy it any day over the sedan for this reason and, well, the sedan just looks a bit "off" to me.

I agree with buying the convenience package with the bluetooth and iKey systems, they worked great.

I would personally shy away from the CVT. I have heard a lot of people say "well, the Nissan CVT is different", but in all honesty they haven't been installed in Nissans long enough to give a good idea of reliability. My past experience with CVTs is that they only last about as long as a clutch in a manual transmission, but are six times more expensive to replace.

Also, personally, I believe that the "clunkiness" some people describe the manual as having is actually more of a "positive engagement feel", by which I mean that in my V I always knew what gear I was in, and where the gear's physical threshhold was. I've driven many a car where the transmission is so "smooth" (personally described as "vague") that I have no clue if I've even made it into the gear yet. Your personal opinion on this matter may vary.

[blushbaby]

whats a CVT? I did use a crappy saturn to perfect my driving skills and its now somewhere with a mechanic. i have no idea. I WANT the versa. lol. Everyone has a toyota or honda

ive decided that i want the grey one but im so confused. the hatchback is cute and the sedan is just...a sedan. But im not sure which is more practical?

thanks everyone. im taking notes of all your suggestions I cant wait to test drive and put down my downpayment

[CopyChief]

Of course it all depends on your definition of practical. But in my opinion, the hatch is much more... uh... flexible. When you fold down the seats there's a ton of room. The sedan has no character and looks more like an econobox to me. The hatch has character.

I was originally saving for a Mazda3 hatch, but when the need to purchase a new car became more, uh, urgent and I started looking at long-term ownership costs (gas, tires, etc.) I went with the Versa. I am quite happy with my purchase.

The bottom line, of course, is to get out there and drive it. Drive other cars, too, to get a sense of comparison. Then do it!

[proxim2020]

[QUOTE=blushbaby]whats a CVT? /QUOTE]

It stands for Continuous Variable Transmission. In it's simple terms, its a transmission that doesn't use gears. It uses a set of drive pulleys and belt to move the car. Instead of watching RPMs rise and fall with every gear change, you'll see a constant rise or fall depending on what's going on.