New Coupe 2.5 Owner - Have Questions

[TrueFaith]

Hello All, I work as a Dispatch Manager for a national car-hauling trucking company that delivers new cars & trucks to dealers in New England. The rail yard that the new cars arrive at, known as The New England Automobile Gateway, is the largest arrival point for domestically-made new vehicles north of Port Newark, NJ. We transport GM and Toyota product, but 3 other companies situated there also transport Honda, Kia, Hyundai and Nissan products. I have been planning on buying a new car for the last year and always thought it would be a Corolla "S' with 5-speed manual transmission. Unfortunately, Toyota decided that the 2009 "S" model would not be offered in manual shift for 2009, so I had to consider other makes like Honda and Nissan as I did not want an LE or XRS Corolla, the only models still available in manual shift. Two weeks ago, I saw my first Altima Coupe coming off of a railcar and I was mightily impressed. The lines on this car were so pleasing to the eye, especially as seen from the rear. I began researching it and was more impressed with each write up. Long story short, I am taking delivery of a Code Red (the color of the car I saw that day) 2008 Altima Coupe 2.5S with 6-speed manual shift in 2 days. This will be the first new car I have purchased since buying a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle 4-speed that I sold several years later for more than I paid for it. Between then and now, I have owned just 2 other vehicles, a used Nissan Sentra and a used Toyota Corolla. Both were excellent and reliable vehicles. A few questions for you all: 1.) My Nissan dealer obviously made a "dealer swap" to get my car within a week and I have a feeling that the moonroof I ordered will be added-on when the car arrives. Have any of you had experiences with "dealer-installed" moonroofs on your coupes? I know there is a problem with the adhesive on "factory-installed" moonroofs that affect the headliner. Do you think it is better or worse for my dealer to do the install? 2.) How many of you have this vehicle with standard shift and how do you like it? I do not like automatics in general and I see many love it/hate it posts here about CVT. But even with the understeer and lack of true sport suspension, are you manual users enjoying the ride? 3.) How does the 20 gallon fuel tank affect the ride? It must be noticeably different with or without a full tank. Has this been a plus or minus with the high fuel costs lately?and finally... 4.) What the heck do you do about errant shopping carts and swinging car doors when parked? The Coupe seems to have no side protection from these hazards at all and I have been told by some drivers that Nissan's paint is quite thin and bruises easily. I am very proud to once again be a Nissan owner and I look forward to relying on this forum and it's members for the latest info on my new ride. Any comments will be most appreciated!

[vballer22]

Welcome! Hmm... Don't know about the dealer installed moon roofs, But I have the cvt and I absolutely love it. I mainly drive the car in the "manual" mode, but the cvt is incredibly smooth and comfortable, and it's fun to impress people who are riding in the car with me. Also the 20 gallon tank, it's really not noticable to a large degree, But I can definantly tell full and empty apart. As for driving it wont affect you or your driving habits. And it's great to spend for a full tank one week, then two weeks later go back when prices are higher, I don't have to keep going back and spending more money. I just fill up once per paycheck. The only time the full tank is an issue is at the 1/4 mile track, and with the 2.5 I doubt you'll be spending much time there.

[altimacoupelvr]

the paint does chip pretty easily but to keep from unnecessary damage i park as far away as i can from the door!!!!

[TrueFaith]

Nice avatar. No, I don't plan on spending much time at the track, I just wanted a well-built car that was fun to drive without paying too much at the pump. The choice between the Coupe's 170hp DOHC 6-speed and the Civic's 140hp SOHC 5-speed with only a 2mpg penalty was a no-brainer. I find it hard to believe that extra 10 gallons isn't noticeable though. I could detect a profound difference in both my 10-gallon capacity sub-compacts after a fill up. But I am looking forward to not making the trip so often. Will have to keep up with the prices so it's not too much of a shock come fill-up time.

[TrueFaith]

the paint does chip pretty easily but to keep from unnecessary damage i park as far away as i can from the door!!!!

Already planning on doing that, my friend! Love your coupe...I swear every time I see that Code Red it looks even redder!

[altimacoupelvr]

thanks!!! yeah its a pain in the butt to have to do that just to save the paint...but you do what you gotta do! i loved the red every since i first saw it!!!! mine was the first code red in the area....now there are 2 others that i have seen so far!!!

[TrueFaith]

Well, my Code Red 6-speed arrived at the dealer's today. That red is just so awesomely RED! I love it more everytime I see it. They have to do some insurance stuff and wash it and I pick it up tomorrow! Got my books and extra fob to take home and study. Tomorrow can't come fast enough!I guess you can scratch my first question. I was glad to see that it had a factory-installed moonroof, so I won't have to worry about some hack job...lol. I'm still a little nervous about the paint with no side moldings. Has anyone here installed their own color-matching or chromed moldings? Hate to break up the lines of such a beautiful car, but it just looks so...vulnerable. I'll be dreaming of zipping through the gears tonight, sure hope my dream is in color!

[LongBeachCoupe]

YIKES! leave the doors alone!

[TrueFaith]

Heck, maybe I'll just put a circle of 8 or 10 orange cones around it whenever I park it.

[xkursion]

sigh.... yup, 7 hours after I picked mine up, in the first parking lot I parked in, and even far away from the door at that. A nice 2" vertical scuff. grrrr

[TrueFaith]

Too bad I live in the Northeast instead of warmer climes. Then I could just ride my motorcycle all the time and leave the Coupe safely in the driveway and just stare at it from time to time.Between the thin paint and no side bumpers, it's like the Coupe was made to be scratched. I've known folks who have had their new cars keyed by jealous passersby. I'm really worried about it, but I don't want to live in fear of it constantly. There has to be something Coupe owners can do to reduce the likelihood of dings.

[D-Roll]

Congrats on the car!! Another 2.5er

[TrueFaith]

Congrats on the car!! Another 2.5er

THANK YOU! Just picked it up today and I am so damned glad I opted for the 6-speed manual transmission rather than CVT. It's such a HOOT to drive. The suspension is nice and tight without being harsh at all and I just LOVE the way I can pin myself to the seatback with G-forces in 1st and 2nd. I never knew driving a 4-cylinder could be this much FUN!!

[D-Roll]

OH YEAH! Let the modding begin