Another thing I'm considering in my decision between a Fit and a Versa is reliability. I don't know a ton about cars, but in all the research I've done on reliability, Toyota and Honda are easily on top, with Nissan placing anywhere from a somewhat distant 3rd to 7th or 8th. So I understand that Nissan's aren't necessarily unreliable, but given the general understanding that Hondas & Toyotas are usually the best bet in that category, what made those of you who rank reliability high in importance choose to go with the Versa?

Thanks again.

campersand wrote:Another thing I'm considering in my decision between a Fit and a Versa is reliability. I don't know a ton about cars, but in all the research I've done on reliability, Toyota and Honda are easily on top, with Nissan placing anywhere from a somewhat distant 3rd to 7th or 8th. So I understand that Nissan's aren't necessarily unreliable, but given the general understanding that Hondas & Toyotas are usually the best bet in that category, what made those of you who rank reliability high in importance choose to go with the Versa?

Thanks again.

Versa FTW

topless94 wrote:Versa FTW

uh, care to elaborate?

btw, nice sig.

Hey, campersand. Hopefully we can help make your decision a bit easier.

Honestly, I don't see why Nissan doesn't rank higher. There are a couple of big issues, like the Sentra SE-R and Altima 2.5 which had major engine problems. But other than that, they're no worse than Toyota, Honda, or anyone else from my experience.

The Versa should be a reliable car in the long term, and should also demonstrate good initial quality. There are some minor quirks to work out as you can see from reading some of the threads here, but there hasn't been anything major yet. The Versa has the advantage of being an established model in most ways, since it's been available overseas for a year or so.

campersand wrote:
uh, care to elaborate?

btw, nice sig.

Nope, you teh expert...I shall let you do that.

And thanks.

I honestly don't pay too much attention to reliability rankings that most places put out, because they have to be biased, IMO.

We've had more troubles with Hondas is our family than Hyundais or Kias.

Thought I do believe Toyotas keep going and going and going. I see too many runners with 200k+ miles to believe otherwise.

Then again, I still see more 80's Nissans on the road than 80's Hondas.

Also consider this: When ranking for reliability, some sources rank them based on total number of "defects per vehicle".

They do not tell you how SEVERE the defects are... a fried transmission has equal weight in these ranking as, say, a light bulb that is burned out from the factory.

My Versa has already recorded 3 defects. Only one of those actually affected drivability of the car, but it wasn't because a part was broken, it was just out of adjustment.

My mother-in-law's first Civic broke TWO crankshafts in just 120k miles! True, it never gave her any other trouble, but those were two EXTREMELY expensive repairs.

topless94 wrote:Versa FTW

FTW = For The Win

Versa For The Win!

"For The Win", huh? And here I thought it was "F*** The World". Not sure which makes more sense, but whatever...

Juelze wrote:FTW = For The Win

Versa For The Win!

Yeah, I know what it means, I was just asking for some elaboration.

campersand wrote:Another thing I'm considering in my decision between a Fit and a Versa is reliability. I don't know a ton about cars, but in all the research I've done on reliability, Toyota and Honda are easily on top, with Nissan placing anywhere from a somewhat distant 3rd to 7th or 8th. So I understand that Nissan's aren't necessarily unreliable, but given the general understanding that Hondas & Toyotas are usually the best bet in that category, what made those of you who rank reliability high in importance choose to go with the Versa?

Thanks again.

I am carrying around 3 kids in 100+ degree temps no less than 4 months out of the year, so reliability is a very big issue with me. Our decission to purchase the Nissan comes from our combined 28 years of experience with 4 prior Nissans.

My first Nissan was a '90 hardbody I purchased in '92 with 25,000 miles on it. It ran the same from the date I purchased it until the date I sold it in '99. I never had any problems with the engine, transmission or anything else. It fired right up every time I started it. I put about 155,000 miles on it with only regular maintenance. In fact the only thing that went wrong was the crappy after market non-Nissan A/C my parents had installed in it for me. (as a side note, My parents are Toyota people :P )

We also purchased a brand new '93 hardbody in '92 and sold it just last year..still running..(and we never even had to have the A/C recharged) We had an S14 ('96 Nissan 240sx coupe) never a problem...My husband now drives an S13 and I was a tad jealous because I wanted one because they are sooo sexy..but I also wanted a car I could fit the family in.

As far as reliability goes, IMO Nissan is every bit as reliable as the "authorities" claim Toyota and Honda are. The Fit was one of the many we briefly considered because of it's size/reliability, and so forth. HOWEVER, I can't tell you how excited I was to find out that Nissan brought over the Versa. I MADE NO HESITATION in my purchase because of our experience with Nissan.

I absolutely lllooovvvee my Versa.

I look back on my life...and...Nissan has granted me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

How did Nissan do that? Well, Simply put, I have never been stranded on the side of the road, or stuck in the repair shop, so you could say that my basic needs have been taken care of, which allowed me to focus on other things.

NISSAN_reliable ............. HECK YAH!

Nissans are not assembled by lazy uncaring union workers. Enough said.

Who lets those that are lazy and incompetent get away with it? Japanese management would never allow it.Only American Management looking for their next bonus check.

Either way I'm not buying American any time soon. Sad but true.
Modified by skoobahead at 8:34 AM 9/3/2006