Prices for complete Transaxle assemblies found to be reasonable

[PalmerWMD]

So I like the idea of buying a2018 Altima at some point when I am back in the US.
Just in case, i priced transmission parts, since by the time I buy one of these, they will be well used and I can generally not know fully the maintenance hsitory.

Looks like some places have the 3102M-3VX0CRE as low as 2800 and 2900, before tax and shipping.
Its also listed as fitting all 14 to 18 Altimas.

I take it, this will include the 2018s improvements and still fits all years so a 2015 for example could get what is essentially a 2018 transmission/transaxle and have good fitment (?).
How much would installation labor incuding TCU/ECU coding, be for this at either a good independent or a dealer?

I like the idea of owning the 5th Altima generation due to the combination of its large fuel tank with the very low mpgs (if u have the 4 cyl).
Used to have a 2014 and really enjoyed driving across all over the East Coast with little concern for fuel costs as I repeatedly got 40 mpg on the interstate.

It was as realiable as the sun while I owned it, which admittedly was not very long, maybe 10,000 miles due to a big parking lot dent I got in the rear bumber.
This bugged me enough it took away a lot of the joy of ownership, but not so much that I was willing to shell out the $$ to have it professionally repaired, so I traded it in.

And its clear some Nissan parts sellers offer well below MSRP prices on these transmissions and/or transaxles, an example (but not the only one I found) is
https://parts.nissanusa.com/parts/nissa ... ts%20Store

[VStar650CL]

The trouble with junkyard CVT's is that the TCM is separate from the transmission, so you're basically buying a pig in a poke unless you get the mated TCM with it. Some JY's have started doing that, but most don't. So my advice is, buy it locally and get the TCM. Then if the TCM shows judder or pressure codes when connected in place of the existing one, you can return the transmission and TCM as junk and try a different set. With that in mind, you're entirely better off spending the $2800~2900 for a factory reman. Labor and incidentals will set you back about $2200, and you have a shiny new drivetrain which you can care for properly and not worry about.

Incidentally, I much prefer the '13 TCM software over all the later versions. '14 was when the idiots in Marketing insisted on installing the "simulated shifting" crap that still persists today. Punk ugly and performance-pointless, I despise it.

[Niti QX4]

OP, what are you going to do? IMO, I'd buy the car you like and run it until you need to change the CVT. No need to change it out right away, unless you want to, of course.