Should I get an altima?

[AbsolutMSU]

Hey guys,

Name's Geoff, I'm from Detroit Michigan and I'm in the market for a new car.

Right now I'm driving a 2000 BMW 323i but I'm sick and tired of the constant maintenance issues. I'm looking for something newer and sportier. I've been looking at the mid-size coupes - G6 GT, Accord and Altima. The G6 gets bad reviews and the accord looks like crap, so I'm leaning towards an Altima right now.

Every time I have a car I join a car community, so I figured, where better to go for info when I'm actually lookin to get a new one? I've been active members on MyMonte.com (when I had a Monte Carlo) and e46fanatics.com (for my BMW) and have had great experiences.

So, I guess, what I'm looking for is:

- General advice. Do you like your cars? Pros and cons?- Lease or buy? I'd also REALLY like to know what your lease terms are if you leased so I can see if a dealer is giving me a good deal.- What options should I look for? What's worth it/not worth it. What do you wish you'd gotten at the beginning?- Other cars I should take a look at?

Anyway, thanks a million guys. Maybe I'll be seeing a lot of you in the future.

- Geoff

[PHENOMenalVinyl]

um no offense but ur goin from a bmw to a nissan WHY go buy a g35-g37 i personally like the g35 sport pkg they r hotter than our cars

i mean i love my car but if i had more money or could go bk in time ide get a used g35 or a lil hatchback w/ better gas n speed like the mini copper or sumtin lol i know kinda gay but i love those lil cars

[PHENOMenalVinyl]

n if u do get the altima get the 3.5 w/ premium itll b worth it n buy it now bc they got a good deal goin n go to more than one dealer n ull get a better price

[AbsolutMSU]

um no offense but ur goin from a bmw to a nissan WHY go buy a g35-g37 i personally like the g35 sport pkg they r hotter than our cars

i mean i love my car but if i had more money or could go bk in time ide get a used g35 or a lil hatchback w/ better gas n speed like the mini copper or sumtin lol i know kinda gay but i love those lil cars

Well I bought the BMW used and it hasn't exactly been a great car. Lots of really expensive maintenance. I'm used to workin on cars myself but there has been a TON of crap go wrong with this car that is so specialized I've had to take it in.

Anyway, an infinity is out of my price range. I tried used luxury, now i'm going for new mid-range.

[LongBeachCoupe]

IMHO pick up a 2.5 with premium package.dont get fogs (install em yourself)

Or risk paying for gas via IV

[AltimaJoe]

I agree with LBC... 30+ mpg is nice and it's not exactly a slow car... just slower than the 3.5.

[AbsolutMSU]

What's in the premium package?

IMHO pick up a 2.5 with premium package.dont get fogs (install em yourself)

Or risk paying for gas via IV

mi

[AltimaJoe]

leather seats, sunroof, the 10 speaker Bose system (good speakers, not so good head unit). I think that's it... not sure though.

[AbsolutMSU]

leather seats, sunroof, the 10 speaker Bose system (good speakers, not so good head unit). I think that's it... not sure though.

Cool. Lookin through the forum I'd definitely want to put a DVD player in the head unit spot. That sounds like what i'd get.

I'm thinking Dark Slate.

[LongBeachCoupe]

it depends on how much work you want to do.. you could get it bone stock and then get custom seats etc...

If i were you, take the bose or std stereo, swap it for the d3.. its cheaper and more functional

[sammyboy]

I know someone who leased the A/C and I think you get a 2yr warrenty and it's a 2yr lease not a 3yr like most cars. My father has a 2007 Altima Sedan and its a 3rd lease and my mom has an 2005 Altima but thats financed. I finaced my car. If your not sure I say lease it bc you always have the option to keep the car afterwards.

[windhaven]

Hey guys,

Name's Geoff, I'm from Detroit Michigan and I'm in the market for a new car.

Right now I'm driving a 2000 BMW 323i but I'm sick and tired of the constant maintenance issues. I'm looking for something newer and sportier. I've been looking at the mid-size coupes - G6 GT, Accord and Altima. The G6 gets bad reviews and the accord looks like crap, so I'm leaning towards an Altima right now.

Every time I have a car I join a car community, so I figured, where better to go for info when I'm actually lookin to get a new one? I've been active members on MyMonte.com (when I had a Monte Carlo) and e46fanatics.com (for my BMW) and have had great experiences.

So, I guess, what I'm looking for is:

- General advice. Do you like your cars? Pros and cons?- Lease or buy? I'd also REALLY like to know what your lease terms are if you leased so I can see if a dealer is giving me a good deal.- What options should I look for? What's worth it/not worth it. What do you wish you'd gotten at the beginning?- Other cars I should take a look at?

Anyway, thanks a million guys. Maybe I'll be seeing a lot of you in the future.

- Geoff

Geoff,

Here's a go at a general synopsis of what the forum has commented so far from my perspective.

1) In general, the vast majority of owners here love the Altima (Coup or otherwise). Setting the obviouce bias aside, most everybody likes the styling, performance, competitiveness to other cars in the space, and overall ownership experience.

What most of us don't like are the dealerships, some noise issues, and the fact that Nissan could have done more on the wheels and performance side but didn't since they probably didn't want to erode the Infinity sister ship market share. Hence, the amount of modding you'll see if you dig into the forums here. Ignoring the obvious mods, many here have changed wheels/tires, Suspension (Springs, RSB, End Points), Intake, Exhaust, HID/Fog, and aesthetic items (Exterior Body Molds, Interior lighting, Stereo, etc). A couple members of the forum got lemons which sucks, but the general success rate has been normal for a car in this space (IMHO).

2) Not much information on Lease/Buy. I get the impression that most members have bought their A/C. It's really a personal issue. If you plan to keep a car long (More than 3 years) the general perspective is to buy, otherwise lease. Make sure to take the milage cost into considertion. Short of the edmunds estimated depreciation, we haven't heard much on the sell side yet.

3) As for features/good deal add-ons, I personally bought a 3.5 fully loaded, we have good representation for all models and trims in the forum. The 2.5 seems to be a cool car for its mod potential, especially with turbo, etc. The 3.5 has very similar and bright future from a mod perspective. The cars (minus a couple recalls, and the lemons) seems to be pretty reliable in general. As for extended warranties and other add-ons, to each their own IMHO. I personally think the add-on list from any dealer is just high-margin BS aimed at separating you from your funds. Take the money you would have spent and set it aside from what you come across a warranty item that isn't covered.

4) Other cars we often get compared to, you named most of them. A look in the G-Class of infinity may be worth your time. One that I think is overlooked is the GTO from Pontiac (But, there maybe a price issue there, don't know) - And, now, a gas cost issue.....

So, I hope this helped a bit.-- Wind

[AbsolutMSU]

Thanks Wind, awesome summary, very helpful.

Well after all is said and done I just don't think I can swing the car right now. Financially it just makes for sense for me to get something 1-2 years old after the depreciation hit has taken place and use the money saved on other things.

Sucks though, the more research I've done the more I've fallen in love with this thing.

Geoff,

Here's a go at a general synopsis of what the forum has commented so far from my perspective.

1) In general, the vast majority of owners here love the Altima (Coup or otherwise). Setting the obviouce bias aside, most everybody likes the styling, performance, competitiveness to other cars in the space, and overall ownership experience.

What most of us don't like are the dealerships, some noise issues, and the fact that Nissan could have done more on the wheels and performance side but didn't since they probably didn't want to erode the Infinity sister ship market share. Hence, the amount of modding you'll see if you dig into the forums here. Ignoring the obvious mods, many here have changed wheels/tires, Suspension (Springs, RSB, End Points), Intake, Exhaust, HID/Fog, and aesthetic items (Exterior Body Molds, Interior lighting, Stereo, etc). A couple members of the forum got lemons which sucks, but the general success rate has been normal for a car in this space (IMHO).

2) Not much information on Lease/Buy. I get the impression that most members have bought their A/C. It's really a personal issue. If you plan to keep a car long (More than 3 years) the general perspective is to buy, otherwise lease. Make sure to take the milage cost into considertion. Short of the edmunds estimated depreciation, we haven't heard much on the sell side yet.

3) As for features/good deal add-ons, I personally bought a 3.5 fully loaded, we have good representation for all models and trims in the forum. The 2.5 seems to be a cool car for its mod potential, especially with turbo, etc. The 3.5 has very similar and bright future from a mod perspective. The cars (minus a couple recalls, and the lemons) seems to be pretty reliable in general. As for extended warranties and other add-ons, to each their own IMHO. I personally think the add-on list from any dealer is just high-margin BS aimed at separating you from your funds. Take the money you would have spent and set it aside from what you come across a warranty item that isn't covered.

4) Other cars we often get compared to, you named most of them. A look in the G-Class of infinity may be worth your time. One that I think is overlooked is the GTO from Pontiac (But, there maybe a price issue there, don't know) - And, now, a gas cost issue.....

So, I hope this helped a bit.-- Wind

[maxentropy]

Sucks though, the more research I've done the more I've fallen in love with this thing.

Go test drive a 3.5 and you'll find a way to make the payments...