I traded in a 2002 Lexus RX 300 because I wanted something new and more practical.

I'm just loving my new Versa. I know I shouldn't even compare a $42,000 suv to a $17,000 hatchback but really I like my Versa better.

I have the SL with the convenience package and now tinted windows.

I love the smoothness of the transmission. No gears being shifted. It feels like I'm just coasting around town the whole time with a light touch on the pedal.

It is very quiet inside and you can't even hear the engine. I test drove a Prius and it reminds me of that when starting off.

I love the proximity entry and start. When getting out you just press the outside door button to lock up and set the alarm. So cool.

I love the MP3 6 CD changer. I put my whole CD collection on 6 CD's. It must be over 1,000 songs. Then with the Aux connector I can easily put in my portable MP3 player if I need to.

The interior is top notch and isn't cheap looking at all. Though I'm thinking that I should have gotten the tan because of my dog. The fur is going to be tough to get out when I take her to the park. We'll have to see.

I like having the radio and cruise control buttons on the steering wheel. That is so convenient. Oh and I can't wait to upgrade my phone to Bluetooth next month. Right now I press the button and say "Memo Pad" to show off. Oh the padded leather wheel is nice too.

I'm very pleased with my new Versa and I'm not going to miss the Lexus at all. Plus this is the first time I ever bought a new car and got $6,500 back from them.

So what did you trade in and why do you love the Versa?
Modified by jstmike at 1:11 PM 8/30/2006

Is this a trend?

I traded in my 2001 Lexus GS430 (V8 @ 300hp)...

For me, the CVT stands out. I think it pairs nicely with the smaller engine on the Versa.

And I agree - I think the car is very quiet for it's class (i.e. Fit, Yaris, xA, xB, etc.).

Hello -

I traded in a 1998 honda civic lx for a wonderful silver Versa SL, and couldn't be happier about it.

The Honda was a good car, but it had 122,000 miles on it, and was really feeling like the end was near for that car. Better to do something about that now than have a really bad incident while driving.

I test drove Matrix, ScionxB, and thought the Fit might also work, but could never find a dealership that had one to test drive. The reaserch on Kia left me nervous about the Rio5.

The research I did on Versa seemed like it was the golden ticket for my needs - I transport a mountain bike and like to keep it inside the vehicle and not on an exterior bike rack.

I am very fond of the Versa because it is so easy to handle and manouver. The matrix handled very strange to me.. did not feel comfortable driving that car w/ blind spots.

Versa is so spacious and has a very comfortable interior - great visibility and the driver side chair can be adjusted in all directions.

The first new car I have bought - I feel that for the money you spend, you really get great value that cannot be matched by the other cars in this class.

I traded in my beloved 2003 Honda Accord. The reasons were simple enough: 1) My payment on the Accord was quite high ($545/month) and would remain for another 1.5 years. 2) It was a manual transmission and since buying the car I got married and my wife doesn't feel comfortable driving one. 3) I wanted a hatchback for the runs to Home Depot.

I looked at several cars including the Pontiac Vibe and the Volkswagen Rabbit. Ultimately for me it came down to bang for my buck. The Versa offers SO much for considerably less money. I couldn't say no. Not to mention that the car is very quiet and smooth with the CVT and the seats are very comfortable for me, even though I'm 6'7".

I got the car 3 days ago and today I had a long run into Toronto and back for a meeting. The car did very well on the highway and in stop-and-go traffic.

I'm very pleased with my purchase. Great car and it's saving me about $240/month in car payments.

I traded in a 2002 Audi A4 1.8T for a silver SL with convenience package and CVT. I loved my A4 but in the past 2 weeks I have come to love the Versa and am very happy with my decision. I was looking for a more practical vehicle and when I test drove the Versa I immediately knew its what I wanted to get. The interior of the Versa and the added features that come with the convenience package make it seem as if I'm still driving around a luxury vehicle and its fun to drive. My friends that were surprised I was trading in my a4 have also been won over by the versa and have expressed interest in getting one as well.I've already used it for some trips to home depot and lowes. FYI for those that test drove a fit you can lower the front seat on the versa and the 40 rear split and transport long objects just like on the fit.

I traded in my 1988 Toyota Celica. The reason i chose the versa were1) i wanted a brand new car so i didn't have to worry about break downs etc2) i wanted something small and easy to manuever and good on the fuel3) it was the best bang for buck

it was a bit of a change at first going from the really sporty celica to the versa but it has really grown on me and i really love it now.

I traded in a 2004 Kia Optima LX V6, which was a nice handling and comfortable car. I've known lots of people who get tons of miles out of their Kias with no significant problems.

I, sadly, was not one of them. At 35,000 miles, I developed an electrical gremlin that at first burned out a tail light, caused the parking lights and the dash illumination to stop working, and eventually caused the car to randomly shut down for a moment while driving (it would come back on, but jeez...)

I initially started looking for a more practical car before the electrical gremlin developed. I was primed and ready to go out and get a Fit or an Escape Hybrid, because I need a LOT of space to haul parts around for work.... not to mention good gas mileage (which is why I didn't simply switch over to my wife's Tucson, which is an absolutely great little truck for the money).

I kicked up the search when my Kia acted up, and accidentally stumbled onto a Blue Onyx SL manual. I'd never seen one of these close up, so I went down to the dealership. Test drove it, immediately bought it.

It's so roomy. so very roomy. Plus with the XM satellite and 6-disc MP3 changer, I never have to worry about tunes on my long days of site-hopping. And 30 mpg is way better than the 20 I was getting.

Even better, it will cost $100 less per month, and the loan will be finished 12 months before the Kia's would have.

I traded in a 1999 Hyundai Tiburon FX, with 150,000 miles. The cruise control had stopped working, the radio came on by itself and the rear hatchback seal leaked when it rained, but other than that, it was okay, only I didn't trust it with the coming of winter. I love the Versa overall, but am annoyed by the TPMS thing, and how easily the interior gets dirty. Still, it's getting better mileage than the Tiburon, much less previous vehicles I've had, though the cost of filling it is still higher...

I traded in a 96 Pontiac Grand Am SE 5 speed with a 136,000 miles. Total piece of crap car that nickel and dimed me to death. Man, a lot of you people had Lexus vehicles that you traded in? Why? Gas mileage?

Maybe the best topic so far

said goodbye to my 2000 ford explorer 2 weeks ago for the reasons of:

A . it goes 0-60 in 60 yearsB. with today's gas prices, it definitely clearC. when i top off the tank every 2 days, i shed a tearD. Im better off with my 36MPG *versa, so now i have no fear

oh and yeah, the trade in value of that explorer was 3300, and i found it at the lot, and they're re-selling it for 8800. WHOAH!

I traded in an empty spot in my garage. I got this car to save wear & tear on my Xterra at 76k miles. The payment for the Versa is nearly the savings in gas from the Xterra.

Former car, 1998 Olds Intrigue with 86,000 miles. Basic reason for replacement was desire for a higher-MPG car for commuting, and the concerns about the problems likely to start popping up as the Olds aged. My wife's car is a Lexus RX-300, and I also still own an '84 Nissan 720 pickup that gets driven whenever I buy a big load at Home Depot.

My main goal was to pick out a car that matched my daily commute, which is a twenty mile round trip, with some open 50 MPH stretches, but a lot of 35 MPH in-town stop-and-go. To me, cars are just transportation... I didn't care that much about color or styling, it just had to provide reliable, comfortable, and safe transportation. THIS is my sporty vehicle...

http://www.bowersflybaby.com/pix/moonr1.JPG

I test-drove the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit on the same day I bought the Versa. Bought a Versa SL with CVT and the convenience package.

What I gave up:

1. Some driving comfort. The Versa's steering wheel is uncomfortably far away from my torso...I have long legs, but an average-size torso and arms. Just can't seem to find a happy medium. I've found an acceptable combination of seat-back angle and seat position, but it's still a bit of a stretch. But as the Yaris and Fit both showed the same problem, this wasn't a factor in my selection.

2. Handling. The Intrigue is a poor-man's sports sedan. It's a bit lower, and a lot wider than the Versa. It handles pretty good...I darn near ran off the road in the Versa when I tried to take it around some corners that my Olds handled nicely. Not a factor, since handling wasn't a part of my selection criteria (all cars corner equally well in stop-and-go traffic...).

3. Acceleration. This is the biggest thing I miss. I don't punch it often, but when I do, I generally need it. The Versa has an odd acceleration profile; it's actually pretty fast off the line, but acceleration then seems to sag for a few seconds until it gets to 25 MPH or so. Then it takes off nicely.

Where this bites is trying to turn out of a parking lot onto a busy road. I prefer to "punch it" to not force the oncoming drivers to hit their brakes, but the Versa just doesn't hack it, compared to most of my previous cars.

While a slight irritation, it hasn't been that much of an issue. I learned to drive on a 1964 VW Beetle (36 HP!), and I find I'm easily slipping back to the low-power habits.

Also, this lack of acceleration is NOT a disappointment...I noticed it during my test drives, and bought the car fully aware of its acceleration limits. The Yaris seemed to accelerate better, and the Fit was about the same.

4. Center Console. Rather than the tilt-up variety, I would have preferred a fixed deep console. The Olds had a retractable cup holder on the front of a deep center console, which is far more convenient than the forward-mounted holders on the Versa.

Otherwise, the overall storage space is about the same as my Olds...a pretty good situation, when you consider the difference in the car's sizes. However, I did get spoiled on the Yaris...that beast has storage EVERYWHERE.

5. Convenience features: Two things my Olds had that I wish the Versa did...and, in fact, am surprised it doesn't have. The first is automatic door locks. In the Olds, all the doors locked when I shifted into Drive. In this day and age, a desired safety feature. The second was automatic headlights. It's been a bit of a pain to train myself to remember to turn the lights on at night. :-)

6. Aft visibility. It's probably just because the car's narrower, but the rear view mirror seems to have a narrow field of vision. The outside mirrors, too, seem small and don't provide as good of coverage as my Olds did.

All right...what do I LIKE about the Versa?

A. Driving a small car again. While the Olds handled better, the Versa has it beat all to heck in a crowded parking lot. My wife has started hijacking the Versa for trips where it's tough to find parking for her Lexus.

B. The Intelligent Key System. Was totally spoiled by it in less than a week. It *is* refreshing not to have to dig the keys or the key fob out of the pocket every time you want to drive.

C. The Omnivorous CD system. I love the ability to play both conventional CDs as well as MP3 CDs. Now, if I could just figure out how to get the Versa to recognize the custom playlists on the MP3s I crank out....

D. The roominess. I am still shocked at how the Versa can carry four full-sized adults. My Olds could, but one had to set the front seats forward a bit.

E. The ride. While it doesn't ride as good as my Oldsmobile did, it's a pretty good ride for a small car. Very quiet, too. This was the deciding factor between the Yaris and the Versa; the Nissan just seemed more comfortable.

F. The CVT. I *do* like the way the car drives with the CVT. I've got an Altima as a loaner while the dealer tries to figure out the TPMS, and the difference is real apparent.

G. Mileage. I am a bit disappointed in my Versa's mileage, as it only gets ~6 MPG better than my Oldsmobile, when driven over the same commute with the same style. Still...it *is* getting about 30% higher mileage than the Olds, and the highway mileage is significantly better.

Anyway, the Versa is doing what I expected of it...can't ask for much more than that.

Ron

I traded in a 98 Accord. My Versa gets much better gas mileage, is in far better shape and obviously has many many less miles on it. I kind of miss my Accord, but I'm extremely happy with my Versa.

Dumped a Focus for a Versa. #1 reason was that I had an ignition issue (like many other owners) and they would not refund me for 3 ignitions in 14 months bc the last one was a different part # or some crap and bc the sketchy Ford shop in the Bronx would not give me back my broken part. They also broke my radio in the process.

I looked at the so-called new 2007 Focus and realized I would be better off throwing $$ out the window as I drove than buying a $9K car for more than a Versa. Versa is the same length as Focus hatch I think and is 100% better all around.

My Versa SL with CVT is replacing my 1996 Ford Probe. They didn't even want to take it in trade, but then again it does have 240,000 miles on it! That's really the only reason I bought the Versa, because I figure with those miles on it enough things were bound to start breaking that it was time to find a car I wasn't worried about breaking down. The funny thing is that the Probe hasn't...

I did give up some power and acceleration, although the Probe is only a 2.0, and I'm afraid I'm giving up mileage, too. The Probe has averaged about 35mpg in the summer and 32-33 in the winter. The Probe also has a huge storage area under the hatchback.

Gains? Lots of play pretties and a lot more interior room. My kids are now grown, and finally they can ride in the back seat again! The CVT and power everything will also be a nice change after 35 years of manual shifting and power nothing. And a big surprise is that after ten years, the price I'm paying is only about $1500 more than I paid for the Probe!

I traded my 96 Mazda Protege. It was a manual with sunroof and served me well for the last 10 years as I put in 105K on it. It was beat up: AC, Radio stopped working, both the bumber covers were cracked so on. But had one sweet engine.

My new Versa S is an awesome ride. Perfect look, size and feel. I am loving it. Now I have to figure out how to keep my kids from messing it up :-)

That is waaayyy to funny. Just like "cistems"I traded in my silver 2002 Audi A4 1.8t for a kick-butt powder white SL w/convenience package.The only thing that I miss from my Audi would be the heated leather seats and the quattro system. I've have only realised this now that its getting cold.

I wanted a more practical care. something that was great on gas compared to the 18mpg I was getting with the other car, My versa gets about 390 miles to the tank which is great compared to the 350miles on the other car.taking into consideration that when i fill up it only takes 11gallons compared to 15. and also something that was a little more unique, at least for the time being. I luvs my Versa Luvs my Versa

I traded a 2003 Dodge Ram with a 5.7L Hemi-V8. Wanted a small manueverable car rather than a large lumbering gas-guzzler. My GHG emissions are a fraction of what they used to be!

Joe

I traded in a 2000 Jimmy 4x4 with 63K. It was decpreciating with every breath we took as people are scared of SUVs now. Hubby wanted a Civic sedan, but I did NOT want to give up my SUV. We test drove a 2007 Dodge Caliber and it rode rough - just like the Jimmy - and you simply couldn't see to back out.

We also test drove a Civic sedan and a Vibe. The Versa had everything beat in a car we wanted except the promised gas mileage of the Civic. But it still has that "feel" of being higher on the road than a Civic or Vibe, and the passenger comfort is unreal for such a small car. Had the Civic been close to the price of the Versa, I would have given in to hubby for a regular car, but after he drove the Versa, he was also willing to give up the mileage for the comfort.

Son had just bought a Civic SI and our Versa is more comfortable.

I traded my 2004 Titan LE for my silver SL 6 sp w/ conv. pkg.

Don't get me wrong.... I just loved the Titan, but didn't need a truck any more. The Versa literally gets 2X (or better) the mpg's the Titan was getting. Tires, tune up, routine maintenance type stuff will be MUCH less for the Versa. My insurance went down about $60. It 'bout took a parking lot to turn around the Titan - I can almost turn around the Versa on my single lane driveway. And besides.......

It's just a BLAST to drive !!!!

Paula

i traded in my 2000 lincoln ls for the 2007 nissan versa sl...i a loving my versa more and more as i drive it...