Was it at the half way refresh of 2016 MY?
Or was it 2018?
Or at 2019?

I have 2 gas guzzling SUVs right now and looked at how much I spend in fuel a month.
It adds up; some months its $500 and more.
Looking to trade or sell my beloved 2011 Xterra PRO4X (since it books a lot higher than the other one) for an Altima ..
So this conversation will influence which model years I am looking for.
Always liked the Altimas, owned a '14 in the past...I do like the larger fuel tank of the '13-'18 generation over the '19s and up.. but unsure when the transmission was product improved in that generation.
The '19s and up are spendy in this market and have the smaller fuel tanks, but I am willing to go there depending on subject matter input.

For the 4-banger CVT's, the integral heat exchanger with 4-port beehive was the big leap. For 2.5L Alties, I believe it was '11 when that became standard. The gen2 Rogue had one from inception and the gen1/Select never got them. The Versa/Sentra never got them either, although the 2-speed gearbox sort of mitigates the need for it by reducing the work done by the belt. The 6-cyl CVT's have been pretty stout from the get-go, which I think was the '04 Murano.

PS - I bet you wouldn't even be looking under kinder circumstances. Let's go Brandon!

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:04 pm

PS - I bet you wouldn't even be looking under kinder circumstances. Let's go Brandon!

I am not at liberty to comment

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:01 pm

For the 4-banger CVT's, the integral heat exchanger with 4-port beehive was the big leap. For 2.5L Alties, I believe it was '11 when that became standard. The gen2 Rogue had one from inception and the gen1/Select never got them. The Versa/Sentra never got them either, although the 2-speed gearbox sort of mitigates the need for it by reducing the work done by the belt. The 6-cyl CVT's have been pretty stout from the get-go, which I think was the '04 Murano.

Thank you for the quick and good reply!!

A couple of follow ups if I may:
-The 6 cylinder transmission in the Pathy got a upgrade in '17 as I recall, from previous threads.
Did that upgrade go to all Nissan 6 cylinder CVT transmissions, or only on the Pathfinder to support the tow rating?
-So no changes from '13 to now ('22 MY) in the 4 cylinder transmissions?

Thanks!!

No, the CVT in the '19+ Altie is beefed up from the '18-down models, with a chain very similar to the 6-cyls. I believe that was intended to handle the boost load from the KR20 turbo engines, but frankly we have yet to replace one that wasn't abused in some fashion on either a KR or PR. But knowing how well you care for your vehicles in general, anything with an RE0F10 series will probably last forever for you. My main hesitation with the gen6 was the VC engine, but those fears seem to have been misplaced. We now have several here with 100K+ on the clock and we've seen zero VC failures. My only beef (but it's a major one) is that they're impossible to work on for anything more complicated than an oil change. Even changing an EGI harness requires dropping the engine out of the vehicle. They're the epitome of "designed to be built by robots and not repaired by people", so if you're a DIYer, be prepared for some rough stuff.

Vis the 6-bangers, to my knowledge only the Pathy got that beef-up. But like I said, the 6's have all been pretty stout from the beginning.

PalmerWMD wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:22 pm

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:04 pm

PS - I bet you wouldn't even be looking under kinder circumstances. Let's go Brandon!

I am not at liberty to comment

Yeah, I usually keep that s__t to myself too, but when gas in these parts hits $3.00, you can be sure it's $5.00 on the coasts and somebody is just plain f__ing up.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 6:49 am

PalmerWMD wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:22 pm

I am not at liberty to comment

Yeah, I usually keep that s__t to myself too, but when gas in these parts hits $3.00, you can be sure it's $5.00 on the coasts and somebody is just plain f__ing up.

Its the nature of my employment and its whimsical dependency on the good will of apparatchiks that forces me to a lower profile.

Funny to hear you use "apparatchiks" that way. Sad that the term should even have meaning on this side of the pond, but lately that seems to be true. Some of our government's behavior could even be characterized as "zheh-beh", a term I'm sure you also know. You have my sympathies.

At least we can have our Samizdat media
For now

Hmm... come to think of it, maybe we're giving "banned in Boston" a whole new meaning.

I am debating though how wise is it for me to trade in one of my vehicles for an Alti.
I wanted an Altima again for a long time because their comfort and mpgs are simply unrivalled.

But to trade in my near perfect and fantastic 2011 Xterra PRO4X with all the packages..
Then again I would still keep my R51 which in many ways is even more SUVish (size, engine) and owning the combination between a SUV and a Sedan is probably a wise thing.

On the other hand it depends on the deal...

PS I just remember your dealership, and I would be very open to buying from them.
But it seems this place which is closer to me seems to be more aggressively priced even for CPO

The sales guys tell me Nissan isn't really offering much incentive on new ones right now, I suppose because nobody can build enough new cars because of the supply chain. As a matter of cost-benefit, I'd have to question jumping vehicles right now with used car prices so crazily inflated. Will the amount you save on gas offset the premium you'll pay on any car right now, or would you be better waiting for the end of '22 when prices are likely to normalize? Then too, with a new congress in '22, gas prices may normalize as well. Decisions, decisions...

I still wouldn't steer you away from a gen6 Altie if your heart really wants one.

What my heart wants, next year, is an Ariya Platinum. Probably can't afford it at $51K+, but VDC/TCS and electric motors were made for one another. The regular Leaf motor will already snap your neck between stoplights without even a chirp from the tires. The Ariya AWD will have two of them at 389 hp. Holy crap.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 10:34 am

What my heart wants, next year, is an Ariya Platinum. Probably can't afford it at $51K+, but VDC/TCS and electric motors were made for one another. The regular Leaf motor will already snap your neck between stoplights without even a chirp from the tires. The Ariya AWD will have two of them at 389 hp. Holy crap.

I really like internal combustion engines.
An Altima which will give 40 mpg on the hiway can go 200 miles on the contents of a singe jerry can.
Since I live far from my bug out location that matters to me : )

The economics of fuel economy simply don't add up. It's a sales and marketing ploy that plays on the segment of the population who don't math very well.

Let's break it down. Becky drives a '14 Xterra Pro-4x 6MT with 120k miles. We got it at 23k miles, IIRC. but that's not relevant. It gets 18 mpg (for sake of argument; she's got a light foot). Assuming $3.78 per gallon for 87 octane, and carrying on.

If I trade it in on a new 2.5 Premium Alty ($32,500 MSRP), and let's say that car gets "up to 27 city / 37 highway", so we'll call it 32mpg in mixed driving. We could get $18k in trade, so let's just fantasize that a dealer lets the Alty go for $15k and our Xterra. (we all know after TTL and other BS, it's a lot higher). Factor in higher insurance and higher costs of annual registration and you have another $1500 in costs for the Alty).

But let's JUST use the price difference for now. $15k buys 3,968 gallons of fuel. At 18mpg, she'll drive 71,500 miles (basically, taking the X to the end of its useful lifespan for a commuter). That additional $1500 buys 397 more gallons of fuel, or another 7150 miles (78,643 miles). At 200k, we'd probably sell it on the open market and pull $12k cash.

Keeping and maintaining a functional older vehicle, even if it gets poor MPG (such as the Pathy / Xterra) is always the fiscally intelligent choice. Marketing and hype don't play nice with math and statistics. It's simply car salesman voodoo and we've been guzzling it for decades.

Buy a different car because you want it, but don't parade it about as a fiscally smart move. When you have the means (which we all do), drive what you WANT and let the talking heads wring their hands over fuel prices to a less-intelligent audience.

And just to throw another wrench into the above discussion, the Alty wouldn't even be on my radar if I were in that market. Other manufacturers build better cars for the money (I'd be eyeing a Mazda 6 for that money) - a far superior vehicle in every way, including refinement, space, and efficiency.

On the money, I get your arguments.
I make them myself often to others..
But its more than that.

The Altima may not appeal to Enthusiasts but it has some features that are desirable to me:
- supremely comfortable seats, remember I owned a'14 before. (and I not infrequently make 900+ miles one day drives)
- An 18 gallon fuel tank combined with nearly 40 mpg hiway which gives approx 700 miles unrefueled range on the hiway. This gives me operational freedom to decide in which state to fuel up based on prices and is also a valuable functional feature.
What if there is a (real) pandemic closes most gas stations? Or making them available by restrictive hours only?
An unrefueled range of over 700 miles opens up so many options, given that I own a few high quality zero leak jerry cans that I can throw into a trunk and I could cross half the country w/o being dependent on fuel sources along the way.
So this has always made the Altima attractive to me its form and function as a long range cruiser (that is very economical to boot).

But my Xterra is very special and dear to me, so even in todays market with its elevated trade in values it is probably worth more to me than I would be offered for trade in.
That is my primary obstacle.

All good points.

However, if you're sneaking into apocalypse vehicle territory, it's not an Altima. In that case, I'd be after a 9th/10th generation Corolla with a MT and minimal accoutrements. Over 40mpg, no silly CVT nonsense, and can be eco-modded for 50+mpg (and parts are damn near free).

Then again, I tend to take extreme things to the extreme. If you're gonna go, go full-bore.

If we reach that level of apocalyptic chaos (i.e. fuel shortage / rationing), I've got a long, well-researched list of 'lesser-prepared' people on my list who quickly become "resource sources."

AZhitman wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 11:34 am

However, if you're sneaking into apocalypse vehicle territory, it's not an Altima. In that case, I'd be after a 9th/10th generation Corolla with a MT and minimal accoutrements. Over 40mpg, no silly CVT nonsense, and can be eco-modded for 50+mpg (and parts are damn near free).

Then again, I tend to take extreme things to the extreme. If you're gonna go, go full-bore.

Not to be argumentative, but my a** would literally have to use the last 10 miles in the tank to reach the hospital after 600 miles in an '08 Corolla. Even our '13 Altie gets me to Dallas and back with fuel left over and near-zero butt-and-back hurt. For long legs with comfort, any year Altie is a hard act to follow.

Totally a valid point... which brings this back around full-circle. If you're not buying a bugout vehicle or aren't looking at it as some sort of survival pod, get what you enjoy driving.

The point is, fuel economy isn't the issue. Drive what you enjoy - always.

AZhitman wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:56 pm

The point is, fuel economy isn't the issue. Drive what you enjoy - always.

Agreed. Palmer should see if he can find an SR AWD turbo, that's a hoot and still has legs like Betty Grable.