Altima or Accord?

[Anthony]

My mom had an 07 Altima. It was a fantastic car.
I had to repair two things during the 150,000 miles we had it. One blower motor relay, and one ignition coil.
That's it. Engine and CVT were excellent. I did CVT drains and fills around every 25k with Nissan fluid.

Good power from the 2.5 and the CVT worked well. Initially I was not a fan of CVT's but after I spent a week in it, I really grew to love that car and how it behaved. Back when I picked this car for my mom I was convinced an accord was the way to go but after driving both I decided to take a chance on the ALtima as it was the better driving car.

I can't imagine the new Altimas being worse than the 07. There will always be some bad apples as Nissan sells over 250,000 Altimas a year. Just my experience.

 

[GMFan]

I'd go for the Accord. Not a fan of the Altima's interior.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by d00df00d
I find it hard to imagine a MPG difference that'd make me want to drive an Altima over any of its competitors. I'll happily burn twice the fuel if it means I don't have to feel unsafe and motion-sick even with my own hands and feet at the controls.

I just noticed your new sig. Congrats!

Got tired of the RX8?

 

[JTK]

I'm just not sure Honda and the Accord is what it once was.

Although you could say the same for Nissan.

Drive both and work deals for both. See what you like better.

They've both got CVT transmissions. Is Honda's that much better than what Nissan uses? Long term who knows. It's all speculation.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted by Anthony
I can't imagine the new Altimas being worse than the 07.

I mean I guess it's a matter of taste, but... The newer ones are pretty dang bad.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by d00df00d
I find it hard to imagine a MPG difference that'd make me want to drive an Altima over any of its competitors. I'll happily burn twice the fuel if it means I don't have to feel unsafe and motion-sick even with my own hands and feet at the controls.

I just noticed your new sig. Congrats!

Got tired of the RX8?

Thanks!

Sort of the opposite; I miss the RX-8 dearly but circumstances forced my hand. That's a matter for another thread...

 

[Dallas69]

Thanks for replies
I'm hearing about fuel dilution issues on Honda which I don't like.
Guess I need to do some research.
Also resale value is not a concern at all in decision.

 

[BearZDefect]

Since you live in Texas where roads are not salted in the winter, and resale value is not a concern (Honda is good for resale) I second the suggestion to test drive a Mazda6. IMO the Mazda6 is a fantastic driver's car in this segment, but the interior has to work for your needs. I haven't been inside the current generation Camry, but the prior 2 generations had a more accomodating interior for passengers than the Mazda6.

 

[CincyDavid]

I personally HATE Honda seats. Almost immediate back pain and leg numbness. I rented a 19 Altima SR recently...944 miles when I picked it up. It drove OK and the seats were comfy, BUT there were 2 things I didn't care for:
1. the doors, especially back doors, sounded awful when they closed. Almost a metal-on-metal clank, not the solid thunk I expect
2. the steering wheel was set really low, even at its highest tilt setting. Makes me think of the old Porsche 924/944 with the steering wheel set in the driver's lap.

If I was going to lease one I might try the Nissan if the price was right, but I'd be afraid of the CVT and overall ability of the vehicle to hold up over time, so I'd be hard pressed to buy one. I suppose the safe choice is the Honda, if you can deal with the seats.

 

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by d00df00d
Originally Posted by Anthony
I can't imagine the new Altimas being worse than the 07.

I mean I guess it's a matter of taste, but... The newer ones are pretty dang bad.


Bad how? You've owned a new for 19 Altima for an extended period?

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by CincyDavid
I personally HATE Honda seats. Almost immediate back pain and leg numbness. I rented a 19 Altima SR recently...944 miles when I picked it up. It drove OK and the seats were comfy,



That's exactly where I'm at. We owned a base model 2007 Honda Odyssey for 6yrs. The fit, finish and durability of the seating was good, but I would get major discomfort on longer drives. Tons of road noise too, regardless of tires. OTOH, my wife LOVED everything about that van.

Our 2016 Nissan Quest has super comfortable seating. This spring I drove it from Buffalo to S.Florida and back. The cabin is crazy quiet in the Nissan as well. Like said, the road manners are super numb on the Nissan. Steering and brakes are way over boosted. So far at 70K miles. No issues. Interior/exterior holding up in line with a Honda.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Originally Posted by d00df00d
Originally Posted by Anthony
I can't imagine the new Altimas being worse than the 07.

I mean I guess it's a matter of taste, but... The newer ones are pretty dang bad.


Bad how? You've owned a new for 19 Altima for an extended period?

Bad to drive.

Honda, Toyota, Mazda, etc. all generally do a decent job of filtering out unwanted NVH while preserving the kind of useful sensory information that makes a car easy and intuitive (let alone satisfying) to drive. Recent Altimas sort of do the opposite: they filter out the useful info but preserve some of the unsettling stuff. The car is plenty capable but you have a poor sense of what it's doing. It's a recipe for motion sickness. I'm sure it's fine compared to what a lot of people are used to, but it's pretty inexcusable given how much better things can be for the same kind of money these days.

 

[Dallas69]

I don't understand I guess.

 

[d00df00d]

Yeah, it's hard to explain and most people just have no idea what they're missing.

If you drive an Altima back-to-back with an Accord or Mazda 6 -- and I'm talking real test drives, not just a quick 5-minute loop -- you'll feel it. The Altima will take more mental effort to drive, and might leave you feeling vaguely unsettled even in some totally normal situations. The Accord or Mazda 6 will feel much more secure, intuitive, and reassuring. The Camry, a bit less so -- but closer to the class leaders than it used to be.

Might seem like a minor difference on a test drive, but it really adds up with the miles.

 

[Mr Nice]

Nissan best looking.

Honda very ugly.

Toyota has a terrible, very terrible electronic throttle programming and engine response.

 

[pezzy669]

I would recommend at least trying a Mazda 6 - I don't know why Mazda's are not embraced like the other 3 Japanese makes because they are just a reliable and a [censored] of a lot more fun to drive with similar or better fuel economy. Like an above poster said I would never own one in rust belt states because their corrosion protection is probably the worst out there.

 

[miden851]

Accord beats Altima almost in any way except its external design maybe; Needles to say, Accord is a driver's car while Altima is not

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by pezzy669
I would recommend at least trying a Mazda 6 - I don't know why Mazda's are not embraced like the other 3 Japanese makes because they are just a reliable and a [censored] of a lot more fun to drive with similar or better fuel economy. Like an above poster said I would never own one in rust belt states because their corrosion protection is probably the worst out there.







I would definitely add the Mazda to the list. As for the corrosion protection, that was the past. They have improved and use the same setup like everyone else does.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted by Colt
Accord FTW.
Why not look at KIA and Hyundai?

+1
88k miles, and I have replaced an $18 headlight bulb and the original 3-1/2 year old battery, which is better than most cars out here in the desert for battery life.

 

[Dallas69]

My BIL has a Sonata and has a few issues like door handle falling off.
Interior trim peeling and bad paint.
It just looks cheap.