Educate me on 2008 Altima

[maverickfhs]

Alright, as usual I don't know much about Nissan Altima, except that they had transmission issues(maybe)?

So I am looking at 2008 Altima 2.5, automatic and has 181Kmiles.

Should I stay away and run from it or it still has some life left in it? What could be major things which can break? Price is ~$1500 or maybe less.

Initially it was a lease vehicle and then now currently with 3rd owner(1st was leasing company) and has clean carfax and can see some maintenance history of it.

Thanks for all the help

 

[Skippy722]

Barring any mechanical issues, it's a great point A to point B commuter. The 2.5 has decent enough power.

 

[SatinSilver]

That year wasn't too bad:

https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/Altima/

At that price it comes down to condition and how well it was maintained. Also bbhero on here has an 08 Altima coupe with a lot of miles on it(I think over 200k). And still runs like new per his posts. He's been real happy with it.

 

[maverickfhs]

Thanks Guys, I definitely like the concept of good point A to point B, but at the same time don't want it to be a money pit if it can have some expensive issues.

 

[14Accent]

No major issues with the 2008's. The CVT still has a dipstick, fluid is a simple drain and fill. Front control arms are still a weak point. The oil coolers like to leak, Nissan sells a service kit now so you don't have to replace the whole cooler anymore.

Otherwise, they're pretty much bulletproof.

 

[maverickfhs]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
No major issues with the 2008's. The CVT still has a dipstick, fluid is a simple drain and fill. Front control arms are still a weak point. The oil coolers like to leak, Nissan sells a service kit now so you don't have to replace the whole cooler anymore.

Otherwise, they're pretty much bulletproof.

Thanks for valuable input.

I am probably going to get it because of the price. Oil cooler leak should have been done by now or usually it shows up due to mileage?

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
The oil coolers like to leak, Nissan sells a service kit now so you don't have to replace the whole cooler anymore.

Is that the leaking gasket that sits between the oil cooler and the engine block ? I know that part was a bad design and used across multiple Nissan and Infiniti models.

 

[14Accent]

Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Originally Posted by 14Accent
No major issues with the 2008's. The CVT still has a dipstick, fluid is a simple drain and fill. Front control arms are still a weak point. The oil coolers like to leak, Nissan sells a service kit now so you don't have to replace the whole cooler anymore.

Otherwise, they're pretty much bulletproof.

Thanks for valuable input.

I am probably going to get it because of the price. Oil cooler leak should have been done by now or usually it shows up due to mileage?


I actually don't see many people fix the oil cooler leak. I think I've sold one. The thing of it is, the oil cooler is a sandwich design instead of a solid core like most "coolers". There's a molded rubber gasket that sits in a channel and seals the two halves together, and that's what leaks. But it's almost always minor, just a little wetness on the cooler body itself. I've yet to see one actually drip.

If it is leaking, take the opportunity to do a coolant flush at the same time. You have to remove two coolant hoses from the cooler to remove it from the car, and they make a great block drain point. Fixing the cooler itself just requires removing a few bolts, separating the cooler halves, and replacing the gasket. Simple.

 

[nthach]

Nothing to write home about - the Altimas are basic transportation. Just be careful with the CVT, lower control arms and there were some issues with the QR25DE a while back.

 

[The Critic]

At that mileage, the CVT is pretty sketchy.

You really need to consider buying some newer cars...

You are buying a car, not a house. Cars are disposable items which have a finite life.

 

[Tom NJ]

I have a 2008 Altima SL with the 2.5L engine and 126,000 miles. No major repairs, no problems with the CVT, and the engine runs flawlessly. I plan to sell it in the spring and buy a 2019 Altima SL. I'll be asking about $4,000.

 

[diyjake]

I used to love and own Nissan's until they started using CVT transmission. I would never buy one with that kind of mileage just because of the CVT.

 

[RooflessVW]

Junk then, now, and forever.

 

[maverickfhs]

Thanks for the valuable input and feedback everyone

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
I actually don't see many people fix the oil cooler leak. I think I've sold one. The thing of it is, the oil cooler is a sandwich design instead of a solid core like most "coolers". There's a molded rubber gasket that sits in a channel and seals the two halves together, and that's what leaks. But it's almost always minor, just a little wetness on the cooler body itself. I've yet to see one actually drip.

If it is leaking, take the opportunity to do a coolant flush at the same time. You have to remove two coolant hoses from the cooler to remove it from the car, and they make a great block drain point. Fixing the cooler itself just requires removing a few bolts, separating the cooler halves, and replacing the gasket. Simple.

The larger engines (I have a 3.5L) sounds like a simpler design. The same stud that the oil filter threads on also threads into the engine and "clamps" the the oil cooler body to the block with the gasket in between (in a groove). The coolant lines are long enough that you can move the cooler out of the way enough to clean both faces and install the new, thicker gasket. I saw videos for other Nissans and I thought the 4-cylinders were the same basic design but maybe not...

 

[dogememe]

Originally Posted by The Critic
At that mileage, the CVT is pretty sketchy.

You really need to consider buying some newer cars...

You are buying a car, not a house. Cars are disposable items which have a finite life.


While I agree that a Nissan with a CVT is a terrible choice, especially at high mileage, some of us like cheap old cars that have been around the block a few times... I've owned over a dozen cars in the past few years since I got my drivers license and most of them have been old, cheap, and high mileage. I've never been left stranded on the side of the road.

 

[Anthony]

My mom had a 07 Altima 2.5. Sadly it was recently totaled with 150k on it. In that 150k it had TWO problems. The AC blower motor relay went out. Also had to replace one ignition coil right at 150k.

No other problems. CVT was flawless. Engine had plenty of power. I enjoyed driving the car when I would take it and do maintence on it.

I changed the CVT fluid every 25k or so. I used the Nissan fluid.

 

[DejaVue]

Originally Posted by The Critic
You really need to consider buying some newer cars...

You are buying a car, not a house. Cars are disposable items which have a finite life.

He's looking at a 2008. You have a similarly old 2007 and '11 in your sig.

A 2008 with 181k with clean carfax and some maintenance history for $1500... sounds like an above-average deal based on those parameters. I've read much contempt of 100k+ mile Nissan CVTs from their owners, but that would indeed make the Altima more disposable. Basically drive it until the transmission breaks. And, who knows, maybe it won't break.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted by DejaVue
Originally Posted by The Critic
You really need to consider buying some newer cars...

You are buying a car, not a house. Cars are disposable items which have a finite life.

He's looking at a 2008. You have a similarly old 2007 and '11 in your sig.

Not sure I should speak for Critic but... He's also a mechanic who can not only quote what commonly goes wrong with any particular model but actually repair 'em.

Me, I bought an old car knowing full well it was a gamble. I was willing to walk away as a total loss if necessary--but that was an unlikely scenario. It was more likely it'd just cost more than I wanted to spend. But way less than new. But it was also to be my N+1 vehicle; if it gave grief I'd still be able to get to work and live life. If it failed or simply had to be in a garage for a week or two, it was not a calamity. Now if I had to have just one vehicle to do my 30+k/year of driving... it'd be much newer.