Passion for Nissan?

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I don't understand the love for Nissan because they made many badly made engines between 1995 and 2003.
 
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Having owned 'one of' Renault/Nissan's all time epic fails, an 03 2.5L Altima, I could never recommend their products.

As for some liking the current designs, no accounting for taste.
 
Gotta say my Maxima was the best combination of performance, comfort, and reliability in any car I've ever owned.

With my garage lineup static for the last 7 years, I don't know how their current cars rate these days.
 
How is the torque steer on the new Nissans? The last Maxima I drove was an early 2000's and it was horrible.

It reminded me of why I only buy RWD cars.

Have they fixed it?
 
$21.5K for a new family sedan with a good, proven V6 is definitely a steal.

Love to know the dealer's invoice on that car.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Nissan Altima 2.5's sell like hotcakes up here - roads are full of them.



Same here. Nice looking car though.
 
My 1999 Nissan Frontier has been by far the most reliable car I've ever owned.

My 2007 Hyundai has had more problems than the Frontier, and I've only owned the Hyundai for a few months.
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The Nissan Versa and Altima were two of the cars I was considering when I was looking for a used car. I ended up buying the Hyundai because it seemed like a bargain. I'm not too sure I'd buy it if I had it all over again.
 
Originally Posted By: D189379
I think it's a combination of low price/ financing rates and above average reliability.


Whatever it is, they definitely found the sweet spot combining the elements you describe.
 
I have had my 2002 Maxima SE since I drove it out of the showroom. A great all around car and not affected by the oil consumption issue on some VQs of that era.

The car is too good. I don't have a single squeak or rattle (this was the last model year built in Japan). The car has 89K miles on it and the only reason to get rid of it would be to find something with better mileage (I net about 23MPG in mixed driving).

Decent suspension with an added anti roll bar on the front and back, great engine, comfy interior and did I mention the great engine? What is not too like?

I think the 2000 - 2005 era was when Nissan really came to life in the last 20 years. Remember the 2001 Frontier with turbo V6? Yeah, it sucked but who else was doing that? Re-imagined Z car for 2003, dogs love trucks campaign, R version Sentra, and a full size pickup from Nissan.

Nissan cars boasted more HP/TQ than competing manufacturer models during this time, however that was 6 years ago. Since then, the other manufacturers have caught up or surpassed not to mention the dynamics for buying a car today are much different than 6 years ago.
 
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I don't have a passion for Nissan, but I definitely do prefer Nissans over other Japanese brands. There are faults characteristic to some models, but they also have some vehicles that are a lot of fun or otherwise well designed.

I really like driving Titans. The 5.6 is a strong V8 that moves the truck along well, and the transmission shifts very nicely.

The interiors kind of suck though. The plastic is cheap, the painted parts of the steering wheel where the buttons are wears badly, some trucks have cracked door panels or overhead consoles, and the fabric is cheap. They look odd like most newer Nissans too. Early models had issues with the differentials overheating under hard use, but Nissan addressed that (synthetic oil, finned diff cover). Stuff like this is why I would be far more likely to buy an F-150.

None of that takes away the fact Titans are a good value, fun to drive, and overall well designed trucks though. I would definitely buy one over a Tundra, which has a worse track record of mechanical problems and rust problems, but a Toyota price tag.

I feel basically the same way about the Frontier. I'd prefer a Ford, but I do like the Frontier more than a lot of trucks.

Nissan has produced some duds, but so has every other brand that usually makes good cars. I can definitely see why people buy them and why they are a favorite brand for many.
 
My Father has 06 4 banger 5 speed Frontier,that I drive sometimes. Thing that are not good: factory tires sucked, and caused vibration, we changed them. Welding was bad on that particular truck and developed a crack on muffler sewn. Not big deal,couple hours of loudness and fixed for 50 bucks. Also there was little crack on firewall, near clutch pedal. Was fixed at same time with exhaust. One more thing: fuel sensor went nuts. It shows whatever fuel level it wants. I've read it's common problem with those trucks.Maybe just dirty sensor, will try cleaners. Other than that, no problems at all. it's more than 92K. My Altima had 150+K, never left me on the side of the road, even when camshaft sensors burned out after huge thunderstorm.But it had common chain rattle and auto tranny started dripping before I crashed it.
 
Nissan does do a ton of fleet sales with the Altima - so I am sure that helps the numbers. I am not a fan of CVT transmissions, so that pretty much wipes the entire lineup out for me.
 
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Nissan does do a ton of fleet sales with the Altima - so I am sure that helps the numbers. I am not a fan of CVT transmissions, so that pretty much wipes the entire lineup out for me.



just curious, what dont you like about them?
 
Originally Posted By: lexus114
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Nissan does do a ton of fleet sales with the Altima - so I am sure that helps the numbers. I am not a fan of CVT transmissions, so that pretty much wipes the entire lineup out for me.



just curious, what dont you like about them?


I understand the advantages of a CVT. It just comes down to driving feel.
From a performance standpoint, being able to hold the engine at peak output and vary the ratio would be advantageous.
But to me, just my personal opinion, it really saps the joy out of driving.
If you are a hyper-miler, or you want the smoothest ride (not feeling the ratio change), or if a car is just an A to B transportation device to you, the CVT is fine.

I have a friend with an Altima 2.5SL with a CVT...I'll be honest, around town it is more responsive than my Mazda's odd "Ford/Toyota" engine-transmission combination. Once we get up to freeway speed, the Mazda's 45hp advantage comes through and when the road gets twisty, it's not even close. The Mazda just runs away from it and it's motorscooter transmission (granted, her car is an SL model so it's suspension might be a little softer.
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Nissans are fun to drive. Price is right for most who rather to buy Japanese than others. They also offer longer warranty than other Japanese and incentives are attarctive. I do agree with some I am not a fan of some their new stylings but some I suspect like them. My Xterra has one of the best 4.0 litre (VQ) V6/transmission on the planet. It is an amazing combo and a joy to drive. Wrangler and even 4Runner were not nearly as willing/smooth when I was deciding.
 
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I like Nissan, especially the Maxima. It feels like a Luxury car, and if I had the money, I would strongly consider an Infiniti vehicle. But I don't personally like CVTs either. Yes, I know they are better on paper, but in practice, I just am so used to shifting that I woldn't know what to do with myself.
 
Luckily, on the Infiniti side, they are not doing CVT's.

3 Maxima's ('95 SE auto, 97 SE 5MT, '00 SE auto) were a few of my best cars. the G35 that I now drive, I consider to be a 1997 size RWD Maxima. My FX - a lifted up 4wd V8 Maxima.

All cars should be Maximas
 
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