2005 Nissan Altima SE-R review from North America

Front rotors were warped when I got the car because the dealer got it from another dealership. I don't know how they could possibly be warped after only 200ks, because they're 12 inch vented rotors, but they were. The dealer said they replaced them, but I think they just turned them because they were warped again after only 6 months, and both back calipers were seized on from road debris sticking to the back of the pads and forcing the calipers to stay shut. Dealer told me, "too bad, not a defect" and offered to turn the rotors and replace the pads for $500. I told them, well, something rude.

Engine light came on and car wouldn't pull. Turning the car off and on again (reboot!) fixed the problem and it hasn't reoccurred.

This car is my fifth, and possibly last, Nissan... at least for a while. All my other Nissans were completely amazing. I have had the brake rotors warp, and the engine light go on in this car, and that is more trouble than any of my other Nissans ever gave me. In fact, my wife's 1998 Pathfinder just got retired with over 200000 Kms on it with less trouble... seriously.

I hear a lot of people talk about Honda and Toyota reliability, and rightly so, but my Nissans have all had less trouble than the three Toyotas I have owned. Further, I have had less trouble with my Nissans than my friends have had with their Hondas. I don't know anyone who currently drives a Toyota.

I got this car after going from a Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V to a brand new Dodge SRT-4. The Dodge was too fun, but it also sucked royally in the quality dept. Without turning this into a Dodge review, I want to say that I kept the Dodge for exactly 11 months before trading it in for about half what I paid for it. Never again will I stray from Japanese (for the winter and German for the summer, that is).