2001 Nissan Altima 2.5S review from North America

First, the car would not crank. I had it parked on my drive way (which slopes uphill) the day after I bought the car. I called the dealership and explained the problem to them and was told to bring the car back to them (almost 100 miles from where I live) and they would take care of it which I did. I admit, I DO NOT know a whole lot about cars, but I knew this wasn't suppose to happen. Upon taking the car back, the dealership performed a diagnostic on the car and told me that it was misfiring due to a faulty spark plug which they "fixed." Later on that day the same problem reoccurred. I called them back and was told that they would not do any further repairs on the vehicle at their cost unless they took the cost out of the salesman's commission which he would not allow.

Then, the service engine soon light came on. I had the oil changed and the light went out. As I was leaving, after having the oil changed the car started to overheat. I learned the following day that the thermostat needed replacing only to find out that the car has two - both of which were replaced. There were no more "misfires" for a while, but the light continues to come on occassionally, but nothing ever shows up when the diagnostic is performed.

Now, the oil has been changed twice because one time the oil light began to flash while I was driving only to find the oil was low in the car, but no oil leaks could be found by the technician. Unfortunately, to this date the car continues to misfire almost constantly, overheats occasionally when the AC is running, and has just now started to shut off when I come to a complete stop "IF" the AC is on. Can someone tell me if any of the repairs performed have been successful. I have been told basically the same as most of the other owners with the exception of those who stated things such as the oxygen censor, the gasket, rings, engine replacement problems and so forth which is "We can't find anything." Also, can someone please advise me on how to find out if any of the recall services have been performed on this car? There are no records and the dealership hasn't been very helpful.I'm assuming that's because the car was purchased w/o a warranty. I feel stupid because now I know I should have been smarter and did more research before purchasing. PLEASE HELP!!! Any advise would be appreciated at this point because I really can't afford to pay for this car and continue to have all of these expensive repairs done. If at all possible I would like to get whatever done before (if I'm not already) I get to the $6500-$7000 repairs.

I love the car! It's beautiful and runs great when it's not overheating, shutting off, and no warning lights are on, but we all know beauty won't get me back and forth to work.