Faults:

When I got this car, it had been wrecked and I bought it for $300. It needed an inner and outer tie rod, strut, and I believe a control arm due to the accident.

Had to buy tires and get an alignment too, because of the accident and not passing inspection due to bad tires.

The switch that turns the AC/heat on at levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 has broke, and I can only get 4, meaning it blows out on the highest setting only. You can adjust the heat/coldness though.

General Comments:

Overall, this car is great. If taken care of, I think it will last a long time with little in the way of repairs or expense. The car I bought was totaled, yet I bought it for $300, put $1000 in it, and drove it for 2 years now.

Due to the car having a bent frame from the accident, my car won't hold a perfect alignment so I go through tires more so than normal. This car can take a lot of abuse and still go strong. The front grill is held on by twisters, since the little tabs broke off that hold it on.

It handles wells, is very comfortable and roomy for the front or back passengers to sit in. The air is cold and the heat is hot. Rear windshield defogger works great. Front defrost works good. Electric windows and locks all work fine. Mine seems to go through a little bit of oil though.

Anyone wanting to buy a Nissan Altima will probably be happy with their purchase, but always look at the condition of the vehicle. If it looks fairly clean (and thus taken care of), and if it seems to idle OK and drive fine, you will probably find it to be a dependable car. Even though mine was abused before I got it, it still ran like a workhorse.

I still have mine and if it wasn't for the fact that it has a bent frame and goes through tires now, I would have no problem keeping it. As I have been looking for a better car recently, I have found that all the cars I am looking at aren't even as good as my Altima, even though they are asking more than I plan to ask for my Altima.

This car does have some pep, and gets up and goes when needed. Also, gas mileage is not bad.. gets 20-27, and this is even without a tuneup in 2 years.

Faults:

When I first got the car, oil was leaking from the timing chain seal (cost $800 non-dealer). I haven't had a single leak since then.

I replaced the belts at 100k, and also the brake pads. They were both squeaky when I purchased the car.

Clutch went out at about 105k miles (typical car repair - not problem).

Radiator had to be replaced at about 110k miles.

Tune-up done at 115k.

Alternator went out at 120k miles.

Distributor cap and spark plugs replaced at 127k.

Oil changes every 3,000 miles.

Manual transmission is not smooth and it's pretty noisy. This is not normal because I drove a manual trans '97 Altima that was very smooth.

Transmission hasn't had any problems that keep me from driving it though; I think it may have just been driven hard in the past.

After alignment, tire rotation, balancing, the car still shakes at 15-30 mph. Beyond that it drives smoothly.

Wind and road noise get bad at 70+ mph. This is probably normal.

General Comments:

I love the overall look of the car. The spoiler and the 5-spoke alloy wheels really bring out the round sporty styling of the 1990s.

The interior material quality, fit and finish of the car set it far apart from your typical cheap-plastic American car.

Little room in back to comfortably fit even two adults, but great for children.

The seats have no tears and only moderate signs of wear.

When detailed, the thing looks brand new!

It has good quality stock speakers.

One catch is that the car rattles in different parts of the interior at different rpms.

It is fun to drive and it handles fairly well.

When I first got the car I remember it being pretty quick off the line.

It seems to have lost some of its pep in the last few thousand miles.

The engine is very strong though. I think the fuel injectors need to be cleaned or it needs a variety of inexpensive maintenance tune-ups???

Overall very good car. For $1,000 it was well worth it and I would buy one again. Just make sure you do your homework and pick out the right one.

I recommend taking this or any other car to a trusted mechanic to make sure nothing serious is wrong with the car.