Best car I have owned
Nothing has gone wrong with this car.
It has been recalled by the manufacturer, they completed the task, and this car has been perfect ever since and even before.
Handles like a comfortable sports car, and has enough power to pull us up hills all around the mountains, near which we live.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 10th April, 2004
Beautiful, but you are rolling the dice
Intermittent starting problem, crank position sensor, oil burning problem, turn signals occasionally stop making the 'click' noise, poor heater performance.
First of all start out with the positives - the car is absolutely gorgeous. It is ruby with tan leather, a very nice combo.
Then engine is strong for a 4 cylinder, but mileage is only marginally better than the 3.5.
The stereo is very good (bose with 6 CD changer).
The seats are average - the lower cushion is a little short.
Interior materials are low grade hard plastics.
Stock Continental tires are garbage in the snow/ice - replaced with winter tires.
Maybe I received a lemon, but I've had more than my share of problems with this thing - poor heater performance, intermittent flooding when cold (especially when humid), the car burns a litre between oil changes (6000KM), and now the car sits at the stealership waiting replacement of a crank position sensor which went south.
Overall I would say that this car is a rather large disappointment, especially considering I took a chance and bought it instead of a comparably priced accord or camry. I will try my luck with an American car next (considering the Altima is built in America anyway).
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 17th December, 2003
HI,
I was wondering what kind of heating problems you were having. I am having heating problems too. The local dealership has tested it and purged the system twice. But I still get the same results. I get no heat when it is idling. I get some heat on the lower settings. When my foot is on the gas though I get plenty of heat. Did Nissan find a solution for you?
Thanks.
The best medium priced sedan money can buy
Absolutely nothing. I have just done the regular maintenance.
A small vibration on the left door speaker cured itself!!
First I love the looks. I wish I had the money to spend for the 3.5 but even with the 2.5 performance is more than adequate. Handling is great and braking is powerful and linear. Suspension is sporty tuned so it is not the most comfortable ride, but again this is what we love!!
Yes the interior (dash) feels and maybe is cheaply done, but at least it looks a bit different from the usual 4 door competition. I am still under warranty so I really do not know the dealer costs. To sum it up I really love this car, and I think it is better than any competitor (import and local)
Please not that all the numbers are in Kilometers (long live the metric system!!)
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th September, 2003
A great sporty family sedan
Malfunctioning trunk latch.
Passenger side windows would not fully operate.
Little buzzing sound that lets you know that you left your lights on doesn't work.
All of this was fixed under warranty.
Nissan have got to work on their electrical systems a bit better, the same problems I have had in my 02' Altima I have experienced in my old 00' Altima.
You get a lot of standard equipment for your money.
A relatively fast machine for a midsize sedan, but it's passing power is subpar.
I love Nissans, I have owned 2 previous Altimas (97', 00') and I will continue to buy Nissans till I leave this earth.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th August, 2003
Performance, quality and value, this is the best car for 2002.
This car has literally been maintenance free.
The car has excellent performance and handling. It's a great family sedan that performs like a sports car. The seats are very comfortable and the power drivers seat is adjustable to suit just about anyone. The fuel mileage is excellent at 10.9L/100km City and 7.9L/100km Highway. I am a high mileage driver and so far in 74,000 km, my total average mileage is 9.4L/100km. The car is also very quiet at highway speeds. Body panel fit and finish is excellent.
The negatives of this car;
The radio has very poor reception. You can hear an electrical engine noise on most stations unless you are very close to the local radio transmitters. This is common in all 2002 Altima's.
The interior finish is cheap looking and does not reflect the fine quality that was put into the rest of the car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th December, 2002
I agree with your review, except for the fact that the seat in my Altima is far from comfortable. After only 5700 miles, the seat makes me feel as if I have no support on the left side and I find myself constantly re-adjusting the seat and myself.
The dealership says that I need to raise the seat up higher to make it firmer, but I feel that the seat should be able to be adjusted to where I am comfortable driving. I find myself having trouble convincing the dealer that my seat is not right and they are quite reluctant on replacing the seat under warranty.
There is also a clicking noise coming from the seatbelt section next to the center console, a rattle in the dash somewhere behind the radio, and another rattle inside the driver door.
I hope you mean "trouble free" and not "maintenance free." I know most people know what you mean, but I still cringe when I hear that expression applied to a car.
After about two years with this car I am fairly pleased. I've only had to take it back to the dealer one time for a problem with the driver-side power window not rolling down.
Aside from that window issue, there are two problems:
1) I live in Fargo, ND. As you can imagine it gets quite cold here in the winter time. In my Altima I got the premium Bose sound system. In extreme code the radio will not function. Until about 15-30 minutes of driving. Not a huge problem, but heck, this was about a $1000 option so I feel it should work all the time. My brother-in-law is an Electrical engineer and told me that amps don't like to work in extreme cold so that could be a possible diagnosis.
2) Very very rarely I will go to start the car and nothing. It doesn't turn over or even act like I have turned the key. My solution to this is to put the car into neutral and it starts right up (this is an automatic transmission).
Both problems are fairly minor, and don't happen that often. So rare, that I am not sure that I could take it to the dealer to have them look at the issue as it will likely not be happening at the time.
Overall I like the looks and power. Looking back I would have probably gone for the traction control as the snow/ice here don't go too well with the horsepower of this vehicle.
The most sensible car you could buy.
Nothing has gone wrong.
This car is amazingly quick and smooth, but still has a tight enough suspension to give you the feel that you're driving a sports car.
The steering is very sensitive and makes it a nimble car for getting around town. When on the highway the steering tightens up and gives you a good firm feel for the road.
The car is extremely comfortable and a lot roomier that my pervious 1998 Altima.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th August, 2002
Excellent family sedan!
So far so good. Build quality is exceptional and I don't anticipate any problems for a long time.
Very quick 4 cylinder (180-hp, 181-torque). Looks sharp for a bulky car. The car loves hills and has excellent low end acceleration. Passing at high speeds is mediocre, but this may be due to the 4-speed automatic transmission. Leather seats are thick and comfortable. Interior is vast. Back seats have as much room as the front. Truck space is incredible. Good fuel economy for a large 4-banger. Suspension is tight enough to take high speed corners. No problem bringing this rather large vehicle to 200km/h. In fact, you probably won't notice you've reached that speed. If you are considering buying this car, get the 3.5 V6 (240hp). It's a friggin' rocket and a great way to kill yourself or terrorize the wife and kids. To sum up, the new Altima is currently the best sedan for the money.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 28th April, 2002
18th Jul 2008, 19:50
Trust me buddy you will be having problems with your Altima sooner than you think.