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Long Term Reliability of Nissan Altima

65 messages,  Last post on Dec 19, 2011 at 8:47 AM

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What is this discussion about? Nissan Altima, Sedan

Messages Page 8 of 8

#63 of 65 Nissan Altima Reliability by troy123

Apr 25, 2011 (9:19 am)

Replying to: lookingnow (Mar 31, 2011 3:26 am)
Every time I plan to post, I find that I am not a member or too lazy to sign up.. today I took the time to sign up so that I can post my comments.
 
I own a Nissan Altima 2000. and have been driving for the past 10 + years
I got it new however from the beginning itself I had maintenance issues.
 
Every time I plan to get rid of it due to its high maintenance costs.. I am ending up keeping it.. cause each time I feel this is the last repair.. and the car should be good(since I got it new)I have currently around 110K miles.
 
I have had many issues. from intake manifold gasket replacements twice( costing around $800 each time); alternator; 02 sensors;AC compressor switch; gasket problems; Replacing radiator twice..
 
I feel this is the worst car on repairs

#64 of 65 Altima reliability varies by m_z

Dec 01, 2011 (1:54 pm)

Different models were made at different times with varying quality control at that time so some were better built than others. It really depends so read the forum or other online forums to get a sense of "reliability" of the Nissan Altima.
 
I have a 2005 pre-owned Altima S w/auto which came with 20,001 miles on it.
It had rust all over the engine compartment and the cabin seat bolts. Finally got a cleaning that cleaned up most of it or at least made it look better.
I've gotten 2 extended warranties, the last is the final one and not worth a 3d due to the car's age.
 
Over the past 7-8 years, esp. within the past 2-3 months, repairs have been growing even though the car has ~75,000 miles on it
Vibration problems lead to replacement of suspension parts, new tires, new brakes, new steering wheel components, got confirmation upon replacing my rear fenders that car was previously involved in accident but didn't show up in Carfax when I bot the car (as Enterprise Rentacar, its previous owner, fixed it themselves shoddily and not reported)
 
Issues... you bet I have issues with MY Altima but most were, thank fully, covered by warranty except for wear and tear like the tires/brakes
 
I'm dealing with vibration issues now... winter is coming which means the fuel efficiency will DROP since the car's performance sck in Cold weather as the 23/27 city/hwy mpg I have (due to monitoring) drops to 18/23 city/hwy in cold weather esp. in the winter.
 
Get rid of the stock Continental Tires which, as many reviewers noted, SCK. It has decent traction in warm weather but is lousy in cold weather and it wears down relatively easily!
 
Some people may not have problems with their cars while others do.
Good luck!

#65 of 65 Re: Altima reliability varies [m_z] by gh81

Dec 19, 2011 (8:47 am)

Replying to: m_z (Dec 01, 2011 1:54 pm)
I've driven some good and bad cars over the years in terms of reliability, the best being a 3 series BMW, the worst being a 2003 Mercedes C Class (luckily it was a company car and not me paying the bills). When I purchased this car I was concerned about buying a car that would be reliable long term.
 
I purchased a 2006 Nissan Altima 2.5 S (special edition) in July 2010 with 45k miles on the clock. As far as I understand it was one of the last Atimas to be made before the updated model was released. Currently it has 71k miles. I became somewhat worried about some of the problems and recalls that I heard about the 2.5 engine, but so far, so good. So far the only unexpected repairs have been a suspension component and a battery. It starts first time when it's -20C outside. I've spoken at length with several mechanics who have seen this model reach 200k miles, they were much more negative about the Sentra and early Rogue. I have a friend who brought the same model on the same day as me in 2010, his car has higher mileage than mine and has had one minor issue so far. I will report back if I have some major problems. When you look through forums you'll undoubtedly see people posting about lemon cars, all manufacturers will make them (some more than others), but based on my experience I would recommend the Altima. It's a great car, comfortable, quick, much more interesting than the equivalent Toyota, Mazda, Chevrolet, Ford etc etc.

Messages Page 8 of 8

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