Anybody Drive A Nissan Altima SL ?

[Jeff '79]

Do a review please...
I gotta get a DD sedan soon and am again starting to hunt.
These are pretty inexpensive relatively speaking.

2017 Used Nissan Altima 2.5 SL at North Coast Auto Mall Serving Bedford, OH, IID 16681150

[snide]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

Do a review please...

It's a Datsun.

[OddBall]

Nope. Never have.

[snide]

They're popular in the rental fleets.

[GRN ENVY]

Originally Posted by snide

They're popular in the rental fleets.

Yep. Sold a quite a few of them at CarMax. Can be nicely equipped for the money. But 60-70k be ready to have trans issues with the CVT.

IMHO here is the list you should consider for a good cheap DD sub $18k

1. Honda Accord
2. Kia Optima (SXL trim, better motor, better options) under that trim they fall a part.
3. Toyota Camry
4. Nissan Maxima

Now if you you don't mind a car 2-5 years old with 40k + miles. Acura ILX or TLX. Lexus IS/ ES post 2011, earlier than that, you get to deal with the sticky dash recall. Infinity G37 is a solid car as well.

Hope that helps

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by GRN ENVY

Yep. Sold a quite a few of them at CarMax. Can be Nicky equipped for the money. But 60-70k be ready to have trans issues with the CVT.

IMHO here is the list you should consider for a good cheap DD sub $18k

1. Honda Accord
2. Kia Optima (SXL trim, better motor, better options) under that trim they fall a part.
3. Toyota Camry
4. Nissan Maxima

Now if you you don't mind a car 2-5 years old with 40k + miles. Acura ILX or TLX. Lexus IS/ ES post 2011, earlier than that, you get to deal with the sticky dash recall. Infinity G37 is a solid car as well.

Hope that helps

Thank you

[lspencer534]

You'll have less trouble with a Toyota Camry.

[MrPeabody]

I recently sold my '08 Camry with 107K on it, I think.

Upside - flawlessly reliable, 32 mpg highway, roomy car, sold it for 1K above KBB private party value to the first person that looked at it.

Downside - Poor fit and finish, five recalls (all minor stuff, but that accelerator problem was one of them) most boring car I have ever driven.

[99 pewtercoupe]

I have a 2008 with approx 115k miles on it. Has been a very reliable DD
No issues so far with the CVT but it does take some getting used to

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by GRN ENVY

Yep. Sold a quite a few of them at CarMax. Can be nicely equipped for the money. But 60-70k be ready to have trans issues with the CVT.

IMHO here is the list you should consider for a good cheap DD sub $18k

1. Honda Accord
2. Kia Optima (SXL trim, better motor, better options) under that trim they fall a part.
3. Toyota Camry
4. Nissan Maxima

Now if you you don't mind a car 2-5 years old with 40k + miles. Acura ILX or TLX. Lexus IS/ ES post 2011, earlier than that, you get to deal with the sticky dash recall. Infinity G37 is a solid car as well.

Hope that helps

But 60-70k be ready to have trans issues with the CVT.

Are you talking the Honda Accord or Nissan Maxima when you say CVT ?

Also, there is a Car-Max in Rochester, a touch over an hour down the road.
Are they walk in stores where you can see the cars or are they just on line?

[Mike Mercury]

[GRN ENVY]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

But 60-70k be ready to have trans issues with the CVT.

Are you talking the Honda Accord or Nissan Maxima when you say CVT ?

Also, there is a Car-Max in Rochester, a touch over an hour down the road.
Are they walk in stores where you can see the cars or are they just on line?

Nissan cvt’s are the problem child. Those and Ford focus/ fiesta trans were always in the shop. There are plenty good out there, but I saw more of those in the shops.

All CarMax stores are walk ins. You can see the cars in person. If there is one you really like you can place a hold online for a test drive until you can get down there. Their website will have full history of all the cars. I used to know a sales guy there and the general manager. Not sure if either is there any more.

Make a list of a few cars to drive while you’re there. All the cars will Be unlocked for you to get in and out of, so you won’t need a sales guy if you don’t want one.

[polarbear]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

But 60-70k be ready to have trans issues with the CVT.

Are you talking the Honda Accord or Nissan Maxima when you say CVT ?

Also, there is a Car-Max in Rochester, a touch over an hour down the road.
Are they walk in stores where you can see the cars or are they just on line?

Hmmm... I'm gonna disagree here with a few posters, and say I've driven literally hundreds of these cars over the past few years.

1. Altima's are comfy, quiet cars with enormous trunks.
2. They get crazy gas mileage- I've never seen one returned with a DIC readout under 30mpg, and readings over 40 aren't uncommon. That's the best fuel mileage this side of a hybrid in this class.
3. In our shop, they've been total strangers (Not true of other Nissan products). Typical Altima gets 30-40K miles of daily rental use without issue before getting retailed (we don't run ours through auction- they're easy to sell out here).

So why didn't we buy one? (We have a Camry)
1. Mrs. Bear didn't like the rearward visibility, and wasn't keen on the bodystyle.
2. We bought new- so resale becomes a bit of a factor.
3. We have a great Toyota dealership nearby that's verified the glowing reports we got from friends/acquaintances that had done business with them.

One car I'd strongly consider in this class is a Fusion Hybrid. This is the quietest, most comfortable car in it's class (and a class or two higher) you can buy. Fleets have loaded up on hybrids, so late model returns at a reasonable price should be readily available. The hybrid drivetrain was a Ford/Toyota joint venture, so there shouldn't be any mechanical trauma or drama to deal with.

[Jeff '79]

This Altima is pretty loaded and piques our interest.
Only 150 hp though... We want to be above 185hp.
Comments ? .... (Not you Mercury ! )


https://www.carmax.com/car/14483245

[RonC5]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

This Altima is pretty loaded and piques our interest.
Only 150 hp though... We want to be above 185hp.
Comments ? .... (Not you Mercury ! )


https://www.carmax.com/car/14483245

We have had 3 Acuras, 2008 TL, 2008 MDX and now a 2015 MDX. I used the TL as a commuter car, I drove it for 2 years and put 50K on it. Flawless. Dealer service is great, always a free loaner if it was going to take more than a couple hours.

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by RonC5

We have had 3 Acuras, 2008 TL, 2008 MDX and now a 2015 MDX. I used the TL as a commuter car, I drove it for 2 years and put 50K on it. Flawless. Dealer service is great, always a free loaner if it was going to take more than a couple hours.

How is the handling, braking and hp ?
I'm going from a 525i to ....Something else, and it will be a difficult adjustment for me

[GRN ENVY]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

This Altima is pretty loaded and piques our interest.
Only 150 hp though... We want to be above 185hp.
Comments ? .... (Not you Mercury ! )


https://www.carmax.com/car/14483245

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

How is the handling, braking and hp ?
I'm going from a 525i to ....Something else, and it will be a difficult adjustment for me

Keep in mind, Acura is built by Honda so you can’t go wrong. The ILX is the civic platform. It will drive and ride smooth and handle well. Coming from your 5 series, I think you need to consider a TLX/TSX

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by GRN ENVY

Keep in mind, Acura is built by Honda so you can’t go wrong. The ILX is the civic platform. It will drive and ride smooth and handle well. Coming from your 5 series, I think you need to consider a TLX

I'm filling out the financing page as we type.
How long will they take to get back to me?
Liz doesn't like the ILX anyway
Thanks for your input Marcus

[GRN ENVY]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

I'm filling out the financing page as we type.
How long will they take to get back to me?
Liz doesn't like the ILX anyway
Thanks for your input Marcus

20-30 mins to have your approvals/ prequal. It won’t be on that exact car. It will Be on average 2013 cars to get you an basic prequalification. Once you decide on the car. Age, miles of the car will differ you’re interest rate. Newer and lower miles have better interest rates. Now if you have challenged credit. Your approval will be what it will be. If you have great credit. You will get an interest rate to your liking. Keep in mind, you might be able to get a slightly better rate with a credit union, they evaluate risk differently.

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by GRN ENVY

20-30 mins to have your approvals/ prequal. It won’t be on that exact car. It will Be on average 2013 cars to get you an basic prequalification. Once you decide on the car. Age, miles of the car will differ you’re interest rate. Newer and lower miles have better interest rates. Now if you have challenged credit. Your approval will be what it will be. If you have great credit. You will get an interest rate to your liking. Keep in mind, you might be able to get a slightly better rate with a credit union, they evaluate risk differently.

Rochester does not open until 10, so I'm thinking that hat may delay it a bit.
We're both north of 800 so that won't be an issue.
I may stop at a credit union today to see what they can offer as well.
Now to find something that we both can agree on....