I Know I Love It and That May be All I Need to Know

Let me start by saying that I’m not a “car person”. I view driving as a necessary evil, and a car is just the thing that I sit in while I am forced to drive. When it’s time for me to buy a car I figure out my price range, look in Consumer Reports to see which cars in that range get the best ratings for safety and reliability, and then pick the ones that look good to test drive. I’ll never be a “car person”.

That being said let me tell you that I absolutely love my 2002 Nissan Altima! I’ve owned the car for almost three months now, and I’m still as excited about it as I was when I drove it off the dealer’s lot. I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but there are times when I’m in the garage that I have to stop what I’m doing just so that I can take a moment to admire my car. I have even stopped in parking lots and said to myself “Wow! That’s a good looking car!” only to realize that it’s mine! If this car can get me excited, it’s definitely worth writing about!

Before I get into the details, please know that I don’t know much about engines, suspension systems, and brakes. I can’t explain the technical workings of the car. Luckily, you don’t need me for that. The Nissan Website http://www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/ModelHomePage/0,9438,20700,00.html
and your local dealer can give you plenty of technical information (note that the website now details the 2003 Altima). What I can share is my own unique experiences with the car – why I am so thrilled with my choice, and the few things that Nissan could do to make next year’s model even better.

First - a bit of history. I got my drivers license at 17, but didn’t own a car until I moved to Florida at the tender age of 32. My first car was a sporty Acura Integra. At the time, my employer was paying for the car, so I leased. I really liked the Integra, but when the lease was up, I chose not to buy it for several reasons, the most relevant being that I wanted a larger six cylinder car. The Integra had only four cylinders, and sometimes while merging onto highways it gave me cause to pray! Florida drivers are known to be rude and to drive fast, and quick pick-up is required for anyone doing a lot of highway driving. I turned in the Integra and bought a Honda Accord V6. It is a great car and I had no problems with it. Meanwhile, my husband had been driving “Denty”. Denty was our 1989 Nissan Maxima. The car wasn’t beautiful, but it never gave us a moment of engine trouble. It got the name “Denty” four years ago when someone sideswiped my husband. The entire driver’s side was smashed. Denty had some “issues” after the accident – only three doors worked, only one window worked, the air conditioned sometimes got temperamental, the sun visor had been ripped out, but the engine was a finely tuned machine! When a fender-bender finally “killed” Denty at 180,000 miles, we were completely sold on Nissan as the maker of reliable cars.

We went to look at new Nissans. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the look of the new Maxima, and the car was priced out of my desired range. The Altima, on the other hand, looked great! I remember the first time I saw the new Altima. I loved the silhouette of the car, and the shape of the tail lights. The car looked large and comfortable, yet sleek and sporty. The price range on the new Altima, however, was outrageous, with sticker prices starting under $17,000 and top of the line models selling in the low $30,000s. Quite frankly, I was confused.

Altima offers 3 basic models:
The 2.5 S is the basic car. It boasts a 175 horse power engine, 4-cylinders, cloth seats, AM/FM/CD Audio system, air conditioning and keyless remote. Consumers seeking to enhance this basic model can purchase the “convenience package” which gives them 16” alloy wheels, 8-way power driver’s seat adjustments, manual lumbar adjustment, leather-wrapped steering wheel, steering wheel mounted audio and trip controls, automatic on/off headlights, a security system, and some other minor convenience items.

The SL model is also 4 cylinders, and comes standard with all of the items in the convenience package, as well as leather seats, the Homelink Universal Transceiver, and a Bose stereo with 6-CD Changer.

Finally there is the 3.5 SE model which features a 3.5 liter V-6 engine. Strangely, this “top of the line” model does not come standard with many of the luxury and convenience items included in the SL. These and other features can be added on, but that is what drives the price on the 6-cylinder model into the Maxima price range.

I think that Nissan designed the packages to be confusing and to force consumers to buy features that they don’t really want. It’s not a great system, and it will frustrate many buyers. I can’t defend Nissan’s marketing strategy, and I will not try to provide the details for all of these packages. Again, the website and sales brochure can spell out all of the options for you.

Initially, the new car was going to be for my husband. After driving Denty for years, he had his eye on a more luxurious car like the Maxima or Lexus. I had problems with the price of those cars. Then, the salesman told us that the 4 cylinder Altima had more horse power than my 㥪 Accord, and that pick up would not be an issue. All of a sudden we had the opportunity to purchase a great looking, less expensive car that that offered great gas mileage and that would save me gas money on my long commute to work

I ended up buying a 4-cylinder SL model. It’s lovely - silver paint with black racing stripes, black leather seats, sun roof, leather-wrapped steering wheel. The car looks sharp! I love the Bose stereo with 6-CD changer! I can’t do things and drive at the same time. Can’t drink coffee, talk on the cell phone, or change CDs. With the 6-cd changer and steering wheel mounted radio controls, I have easy access to many music and radio choices, and the Bose system sounds great (I even think that my singing has improved since I got the Bose, but you’ll have to take my word for that).

I am very pleased with the way the car handles. I have no problems accelerating onto the highway or stopping on short notice. The car rides smoothly and comfortably. It’s fast and peppy.

I have heard some complaints about the seat comfort, but I am satisfied. I am short and must raise the seat to its highest height to be comfortable, but the driver’s side seat has 8 way electronic adjustments, and it is easy for me to find a comfortable driving position.

I could go on and on about how much I love the car, but I think perhaps it would be more useful for me to focus on the few things that I think Nissan could have done better. None of these would have changed my decision to buy the car, but there certainly is room for some small improvements.

1) The center console / arm rest: The arm rest is set further back than in most cars which makes the front seats feel roomier. There is a button that you can pop to push the arm-rest forward so that it can actually be used as an arm rest. I think the mechanism is a bit flimsy, and the design a little bit silly. Maybe a taller person could actually use the arm rest, but I can’t. The console has no change holder. It’s a minor thing, but I like a change holder in the console or a change “cup” on the dash. In its defense, the arm rest opens into two separate compartments that are useful. A shallow one on top and a deeper one underneath that is large enough to hold CDs.

2) Power outlet covers: In the deeper section of the center console there is a power outlet. This is a second outlet (there is one on the dash), and it is a nice feature for someone who may want to charge a cell-phone but keep it hidden from view. The power outlet on the dash is located low and to the right. It is in a good location – out of the driver’s way. One thing that I don’t like is that the outlet covers are not attached, and therefore, can be easily lost. I think that Nissan should attach them so that when the outlet is in use, the covers will stay nearby.

3) Sun visors: The Sun visors are poorly placed too close to the rear-view mirror so that the sun can shine in from the sides. There are visor extenders, but they are not useable since they would hit or block the rear-view mirror. If Nissan moved the visors out, away from the center, the visors would be more effective in blocking the sun, and the extenders could be used when needed.

4) Location of the hazard light button: The hazard light switch is poorly placed low on the dashboard and towards the passenger’s side. If we’re lucky, we don’t need to use our hazards often – at least not in dangerous or emergency situations. Here in Florida, however, we often get horrific rain storms that reduce visibility on the highway. Everyone uses hazards in those storms to help other cars see them. I want the hazard light button to be in a spot that is easy to reach. In a bad storm or emergency situation, it would be hard to locate the hazard light button without taking your eyes off of the road. I’d like to see Nissan move the switch higher up and closer to the driver’s side.

5) Cup Holders: The cup holder is in front of the center console. It is big and roomy and can accommodate two large cups or bottles. It is, however, too deep for a normal sized coffee cup. I like the overall design, but I think that Nissan needs to offer some sort of inset to raise smaller cups up and make the holders more user friendly.

6) Glasses Holder: The car comes with a built in glasses-holder above the rear-view mirror. I also had this in the Honda, and I really like this feature. The holder in the Altima is designed with a door that folds down to access the glasses. When the door is down, it completely blocks the rearview mirror. Granted, the door does not stay down for long, but this is a poor design. The glasses holder in the Honda rolled open into itself, so that it never blocked the driver’s view of the road or mirrors. I hope that Nissan will adopt a similar design for future models.

7) Side View Mirrors: The side view mirrors are slightly small and taper at the outside. The car does have fairly significant blind-spots, and I think that larger mirrors would help eliminate the need for the driver to “bend and crane” before making lane changes.

8) ABS not standard: The car did not come standard with ABS brakes, and, here in Florida it was almost impossible to buy one off the lot with ABS. In the end, I did not buy a car with ABS, and in Florida, this is probably fine. If I lived somewhere where we had ice and snow, however, I would insist on an ABS braking system, and I would be irritated to have to pay extra for it as an upgrade.

Now that I’ve detailed the car’s problems, I’ll conclude by saying that I am 99.7% satisfied with my car. Despite these few “problems”, the car has many small and delightful features. The rearview mirror has a built in dimmer which automatically adjusts so that I’m not blinded by headlights from cars behind me. The trunk is massive and came with two cargo nets which allow me to keep things neat and organized. The back seat folds down in a 60/40 configuration giving me even more trunk space. The gas tank cover is attached so that it can’t be left behind. The keyless remote not only locks and unlocks the car, but also can roll down the windows to help air out the car on those hot Florida summer days. (Too bad it can’t also raise the windows when those sudden Florida summer rain storms hit!) The headlights have auto-off which I like, but I like even more that they have an “auto” setting that senses when there is not enough light and puts the headlights on and off automatically. I’m getting great gas mileage! On the highway I get over 31 mpg, and overall I’m averaging over 28 mpg (that’s with a commute that is about a 50/50 mix of highway and local driving).

I’ll never enjoy driving, but I do feel comfortable and safe in my car. It looks great, and it performs wonderfully! I drive two hours a day to and from work, and the car is a joy. Coming from me, that is a huge endorsement!

Oh, and for what it’s worth, MrWorm is very happy with his new, if slightly used, Honda.