Looking into getting 2006 Nissan Altima

[NoStateofMind]

Has 112,000 miles and they want $8k for it. Hoping to hear from people who have experience with this vehicle and its common problems so I don't walk into this only to be blinded with major repairs early on. Also open to suggestions on a comparable car in the same price range. Appreciate any and all replies.

 

[Arkaign]

I think the Altima is decent, although $8k is far too much for it with 112k miles, especially if it's the S 2.5.

 

[NoStateofMind]

IDK what the price of that should be honestly but looking through autotrader.com's website it looks pretty competitive considering the options. I'm completely open to other suggestions. I've looked into the Ford Fusion but don't know enough about them and they also seem to be around the ~100k mile mark. I don't know if its a myth but from what I've always heard is foreign cars (Nissan, Toyota, Honda) are more reliable and can expect 200k+ miles while American made cars (Ford/GM) start going down hill fast after 100k miles.

 

[Arkaign]

IDK what the price of that should be honestly but looking through autotrader.com's website it looks pretty competitive considering the options. I'm completely open to other suggestions. I've looked into the Ford Fusion but don't know enough about them and they also seem to be around the ~100k mile mark. I don't know if its a myth but from what I've always heard is foreign cars (Nissan, Toyota, Honda) are more reliable and can expect 200k+ miles while American made cars (Ford/GM) start going down hill fast after 100k miles.

Well, the US v. Japan thing was primarily true from say ~'80 to the late 90s, but these days you really have to go model by model. For example a 2005 Neon was/is trash, but a 2005 Focus is a good reliable car that compares nicely to Civic/Corolla/etc.

The older Malibus weren't very good, but I'd put the '2H08+ against anything in the class with really good features/design/quality. For that midsize, you're looking at a lot of pretty good contenders :

Altima, Mazda6, Fusion, Accord, Camry, Legacy, Malibu.

You'll probably get more for your $ with Malibu/Fusion due to lower resale, and I definitely think they're all roughly equivalent in terms of reliability. Certainly how well you take care of it will play a larger role vs. the minor differences. If we were talking older cars, say 2000/2001 models, I'd say stick with Honda/Toyota/Nissan for sure there. Mazda wasn't all that great back then either, and Mitsubishi was and still is pretty terrible, much like Dodge.

Couple of examples, I have no clue what part of country you're in :

'08 Malibu V6 Auto, 48k miles, $7700

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...e=b&num_records=25&cardist=223&standard=false

'08 Fusion V6 Auto, 26k miles, $8000

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.j...=b&num_records=25&cardist=1207&standard=false

So, newer car, lots of features, low miles. If you're worried about Japan v. US, you can feel comfortable with the Fusion, it's a Mazda6 in Ford skin.

 

[Arkaign]

I guess my message got a little muddled there.

Get something that you like and feel comfortable with, but I think if you have $8k to spend and it sounds like you want to keep the thing a while, look to stick to 40-80k miles at most. You will find deals out there, even if you have to look/wait a bit. Basically any car is going to have a few things that will need to be replaced for the first 100k miles, and the 100k to 200k range is where a lot more things can crop up, even if by themselves they're not too huge. It can add up, suspension parts, fuel pumps, coils, injectors, etc, etc. Any of the leading contenders in this category *should* make 200k pretty easy with regular maintenance and without serious abuse, so the lower mileage you start out with, the longer you're likely to be able to get usability/value from it.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Isn't the 2.5 from that gen sludge prone or something?

 

[Arkaign]

Isn't the 2.5 from that gen sludge prone or something?

Yeah more than a few of that gen had trouble with sludge/oil burning, though AFAIK those problems presented themselves early and big. It would be a good idea to look at the vehicle history for sure to see what dealer services have been done.

 

[VinylxScratches]

2nd gen Neons aren't trash!

 

[chin311]

I picked up an 06 SE-R model a few months ago, it only has just over 42k on it now though so can't say much for long term, and its a different motor then that 2.5's.

 

[VinylxScratches]

How much did you pay?

 

[angry hampster]

I picked up an 06 SE-R model a few months ago, it only has just over 42k on it now though so can't say much for long term, and its a different motor then that 2.5's.

Basically a 350z motor, correct?

 

[chin311]

yeah 3.5 vq, 260hp.

mine bought with 39k on it was 15k.

 

[angry hampster]

Not a bad deal. Love the look on those...pretty rare as well, right?

 

[VinylxScratches]

I'd say so, I've only seen 2 locally.

 

[maidaa]

Altima 2.5 2002-06 (and Sentra 2.5) have the QR25DE engine, it is
not uncommon for it to become an oilburner at 100-120kmiles,
what happen is that the precat start to brake apart and the debri does get sucked back in to the engine and scores the cylinders, burns 1qt/400miles.
And no smoke from engine...

¢

 

[CraigRT]

For example a 2005 Neon was/is trash, but a 2005 Focus is a good reliable car that compares nicely to Civic/Corolla/etc.

2nd gen Neons are rock solid and I recommend them to everyone because they are dirt cheap and reliable. I had a 2001 and it never gave me a lick of trouble. I miss it actually. I won't comment on the Focus, I just think the new ones are disgusting looking.

 

[VinylxScratches]

2nd gen Neons are rock solid and I recommend them to everyone because they are dirt cheap and reliable. I had a 2001 and it never gave me a lick of trouble. I miss it actually. I won't comment on the Focus, I just think the new ones are disgusting looking.

I agree. I did have a solenoid leak but that didn't put me on the side of the road. 95,000 miles so far on my 2002 Neon. I bought it was about 12,000 back in 03 and it still runs.

 

[Arkaign]

I think that's the first time I've ever heard "Neon" and "Reliable" in the same sentence. I used to see billions of them around here, but now I might see 1-2 a month. I put them in the same category as Mitsubishis of similar era, widely regarded as deplorable, and for good reason. They stuck with the 3-speed auto for a very long time, then switched over to a 4-speed unit notorious for problems, then finally appear to have solved that with different ratios on the '03-'05s. They also have the lowest continual safety ratings of the compact class from '95-'05.

Dirt cheap, yes. Reliable ... I'd have a hard time agreeing with that. I very rarely see surviving Neons on the road, and most of them that I see for sale have 120k miles or less.

 

[Arkaign]

Btw, Craig, you should know what a reliable car is, those mid-90s Saturns are amazingly reliable and affordable, while having better fuel economy (auto vs. auto or manual vs manual) and safety to boot.

 

[chin311]

Not a bad deal. Love the look on those...pretty rare as well, right?

yeah, the price wasnt a GREAT deal but not bad considering it was the color i wanted and in great shape with low miles...and the hardest part to find with all of those thing is the 6 speed manual tranny. everyone i see for sale is black or red with high miles and autotragic.

sorry for the hijack...

i've known a few people with the 2.5 models and they seemed happy with them, they didn't run them into the ground or drive them til 200k so i can't speak there

 

[CraigRT]

Btw, Craig, you should know what a reliable car is, those mid-90s Saturns are amazingly reliable and affordable, while having better fuel economy (auto vs. auto or manual vs manual) and safety to boot.

Honestly I think the Neon is a better car than the Saturns are. The Saturns just have a very enjoyable quality about them and I'm hooked. I have a friend with a 2005 Neon and he beats the bag out of that car every day. He is literally the hardest person I know on vehicles, and it still runs like a top..

The Saturns do take abuse (timing chain engine) but they have a lot of stupid problems (that I don't necessarily mind) but the Neon is a lot more of a set it and forget it type car honestly.

One thing you can't argue about domestic cars is their resale. I paid $300 for my '00 wagon and $800 for my sedan (2 years ago) I pretty much trust either to go anywhere.

 

[KentState]

2nd gen Neons are rock solid and I recommend them to everyone because they are dirt cheap and reliable. I had a 2001 and it never gave me a lick of trouble. I miss it actually. I won't comment on the Focus, I just think the new ones are disgusting looking.

The biggest downside of the Neon no matter how reliable it is, is the lack of safety. I would not want to risk my life and save a few thousand.

 

[Arkaign]

Honestly I think the Neon is a better car than the Saturns are. The Saturns just have a very enjoyable quality about them and I'm hooked. I have a friend with a 2005 Neon and he beats the bag out of that car every day. He is literally the hardest person I know on vehicles, and it still runs like a top..

The Saturns do take abuse (timing chain engine) but they have a lot of stupid problems (that I don't necessarily mind) but the Neon is a lot more of a set it and forget it type car honestly.

One thing you can't argue about domestic cars is their resale. I paid $300 for my '00 wagon and $800 for my sedan (2 years ago) I pretty much trust either to go anywhere.

Hmm. I guess I'm just biased, as I had a Neon new from the dealer and it was by far the worst car I've ever owned, it didn't make 60k miles before it was sent to the scrapper, and I followed all dealer maintenance and didn't dog it at all. That and I've known a lot of folks that had massive problems with them. Now I rarely see them on the road, actually I see more SRT-4s than anything, but I think those were built with a much tougher drivetrain.

My parents have a '95 Saturn SC1 that won't die, and my dad is the absolute worst person ever to take care of cars. It's really on its last legs now though I think, nearing 300k.

No argument whatsoever on domestic resale, it really brings some great cars into affordability that Civics/Corollas/Accords/Camrys can't quite reach until they're really crispy.

 

[CraigRT]

Hmm. I guess I'm just biased, as I had a Neon new from the dealer and it was by far the worst car I've ever owned, it didn't make 60k miles before it was sent to the scrapper, and I followed all dealer maintenance and didn't dog it at all. That and I've known a lot of folks that had massive problems with them. Now I rarely see them on the road, actually I see more SRT-4s than anything, but I think those were built with a much tougher drivetrain.

My parents have a '95 Saturn SC1 that won't die, and my dad is the absolute worst person ever to take care of cars. It's really on its last legs now though I think, nearing 300k.

No argument whatsoever on domestic resale, it really brings some great cars into affordability that Civics/Corollas/Accords/Camrys can't quite reach until they're really crispy.

It comes as a surprise to me.
Because I had a Neon I knew many people who also had them. They also never had any major problems. First generation were hard on head gaskets but were otherwise reliable. 2nd gens did not have any real weaknesses. I drag raced mine all the time and pretty much treat it like any kid would. Never left me stranded ever....

The Saturns are great, but they do have finnicky weaknesses. My 96 has been through a lot but I am slowly restoring the thing back to new. Runs and looks alot newer than 15 years old and 144k miles.