Help me pick a good grown up car

[Denny]

I just can't get over how boring the Altima looks. The Marauder is just too damn big and too damn thirsty. I want something nimble and quick-ish, not a straight line boat with cubic inches.

Well, in that case, just grab a Nissan Altima SE (no R). You can still get a 3.5 standard or auto without the extra ricer looks. Or Maybe a Maxima.

Testdrive all the possibilities, though.

[BLAKE]

The gen TL you are looking at are dope, the new ones and new Acuras in general are butt ass ugly. They need to fire their designers.

Yeah, the razor blade upper grille makes me want to cut myself with it.

[BLAKE]

Well, in that case, just grab a Nissan Altima SE (no R). You can still get a 3.5 standard or auto without the extra ricer looks. Or Maybe a Maxima.

Testdrive all the possibilities, though.

Interesting. A lot of fans of the Altima in here, it seems. I have this concept (wrong as it may be) that Altimas aren't that great. Am I crazy?

[Trip McNeely]

Yeah, the razor blade upper grille makes me want to cut myself with it.

Not only that, but the rear looks identical to the front and just as bad. I understand the concept "cutting edge", but they are taking it literally.

[Trip McNeely]

Interesting. A lot of fans of the Altima in here, it seems. I have this concept (wrong as it may be) that Altimas aren't that great. Am I crazy?

The newer Nissans are junk. I have known a few people with either a Maxima or Altima and have had nothing but issues. Nissans have always been known for their less than stellar electrical systems too.

[8mpg]

Interesting. A lot of fans of the Altima in here, it seems. I have this concept (wrong as it may be) that Altimas aren't that great. Am I crazy?

Im a hater... had 2 bad experiences with them back to back.

06 5spd car... bad motor mounts, something small broke, alignment wouldnt stay, bad steering stabilizer

07 auto (cvt)... I really really did like this car..but had a million problems. They replaced all the brakes, reprogrammed the windows a couple times, new brake pedal assembly, new engine, ended up killing a battery somehow...the list goes on. Now honestly, I seemed to have just a lemmon. I had read on Altima forums about the 07+ cars and no one else seemed to have the problems I did. It was a great riding car, the cvt was great, interior was nice, loved the keyless doors/ignition, etc. Id still have it if it werent for 45 days or so of shop time in 9 months.

[Tyrone Biggums]

Interesting. A lot of fans of the Altima in here, it seems. I have this concept (wrong as it may be) that Altimas aren't that great. Am I crazy?

We had an '03 Altima 3.5 SE before the 4Runner and it's as close to a TL as you're going to get. It was decked with all the goodies, had torque steer like a b and was an overall cool car. We ended up wishing we hadn't dumped it for the Toyota.

[Denny]

Interesting. A lot of fans of the Altima in here, it seems. I have this concept (wrong as it may be) that Altimas aren't that great. Am I crazy?

My wife owned one for four years and loved it, but it wasn't a 3.5

I drove one as a rental for 5 days (3.5 standard) and loved the shit out of it. That's all the input I have from my experience. But who listens to me anyway; I like Mustang IIs.

[BLAKE]

But who listens to me anyway; I like Mustang IIs.

Good point.

[ozzeran]

lol

[Hmbre97]

Stay away from the 07+ Altimas. I've read about a lot of issues with the CVT transmissions once they get up around 80-100k miles.

I'm in the same boat as you right now. Personally, I really like the way the Altima SE-R looks. Nothing too flashy, nice looking stock wheels, nice exhaust note (think 350z). I've also looked at the IS300's as lots of people have attested to the 2jz motors being rock solid. The only common issues I've found with the IS300 is the 6 disc changer not reading burned discs or start skipping. Other than that, they are good to go.

[SSMAN]

Aww now. Aint nothing wrong with Mazdas.

LOL! You saved my ass with some of the problems I had. Still owe you.

[UserX]

G35 > TL

RWD > FWD

Made in Japan > Made by a fat bloke in OH

[UserX]

and they have a history of fussy brakes/alignment issues and a dash that likes to fry itself to the tune of $1,200-1,500.

My Mom has an 03 sedan, no alignment issues ever. And her radio/climate controls did go out this year, dealer wanted $1,700, local electronic repair shops wanted $600-700, I pulled it myself and sent it off to CA, fixed for $200 with warranty. I found the shop on ebay. It has been a great car, 150K and the radio has been the only issue. She had a TL before the G, and LOVES the G in comparison. It drives and handles sooooo much better.

[BLAKE]

My Mom has an 03 sedan, no alignment issues ever. And her radio/climate controls did go out this year, dealer wanted $1,700, local electronic repair shops wanted $600-700, I pulled it myself and sent it off to CA, fixed for $200 with warranty. I found the shop on ebay. It has been a great car, 150K and the radio has been the only issue. She had a TL before the G, and LOVES the G in comparison. It drives and handles sooooo much better.

Interesting. That's a great solution to the radio/HVAC thing. I'm not afraid of dealing with little stuff like that as long as it's not stupidly over priced to fix.

Once again, it sounds like I need to go out and drive these cars.