I Think I Like This Car.....A Lot

It’s difficult to make objective statements about a newly purchased car, especially a car that’s been redesigned from the bottom up. (For those unaware, the 2002 Altima was completely redesigned from the previous year). Everyone wants to believe they’ve made a good decision, and bought the ‘perfect’ car. I purchased a 2002 Nissan Altima in late November last year, and this is my assessment thus far.

The problem is, its impossible to say with any certainty that this car is the ‘best’ this or the ‘best’ that; get back with me in 3 or 4 years and I’ll have a better idea about the overall quality of this car when it starts to show how well it ages, as it were. I can’t afford to buy a new car every 2 or 4 years, so I’m going to be driving this thing for quite a while. Long term reliability is important to me, unfortunately it’s a factor that’s impossible to judge without time spent with the automobile.

That being said, my initial assessment of my 2.5 S is 100 percent positive. Its fun to drive (especially with the stick, which I believe is being phased out), road noise is shockingly absent, it handles fairly well, it’s comfortable, the stock stereo is impressive, and the 175 HP engine beats everything in its class (Accord and Camry). The term ‘Affordable Luxury’ has been used to describe this car in the past, and I’d say that’s a dead on description; I’ve driven BMW’s, Acura’s, Passat’s, Mercede’s, Porche’s, and dollar for dollar, the newly designed Nissan Altima is HANDS DOWN the best car for the money, trust me on this one.

My initial impression is that the engineering on the automobile is rock solid, but again until I’ve put the car through its paces for 3 or 4 years, I cannot guarantee the long term quality. What I can say is that I’ve had ZERO issues with this car since I bought it last November. I guess if I were to name some complaints, I’d say the seat adjustment could use a bit of work, some of the interior accoutrements could have been of higher quality, and the larger engine reduces fuel efficiency, but this car has never advertised itself as an ‘econobox.’

The interior is dead quiet on the highway, it has respectable handling, it’s a blast to drive, the stock stereo is more than sufficient, and if you think you’ve settled on a Passat, Camry, or Accord do yourself a favor and try test driving the new Nissan Altima; you might be surprised at how pleasant this car is, and your wallet will thank you.