1995 Nissan Altima

First and reliable car

By Jolton (PA) on Sunday, July 21, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 157,866

Pros: "reliable car"

Cons: "it good"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"I bought this car in November 2012 145768 miles. I only did repair once, which was replacing one fuel injector. All I do was regular oil change, unfortunately I've accident on 7/20/13. I was not at fault."

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Fuel-efficient, Reliable Plain Jane at Low Price

By Gina (MN) on Saturday, March 30, 2013

I owned and sold this car
Reason: Repairs exceeded value of car. - My approximate mileage is 187,000

Pros: "Reliable, low maint, longevity, underrated, mpg's."

Cons: "Plain looking, no CD player."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Owned this car between 2008-2013 (currently a 17-year-old car...amazing). Recent resell for $750 after purchasing a newer Nissan Sentra. Bought this car for $2000 (got a great deal) with well over 100K miles and drove it to 187K. True to its reputation, given the Consumer Reports "Good Bet" stamp of approval, this car doesn't owe me ANYTHING. Sure, I had to put about $1,000 or more into it during its last few years of ownership, but the cost of monthly car payments + full coverage insurance would have far exceeded the cost of repairs to keep this old girl bringing me safely to and from work, Mom and Dad's, Nebraska (twice), Green Bay (numerous times), Brainerd and everywhere in between. On the negative side, the CV axle boots are known for tearing and leaking lube, thus damaging the axle, which is about $200-300 repair per boot. This indeed happened and at this point, not worth the repair, as something else will kill the vehicle before anything serious happens to the axle. Got 24-31 mpg in the last 1.5-2 years of ownership. Replaced alternator, distributor, windshield wiper motor, EGR valve in the last few years. Needs a new R front spring, causing that tire to wear unevenly -- again, not worth the value of the vehicle at its age and mileage. Starts every time. Still has some zip in her. Handles corners like a champ. Rusting around rear wheel wells, nowhere else. No special treatment for this vehicle except regular oil changes and the occasional tune-up."

5 people out of 6 found this review helpful

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Best Car You Can Get

By Kelley (NJ) on Tuesday, February 19, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 148,000

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Pros: Reliable, Awesome, Smooth ride, bounces back nicely Cons: Doesn't accelerate incredibly fast My Purple 1995 Nissan Altima is the best car I could have ever asked for. Let me start out by saying this car is my baby. I do not have the ability in my heart to rate it any less than a ten. I bought it two years ago when I was 16, and it has served me loyally since then, and I hope for much longer still. Its pretty good on gas, I generally get about 20-22 mpg, not a hybrid, but definitely not a hummer. It accelerates slowly, which scares me a bit when I merge at high speeds, but I feel like my car is just there to say "hey, I'm car, and I'm here to take you where you need to be" nothing more, nothing less. And he's always delivered on that promise. Twice he's randomly become ridiculously loud when I started him, which turned out to be the exhaust falling down, which I got fixed for free at Maaco each time, all they needed to do was weld the pipe back up. In two years its also twice needed a $200 repair, for a total, minus my car accident, about $500 in repairs put into the car that I got for $1800. I also crashed it, rear ended someone at about 40 miles per hour. My bad. But he took it like a champ, even though police declared the car totaled and towed it to a junkyard without my permission, but when I went to say goodbye and saw him in a pile of used up cars waiting to be turned into cubes, I knew I couldn't let him go. He didn't deserve that. It wasn't his fault. It took about $1700 in repairs, but he powered through it, and he got a brand spanking new purple paint job out of it. Now he looks great and feels great too. He looks like a brand new car, if it were 1995. But that's good enough for me. I've since gotten him some new speakers, and we jam out all the time together. His antenna doesn't go down anymore, but that's just because hes always ready to party. His seats are comfortable and welcoming and offer and smooth comfy ride home from a tough day. He was the best first car I could ask for, and I plan on being with him until either he or I can't go any further in this life. He's made me a Nissan person for life, and a purple car person for life. Here's to you, purple people eater. The best car I'll ever have."

7 people out of 8 found this review helpful

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Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth

By Mike (NY) on Thursday, January 17, 2013

I owned and sold this car - My approximate mileage is 120,900

Pros: "Smooth ride, spacious interior for a compact"

Cons: "Reliability, gas mileage, seat comfort, looks"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"This was my 2nd car, got it in the summer of 2003. First off, let me say I hated this car and I am so glad I no longer have to drive around in it. I normally like to list the bad things first but I'll start with the good things because it's a much shorter list. The interior was very nice and spacious and most of the materials were of pretty good quality. Not a fan of the faux wood trim but to each his own. The ride was pretty smooth and generally comfortable. Now onto the bad. By today's standards this car did not age well and is pretty darn ugly. Even back then this car wasn't much of a looker. When I sat in the car I always felt like I was sitting on the ground, and I hate that feeling. Visibility was pretty good despite that. When I got this car it was already around 6 years old but from the moment I got it til the day I traded it in, it was nothing but problem after problem. Major stuff too. The worst was when my entire exhaust system just fell to the ground while pulling out of my driveway. The entire piping literally just fell to the ground. I thought the engine was about to explode. One more major downside was gas mileage. Want to know what I got? 13 mpg. Yeah that's right. It was a 4-cylinder and I did not have a lead foot when I drove it. My commute was about 50% city 50% highway during the years I owned it. 13 mpg is abysmal, especially for this car. It's not like I was a Hummer. This was considered a compact car back then. So if none of that turned you off, then sure go right ahead and get one of these. At best it got me to and from work and college. At worst it felt like a ticking time bomb that sucked money out of my pockets for gas. Too bad this was my first experience owning a Nissan, as it may have tarnished my image of the brand for good."

1 person out of 6 found this review helpful

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Good on gas, good commuter

By Alexi (GA) on Wednesday, December 19, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 195,000

Pros: "Great commuter car; great on gas!"

Cons: "Basic design, older features"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 7

"I bought my 1997 Nissan Altima almost two years ago, and the previous owners failed to repair many things on the car, and the car also had some prior body damage on it. Overall the Nissan is great on gas meaning you can put $20-$25 worth of gas with today's current prices and it lasts me at least a week or a little longer and my commute is typically 30 minutes to an hour or longer depending on traffic. I had several repairs done on the car like rebuilt transmisson, struts, brakes, radiator,etc. Well now my Altima has been sitting silent in the driveway a week because it looks like now needs a timing chain; that's' major and ridiculously expensive so I'm parting ways now;gonna try to get what I can for it, and keep it moving and get me a much newer vehicle; I've broken down atleast three times this year on the highway and its just too much now to deal with. I can say with all the issues with the car not to mention its got multiple leaks it has been great commuter car and after you fill up the tank,the car rides smooth and fast (unbelievable) for a car this old and again many mechanical issues.I'm really gonna miss it but I just can't bear to look at it sitting all alone anymore.. I would really only recommend this year car and model to people who work close to home not in stop and go traffic, or for college students again not having long commute times just going back and forth on campus or to malls, movies, etc."

4 people out of 5 found this review helpful

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Decent vehicle, cheap on gas and repairs.

By Karriban (TN) on Wednesday, March 28, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 160,000

Pros: "Cheap, drives well, good on gas"

Cons: "not the best looking car, noisy if neglected."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"Compared to the repair costs of other vehicles from the same year, this car is relatively cheap. It runs well even while having several issues under the hood. As a certified technician, I can say this is one of the easiest cars I have ever worked on. Some spots are a bit tight to get to depending on what you're replacing/ repairing, but it's manageable overall. The particular altima that I own was totaled before I got it. The entire front end was cut off and replaced, frame and all (you can see the welding marks on the frame) but it still runs fine. These vehicles are also great on gas. $20 in gas will get me back and forth to work for almost 2 weeks. These cars will develop a LOT of rattling noises over time if improperly cared for. Usually this can be attributed to motor mounts being bad and sending vibrations through the rest of the car. The dash on these cars are made of really cheap material and will warp over time, causing even more noise. If taken care of properly though, you can eliminate the noise problems. If you need a cheap and dependable car that can still haul a few people at the same time, this is a great choice overall."

28 people out of 28 found this review helpful

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