It was a hard decision...here I am 26, in the "real" world, a home owner, currently single but on my way to the family life...
My previous transportation was a 1989 Mazda MX6, 5-speed. Simple, easy, cheap, and fun. Friends rarely asked me to drive(got a little cramped with more than a few people in it), and I loved shifting for myself. Not that I ever had a really bad experience with automatics, but you can't replace the control you get with that 3rd petal and I find I pay a lot more attention while I drive. It was time to replace the MX6 and as much as I didn't want a 4 door, it just made sense so I started looking. My requirements were this:
1. 4 door with enough room for me to sit behind the driver's seat with it adjusted for me (otherwise I might as well get a coupe)
2. a 5 speed manual tranny, a total must have
3. used at a price range between $6000-$8000, didn't want to break the bank on this one
4. known reliability, like everyone else I don't want it to be in the shop all the time
When I started looking I realized that there wasn't too much out there for me to choose from, my potentials list were Toyota Camry(a 5spd 4cyl exists but is very hard to find); Honda Accord(good solid cars but the seats were always hard on my backside); Mazda 626(only a possiblity if equiped with the V6 otherwise pretty slow); Nissan Altima(relatively unknown to me); Nissan Maxima(great cars but in my price range I would be looking at older with higher miles). Take notice that they are all Japanese cars, not that I don't like American, but the Japanese are one of the few that equip at least some of their midsized sedans with manual transmissions. Plus they are known to be much more reliable. After test driving all of them, I started doing lots of looking. In the end, of course, I picked the Altima!
What got me to buy it -
Altima's have been a favorite of Consumer Reports and have ranked high on every reliability review I've seen. The one I found had everything I would ever need, a 5spd with a tachometer, strong engine(150hp), power windows/doors/locks/steering/brakes, comfortable cloth seats, CD/Tape players, cruise control and working HVAC. I rank these extremely high in value because for $6k I got a 1999 with about 64K miles in great condition with all of the above. Try that with any of the other makes out there if you find one then buy it!
Why I want to keep it -
I do a lot of driving (average 30K miles a year) so I form opinions on the vehicles I drive fairly quickly. In the 3 months or so I've owned my Altima I've already driven over 7000 miles. Being a 5 speed I can really take advantage of the engine. It is easy to shift and handles very well. There's a good view out the front, rear and sides. A large enough car to soak up bumps, but nimble enough to be fairly tossable(not nearly as much as a sports car though). The passthru trunk has helped me transport a very long coffee table with ease. I check my gas mileage religiously so I can testify to an average 26.9 mpg with a heavy foot and a majority of hwy driving. That compares favorable with my last sedan a '97 Grand Prix that averaged 23 mpg. I've found the cup holders to be very useful, one for a Dasani and one for my cell. It should easily last me 4 or 5 years and still get close to half of what I paid.
Any negatives -
There aren't too many and I can live with all of them. I agree, it's not the most attractive car out there. The rear end has always been an eye sore for me, but I can't see it while I drive and I back into my spot at work so I don't see it often. My car is gold...ugh though they call it Sanddrift Beige. I'm not a big fan of gold cars, but I can deal. I've been driving 5 speeds for only a couple years and my last one had a very sloppy shifter and a super light clutch, but it was very easy to drive and once you get used to the shifter you'd find the right gears by instinct. My Altima is a little different. It's got a much more precise shifter(though slightly rubbery feeling) and a significantly heavier clutch. The only odd thing about the clutch though (I'm not sure if this is the same with all Altimas) is that it's hard to modulate it just right to get the smoothest take off. It grabs just fine, but the catch point is harder to get just right. Before I bought it, they replaced the clutch so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I chalk it up as one of the few quirks that I must live with to have a reliable, safe, inexpensive and fun car.
Note: Word of advice to those that have or are going to buy a Nissan Altima 1998-2001 - when it comes time to replace the tires up the width and lower the profile, meaning go from the standard 195/65/15 to 205/60/15. It really helps in stopping and handling and doesn't affect the ride at all.
Amount Paid (US$): 6000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1999
Model and Options: GXE, 5spd
