2002-2003 Altima 2.5

[wind23]

Hi all,

I am planning to get a used Altima 2002-2003. Is there any problems that I have to watch out?

Thanks

[Toolman5523]

Stay away from the 2.5's, hell stay away from any 02 or newer altima

[wind23]

Why? what's wrong with it?

[FixUrNissan]

Catt converter problems, cause engine failure

[Toolman5523]

Catalytic convertors are junk. Problems with o2 sensors (not picking up failures of cat con.). Cam and Crank sensor problems. Power valve screws come loose and can cause damage (not staked in or thread locked). Multiple ecm reprograms. Head gaskets fail too early. Do you need me to list anymore reasons. Hey don't get me wrong Altimas have made me alot of money, I just don't recommend anyone to those vehicles.

[wind23]

O... Thanks guys...
I am looking to spend 10000-15000CAD for a used car, has to be auto. and 4 drs, perfer japanise car do you guys have any good idea?

[wind23]

And what about the Altima 3.5?

[Toolman5523]

The 3.5 does have it's fair share of problems, not as bad as the 2.5 though. They also had a problem with the two sensors (cam and crank), but most of those should be fixed. Power valves would also drop their screws. Probably the biggest problems with the 3.5 motor (regardless of vehicle installed in ), is oil sludge in the valve covers. They (Nissan) have a piss-poor pcv sytem installed on the vehicle. Oil changes must be changed at least every 3k miles (regardless of what Nissan says), or sludge builds up and causes the engine to burn oil, and eventually have upper end noise. Seen this problem far too many times to be a freak isolated occurance. Have you looked at anything from Honda? I know this sounds crazy, but when people ask what new car do I reccommend, I always tell them Hyundai. Yes they may be crap, but you already know that. You can never be dissappointed, just pleasantly surprised. Besides they have the best factory warranty around, and now a days that is a huge deal.

[wind23]

Now I am thinking about Jetta GLS 2003, what do you think about that one?

[Toolman5523]

German cars can be very fine automobiles, even VW. The main problem with any imports are cost of repairs for said vehicle. Most shops don't work on Germans because of the differance in engine diagnostic tools. Most only opt to buy the domestic/asian packages, which leaves Euro cars out. If you can find a respectable shop, that you trust for servicing it may be worth looking into. Sorry don't know a whole lot about German car problems.

[kellieve]

stay away from the altima anyway crank sensor errors all the time money money nissan let me down on this one

[top_scorah19]

Hi guys,
My dad is selling his 2003 Altima 2.5 that has 117 000km....no problems at all.
The only thing he had to change was the Altenator a few years back. For me, he would sell it for 8 000$ it has mags, leather seats...
Im very tempted to buy it but i been hearing many bad things about this model.
But this car has already passed 100 000km am i due to having problems soon?
Thanks

[NissanRacer2008]

Originally Posted by top_scorah19

Hi guys,
My dad is selling his 2003 Altima 2.5 that has 117 000km....no problems at all.
The only thing he had to change was the Altenator a few years back. For me, he would sell it for 8 000$ it has mags, leather seats...
Im very tempted to buy it but i been hearing many bad things about this model.
But this car has already passed 100 000km am i due to having problems soon?
Thanks

Maaan! Your dad is ripping you off! He should hook you up with the discount just for being a son! Here is the Market report for you kid, do the math yourself...

[bobss396]

Like anything, you can get a bad car or one that hasn't been taken care of. I looked at a lot of cars, the Camry, Accord, Sonata, Galant just to name a few. I read the consumer reports, customer reviews and finally bought a used 2002 2,5S with 70k miles from alocal dealer. I did the Carfax thing, had my mechanic go over it, which I gladly paid him to do.

I saw plenty of dummied up cars on various car lots, so when I finally saw the RIGHT car, I grabbed it.

From my experience, cars that are problematic tend to do so well before the 100k mark. Like any high-tech car, the more gizmos on it, the more the chance that something will break on it. Expect to change the struts at some point, alternators do wear out, brakes have a life expectancy proportional to your driving habits.

So I honestly feel that there are no "bad" cars on the market like there were 20 years back or more. Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

Bob