Faults:

Upon cold start, the transmission does not engage as it should and feels weak and when I depress the gas pedal, it engages rough. Driving uphill with the A/C on, it heats up. I never had a slight problem like this with my Camry.

General Comments:

Very nice car, but no comparision with the Camry(3.0 v6) I had. I drove my Camry for 200,000 miles and it is still perfect in terms of engine and transmission repair or performance.

The speakers suck.

Faults:

I suspected I needed new brakes 5,000 miles ago, but turned out there was only a hard spot on the pad.

Light rattle under hood when under acceleration, I suspect it to be the BTV valve bracket. Hasn't been fixed yet.

Suspect idler pulley needs fixed because it makes a little noise when the engine is cold. Hasn't been fixed yet.

The trunk leaks during heavy rains and I've been unable to find where it's leaking from.

General Comments:

This car has been extremely reliable ever since purchasing it last year. Only maintenance has been regular oil changes every 3,000 miles. I probably should have performed the 60,000 mile tune-up, but didn't want to pay what the dealership wanted for the procedure. Gas mileage hovers around 28 and would like it to be a little better, but it is quite reasonable for a larger 4 cylinder. Best mileage was in the high 30s, but that was on a cross country trip.

Exterior is holding up nicely, as long as I take time for the occasional wash and wax. The ride is comfortable and reasonably soft. Body lean can be a bit pronounced at times, but is still reasonable. Interior noise is moderate to low, depending on the driving surface. Interior fit and finish is very good and has stayed looking great, partly due to my frequent vacuuming and spot treatment.

Overall this car is a great everyday car that will double as economical cross country transportation. I recently drove from Missouri to California and had no problems throughout my 2,200 mile trip. I highly recommend this car as a everyday use car that rewards the driver with reliability and efficiency.

Faults:

One biggie, one small and annoying.

At around 51,000m the vehicle very slowly engaged into reverse when cold. The engine would rev as the car would very slowly creep backwards. I was not very pleased with Nissan that they knew the solution to the problem, but alas never issued any notices to owners. This is possibly the only thing that would keep me from buying another Nissan product. It was covered under warranty though.

Deep inside the drivers seat is a clicking noise that won't go away, might be something with the motors in there.

General Comments:

Other than those issues, the car has been a true warrior. Minnesota is not easy on vehicles and this Altima has never left myself or my wife stranded. We bought it new for her, I truly wanted an Accord, but she got a killer deal through her employer. That said, it doesn't burn a drop of oil, after 5,000m the exact amount of Mobil 1 that went in the car is still present.

Nice durability of leather.

Put on Bridgestone RE950s at 45,000m, highly recommend them for improved handling and rain stability.

Ride is a good balance between sporty and cruiser, choppy though when below 20 degrees or so.

Drives like new at 73,500, going to run it into the ground, I trust I'll see 250,000m.