The Altima is a wonderful car that I had been eyeing since its introduction to the Nissan line. My first car was a 1973 Datsun 240Z which was one of my favorite cars, although it had many shortcomings. The Altima has no shortcomings as far as fit and finish. I bought the car new from the dealer and aside from standard wear replacement of brakes, tires, a serpentine belt, and FOB batteries, the only mechanical issue I've had with the car was a heat shield rattle which was corrected by simply adjusting the heat shield. All other functions of the car have worked well throughout my ownership. The only annoyance I can report (and it's more of periodic inconvenience) is that the clock runs fast about one minute per month. I have a friend who owns the same model year as I and she reported the same problem.

The vehicle runs, but I've had numerous problems with quite a few things. It's possible the previous owner did not treat the car right, but I also have a close friend with the same year, make and model Altima. He's had quite a few problems, mainly with transmission. After a quite quick Google search, I found out the problem I have with the engine misfiring and with the car starting only after turning the key a few times, is actually an extremely common problem with the cars. The exterior has kept a decent condition, I've had no problems with the build at least, but I also have no air conditioning as my compressor is broken, and my engine temp gauge jumps all the way up then back to the middle a few times every drive.