# 2008 2.5 ALTIMA



## JOHNHOF (Mar 16, 2008)

Hello I am new here.
We currently own a 1997 Maxima that has served us very well for 195,000 miles and we are now in the market to buy another car. One of the top two cars we are considering is the 2008 Altima with the 2.5 and CVT. Can you tell me if there is any concern with long term reliability or cost of repair of this transmission? I am also interested in any information good and bad about this model year. 
This will be transportation for my wife (not a performance car) that needs to be reliable for around town and highway trips of about 4 hour durations. My initial thought was to get the 3.5 but the 2.5 CVT has plenty of power for this use.
Thanks,
John Hoffner
[email protected]


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## noeffort (Apr 4, 2008)

JOHNHOF said:


> Hello I am new here.
> We currently own a 1997 Maxima that has served us very well for 195,000 miles and we are now in the market to buy another car. One of the top two cars we are considering is the 2008 Altima with the 2.5 and CVT. Can you tell me if there is any concern with long term reliability or cost of repair of this transmission? I am also interested in any information good and bad about this model year.
> This will be transportation for my wife (not a performance car) that needs to be reliable for around town and highway trips of about 4 hour durations. My initial thought was to get the 3.5 but the 2.5 CVT has plenty of power for this use.
> Thanks,
> ...


Hi John,
Wow, you posted over 2 weeks ago and not one response. 
I'm in the market for a new car myself, was going to go with a Sonata, but I'm now going with either a sentra or the Altima. If I can crack open enough piggy banks, Altima would be the choice. Was hoping to get some feedback on it here....
Posted on a Sonata forum and got 2 pages of helpful posts in two days..


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## JOHNHOF (Mar 16, 2008)

*Waiting until July*

Thank you for the response.

We have decided to postpone buying the car until July. And at that we will be going with a one to two year old low mileage car. Our comfort level is not that high with new car depreciation. And our youngest leaves for college in August so we can wait until then because he won't need the Maxima until he leaves.
We also looked at a Sonata Limited with a V6 because of the features and warranty offered for the price. Plus they are offering $3,000 cash back. I can not fault the Sonata but Nissan's have served us very well and I like the materials used in the Altima better than in the Sonata.
Please let me know what you buy and about your experience. It might be helpful in July.

I was a little surprised by the lack of response.

Thank you,
John Hoffner


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## noeffort (Apr 4, 2008)

JOHNHOF said:


> Thank you for the response.
> 
> We have decided to postpone buying the car until July. And at that we will be going with a one to two year old low mileage car. Our comfort level is not that high with new car depreciation. And our youngest leaves for college in August so we can wait until then because he won't need the Maxima until he leaves.
> We also looked at a Sonata Limited with a V6 because of the features and warranty offered for the price. Plus they are offering $3,000 cash back. I can not fault the Sonata but Nissan's have served us very well and I like the materials used in the Altima better than in the Sonata.
> ...


Hi John,
We have a daughter going to college in the fall....
I agree, I'm leaning towards the Altima...
Good stuff here:Best Affordable Midsize Cars - Best Cars & Trucks - U.S. News Rankings and Reviews
I'm not thrilled about spending the dollars on a new car either, wouldn't mind going the same way you are....
Lots to think about...
I'll post as to what I end up doing.


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## noeffort (Apr 4, 2008)

JOHNHOF said:


> Hello I am new here.
> We currently own a 1997 Maxima that has served us very well for 195,000 miles and we are now in the market to buy another car. One of the top two cars we are considering is the 2008 Altima with the 2.5 and CVT. Can you tell me if there is any concern with long term reliability or cost of repair of this transmission? I am also interested in any information good and bad about this model year.
> This will be transportation for my wife (not a performance car) that needs to be reliable for around town and highway trips of about 4 hour durations. My initial thought was to get the 3.5 but the 2.5 CVT has plenty of power for this use.
> Thanks,
> ...


Wow, got your money's worth on the Maxima. Any major problems with it? Did you buy it new?


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## JOHNHOF (Mar 16, 2008)

*Maxima*

Our experience with the Maxima is one plus mark in favor of the Altima.

We bought the Maxima from Enterpise leasing when it was about 6 months old and it still had the remainder of the warranty. The car runs great now and I expect it still has allot of life left in it. Last year the electric door locks stopped working but that is the only thing that has. Our sons 5-series with 265,000 miles has gotten to the point that is makes more sense to get rid of than fix so he will take the Maxima with him to school. I will also let you know what we learn as we go through this purchase in hopes it helps you.

John


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## PHXNISSMO (Mar 4, 2006)

Well I have a 08 Altima Coupe with the 2.5 with CVT and I really like it. The CVT does take a while to get use to it. But I am averaging 30.5 in the car, my commute is 90% highway and 10% city driving. The CVT is Altima is set up to downshift like a normal automatic transmiision normally wiil if you need to pass someone. This isn't my first nissan and it wont be my last one, the Fit and Finish is ahead of my 05 Altima.


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## JOHNHOF (Mar 16, 2008)

*bought one*

Last night we pulled the trigger and bought a 2008 2.5 Altima with the convienence plus and SL packages. This dealers offer was good enough that it made sense to buy a new Altima over a used 2007 Altima. I had to skip the dealer close to my house and drive across town but the deal was worth it.


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## Medjai (Apr 22, 2008)

as an altima 05 2.5s owner, i highly recommend it..

here's my 5 cents..:

1-nice low end torque plus high end (cvtc)
2-not bad mileage for the comfort you get
3-HUGE interior
4-styling is all out great
5-a/c could be better
6-ground clearance is a tad low


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## PHXNISSMO (Mar 4, 2006)

The 02-06 Altima were a bit on the low side, we had a 05 SE that would scrap at times. But my 08 hasn't had the problem, and mine is a coupe. I was thinking about lowering it about 0.5 inchs once I get the 18" installed, but I'll wait until the tires are installed before I do anything...



Medjai said:


> as an altima 05 2.5s owner, i highly recommend it..
> 
> here's my 5 cents..:
> 
> ...


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## Teko03 (Apr 24, 2008)

JOHNHOF said:


> Last night we pulled the trigger and bought a 2008 2.5 Altima with the convienence plus and SL packages. This dealers offer was good enough that it made sense to buy a new Altima over a used 2007 Altima. I had to skip the dealer close to my house and drive across town but the deal was worth it.


congrats on the purchase


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## ALTIMAteRide (Jul 24, 2008)

*08 Altima*

These are really great cars and I love the addition of the coupe to the lineup. After doing some searching on the net I found what appears to be a great NISSAN Leasing Program. I am serious about buying the Altima cpe CVT but am unfamiliar with leasing. Id appreciate anyone giving their 2 cents. By the way this lease company is nationwide and they deliver the car to your door. I went to their site and built my custom car......check it out!


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## PHXNISSMO (Mar 4, 2006)

IF you do not know anything about leasing then educate yourself. Many people are drawn to them because of the low payments. Leases are great for some people and not for others. BTW, your best bet is to go through the dealership on a lease, Nissan Motor has a good program right now on the Altima coupe...



ALTIMAteRide said:


> These are really great cars and I love the addition of the coupe to the lineup. After doing some searching on the net I found what appears to be a great NISSAN Leasing Program. I am serious about buying the Altima cpe CVT but am unfamiliar with leasing. Id appreciate anyone giving their 2 cents. By the way this lease company is nationwide and they deliver the car to your door. I went to their site and built my custom car......check it out!


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