# Thinking of buying an `98 Altima



## mindless900x (Aug 20, 2007)

Recently I need a "new" car and I was eyeing a 1998 Nissan Altima.

No major problems, 91000 miles and is asking about $5,650 for it.

I was wondering if there was any common problems to look out for on these cars. Also there was an odd whurring noise coming from the front passenger side of the engine bay (dealer said it was a loose bearing in one of the pulleys on the serpentine belt, and would fix it for us) and I wanted to know if that was a sign of anything bad.

A friend told me that the radiator mounts tend to rust off of this model of car too, is that true?

Any info would be helpful!


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## 2000one (Aug 1, 2007)

I recently bought a 2001 Alti. 65K

I love the car, but the previous owners fucked it good. I bought it was bad cv boots and had those replaced. Within a week. Terrible alignment. But overall, the only thing that bugs me is the extremely loud idle with the A/C on. My 97 Pathy with 165K seems to "purr" compared to the Alti.

Other than that, she's mine.


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## MatDaCat (Aug 20, 2007)

I also have a 1998 Altima. I bought it for $1500 with 119,00 miles. Its a great car, I dont have any problems with it. I have not noticed any rust on the radiator mounts. The only problem with the car is a loud "vibrating" sound that comes from the front passenger side of the engine bay. I had a mechanic look at it for me and he said it was a motor mount. I would recommend the 98 Altima.:idhitit:


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Check for engine oil leaking at the front timing cover on the back side of the engine; this was a greater issue on U13 Altimas, but I've done a few on L30's as well. Never encountered any radiator mount problems when I worked for Nissan; the last Nissan dealer I worked for was 4 miles from the NJ shore...where rust is a big problem an any car!

I would have them fix the noise and then take the car to have checked out by a mechanic of your choosing before laying out any cash. Overall, they were pretty good cars. I preferred the 2000-2001 L30's as Nissan reinforced the chassis and made it a bit stiffer during those years.


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