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Old 04-23-2012, 05:36 AM
DCARLTON DCARLTON is offline
Tech Enthusiast
1995 Maxima
2002 Altima
1997 Maxima GLE
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 268
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To consider whether the 2.5 Altima is a good car or not, one only needs to look at how many are on the road. Are Nissans good cars? I personally own a 3.0 1995 Maxima with 303,000 miles on the odometer and still going.

The 2002 through 2005(?) model had issues with pre-cat destruction that had much to do with the design and location of the pre-cat and an issue with heat from the engine helping to destroy the pre-cat over time.

A ECM program was to take care of much of the problem associated with this issue that was to adjust the timing of valve open/close to keep particulate from being sucked back into the engine upon failure and destroying it.

Unfortunately if the recall work was not performed, one could find out when it was too late that their pre-cat had failed and the engine had been compromised.

Additional research shows that after that time period, the problem with the 2.5 engines has subsided and the Altima is constantly ranked at the top of sedan choices. My daughter was the proud owner of a used 2002 that ended up with 200,000+ miles on it before she totaled it. She replaced it with a 2012 version of the car with the 2.5 engine in it.

Because of the success of the 3.0 in the Maxima's and the 3.5 in the newer Altimas, I had suggested looking at that engine but the added expense and rarity of it pushed her back towards the 2.5.

So far with almost 12,000 miles on it (since December 2011), it's a great engine, a great car and seems to have the issues of 10 years ago resolved.

Personally, I wouldn't write off the purchase of a newer version of the 2.5 engine but I would baby a 2002 to 2006 engine, make sure the recall work was performed, and change the oil every 3000 miles (and check it often). If you want to know what's going on inside the engine, the oil will be your best indicator.

Also, pay attention to SES codes and change your O2 sensors when required. If you have over 100,000 miles, change them if you haven't done so. A bad mixture of fuel and air will cause destruction of any catalytic convertor which can be caused by a bad O2 sensor. If you get a P0420 code, don't assume it's the pre-cat if your O2 sensors are old and need replacing.

Don't fret that your car is a lemon, there are many of these on the road and while some may have issues, many don't. And I wouldn't throw the Nissan family of cars out the window due to issues on their cars from 6-10 years ago.
__________________
1995 Maxima SE (313,000+ miles 10/2012)
1997 Maxima (193,000 miles - bought from daughter when she traded for a Hyundai Elantra Coupe)
2002 Altima (daughter - totaled 12/2011 with 210,000 miles)
2012 Altima (daughter - replaced 2002 with 8 miles, now with almost 30,000 miles)
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