Used 2002 Nissan Altima Consumer Reviews
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Reliable
crotch666, 02/17/2016
2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 5M)
23 of 23 people found this review helpful
Purchased this car in 2009 for $6,000 and it has and probably will be one of the best cars I will ever have. The only time it ever broke down once on me was in 2015 when the alternator went out. That was a quick and easy fix, and it was back on the road in no-time. I maintenanced this car regularly and it definitely gave back to me. I was in 2 wrecks in it, I would considered mild to bad. Someone rear-ended me extremely hard and the damage to the car was minimal. The other one someone pulled out in front of me and I t-boned them. The bumper was destroyed, but that was it. The other car was totaled. Extremely safe car and very reliable. The gas mileage could be better, but I love this car regardless.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Awesome car
roushfan5, 04/14/2012
2002 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 4A)
19 of 19 people found this review helpful
A lot of people are complaining about their cam shaft sensors. Well my check engine light came on for the exact same problem. Turned out I was just using the wrong type of oil. Make sure you are using 5-30W oil to avoid this problem. After a couple hundred miles with the correct oil in the car the problem went away. Our car is the V6 with a 152,400 miles on it and to date the only problem we've had to fix is replace the seals in the engine, oil cooler and the rear value gasket. The interior is a little cheap I'll admit. But the car def. makes up for it with that fantastic engine. A great car but it has to be maintained
A solid car with its own Achilles' heel(s)
kismet1113, 05/16/2014
2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
29 of 30 people found this review helpful
My '02 Altima has over 200,000 miles on it with little more than normal repairs. Like most Altimas my crankshaft sensor failed around 150k miles. The frame of the car is 100% rust free, except for the floor panels right under the drivers side and passenger side front seats. This again is a common failure with these cars. My radiator started leaking around 150k miles and having to jack the front end of the car up 20" or so off the ground to work the air out of the lines is very annoying, but manageable. At the end of the day I have over 200k miles on the car and have yet to run into repairs I couldn't do myself...and for a woman I can't complain about that.
An excellent trooper
qwerty01, 02/07/2014
2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
18 of 19 people found this review helpful
Purchased my Altima with 75K miles, it now has 191K miles. Nothing really major that I can complain about, it's taken my abuse very well. My CONS would be: Cam Shaft sensor failed around 150K miles. Both rear calipers seized around 100K miles. #4 cylinder ignition coil failed around 175K miles. BOSE CD changer is completely unreliable. Pop out gasoline door is horrendous, I need to use a prybar to get it open. Around 150K miles the car started having intermittent difficulties with engine starts...takes 10-15 seconds to start. Mechanic doesn't have a good solution to the problem. Door actuators seize when it's cold out.
Great car
waynerb66, 02/09/2012
2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 4A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
I bought this car with 59,000 kms on it in 2004. I now have 255,000 kms on it. I have never had anything major go wrong with it. I have replaced the rad, the alternator, the usual stuff, like ball joints and battery. Last year I did have to change some suspension parts. It was a lot of money, but it has a lot of mileage on it. So far it still has the same exhaust on it. It also has the original struts on the front. It doesn't burn oil. I change it regularly between 5000 and 7000 kms. It is starting to show signs of age though. I am having problems starting it. It still starts, it just takes a couple of cranks. Living in Canada, the salt is starting to take its toll also.
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