1997 Nissan Altima Review

The 1997 models are virtually identical to 1996 models, except for the addition of new emissions equipment.

Talk about a runaway success. The Altima is quite a popular car, with hundreds of thousands of the jelly-bean-shaped sedans sold since its 1993 introduction. Its predecessor, the Nissan Stanza, was a practically invisible car to consumers, and we can't help but wonder whether the name change or Nissan's expensive advertising campaign touting the Altima as an affordable luxury car dictated the tides of change.

What we do know is that the Altima has the right mix of good looks, sedan capability, spunky personality and affordable price that Honda and Toyota used to make the Accord and Camry best-sellers. The Altima is a fun car, and plays the roles of pedestrian family hauler and pseudo-sport sedan with equal aplomb. Heavily subsidized national lease deals on the GXE trim level haven't hurt sales either, and virtually guarantee an excellent used Altima market in the near future.

This year, the Altima is a carryover; the only change being to the emissions equipment.

If you shop smart, the Nissan GXE is a great buy. It can be outfitted with all sorts of goodies and remain well under $20,000. Watch out for the SE and GLE, though, the price of those cars has been rising, and is getting uncomfortably close to Nissan Maxima territory.