Used 1998 Nissan Altima Consumer Reviews
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Great Car
Driv3r, 03/29/2004
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Great Car i Strongly Recommand It
Extremely good car for the money
vinvv, 08/03/2004
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Bought this car used 6 months ago, and put 20,000 miles on it already. drives great, good mileage, have taken good care of this car (as my other cars; im a mechanical engineer). its 5 years old and has not come up with any maintenance work yet ! Tho i did upgrade the stock speakers.
great car, sporty too
dynatmrider, 08/14/2004
1998 Nissan Altima SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
iv had this car since may of 98 when they came out. this car is great. its an SE with leather, cd, abs, manual, sport suspension (stiffer ride) and power drivers seat. seats are comfortable and the back seats are those of a bmw. i have 120,000 miles on the car and have not done anything to it. over six years on the original battery and still going! once this thing is in 5th gear you can go from 60 to 100 in a blink! fast car! buy it!
Great Used Car Value
troyx, 03/08/2005
1998 Nissan Altima GLE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I brought this car a little over half a year ago with under 25K mi. to replace a totalled 99 Elantra. The jump in quality blew me away, after the last car, this one feels like a luxury car. The car I got had low mileage and almost no interior or exterior wear to speak of. It feels like a new car, even with it being over 7 years old. Handling it tight and firm, acceleration is smooth and the engine sounds quiet and refined. This car is a used car best buy, IMO. Resale value was lower than Camrys and Accords, but specs and build quality is on the same level. I haven't heard of any recalls for this generation Altima.
Great all around affordable car!!!!
John F., 06/17/2005
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
We've owned this car since 2000 and the one thing we can say about it is "Reliability". This car has never left us stranded. We have done nothing to this car except the regular scheduled maintenance. We live in NH and for the last 5 winters it's never started hard and it actually goes well in the snow too (FWD) Keep in mind this car is not a BMW nor a caddy. It's not sexy or even necessarily cool but it's been a great, reliable daily driver. It has plenty of Pep and easlily maintains 70 - 80 mph on the highway. For a mid-sized car the legroom, interior compartment space and the trunk size is surprisingly large. Seats are very comfortable, even for long road trips. Top recommendations!
the best af all cars
dave, 08/18/2005
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Overall af all the cars we were searching for, this was the best. NO vibration, no problems, except for a mere door jam.
Love this car.
Tom Dodson, 11/02/2005
1998 Nissan Altima SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This is a daily commute vehicle that's been fun to drive. The 2.5l four cylinder engine performance has always impressed me. I had the automatic transaxle rebuilt at 225K miles and that's the only major work ever done. No engine work at all. 25MPG combined highway/city. 100 watt stereo/CD player, remote entry. I love the split fold down rear seats that allow you to load large cargo into a small car, really convenient. I also love the overdrive lockout button on the gear shift that allows you to use the engine compression to slow the car in traffic like a manual transmission. I'll miss that feature because the new Altima doesn't have it.
Still impresses People
Jess, 04/27/2006
1998 Nissan Altima GLE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I Love my car. I have a 98 GLE and it is dependable and it still looks good. Its still drives excellent and has nearly 130,000 miles on it and I have never had any major problems. People still get in my car and tell me wow this is pretty nice. And i have come to love the rear end, but I have a spoiler which really evens things out.
ALTIMA NISSAN: excellent car
Ruth, 08/15/2006
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Found a little skid in the front tires on wet uphill surfaces. Otherwise, a perfect car; never ever a mechanical problem. Not once. A fantastic machine.
Runs awesome
Matt, 01/05/2007
1998 Nissan Altima GLE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I have 83,000 miles on this car and it has served me well through college. Many people said I had the nicest car they've seen on campus although mine wasn't the newest or best by any means. The interior of the car is unlike what you see in cars of this price range nowadays. The drive is ok, it's enough to get you by. The wind/road noise is not what I would expect in a near luxury car - you can solve this by simple soundproofing. The Clarion sound system - standard on the GLE, is extremely clear and balanced - although the front is tuned a little shrill [might be the Boston Acoustics that I have there now] once you get some decent speakers on it. Better car than the competition by far.
Good Reliable Transportation
Tim, 01/15/2007
1998 Nissan Altima GLE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
My '98 GLE has 90,000 miles on it and I have owned it since 22,000 mi. It has treated me very well. It's not a sports car or SUV, but just sound, comfortable transportation. The car has been very reliable with no major maintenance at all. It seems to be well designed and will likely go to our daughter for many years to come. Previously had a 1983 VW Jetta that was awesome & was concerned that the Altima wouldn't measure up, but it has. Overall very good.
Good Dependable Automobile
RodR7679, 08/18/2007
1998 Nissan Altima SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Excellent car. This car was dependable even at 15 degrees below 0 F and handled good even in snowy winter driving.
Bullet Proof!
Daddyniowa, 08/27/2007
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
When I bought this car it had about 59,000 miles on it. It is a five speed. The only modifications I have made is opened up the exhaust and installed a "Tornado fuel saver". I do use Mobile One full synthetic motor oil changed every 8,000 miles, and synthetic gear lube as well. I have owned a lot of Japanese cars in my past, and I have to say this one is one of the very best! I consistently get 32 to 34 mpg on the highway which is most all that I drive. It corners very well, and if you redline 3rd gear you are doing exactly 103 mph! Whenever I give a friend a ride or let them drive it they cannot believe the power and torque that it has. As as far as repairs there have not been any yet!
Good Alternative to Accord and Camry
Donna (TX), 06/11/2007
1998 Nissan Altima GLE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
For less money than the Accord and Camry, you're getting a car with similar reliability and build quality. I owned this car for 5 years and never had any, even minor, problems. Service only involved regular oil changes and such. The car did have a horrible turning radius for its size.
Loved and Lost
Lucky7, 10/29/2007
1998 Nissan Altima GLE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
My '98 Altima GLE was killed in a crash, and I miss it so much. It's been 3 months, and I've tried to replace it wit the same style (98-2001) and trim, but they're hard to find. So no luck so far. I've gone 3 months without a car just because I can't bear to own something else. This really was a tremendous car. Not only did it keep me safe during the rear-end that totaled it (airbags didn't deploy, though), I never had a major problem with this car. The driver's power window went out after a couple years but it wasn't too expensive to fix. It had 130,000 miles on it and I would have gotten another 130,000, I think. Can't go wrong with this car.
Loved this car
Katie R., 06/25/2003
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I just sold my '98 Altima to get a new car and wanted to review it. I LOVED this car, it was my third car, I bought it used with 55,000 miles on it and it drove like new EVERY day. Never had a problem with it. It was well cared for before I bought it and I cared for it until I sold it at 72,500 miles.
Reliable until now!
russ, 03/17/2008
1998 Nissan Altima SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Up to last Saturday, my 10 year old Altima has been nothing but ultra reliable. It is a noisier car on the highway, especially compared to my wife's Accord, but otherwise a nice car to drive. It handles well, accelerates very well, with power to spare from its 4 cyl engine. Cruise control is a "must" to avoid speeding tickets! Until 3/14/2008, biggest maintenance expense has been for tires (Arizona roads eat them!), and minor maintenance. Saturday (3/15/8) morning, at 65 mph on the freeway the transmission failed. Car has 144,000 km (89,300 miles) on it. Failure occured within coasting distance of a dealership. Cost to repair almost $5,000. Grrrr!!
solid and practical car
alr1ck, 03/28/2002
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I'm a first time car buyer and after some research (thanks edmunds!) I purchased the 98 nissan altima used with only 27K miles. It's been 7 months and so far no unexpected problems. the car is solid handeling, very fuel efficient, and overall fun to drive. for a car that was used, many of my friends thought it was brand new (it runs that good).
Long-life reliable car
Joe, 05/12/2008
1998 Nissan Altima SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
My Altima SE is a 5 spd manual which makes a 4 cyl a little more fun! Bought the car at 124k in fall '04 and will be retiring it soon with 190k. No real problems until last few months - engine is still great. Still using original clutch (needs replacement). Odometer broke a few months ago, and windshield wiper motor just died. Those are the only mechanical things to go wrong in the 4 years I've owned it... not bad! I am now looking to buy an '05 Altima because they are very reliable.
Grandpa's car
Herb, 11/23/2018
updated 12/02/2021
1998 Nissan Altima GXE 4dr Sedan
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Reliable car used to be my Father's car.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
It's a darn good car
elray, 02/27/2002
1998 Nissan Altima SE 4dr Sedan
0 of 7 people found this review helpful
I recommend the 5-speed. I hear the automatic transmission performance stinks. It's an exceptionally smooth manual tranny.