U13 Nissan Altima or A32 Nissan Cefiro?

**tanatej** · May 23rd, 2012 01:13 PM

I want a cheap, 2.0 liter A/T car that I can use for mid-distance trips, and I also need the legendary Nissan cooling prowess. Which of these Nissan variants would be better? I often drive without passengers, and have a light right foot. Will only be using the car for around 5 years or so. The Altima sounds nice because of its SR20DE, but I think the Cefiro is cheaper to maintain. Any thoughts?

**GTi** · May 23rd, 2012 05:24 PM

The Altima, being an inline 4, would most probably give you better fuel mileage. And AFAIK, the SR20DE is simpler and cheaper to maintain than the VQ20DE. But other than the engine, the Altima is a pain to maintain since only a handful were sold in the Philippines, model specific parts are pretty hard to come by when on the other hand, you can find parts for the Cefiro everywhere. The Cefiro's VQ engine is more refined and can prove to be surprisingly powerful when thrashed. In the end, I'd say the Cefiro is still the better car considering the age gap between the two and also the availability of parts.

But remember that Nissan cars suck at resale values and it may be a bit harder for you to dispose of them.

**myk384** · May 23rd, 2012 06:03 PM

THE ULTIMATE USED CAR GUIDE: Used Car of the Week - Nissan Cefiro (1997-2000) - A32 Cefiro review...

The Altima is on the pipeline but in the future

**tanatej** · May 23rd, 2012 07:11 PM

Thanks for your input, resale value won't be a concern since I'll most likely be gone for another country permanently in that timeframe (5 years), so this car would be likely given away to relatives or friends as a parting gift when I go.

Normally it should be a no-brainer Cefiro decision if only for the ease of finding parts for it, but I just thought I'd have some fun tuning the engine as well in my spare time.

**Verbl Kint** · May 24th, 2012 03:38 AM

I've seen Cefiros tuned. The hp gain can be marginal at best for 20k. You would need to.spend serious moolah for anything over 20hp. Handling is also soft but you will like the luxury. Get an Elite if you can.

**vinj** · May 24th, 2012 09:50 AM

Better to get the Cefiro.

More comfortable
Newer
Most importantly, more parts available as against the slow selling U13 Altima

Our 1999 A32 Cefiro Elite a/t did around 6.5km/L in city driving. Not bad really.

I never had any problems selling the Nissan cars we've had in the past and the prices they were sold at i do consider fair. That's a total of around 7-8 Nissan cars from 1993 to 2006.

If you want a car with an SR20DE to play around with, an engine swapped Sentra sounds better if you ask me.

**tanatej** · May 24th, 2012 04:02 PM

Aren't there really any consumable parts for the Altima anymore available locally? Surely it shares components with other Nissan vehicles.

**vinj** · May 24th, 2012 04:27 PM

Regular service consumables should be okay. Problem comes in with body panels and maybe some suspension bits and pieces as well. The Altima isnt a Japan market vehicle really so there's not much surplus parts available for it unless you get from the US.

**lowslowbenz** · May 24th, 2012 11:04 PM

Cefiro. I've seen good examples hitting the pre-owned market at affordable prices.

**GTi** · May 25th, 2012 12:35 AM

If you're using this for long trips, why don't you get a manual? A/T's are best for city driving, but when long highway runs are in order, the manual is still more engaging, especially since I see that you're a speed-loving driver as well. :devil: The Cefiro's A/T robs it of a lot of power. The M/T Cefiro takes full advantage of all 155 horses on tap. You get much better gas mileage too.