1996 Nissan Altima GXE

Teal green pearl with tan cloth interior. In excellent mechanical condition. The Kelly Blue Book value for this vehicle, with a conservative condition assessment as "Fair," is $2,200. But for UTC employees only I'm running a Christmas Special: just $2,000! 

And just look what you get:
4-cylinder 2.4 liter engine
4-speed automatic transmission
Cruise control
Front Airbags
Power Steering
Air Conditioning
Power Door locks

Everything is in excellent working condition. Well, except for the speedometer, which has a odd little habit of periodically freezing. Happens about 2% of the time and is quickly corrected with a slight rap of the knuckles. Our Nissan mechanic can never replicate the problem, so we haven't had it fixed. All other switches and controls work great all the time.

This car was purchased in the summer of 2004 from a dealer in Alexandria, VA. At the time, it had 101,740 miles on it. Now it has 137,350. 

Since acquiring the Altima, we've upgraded it with the following:
* New tires (August 2004)
* New CV boots (August 2004)
* New platinum plugs and wire assembly (August 2004)
* New distributor (Apr. 2005)
* New brakes (Aug. 2005)
* New radiator hoses and gaskets (Dec. 2005)
* New alloy rims (Christmas 2005)
* New radiator (Apr. 2006)
* New Pioneer stereo system (Christmas 2006)
* New retracting antenna (Jan. 2007)
* New rotor (Jan. 2007)
* New starter (August 2007)
* New engine gaskets and crank seals (August 2007) 

The Altima has passed all annual inspections with flying colors. Unlike my students, it does not burn oil, creak, hesitate, or complain. And unlike Phyllis Diller, it still has its original power train, transmission, suspension, trim, and exhaust systems.

When we purchased the Altima it had an innocuous dent beneath the passenger side front door. Since then, as my son's first car, the Altima has acquired a couple more dents, but nothing that has led to any rust. The front hood had to be replaced about two years ago after a low-speed fender bender with an SUV. An interesting scar graces the passenger side, this marking the time my son skidded into a guard rail one wet day a year ago. I've painted it over with factory-matched lacquer. The result? The vehicle now sports a delightfully rugged hint of Battle Damage chic. 

And to think this comes at no additional cost!

Our aim has been to maintain the car as reliable means of transportation. It has received nothing but top-of-the line fluids (100% synthetic oil) and Nissan parts, even if we have not bothered to fully repair some of the exterior imperfections. Yours truly has regularly washed and waxed it, much to the bemusement of my son, who claims such maintenance is the mark of an anal retentive old fart.

The interior cloth upholstery is all original; no rips or tears. The carpet on the floor of the trunk was unspeakable, though, and had to be trashed. Like so many '96 Altimas, ours has lost its truck lock cover, though that only makes the lock more accessible.

The Altima comes with four original factory floor mats, two keys, a manual, maintenance records, touch-up paint, and a clean title.

But wait! There's more! The deal includes a remote control for the stereo system, and -- get this -- a Car Chip! With the Car Chip, and included software, you can gather information about the performance of the vehicle (and the way it has been driven) and download the data to your home computer. This is a great tool for parents of new drivers. New drivers themselves hate it, of course, but that's the point.

The Altima has proven to be a solid sedan, and deserves the high ratings it has received. It's not a muscle car, but it has plenty of pep. My son assures me it performs well even at 80+ MPH (groan). It gets decent gas mileage and is cheap to insure. With all the new plumbing and electrical work, it should have many more miles left on it. 

We are parting with it reluctantly, and only because we recently bought a new car. 

If interested please zap me an email ([log in to unmask]) and I'll drive the Altima to school so you can check it out.

Gavin Townsend, Ph.D.
Faculty Senate President
Professor of Art (History)


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