The Uncommon Car of the Week that I keep seeing is. . .

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 01/25/2020 at 16:23 • Filed to: Why do I keep seeing this?, Altima, Oppositelock

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. . . the Nissan Altima Coupe! Every once in a while you will keep seeing a car everywhere you never noticed before. Today, I saw an unreasonable number of these while on a long drive through some poorer sections of Atlanta with a charity.

How do we feel about these here? Many of them got the 2.5 liter engine that is actually quite fast, and there was a low entry cost. They even came with a manual, though I haven’t seen one in that configuration.

On a more interesting note, I shared a road with two Acura TSX wagons, a Mercedes R Class, and a brand new Volvo V90 (second time spot for me). When is the last time you saw even one of those? Bonus Chevy for your time. Based on the tag, it hasn’t moved since ‘77.

smobgirl > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 16:37

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One of these recently showed up down the street from me. It’s really not a bad looking car - I definitely had an “oh yeah, they DID make those” moment trying to reconcile the badge with the styling.

I’m curious whether they’re any fun to drive.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 16:43

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The big Japanese FWD coupe is a strange niche. I think Toyota was the first to back out when the stopped the Solara.

I’m indifferent to the Nissan because I prefer the Accord Coupe.

Under_Score > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 16:43

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The south is definitely Nissan Country. You wouldn’t have any idea they were doing bad financially if you didn’t leave the south. New Rogues and Kicks are everywhere.

With that being said, I think that contributes to our disproportionate amount of quirky Nissan’s. I’ve seen several different CrossCabriolets over the years, for instance.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Under_Score 01/25/2020 at 16:52

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Mid 2000s Nissans were actually a really great value if you didn’t get stuck with a crappy CVT, and they were decently distinctive though not great on quality. They fill basically the same role as the old Detroit stuff that is aging out of road duty*.

*HOT TAKE!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > smobgirl 01/25/2020 at 16:53

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My friend’s 2.5S sedan looks like fun if you have the right expectations, and would probably be a properly good sleeper with a manual (which they made). 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > gin-san - shitpost specialist 01/25/2020 at 16:54

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The Accord Coupe is probably the reason they didn’t sell these in greater numbers, despite Nissan’s democratic financing.

P5guy now GTIguy > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 16:56

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These were okay  with a stick. I had a manual sedan of that gen .

Discerning > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 17:25

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Sseeing a Nissan coupe reminds me that I still have a small soft spot for Nissan. Even after my crummy Infiniti experience.

I hope they can make a new and better Z coupe, because that’s the only way I’ll ever own a new Nissan.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > P5guy now GTIguy 01/25/2020 at 17:33

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I have to imagine the V6 Coupe w/ manual is pretty fast for the price (new or used). Was your s the 2.5?

Nothing > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 17:44

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I’ve seen a bunch of these lately too. There’s a neighbor kid down the street that has one. His brother has a Speed3.

Under_Score > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 18:07

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I LOVE late-2000’s to early-2010’s Nissan’s. My family had a Rogue for a very long time; if it wasn’t totaled, my sister would still be driving it. They have very nice colors and features for the time period. You still get proximity key, Bluetooth calling, and a backup camera without needing an aftermarket system on top trims.

They’ve been one of the first to do a lot of things mainstream,  and you could say they still are (ex. ProPilot). Another hot take!

SmugAardvark > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 18:29

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I never understood why they never made an SE-R version of the coupe. I mean, I know the SE-R was on the previous generation of Altima, but they still should have made a slightly more fun version for the 4 th gen coupe.

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/25/2020 at 20:16

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I had the Altima sedan with that stupid 2.5L QR25DE in it. It earned the name “Failtima” for eating head gaskets.

These looked all right, but the Accord Coupe did it better. At least the Pirelli World Challenge Altima was pretty sweet.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Stef Schrader 01/25/2020 at 22:50

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That touring car version looks pretty sick

P5guy now GTIguy > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/26/2020 at 13:27

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Mine was a 2.5. The V6 must of been in the neighborhood of 0-60 under 6s. Car and Driver got under 7 with a 2.5 manual.

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/26/2020 at 14:29

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Anytime you take a regular car and add racing aero to it, that’s it. That’s extremely my jam. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Stef Schrader 01/26/2020 at 14:44

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This is why I would never buy one though

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/26/2020 at 16:38

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Hahahaha. I love “regular” race cars so much. I don’t know if anything brings me more joy than, like, TC-spec Kias on track.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Stef Schrader 01/26/2020 at 16:42

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What is even more surprising is how nearly any car has been raced. I want some wheels like those to match my Cruze.

Stef Schrader > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 01/26/2020 at 16:55

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Oooooh, I love this.