Good morning! Today we’re testing your nerve and sense of adventure with two sedans from the same year. One is probably a decent buy, but might put you to sleep, and the other has more red flags than a Communist party parade, but would undoubtedly be more fun to drive. We’ll get to those in a minute, after we determine the winner of yesterday’s Battle of Los Angeles:
Clear win for the sultry Italian. I agree; I have yet to own an Alfa Romeo, but it’s on my bucket list. Just make sure you have enough gas. A lot of you thought the LUV was just plain overpriced; a few years ago I might have agreed, but have you seen what contemporary Toyota trucks are going for these days? That thing is a bargain.
For today’s challenge, I was all set to do nice, sensible, back-to-basics beaters. I found one good contender, and then I found something that is anything but basic or sensible, and I couldn’t not feature it. Sometimes the themes choose themselves. So we’ll start out with the bad idea, and then look at the safe but boring option.
2005 Nissan Altima SE-R – $1,750
 Engine/drivetrain: 3.5 liter dual overhead cam V6, six-speed manual, FWD
Location: Lemont, IL
Odometer reading: 121,000 miles
Runs/drives? Yes, but power steering is out
Through no fault of its own, the Nissan Altima has become the poster child for predatory auto loans, buy-here-pay-here lots, poor maintenance, and appallingly bad driving. Which is a shame, because it’s actually a pretty damn good car. It would have to be, to survive such abuse. Most Altimas you see being carelessly flogged are nothing special, but this one is. In fact, it was featured as a “Holy Grail” on this very site: the VQ35DE-powered, six-speed-manual-equipped Altima SE-R.
You can’t keep a good engine down, and Nissan’s long-in-the-tooth VQ series is a good engine. This one runs just fine, and doesn’t even have that many miles on it. Unfortunately, not all is well under the hood: the power steering pump leaks badly, and the rack may be damaged as well. That’s a chore for a DIYer, or a small fortune to spend at a shop, and it accounts for this car’s low price.
But wait, there’s more! Act now and you’ll not only get the Nissan with the busted steering; you’ll also get a fistful of paperwork in lieu of a lost title! The seller claims it’s all on the up-and-up, but you might want to go to the DMV together. And won’t that be fun?
It’s not all bad news, though: apart from the mechanical maladies, the car itself is in pretty good shape. The seller says it has a little rust, but it’s an Illinois car, so I’d be astonished if it didn’t. The paint is shiny, and what we can see of the interior looks nice. It has led a hard life, no doubt, but under the right care, it could still have some miles in it. If the title really isn’t a big deal, that is.
2005 Chevrolet Impala – $2,100
Engine/drivetrain: 3.4 liter overhead valve V6, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Odometer reading: 192,000 miles
Runs/drives? Very well, according to the seller
From the buy-here-pay-here lot to the car rental counter – here is a staple of fleets of all kinds, the good old Chevy Impala. Built on GM’s long-serving W platform, the FWD Impala evokes words like “sturdy” and “no-nonsense,” not exactly performance buzzwords. This car doesn’t accelerate, brake, or corner so much as just speed up, slow down, and change direction. But at least it’s comfy and quiet.
This appears to be a base model Impala, with a bench seat and a column-mounted shifter, and as such, I’m almost certain it’s powered by Chevy’s 3.4 liter 60-degree V6 rather than the beloved Buick-derived 3800. The 3.4 is an acceptable powerplant, as long as you keep an eye on a few key gaskets for leaks. Likewise, the 4T65E automatic is nothing to write home about, but it works well enough. Parts are cheap for this car, and it’s reasonably economical. Damning with faint praise, I know, but faint praise is about all anyone can muster for a plain-jane Impala.
This one runs and drives fine, has good air conditioning, and isn’t completely embarrassing to look at. It has some rust that someone has painted over, so expect to see it again in the spring, but GM cars like this can collect a shocking amount of rust before succumbing to it.
This will never be an exciting car, or a pretty car, or an impressive car. But it is a cheap car, and it should be a reliable car for at least a couple of years yet. And in this price range, that ain’t nothing.
When you’re shopping for $2,000 cars, it pays to look for something reliable, and the smart move is to play it safe. But we enthusiasts sometimes just can’t go for the safe option, not when there’s a six-speed manual sitting behind way too much engine for a midsized sedan available for the same price. Sure, it’ll take some work, you tell yourself, and you’ll be sitting on pins and needles until that title with your name on it finally arrives in the mail, but at least it isn’t boring, right? Or are you more inclined to play it safe and drive something with less character, but fewer headaches?
(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)
I am NOT sinking my hard earned doll hairs into an 18 year old Altima at any price.
Gimme the one that will at least get me to work and back in relative comfort.
I’m interested in the web script you used to make my screen smell like vape as soon as the Altima pictures came up.
having had both, the Chevy is a pretty much bullet proof ride.
No Altima, no Altima ever. These are a running joke in my house. My seven year old and I love to play find the most expired temp tags or registration in Colorado. Every fourth car you see here has expired tags (my current record from this month is a 2018 sticker) and at least 1/4 of those are on Altimas.
No title? No buy. Imp for me.
sorry, Vermont closed the loophole, so it has to be the Impala 😛
Why have Big Altima Energy? When you can have the Biggest Altima Energy! They are going to have to add an 8th trumpet, because your redlining that VQ every time. You’re bring the 8th deadly sin, impatience. The title will be mailed with divorce papers. What are you divorcing? Traffic laws. Tailgate an ambulance. Terrorize your local freeway so much, NATO sends in a peace keeping mission. Race a 747, on an active runway! No Gods, no masters, only Altima.
Or buy the Impala and accept your place among regular traffic.
I’d hoon the crap out of that SE-R. Even with the missing title and fucked power steering, that price isn’t crackpipe.
Are those cigarette burns on the center hump of the Impala. If so, it is a no-go for me. I will NOT buy a smoker’s car.
A close relative had a 2000 Impala with the 3.4l V6 and loved it.
We used it as a trade-on on another vehicle…toward the end of its life it was having overheating issues on steep inclines, which necessitated opening the windows and blasting the heat.
Looking at the body panels on that Chevy. Maybe it’s the beige accentuating the gaps, but it looks like it has been disassembled and poorly fit back together. Show me the CarFax, I’m betting it’s been through something.
At this price range I expect a car to have flaws. It looks like there has been some low budget bodywork, but as long as it runs/drives well and isn’t structurally unsound I don’t see that as a problem.
The Nissan SE-R is the only correct answer. Anyone with an O’Reilly’s for tool rental or a decent set at home can swap out the power steering system in a weekend (probably). A good power steering rack and pump on RockAuto are about $600 before shipping, but actually comes to $570 after their not-that-exclusive 5% discount code.
And you know what? I really dig those wheels.
This eighth generation Impala is automotive Ambien with high miles and excruciatingly anonymous. But if that’s what you really want, just get a fourth generation Buick Regal or eight generation Buick LeSabre and do it right.
Cowards, cowards! Vote with your heart!
There is no way I’m taking a hopped-up Altima (edit: with no title) from the burbs. They earned that reputation, and I’d be more than willing to bet the steering problems are from going into/over curbs, berms, islands, and medians.
Give me the boring-ass grocery-getter, because that’s all I’m using either for anyway.
Something something FWD and donuts.
WTF!!?? The boring Impala is beating a HOLY FUCKING GRAIL!? What is wrong with you people? Where’s your sense of adventure? This never would have happened on Jalop…
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… What was I saying? Oh yeah, gimme the Chevy! Mmmmm Mmmm – I can’t get enough of that beige. Reliability beats excitement any day. The only thing that would make it better would be an EV swap!
COTD
I see that your mid-post lobotomy was a complete success.
The Nissan would have won in a landslide on That Other Site. The Nissan seems like a great idea if your transportation needs are met by your Playstation. If you are an actual adult that actually needs to go places, the Chevy is much more appealing.
Also, I suspect the title issues are swaying some a lot of votes in favor of the Chevy. I would be willing to take a chance on the Nissan without the paperwork issue. It could be a very fun car for the money. But the title issue makes this thing seem sketchy at best. I don’t want to buy a stolen car.
I voted for the Chevy, because it’s the sensible choice. But in real life, I bought a ’92 Peugeot 205 CJ from the girlfriend of a drug dealer (she retrieved a 10g pouch of coke from the glovebox before giving me the keys).
Probably not the best choice, but I don’t regret it…
Awesome! That’s one of the most Autopian comments ever.
I doubt it’s stolen, but I would worry it has a lien against it somewhere.
I don’t think it is stolen per se, but I wonder whose name is actually on the title? I recently tried to buy a car only to find the title was in the seller’s father’s name. Unfortunately, he hadn’t spoken to his father in years so he couldn’t get him to sign the title. He thought he could just sign on his father’s behalf, since the car was “his” in the sense he had driven it for the last decade or so.
I don’t necessarily think the seller of the Altima is doing anything nefarious, but it could be a situation where the seller doesn’t understand that what he is doing is potentially problematic. A lien is also a possibility. Either way, until that seller gets a clear title in his possession, I’m not interested.
I am paranoid about title issues so I wouldn’t buy the Altima. It is easy to get a duplicate title if you legitimately own the car. I don’t necessarily think the car is stolen, but I’m not convinced the seller legally owns the car and is able to sell it. I’m going with the Chevy by default.
Yep. No Title = Parts Car
I’ll take the manual Altima. It has a better V6, it has a better transmission and the platform is probably better too. And I’d be willing to deal with the title issues to get a car that is fundamentally better.
I was all in on the SE-R until you mentioned the title issues. Nope, not touching that. Most states it’s like $10 and a couple weeks to get a new title, if it’s all legit then wait the couple weeks and get that then sell the car. Absolutely 0 interest in dealing with that mess.
As a former black V6/MT Nissan sedan owner it should maybe speak to me, but I’m going Impala. The Impala probably started life as a fleet or old lady car, whereas the Altima almost certainly has been used hard. Plus I like the more Q-ship look of the standard Altima SE over the SE-R even though it lacks the mechanical additions.
The Impala’s body is rougher and the Altima looks cleaner inside while the Impala could use a scrubbing – or maybe I’m just picky. But a detailing is a project far more within my wheelhouse than fixing the mechanical maladies, both for my abilities and even enjoyment.
Isn’t that Impala of the generation that had passlock 2 and bcm issues? It’s at the right mileage for those to start being a real nuisance, too. The vq35 has it’s own problems with timing chain guides and water pumps along with the issues already mentioned. It looks like you’d be getting what you paid for with both of these. Might as well pick the fun one.
I’m feeling lucky today. Or maybe stupid. I may just be all jacked up on allergy meds, but I picked the Altima.
How bad could it be, right? What’s the worst that could happen?
Tell us how you feel when you get pulled-over for whatever crimes the previous owner is fleeing.
I was going to choose the Chevy but the lure of that sweet V6/6 speed got me!! prolly right that its been flogged within an inch of its life tho lol
Maybe I just dig pain, but that manual ‘box makes up for a lot of sins in my book. And, having just had the power steering crap out in my car, I know repairs aren’t always as bad as they first seem. Okay, so sometimes they’re worse, but this is take-a-chance money here.
Just can’t go for the Impala. Yeah, it may be a better deal for a DD, but still….
that is my thought, for 2k take a roll of the dice!
As a car to drag away after the owner pays me a reasonable fee, I’d choose the Altima.
As a car to actually drive, I’d choose the Impala.
Autopian, look what you have done. You have turned me from fun-loving car guy who would jump at a 3.5L V-6 with a manual transmission (MOAR POWA!) to boring curmudgeon guy that just chose the most vanilla car in the world – a cheap white Impala (MORE PRACTICAL).
Maybe Jason knows where I can get a nice used Hormiga to cleanse my soul.
You just need to find a crazy person you’re attracted to, then start telling yourself “I can fix them.” You’ll be back on the sketchy title 6-speed bandwagon again in no time!
And I would need the leftover vape pen left in the Altima glove box.
I wouldn’t say “curmudgeon”, necessarily: you realized that a car with no title is not a car (and a donut with no hole is a danish).
A vanilla car that can be registered is far, far better than a less-dreary car that can’t.
Picking the Impala would be the recommendation of my grandmother who lived through the Great Depression. Life is boring if you make the right choices!
For every issue the seller cites the Altima has, we can probably assume there’s two more that they didn’t mention. That Impala might be one of the most boring cars on earth, but that Altima has had a rough life. Can’t hide that with a quick detail job (though they tried).
Take the usual rental spec Altima neglect and add the abuse from a flatbrim hat-wearing cloud of vape and Axe body spray who thinks they scored a cheap Skyline, and you get this Altima. That car is more than ready for a mercy kill.
Yeah, I can smell the interior of that Altima just by looking at it.
I didn’t think it was possible to succinctly describe the phenomenon of Altimas and their owners, but nope, wrong again.
For the Infiniti G35, I would say “Same, but his dad has money”.
I guarantee you that Altima, which is local to me, has giant holes in the floor and no rocker panels under that cladding. Nissans of that era rusted worse than just about any other car manufacturer. They’re not as bad as Sprinter vans, but nothing built since the 70’s is as bad as Sprinter vans when it comes to rusting.
Actually, the Impala probably doesn’t have rocker panels under its cladding either, but I bet it has floors in it still. And it has a title and power steering. Impala it is! Bring on the bench seat.
Having previously lived in the region, I had the exact same thoughts on the Altima. Those things all rusted in places you couldn’t first, so by the time there was rust you could see when standing next to it, those hidden parts no longer existed.
The Impala is hardly a car I ever want to own, but those things are still running all over the upper Midwest looking like swiss cheese, so it’s a pretty easy pick unless someone is looking for a big, red lawn ornament.
Those W body cars can take an impressive amount of abuse and keep running at least well enough to get you to work. That’s a good thing, because most of them started life as Grandma/Grandpa’s retirement car and then got handed down to a grandkid as a first car. The maintenance drop off from old person who fixes everything by the book to young person who is learning how to take care of a vehicle on the fly is steep.
The engine bay of the Nissan looks pretty clean. I think the owner of this car actually used the local car wash, and maybe even owns a garage. We all have our own paranoias, though.
Nissan ad is down, so I can’t see if there are any better images.