2002 Nissan Altima. Click image to enlarge

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By Chris Chase; photos courtesy Nissan

When the Nissan Altima replaced the Stanza as the company’s mainstream family sedan for the 1993 model year, it stood out in a sea of average-looking Accords and Camrys as a stylish and fun four-door. That trend continued in 1998 with the introduction of the second generation Altima. But despite its long list of virtues, the four-cylinder Altima never quite got the attention it deserved, thanks to its big brother, the V6-powered Maxima.

The 2002 Altima’s base engine was a strong 2.5-litre four-cylinder making 175 horsepower, and for the first time, an optional 240-hp V6 was offered, a detuned version of the same award-winning 3.5-litre engine used in the Maxima, the 350Z sports car, and a plethora of other Nissan and Infiniti vehicles. For 2004, V6 Altimas gained five horsepower for a total of 245; that motor got five more ponies again in 2005, for 250. The 2005 lineup also brought a high-performance Altima SE-R, which boasted 260 horsepower, big 18-inch wheels and a stiffer suspension. The 2005 Altima also got a new interior, redesigned in the face of criticism of the low-rent feel of earlier third-gen Altima interiors.

2002 Nissan Altima. Click image to enlarge

In early versions, the four-cylinder returned good fuel economy: 10.1 L/100 km in the city and 7.4 L/100 km on the highway. The V6 is relatively efficient too, despite its heady power output. It’s rated at 11.2 L/100 km and 8.2 L/100 km in city and highway driving, respectively. Later Altimas got better highway consumption ratings: 6.9 L/100 km for the four-cylinder and 7.3 L/100 km for cars with the V6 and five-speed manual transmission. Consumption is a little higher with the automatic, as well as in the SE-R.

Watch out for engine problems in 2002 four-cylinder cars: common issues include bad catalytic converters, oxygen sensors and excessive oil consumption. The 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine used in the Altima is known for self-destructing close-coupled catalytic converters (known casually as the “pre-cat”) used with the 2.5-litre engine. The converters innards go to bits (likely due to unburned fuel making it into the converter), and small pieces can be sucked back into the engine, where they damage the cylinder walls.

2002 Nissan Altima. Click image to enlarge

The second problem detailed in that thread is screws securing the butterfly valves in the intake manifold coming loose and being sucked into the motor. These can do serious damage to the cylinder head, cylinder walls and can be sucked all the way through the motor so that they damage the pre-cat as well. Apparently, 2006 models with the 2.5-litre engine used a different screw design that should prevent this problem.

The 2.5-litre engine also has cylinder head gasket issues. Possible problems that could arise from this include radiator coolant leaking into the engine and fouling the engine oil and/or being burned up in the combustion chambers, and hard starting.

Note, too, that there are three recalls dealing with bad crankshaft position sensors in the 2.5-litre engine.

The V6 engine appears to be less problematic, according to Consumer Reports’ data.

If this thread at NissanClub.com is an indication, rusty floorboards are something to look out for.

If you notice a hard shift from first to second gears in automatic transmission models, here is a Nissan service bulletin to address the problem. In general, the automatic transmissions in these cars appear to be strong and largely trouble-free.

If posts at NissanClub.com are any indication, manual transmissions in early cars can be troublesome, too. Speedometers that read higher than the car’s actual speed are common too. Consumer Reports doesn’t think as highly of this third generation Altima as it did of previous versions, which earned the magazine’s recommendation as a used-car pick. These newer cars haven’t proved as dependable as the older cars.

On the safety front, ABS and side airbags were optional on base models, but were standard equipment in all other models. Traction control was offered as an option on the 3.5SE and was standard in the SE-R. All models feature disc brakes at all four corners. An anti-theft system was standard on all but the 2.5S. The third-generation Altima has fared well in U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash tests, scoring four stars each for driver and passenger protection in frontal impact ratings. In side impact tests, the car earned three stars for front seat occupant protection and four stars for rear seat occupant protection.

The third-generation Altima earned a “good” rating in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) frontal offset crash test, but the car’s side airbags got a “poor” rating in side impact tests.

Used values, according to Canadian Black Book, range from $7,600 for a 2002 four-cylinder, manual transmission model, to $17,900 for a 2006 SE-R. Splitting the difference with a 2004 would cost you about $12,000 for a V6 model in SE trim, or a few hundred less than that for the mid-range SL four-cylinder model.

If you’re a performance junky, you’re in luck, as the powerful, V6-powered versions of this Altima are the better bet as far as the basic mechanicals are concerned. If you want a four-cylinder car, see that any you look at have had the issues mentioned above addressed. The Altima is a good deal for a roomy, and potentially sporty, mid-sized sedan, but overall, better reliability can be had elsewhere.