| Compact car; Built in USA |
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| Good condition price range: $1,100 – $2,400* |
1994 Nissan Altima GLE
1995 Nissan Altima SE
1996 Nissan Altima GXE
1994 Nissan Altima GLE dashboard
1993 Nissan Altima engine
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Overall, we rate Nissan’s compact sedan highly and encourage buyers to give it a close look before buying anything in its league.
Overview
For 1993, Nissan replaced the Stanza with the Altima. The major improvement over the Stanza was an extra inch of rear leg room and head room. The compact Altima was offered in four versions: base, step-up GXE, sporty SE, and deluxe GLE. The only available engine was a revamped version of the Stanza’s 2.4-liter twin-cam 4-cylinder. When installed in the Altima, it provided 150 horsepower. A 5-speed manual was standard on all models except the flagship GLE version, which came standard with the 4-speed automatic that was optional on the three lower trim levels. A driver-side airbag came standard and when optional antilock brakes were ordered, rear disc brakes replaced the standard rear drums.
Yearly Updates
| 1994 Altima A passenger-side airbag and 3-point manual front seatbelts are the major new features this year for Altima. |
| 1995 Altima The grille insert switches from a honeycomb pattern to horizontal bars; taillamps receive a subtle update and the wheel covers have been redesigned. |
| 1996 Altima Nissan’s popular Altima returns nearly unchanged for 1996. |
| 1997 Altima No significant changes were made to the 1997 Altima, which was released in June instead of September 1996. Early production cars did not include the side-impact door beams federally mandated for 1997, so Nissan began offering a 1997 1/2 model in the fall that included the extra crash protection. Altima would be all new for ’98. |
