The right amount of power, styling, and safety. In the hands of a young man it could still go wrong.
I began looking for a steady paycheck, something to keep me off the pipe and off the pole. The girlfriend suggested a local auto parts store as I was very knowledgeable in that area. The store manager interviewing me was very impressed with my knowledge in ported vacuum switches; a benefit of working on old Toyotas. I don’t want to get too specific on what auto parts store I got the job for, let’s just call it CarArea.
Similar chain shown
It was a great experience for me, it helped me deal with people, improve my sales skills, and further enhance my automotive knowledge. I quickly became a favorite for the regular crowd by just being genuine with people; they know BS when they hear it. After a couple of steady checks it was time to get my own vehicle again. I started in a part time position at the store. I would still do some repairs for my uncle at home which meant there was also potential cars available for sale.
2.4 engine
This particular car came in due to it snapping a timing chain. The valves luckily did not hit the piston. My uncle and I were able to repair the engine only missing one crucial timing chain oil squirter.
The car was not yet mine but in an effort to impress my girlfriend, I went to pick her up and take her for a ride in it. The oil light was on, but in my head the engine was running fine, why worry?
Sure enough a mile from my house, after picking her up, the engine just stopped. I managed to coast the vehicle to a stop to a nearby park. Being a customer vehicle I needed a solution so that neither they or my uncle knew I took the car out.
Cell phones were barely becoming a thing. My girlfriend mentioned the phone she had, also had the benefit of a tow truck service along with the contract. We used it; it was within the mileage limit so it was free. Me however, I was caught. My uncle had arrived a few minutes earlier with the missing oil jet and wondering where the car was.
The next day the oil jet was installed. It was up in the air whether the engine survived. We tested it and it did. In being a high mileage car and snapping a chain, the owner was looking to sell after repair. I actually like the car, and for $1000, it became mine.
Actually a comfortable place to be
It was the first manual transmission equipped car I owned. My first time driving was in a Datsun 510 with a manual tranny my uncle Gabriel had. He had died years earlier, a big fan of Nissan cars, that brand has sentimental value to it as you shall later see.
It had automatic seat belts which honestly made no sense since you still had to buckle the lap belt, which sometimes I would not. The interior was basic but at least it had a rev counter, something I always look for in any car. I remember having the AC on zapped about 20 or more horsepower, or so it seemed. I tried to not use the AC as much, problem was the window motor relays were faulty so I had to removed the relay from the front passenger side and use it one at a time to raise or lower the rear back windows.
The most memorable issue was the accelerator getting stuck a couple of times. Shocking when it happened the first time, glad it was a stick shift. I managed to get it to the side of the street, I quickly shut it down. Inspection revealed the cable was rubbing on the hood insulation, a quick swivel of the cable and straightening of the kink solved the issue that day. Never did fix that properly as it wasn’t constant. There was a recall on it but I did not bother.
The bland styling seemed to go unnoticed until you really looked. Perfect for me to blend in to the crowd of Camrys and Accords. What I really liked is that it wasn’t a Camry or Accord. Also fog lights, just in case that heavy fog rolled in to Los Angeles. Honestly I prefer fog lights because they are useful and make the car not look so basic.
No matter how many waxes I tried I could never fix this
My car suffered from burned paint and peeling clear coat. I would wax and it would look nice but only for about a day. It almost seemed like the paint was thirsty. I accepted it as fact yet I dreamed that I could repaint it some day.
PCH near Oxnard a good and pleasant drive if you’re in the area.
With the same friends and higher wages just meant that our adventures would cover a longer distance. We would now go as far as Oxnard and Malibu California, just cruising in a more relaxed attitude.
One of the bad habits I had was doing burn outs. Never good for a vehicle you want to be reliable. I never snapped an axle, blew a tranny, or engine; there was something else that would bring this car down.
The rust issue
Nissan Altimas and Maximas of this era seem to suffer from a rust issue where the radiator core support and engine support crossmember meet. I made an effort to try to maintain cars at this point, this issue was out of my realm of experience though.
With me burning out it created a gap that would make a pronounced bumping noise when accelerating or coming to a stop. I was under the impression that this car was done for, with my budget it pretty much was. While I found a buyer the only thing I could do to minimize the noise was to use tow chain and bolts near the top of the motor to minimize the movement of the engine. That gap created a condition where the speedometer was reading at double the speed of actual speed, it was fun for me to watch the speedo hit 60 in school zones.
I found a CarArea co-worker that wanted a parts car as he had a similar model. It sold for $500. Not much but some help towards a newer vehicle. I was thinking something similar for my next car, but my girlfriend at the time was thinking big.
Thanks for starting my Sunday with a chuckle! I had never thought nearly any of the cars manufactured after the late 70’s would be prone to rust in critical areas like that in California… that ’93 must’ve originally spent time in the Snowbelt.
It was almost in the 200k miles when I got it. Purchased from a guy that went back and forth to San Francisco weekly. I do enjoy making people happy.
Thanks, Danny for another good story. Helped a friend purchase nearly this exact car after her son broke the crankshaft on what had been a hand-me-down-Cadillac from grandma while street racing it (we think; that’s what the mechanic said but the son never admitted it). We were three guys out with our friend girl, helping her find a good, honest car on a Saturday, keeping the used car salesmen honest. That was a good time. The Sentra was indeed a good, honest car, a nice, in-between size, with good power, comfort and handling. The back seat was pretty loud on the Interstate, but most Japanese sedans had that feature at the time. It got her where she needed to go with a little style for a couple years when she needed just that, and then was handed down to the daughter who drove more sensibly. And, eventually, everyone grew up.
Oh the things we put up with in cars when we are young and broke. I loved the rotating power window relay.
I spent some time in another part of the supply chain with a couple of summers at an auto parts distribution warehouse. I remember feeling like such an adult when I got invited to attend the educational meeting put on by the Raybestos guys when we started carrying their brake parts. The discounts on parts were a great perk.
I have the next generation Altima. In grey it blends right in with all the other boring sedans and seems invisible to the local constabulary. It has a 2.4 litre with a 5 speed manual. It is a fun car to drive and holds the road well. At close to 300k kms it hasn’t needed much other than regular maintenance. Although I recently had to replace the original radiator and alternator. Mine also had the paint and clear coat wearing off the hood.
I hope to squeeze a few more years out of it as it is getting harder to find a mid sized sedan with a stick.
Great COAL and keep them coming.
I recall when these were introduced, they were such a big step forward from the Stanza. In fact the first year’s model was labeled Stanza Altima for some reason. Kind of like there were Datsun Nissans for a while a decade earlier.
The interior was well done, with the exception of the early “wood” trim, which seemed really orange. I believe this is when I eventually ended up with a new Jetta instead. The Nissan probably would have been the better car long term though.
When I got my Infiniti G20, that’s what many people assumed it was, a rebadged Altima (which it was not).
The Altima got a mid cycle redo which changed the ends and a few other bits and then for the next big redo after that went much larger to compete with Accord and Camry, where it still sits today. I rarely see ones like yours anymore these days but they seemed like good cars.
I bought a new Altima GLE in 1996 – if you look under model on the window sticker it is still labeled Stanza Altima GLE. This particular car was loaded – with leather, ABS, cornering lights. The following year the Altima was decontented and went through a pretty bad restyle.
Unfortunately I had the car only two years. The alternator died and it was towed to a nearby dealership (thankfully no longer exists and not the one on the window sticker) out of which – according to LAPD – a car theft ring was operating. Following the repair, a few days later it was stolen, broken down and parted out (I kept getting calls from LAPD when various parts were sold and identified – they eventually broke up the theft ring).
I’m looking forward to your first car that doesn’t have serious issues!
They get better as one matures and budget increases. Stay tuned.
Great read, as all of your COAL’s have been so far. A friend of mine had an Altima like this, maybe a ’96? It was a decent driving car, but it sure seemed small compared to the domestic competition. It was traded in on a Nissan Quest, which turned out to be a huge rust bucket in short order.
I’ve had a ’95 5 speed for almost 13 years now, though I haven’t driven it regularly in a few years. I also had the core support rust out, but I had it rewelded. I also made up brackets to raise the front seats a couple inches, made both front and rear seats much more comfortable. Nice reliable cars that have timing chains in an era where few other imported OHC engines did. That said, my dad’s former ’90 Accord 5 speed was a lot more fun to drive!
The best part is not having to remove the engine to service those chains, cramped but doable.
COAR (car of a rental) for me. Back in ’96, my late friend & I picked up one of these in Jacksonville, Fl. Near new, and hadn’t had it’s first service yet.
Returned it 30 days later. After going via NYC, Gettysburg, Dayton, Omaha, Helena,
Seattle, LA, Tucson, DFW, Mobile. Minus it’s aerial ( caught in a camera strap when Pete was standing on the boot/trunk taking aircraft pics) and a wet rear footwell from a leaking cooler. I’ve forgotten how many miles we put on that car. Didn’t miss a beat, and did us well.
It looks like the Bluebirds we have but with a bigger motor, and thats a good thing they are beyond gutless with a 1800.