Is a 2001 Nissan Altima a reliable car?

Question

I found a 2001 Nissan Altima for $4500 it has 118000 miles on it. I thought it was a good deal and was ready to buy, than some friends started telling me that Altimas are bad cars they need belts changed every certain amount of miles and always has problems. Wanted to know if anyone knows anything about Altimas or has heard the same thing.

Answer 1

they are usually pretty reliable, except ones with 2.4L engines have the tendency to have problems with timing chain tensioners coming apart and throwing the timing off.

in a shop it is  over an 11 hour job at $65+ an hour

as for the belts, belts are a wear item on all vehicles

Answer 2

Nissan Altima uses a timing chain verses a belt and should NEVER need replacement. As far as I know it is one of the most reliable (although somewhat bland)  vehicles on the road. The very early models had a chain tensioner issue but Nissan fixed this problem back in the '90's.