These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.
Costly problem zones ahead at your miles come with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
What about the price? Check the asking price on two listing sites. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the offer X ray.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
The full record
Tap to open
What owners complain about
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Seller kit
Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points
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Walk up to the seller ready
Questions to ask the seller of a 2005 Nissan Altima, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
Write your offer
A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email
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Send the seller a fair offer
Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2005 Nissan Altima, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
When problems show up
Loading mileage at failure
Will it outlast the loan?
The month of your loan each problem zone lands in
Loading the problem zones
Recalls
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Crash ratings
NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight. The tests changed for 2011 models, so these stars do not line up with newer ones.
Loading crash ratings
Fuel economy
The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in. Figures for 2007 and older use the EPA's 2008 method, so they may be lower than the original sticker.
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True cost to own
The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years
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What it really costs to own
What the 2005 Nissan Altima costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
Every year of the Altima
Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Tap a year to open it. The newest 2 are not judged yet. Bars are totals, so older years stand taller; the verdict compares every year at the same age.
Loading every year of this model
Before you buy this one
Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.
Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.
Engine
Nov 14, 2007 · Recall 07V527000
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with a 2.5l engine, the crankshaft position sensor can overheat causing a brief interruption in the signal output from the sensor.
What can happen
If the interruption in the signal from the crankshaft position sensor is so brief that the electronic control module (ecm) logic does not have time to diagnose the condition, the engine may stop running without warning while the vehicle is driven at a low speed increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
Dealers will reprogram the ecm free of charge. Certain my 2006 altimas which have been previously remedied under recall campaign 06v223 (Nissan r0606) are not included in this recall since the reprogramming for 06v223 also included this reprogramming. The recall began on december 31, 2007. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Lights
Oct 25, 2007 · Recall 07E087000
Certain tyc halogen type headlamp assemblies p/n 20-6644-00 sold as aftermarket equipment for 2005-2006 Nissan altima passenger vehicles. The photometric were misaligned which does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
What can happen
Misalignment of the lights diminishes frontal illumination which could result in a vehicle crash.
The fix
Genera will notify owners and offer to repurchase the noncompliant lamps. The recall began on october 25, 2007. Owners can contact genera at 714-522-6688.
1,091 complaints; the part named most is the engine
Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Jul 25, 2004 to Apr 28, 2026. 76% name a part that is usually costly to fix.
Owners reported 48 crashes, 18 fires and 62 injuries in these complaints.
Engine395 · 36%Usually costly to fix
Body and frame351 · 32%Usually costly to fix
Transmission and drivetrain115 · 11%Usually costly to fix
What one owner wrote about the engine
While driving my 2005 Nissan Altima in active traffic with my [XXX] child, the vehicle suddenly stalled without any warning. The engine completely shut off while in motion, creating an immediately safety hazard in live traffic conditions. Immediately after the stall, I observed oil leakage and smoke entering the cabin. The vehicle became inoperable and we…
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
5 checks, with a close look at the engine
The bar holds the middle half of the complaints that gave a mileage; the dark mark is the middle one. 301 complaints of 1,091 gave one. Owners file when something fails, so this shows when problems were reported, not how long the cars last.
EngineCostly55,000 to 105,000 mi
Half of these 148 complaints came between about 55,000 and 105,000 miles, the middle one around 80,000.
050K100K150K200K250K
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Mileage for 3 more parts, 2 usually costly
The mileage band for every part owners name, and your car's miles laid across them.
Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 2 recalls on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the engine. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look hard at the engine. It is usually costly to fix.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the engine.
Start it cold if you can. Listen for knocking or ticking, and watch for warning lights and smoke.
