Overview & Reviews

Nissan was born in Japan, and like other marques from its homeland, the brand is known for crafting vehicles that place an emphasis on quality and reliability. The company's roster of products is broad, and includes sporty coupes, family sedans, minivans, trucks and SUVs.

The automaker got its start in 1933 as the Jidosha Seico Co., Ltd. The following year, this outfit merged with another Japanese manufacturer, and the new company was christened Nissan Motor Company, Ltd. Nissan initially marketed its vehicles under the Datsun brand, with the first Datsuns being built in 1934. Postwar, the brand made its presence felt worldwide, building a partnership with the U.K.-based Austin Motor Co. and establishing a presence in the United States. The first Datsuns hit American shores in 1958. Vehicles like the Datsun 1000 were based on Austin platforms.

The '60s witnessed Nissan's merger with Prince Motor Company, a union that helped the Asian manufacturer create more luxury-focused vehicles. In the U.S. it began offering its first vehicle styled for the U.S. market, the Datsun 510 sedan. By the end of the decade, Datsun had exported more than 1 million vehicles. Datsun rose to prominence in the 1970s on the popularity of its 240Z sports car. Powered by an inline six-cylinder engine, the car was coveted for its blend of style, performance and affordability. By the time the '70s drew to a close, the automaker's cumulative vehicle exports had surpassed the 10 million mark.

In 1981, Nissan shelved the Datsun name and began selling vehicles worldwide under the Nissan moniker. The '80s also saw Nissan's launch of a tuning division called Nismo for the development of performance-oriented vehicles and accessories. Nissan also brought its production to American shores, with the construction of a Georgia-based plant.

The early '90s saw Nissan's fortunes rise in the U.S. thanks to fun-to-drive cars like the 300ZX, Maxima and Sentra. But this trend didn't last long and by the late '90s Nissan's offerings consisted of anonymous vehicles. The company's future was uncertain.

After the turn of the new century Nissan bounced back, helped by a 1999 alliance with Renault that boosted the company's finances. Its redesigned Sentra and Altima boosted sales and consumer interest, as did new models like the 350Z sports car, Armada SUV and Titan pickup. Today the manufacturer is known for offering a wide range of well-regarded vehicles, including the popular Murano SUV, the incredible GT-R supercar and the all-electric Leaf.

User Reviews:

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  Xterra Review - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By Hglider - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Rugged vehicle, cool styling, versatile. All around good vehicle for my needs but a few irritating things which could be improved (listed below). A big decision factor in buying it was anticipating high reliability. So far so good, but time will tell.

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  SUEZZZZZZZZZ - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By shakenbake - March 19 - 2:00 am

  the bose system is hollow sounding...needs to be trashed.

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  The best sports car I have ever owned!!! - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By Shane Young - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Fun to drive and great styling,fast and handles like a dream!! I traded a 2002 Ford thunderbird for my nissan,the thunderbird just didnt have the horse power and the style of the bird! The only compliant I have is I wish the seats were just more comfortable! The 350z touring convertiable is the best sports car !

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  zcar4me - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By Greg Nichols - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Great car, a real head turner. Superior performance and handling. No regrets here!

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  Quick car for a 4cylinder engine - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By Cory - Wise - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Love this car. The 4 cylinder 175HP is very nice and gets up to speed very quickly. This car is the best car i every owned. I have owned Chryslers for the past 5years and they are the wearst cars ever. I have a good joke the nissan has a 175Hp and the standard 6Cylinder is 168Hp on the 2000 model.

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  The only car to own. - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By Reddog48 - March 19 - 2:00 am

  This is my third Maxima and it is the best. I love the pick up it has on the road and the new styling is superb. I receice a lot of comments from strangers about what a good looking car I own and it makes be proud. The best part about Maximas is there reliability.

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  Edmonds pays off again - 2002 Nissan Altima
  By jerry45205 - March 18 - 12:29 pm

  My son re3ceived this car as a gift. It was very clean for the age. As soon as he got it he did an Edmonds review and this is what happened: He ordered a direct bolt on stainless steel racing header from optionimports on e bay motors, The main cat had already been removed. We eliminated the orig header/manifold which contains the problem pre-cat and the header went right on. Upon further examination of the car it looked like the engine had been replaced. Tell tale signs were the junkyard yellow marker markings on the side of the engine. Car body has 90,000 miles-after even more inspection could very well be a newer 2.5 engine as it was clean-as in oil and tranny fluid.So looks like a win.

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  Buy One! - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By Wild Eagle - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Its a fun tough off road vehicle that is incredibly reliable. Nissan really has their act together. Been in shop 2 times for rattles and blown speakers.. Went out and bought a sub woofer and no more speaker blow outs! Bought the new seat covers and interior looks lot more fun!! Very solid off road, front seats could be set higher for long distance driving. Need a/c vent for back seat. Gets hot in Arizona. Put extra window tint and is helping a lot. Gas mileage is pathetic for the lack of oower.. feels like a 4 cylinder..but still acceptable. I would buy another without a doubt!!

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  Hotttt Car - 2001 Nissan Xterra
  By Owls27 - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Hey, Im seventeen and just got one. Beatiful car, all compliments to nissan on this because all i do is get compliments. Its fun, nice handling, cd quality is nice, and its awesome. Not a race car, not a monster truck, so i dont know why people think that it should be faster and more powerful.

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  owned pathfinder - 1995 Nissan Pathfinder
  By janicecarter - March 18 - 10:00 am

  first pathfinder owned, over 200000 miles with only one major problem, five speed transmission, bearing failure, exhaust manifold to head gasket failure, broken stud in manifold to head,constant squeak somewhere in suspension