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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  Two years and going strong. - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By psych0student - March 26 - 3:15 pm

  I bought my 2008 Sentra second hand exactly two years ago; figured Id give it the credit it deserves by writing a review. Overall, I truly love this car. Its a perfect size (even when moving back and forth from school), very economical (I get from Buffalo, NY to NYC on one tank of gas), reliable, and easy on the eyes. Its at 36k now, so I realize Nissan is going to abandon me for the most part warranty-wise, but Im not worried because its been an angel so far.

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  Great Family MiniVan! - 2005 Nissan Quest
  By ilikenissan - March 26 - 10:18 am

  We have had our 2005 Quest SL for 8 years now, bought new. It has been the perfect van for us. Spacious, strong engine, drives great (for a van), and gets decent highway mileage (we average 24 on trips). Electronically adjustable drivers seat. It was worth buying the extended warranties, as minivans (weight and usage) put a lot of stress on transmissions and suspensions. We used the warranty and saved a lot on major repairs common to the entire minivan category.

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  Beware of brakes! - 2010 Nissan Altima
  By ireners - March 26 - 9:23 am

  My daughter and I owned the same car. Both of them needed new rotors with under 20,000 miles even though pads were in great shape. $600 repair, not covered by warranty as brakes are considered a wear and tear item. Discussed issue with service mgr. and was told that this is a very common problem with Altimas. Buyer Beware! Traded mine in for a Honda. Would not buy another one. Nissan is aware of problem, but wont correct it.

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  Most car for your money! - 2005 Nissan Maxima
  By T Huss - March 26 - 3:10 am

  Absolutely the best sedan you can get on the market for $30K. Love this car, and oh so fun to drive! Never owned a Nissan until now. Will buy one again. Understand too that theyre now better cars since the French bought Nissan. Great backseat comfort & room. Lots of power, makes it a breeze to merge onto a freeway! You cannot lose with this car!

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  I Would Have Gone With the Honda Accord - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By YSSMAN - March 25 - 11:13 pm

  This was the second Altima we had in our family, the first being a 96. Im glad I was not the one who bought the car, because I hated it. Simply put, the interior of the car is one of the worst I have seen in a long time, far worse than any interior you have seen in a GM product. Sure, it was purchased on a great deal, but the combination of mouse-fur seats and Tupperware plastics was a huge letdown. Too bad the car didnt have a manual transmission, as Im sure it would have been fun to drive with some involvement. Still, Im glad I didnt spend the money on the car...

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  Love my Quest but.... - 2011 Nissan Quest
  By diamondeyes333 - March 25 - 3:23 pm

  I have had this vehicle for 5 weeks now and love it overall. I purchased a 2011 Quest leftover that had 15 miles on it. However, I just had a new battery installed by the dealership (covered by warranty) since it kept refusing to start. We thought my kids had left light on or one of the doors was left open (kinda hard to believe since we always use the buttons to open/close). Long story short, two people my husband works with bought new 2011 Quests and said it was a bad battery. Sure enough, brought it to the dealership and the battery was bad. This seems to be a pretty common problem with this vehicle. Hopefully no more surprises.

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  Mixed Emotions - 2004 Nissan Xterra
  By Burnables - March 25 - 1:33 am

  I love the utility of this truck.Great for loading up the dog and the girl and heading up the White Mts for long weekends of hiking and camping, etc. Great for packing a lot of gear. The dog loves it, too. Only a few complaints..which really bug me...its loud driving on wet roads...sounds like a door is open in the back. Also, the thing lacks pick up on the low gears. No muscle.(I traded in my TACOMA for this dog of a truck.) It doesnt seem so strongly built either. The fenders are weak. Overall, it is a strong like. But, it aint no TACOMA TRD.

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  Problems down the road.... - 2000 Nissan Sentra
  By tracey - March 24 - 10:40 am

  I bought the car used with 50k and had to replace 3 sensors right away totaling near $1,000. The main sensor needed to be replaced 3 times in a year (covered on warranty). Things were great for the next year nothing more than routie oil changes. at 100,000k things started to go wrong. Tranny blew at 101k. I dont drive rough and only locally drive pretty much. I was shocked. Speakers blew around 70k. I had bent my front rims after too many pot holes, they were impossible to find at a reasonable price considering the size was changed half way through the year (recall). Over all not bad, but really angry about the transmission.

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  The muscle machine - 2004 Nissan Armada
  By The Impressed - March 24 - 10:00 am

  Approaching 1000 miles and I am a very content owner. Great prowess. A 5.6L that delivers if you want that burst of speed. The price is a thirsty engine of course. I have taken it till 80mph with a surprising ease at just under 2000 revs. The exterior has a catchy bold look. The interior has space to accomodate any body stretch and is versatile enough to provide ample cargo room if needed. The one complaint I have about the interior, both seats and pannel, is that it is a tad tacky for the price. Other than that, this machine rocks! I would not go back to Mossy Nissan Houston TX though. Throughout, it was unclear who was supposed to be my dealer and each di

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  Finally got the grown up car - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By beatles guy - March 24 - 10:00 am

  As soon as I got in the car it felt right for me. First of all it is roomy and it looks real nice with the black leather and sunroof. I traded in my Honda Civic. I was surprized at the price of this car. My payments are about the same as the Honda was, only a much better car. When I need power I have it. Just love the way it drives. It is also quiet. And looks great in the driveway. Ps: if you want better milage, try to keep the tack @ 2500 rpms or less. I was able to get 30.5 mpg in this manner.