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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  I love this car - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By 2fst4u - November 15 - 10:00 am

  the nissan 350z is my first car and i absolutely love it. i have put many performance parts on it including nos air filters diablo injectors and many more. it has 512 hp. when i bought it it had 80. before i put the parts on it i drove it stock for a while and i loved it.

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  HIZ10 - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By HIZ10 - November 15 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle rocks!! We leased for 36 months, vehicle is for my wife and is used as daily driver. We are both in our late 40s and have had many cars. Without a doubt, the Z is one of the fastest and definitely the most fun vehicle to drive we have ever owned. Excellent looks, power, handling, great features. Some complain about the use of "poor" quality interior materials-we say spend 40 to 50K if you want a 40 to 50K vehicle! This vehicle provides great value for the money. Its her car, shes my 10 and were extremely pleased. Shez happy in Tampa!!

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  04 Maxima GL Problems - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By William Joyce - November 15 - 10:00 am

  This is my 4th Maxima and I am not happy. There is a serious shift problem with the new autoshift, 5 speed transmission on GLs sold after Feb 2004. The dealer says "its normal" but other owners have the same problem!!! The gas cap is designed very badly. I just replaced the XM antenna, 2nd time, and it still works only about 60% of the time.

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  defects - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By will m - November 15 - 10:00 am

  my experience with this vehicle is not a good one,namely warp rotor,faulty molding, leaking sun roof distorted speakers,leaking and right front strut

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  LUANN - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By LUANN - November 15 - 10:00 am

  THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE IS THE ROAD NOISE AND IT IS NOT AS COMFORTABLE OF A RIDE AS I HAD EXPECTED.

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  I love my new car!! - 2005 Nissan Altima
  By YLS - November 15 - 10:00 am

  Just bought yesterday-had an XE Sentra that was totalled and decided to upgrade. I LOVE IT!! My mom used to have a 1993 Altima and they have improved the space tremendously!!! It really is a great car for the price. My payments really arent that much more than I had for my Sentra.

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  Perfect price, Great looks and Cool features for the price! - 2013 Nissan Rogue
  By thetodd1984 - November 15 - 9:56 am

  I am 28 and this is the 19th new car I have owned. I have had everything from a 2 seater smart car to a crew cab full size pick up truck with cars from basic to luxury fully loaded. My 18th new car was a fully loaded 2010 Nissan Cube which was a GREAT car and has made me a loyal Nissan owner now. The price to maintane the vehicle is cheaper then its other Japanese competitors. This little SUV has enough pep to keep you happy with the great fuel economy that is truely hard to achieve in this class of vehicle. I have the FWD SV with premium package. I test drove this in 12" of unplowed parking lot snow and it plowed right through it!

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  Bye bye gas cartel - 2015 Nissan Leaf
  By Ironchef2 - November 15 - 9:48 am

  Use navigation to estimate miles needed

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  Great Car, Tremendous Value! - 2008 Nissan Sentra
  By Mullah81 - November 15 - 5:06 am

  After a month of diligent research, my wife and I decided on the Nissan Sentra S Model. We test drove the Civic, Jetta, Corolla. Although this is an "economy" car, you would never know it with all of the wonderful and useful features that it has. For starters, the design is really nice and modern. The glove compartment is huge, by far the largest of any car we test drove. The LCD display screen and on board computer is really neat and displays some useful information (average mpg, average speed, temperature, time, etc.). The fit and finish of the car is superb and really has a solid feel to it. The CVT is so smooth and really beats traditional transmissions in my opinion.

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  Blown head gasket at 20,000 - 2009 Nissan Murano
  By chummo - November 15 - 3:53 am

  The head gasket went with just under 20,000 miles. That is something that should last 200,000 miles. Nissan village fixed it under warranty and 2 days later it had to be towed in because almost all the oil leaked out all over my new garage floor because one of the gaskets was improperly installed. Then it had to go back in again because of check engine light. It was the oxygen sensor. This is my fourth Nissan and I will never buy another.