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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  A true sports car - 2004 Nissan 350Z
  By szyp - November 1 - 2:00 am

  This is a true sports car in the classic sense of the word(s). Fast, fun, and handles like a dream. The most impressive feature, of many, for me was the shifter location-darn near perfect, and I have driven and owned many manual shift cars in my days.

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  A car that will shorten your trips - 2004 Nissan Maxima
  By MOHSpearhead - November 1 - 2:00 am

  After 3 months ownership I am more impressed with the car now than when I purchased it. Excellent ride and performance. Very comfortable, two hour drives seem short. Great fuel mileage of 22 mpg around town and 25 mpg on the road. Chose this car over 2004 Infiniti G35. Maxima is larger and more roomy. Maximas retain better resale value after 4 years than Infiniti (wife has 2000 Infiniti I30 and 2000 maximas bluebook for more.

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  Frontier SC - 2002 Nissan Frontier
  By Bob D - October 31 - 11:16 pm

  This is the second Frontier Ive had and this time I will never purchase another Nissan again. I had reliability issues with the first Frontier that I had, a 2000 and was offered a "good deal" on a trade in on a 2002. The 2002 has been no better. This vehicle is extremely costly to maintain.

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  Great Car, I miss it! - 2003 Nissan Altima
  By macfie87 - October 31 - 10:40 pm

  I bought this car used at 62K miles and loved it, until it was recently totaled at 150K. Everything was great, except for a few problems as its mileage got higher. Had to have a throttle replaced and it was about 800, but that was really the only major problem. It was needing a new alternator and a new shift lock, but I fixed those myself. Everything else was AWESOME! And airbags deployed and engine shut off automatically...great safety features.

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  Very Nice Car - 2008 Nissan Altima
  By 2cool4you - October 31 - 12:53 pm

  I bought a car in January of 08. I love it and everything about it! I had to have the service department do a couple of things to it, like brakes and power seat was shifting every time I take a turn, Nissan issued a service kit for that, ever since its been a pleasure. I would recommend this car to anybody who tries to decide between Toyota, Honda, etc. Go with Nissan and you will not regret it! My next car is new Maxima!

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  Nissan Maxima GLE - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By kabisco - October 31 - 10:00 am

  This car has a roomy interior with very comfortable seating. The exterior design is sleek with smoothh contours. It is very sturdy on the road with little or no noise penetrating the interior. It seems to be very reliable thus far, requiring only basic maintenance to keep it performing at an optimum level. I would definitely, highly recommend it.

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  fun to drive - 1998 Nissan Maxima
  By GPB - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Ive only had this car a month, but Ive driven my brothers 97 SE and liked it so much I bought one myself. Great acceleration, good handling, fantastic Bose stereo.

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  Great Deal on Pathfinder - 2002 Nissan Pathfinder
  By bman33 - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Shopped the Pathfinder against Honda Pilot, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Escape. No comparison. Pathfinder had a cheaper lease, better equipment, more power and nicer ride than all the above. We were able to land a 2002 SE automatic w/ Popular package, mats, in-cabin filter for $27,000.

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  Be Careful!!!!!! - 2001 Nissan Frontier
  By UpsetBuyer2 - October 31 - 10:00 am

  I actually own a 2WD 4 door LB Supercharged Frontier. Like the other buyer, my truck has been in the shop about 10 times. The supercharger was making a bad noise (bearings) and they say it is normal. Truck also pulls to the right, and the tires were balanced two times already. The Supercharger only takes premium fuel, so get ready to spend some major money!!!! Also, the sticker says 15 - 18 mpg, thats a bunch of crap. I only get 208 miles to the tank in the city - this is with a 19 gallon tank. Do the math - 19 gallons at 1.70/gallon every week. Get ready to open up a credit card account.

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  Fantastic Car - 2001 Nissan Pathfinder
  By stinger_bee - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Overall a fantastic SUV. As with others, I cant say enough about the new V6. Tons of power and acceleration even at high speeds. The interior is nice but, as with other Nissans I have seen, has been "cheapened" up. The headroom is a little tight. Im only 6 0" and my head is touching the roof unless I lay back the seat. Only other complaint is that the side mirrors are not integrated with the memory seeting.