Automatic Tranmissions Suck
Auto trannies stink -- diagnosing problems with them is also an enigma. I don't really know what goes on in there. Standard trans., IMHO is so much better (for economy, statistics show people who drive sticks have fewer accidents than auto-only's, etc.) I think people should learn to drive a stick-shift in driver training.
I also think we should switch to the metric system by teaching it from Kindergarten onward (maybe MetroMPG can help me out here -- when did Canada make the switch, and how did it phase-in?). I know it will never happen because we're so stuck on the "English" system of measurement. Same thing with automatic transmissions. The U.S. is just full of them. In Europe, is exactly the opposite.
Compaq888 - do you know the history of the car? I know a lot of rental companies had/have Altimas. If it was an old rental, I'd ditch it quick. My folks bought a Jeep that was a rental (at a significant discount), and the four-wheel-drive went out on it early. Not only are the renters hard on the transmissions, but the rental agency people too -- they're way hard on cars when they move them around.
Otherwise, the car is a good, reliable choice. Consumer Reports rates it a "Best Buy" in used cars, with the transmission being "excellent" in reliability for that year. According to their site, 99's are currently worth $5k-7500. The decision to repair the transmission may be a costly one, if that's the problem. Bear in mind the repair cost, number of miles, and what it's worth. If you can, take it to a mechanic to drive it to diagnose the problem (since the codes show no fault). Best of luck, and keep us posted...
RH77
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