It is a personal thing I admit.
I have a 2008 Nissan Altima which has been and still is a great car. seven years old and still going strong. Had to replace the clutch a year ago - my son burned it out - but other than that just basic service and maintenance.
I have always had good Japanese cars- not so much success with domestic
I would vote for the Nisson with the miles you drive. However, buy what you are most comfortable in. It sucks to have to put up with a design that doesn’t suit you, especially for ten or more years.
The Cruze has been a recall-generating phenomenon (as in, lots and lots and lots of recalls) and is made by the UAW in a Government Motors plant in Ohio. It does not get very good reliability ratings with any engine and it’s pretty crap to drive. It’s also at least one if not two sizes smaller than the Altima.
The Altima is made in Tennessee and has been very reliable over its generations, with the exception of the 2.5L I4 engine. Avoid that and it’ll be a good drive.
Have you considered a Kia (made in Alabama) or even a Hyundai (which has a 10 year, 100K warranty)? What’s the budget and intended use of the vehicle?
The Altima plant is non-union, FYI. Also, that lifetime powertrain warranty on the Altima is not from Nissan but an aftermarket provider and probably is not going to be worth the paper it’s written on if you move away or one of the providing entities go belly up.
Power train warranties are (mostly) third party FYI and the last time I actually used it, it took many months just to get them to honor mine. Actually I had to threaten mine with words like “sue’. but a warranty is a warranty. If you are comfy with the Cruze, go for it but it would be better to still look around if you have the time. I know it’s a pain in the ass to buy cars as it takes a lot of time but try to expand to more than those 2 cars...
I did not like the Cruz when I drove one.
The power steering and brakes were too powerful and the car felt like it was skating on ice
I bought a Mazda CX-5 for about the same price but a better vehicle for me
As long as it fits your other transportation needs, I’d recommend the Nissan every day and twice on Sunday. I’m like your husband on squeezing every last bit of value from a car and that’s happening with both of the Nissans we currently own, a 2006 XTerra and a 2009 Murano. They both are well over 100,000 miles with great reliability.
Girl friend and I both bought 2015 cars.
She got Altima I got a KIA Soul.
I realize that they are 2 different cars but I feel the KIA has more user-friendly features put into it.
KIA has an Altima version you should look at. This is my first KIA and I am very pleased.
If you need to be fishing around in your purse, you're going to be pulled over to the side of the road, so what's the difference?
I have been boycotting GM since the corrupt bailout and will continue to do so forever. I don’t deal with crooks. Fortunately, the Nissan is a much better car for the money, particularly for your needs. Doing the right thing is also a better decision given your driving needs.
Run, do not walk, away from the Cruz towards the Altima.
I had five Nissan Altimas in a row. On my last one, 2003, I put about 192,000 miles on it. I never changed the belts, hoses, water pump, or fuel pump. I never had to align it. The reason I kept buying Nissans was I never had any problems with any of them, and when I thought of an improvement they could make, they made it with the next model I bought. I finally bought a different car mainly because my wife wanted me to have something different.
I can’t think of too many incidences where a Chevy or GM has been more reliable than a Nissan.
A lifetime warranty from the dealer good for the lifetime of the dealership.
Had a 2004 Nissan Altima and put 240,000 miles on it before giving it to a friend. Had no major problems. Purchased a 2010 Altima as the replacement specifically for the reliability of the vehicle.
A lot of people on FR will tell you that the Cruze is not good and you should buy a Trump because it’s great
Neither.
No government motors no foreign.
Ford Fusion.
I’ll never buy another car from Government Motors.