I ordered a Sparkle Red (A15 colour code) '05 Altima 3.5 SE 5sp w/o option packages back on Mar 24th. It's an, uhh, odd combination, so the dealer had to order it from Smyrna just for me. Four to six weeks I'm told, although they haven't told me the ETA yet.. I'm waiting patiently...
Before someone asks why I didn't get any packages, I'll explain that Canadian Altimas are optioned differently than U.S. models (see
www.nissan.ca for more details). Ours come pretty much loaded, at least the 3.5SE does. There are only three packages besides tranny choice, which are applied sequentially. 1. Sunfoof; 2. Leather/Bose/EC mirror/etc; 3. Navigation (new for '05 in Canada, btw).
The reason for no packages is just my personal style. First off, I'm tall-ish (6 feet), so headroom is a premium in any car. Sunroofs tend to cut into it, so that's out of the question. And leather, well, I find it cold in the winter (yes heaters help somewhatl) and hot in the summer. Our part of Canada, which is southern Ontario.. the big arrow-shaped bit sticking down into the U.S. around the great lakes, has a huge range of temperatures. It goes anywhere from -30C in winter to +40C in summer (plus humidity that makes you want to die), so it just didn't make sense for me to waste the money on it. And navi.. well, I'd have to take the other two to get that, and still a ridiculous CDN$3,200 option. I think I'll stick to my map books thanks!
I haven't yet decided what, if any, mods I'm going to do to the car. I want this car to be a Q-ship - you know, undetectable by the local constabulary. That translates to "no bling-bling" in the current vernacular. As such, any mods will be subtle, like debadging the rear-end, window tints, etc. Personally, I hate that 'V6' emblem .. isn't that what 3.5 SE is supposed to indicate? And frankly, if someone doesn't realize that the dual mufflers means big-ass V6, then why do I care what they think anyway?
If anyone has any input on mods (like details on how to debadge without using a butter knife and scratching the paint!), etc., please lemme know.
Cheers!
Geoff.
Linear Mode
