Help me decide on a used car (>$10k)

[z28dreams]

The cars you listed above are all very solid choices.

The hondas will certainly have the best resale value, but I'm not really a big fan of them.

I mean... civics are realiable, but do you really want to drive a little go-kart of a car with something like 120hp?

Remember, part of the equation of owning a car is how long you are going to keep it. A civic might have good resale value, but if you get sick of it and sell it after 2-3 years, it's not that great of a deal. (when you're buying cars you have to deal with depreciation, tax, titling, etc)

I'd say go a step above the economy cars, and find something that you'll be willing to drive into the ground.

The maxima is an excellent choice, as the engine will run forever, and you probably won't get sick of the car too fast. I'd try for a 2002, the first year they offered the 3.5 instead of the 3.0 engine, and it has a cooler body style than 2004+. Should be able to get one for around 12-13k I think.

[emon87]

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I'd say go a step above the economy cars, and find something that you'll be willing to drive into the ground.


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I would be willing to go a step up for a car that won't cost a fortune to repair as it gets older. How are Nissans for repairs?

[z28dreams]

Emon:

I'm sure repairs will be a little more expensive than domestics, but overall not too bad.

The reliability should be quite good - very close to toyota/honda. The VQ engine is a derivation of the VG series engine, which has made ward's best engine list for something like 10+ years and is known to break 250k miles easy.

With ANY car, expect the little things to fail - power windows, resistor packs, etc. These will be a little more pricey than domestic, but they are all small beans compared to engine/transmission problems.

Also, if you're not sure, I think I'd recommend a newer YEAR car with higher mileage than vice versa. The engines can handle the wear and tear. I always thought lower mileage would be a better option, but with my current car I'm realizing that wasn't the case.

[emon87]

Alright, thanks for the advice. My friend has a Nissan Altima that we road tripped in over spring break. When I drove it, it seemed pretty solid - how does it compare to the Maxima? Just a little less HP and less amenities inside?

[JordanIB]

I basically in the same boat. Same price range, looking at the same cars. Although I'm also considering a lightly used 2003 or 2004 Taurus. Can be had relatively cheap, and if taken care of, can go 100+ easily.

[PokerintheI]

I just solved the same dilemma. Looked at all the same choices. I went with the Nissan Maxima. Nissan is a comparable car to the Hondas and Toyotas, but at a more affordable price. The Altima is a solid choice, a bit smaller and with less oomph, but good. If your going to keep it for a while, I would suggest the Maxima. Eventually you will want the extra size. Plus I had 3 mechanics tell me that the Maxima has better overall reliability than the Altima.

Don't ignore the possibilities of Ebay. I picked up a 2000 Maxima GE for $4000 under retail on ebay. Needed $1200 in repairs, but even after that, I'm only 250$ over wholesale.

[stan1541]

go older and nicer, so go with an older Accord over a newer Civic. Older Maxima over newer sentra.
Honestly i would go with like 99-00 Acura TL or CL