2001 Mercury Sable or 1999 Nissan Altima? (insurance, luxury car, vehicles, CV joint)

[Hopes]

I'd love to hear people's opinions on these two cars.

I'm rather amazed that I'm having a difficult time chosing since I've owned foreign cars my entire life.

Both cars are the exact same price.

Here are the details:

2001 Mercury Sable -- 90k miles -- fully loaded

1999 Nissan Altima -- 120k miles -- sunroof, power doors

SABLE PROS: It drives like a luxury car. It's a smooth, powerful ride. It's completely loaded with sunroof, leather, etc. The stereo system sounds great. The leather is dog-hair friendly and it will hold up better than cloth.

SABLE CONS: The large console makes the car feel smaller inside. It might have too much power for having a teen who will driving it. My internet research revealed transmission problems seemed to be common between 15k and 25k miles. I have no idea if this car's transmission has been replaced or if transmissions go out on Sables when they're older too. The gas milage will be bad. It looks like an old style body type even though it's supposedly a newer style body type. I hate the exterior color.

ALTIMA PROS: It's perfectly clean. Even though it's a light colored interior, it looks like it just came from the factory. It was a one person owner and it looks like they took care of it. It has a sunroof and power windows, but otherwise it's just a basic foreign car. It drives tight---that's why I like foreign cars. It holds up well on bumpy roads. It's not very powerful (pro and con) so that means my teen won't likely speed in it. The interior size is very comfortable---seems larger than the Sable. I like the body style. I love the color. Gas milage will be better.

ALTIMA CONS: The stereo system is terrible---very generic. The engine power is limited which is annoying on Pittsburgh hills. I like to zing around quickly. Internet research has revealed the cv joints and altinator are the weakness. CV joints is a common problem I've encountered eventually in all of my foreign cars. I'm not so worried. I've also eventually needed to replace altinators and starters on all my foreign cars. What concerns me is that I've read that owners have had to replace alternators two or three times. (Then again, that's not as bad as a transmission going....)

HERE'S THE DEAL:

I headed out to buy a foreign car with leather, good stereo and sunroof with the intentions of giving it to my son next year. (The leather, stereo and sunroof requirement is for me though! ) The Altima doesn't have everything I wanted, but I'm afraid the Sable is too powerful for a teenager. I drove a Bonneville in the early 80s as a teen. It had amazing power and a smooth ride. That can be bad in a car for a teen. Before you know it, you're going 80mph---it doesn't feel like it's going fast because it's such a smooth ride. It just sort of takes off on you---and you glance down and are shocked to discover how fast you're driving. I'm afraid the Sable will be that way for my teen.

All opinions are needed and welcome!

[johnrex62]

I have owned a couple of Sables, 92 and 97. The standard engine is pretty comparable in power to most vehicles on the market in the same size class. The Durotech DOHV engine has more power than the standard 6 cyl, but it is still not anything I would want to try to impress with. I would be perfectly comfortable with my teenager driving a Sable with respect to the engine power.

The transmissions are an issue, however. My 92 is on it's original transmission with 232K miles on it, but my 97 is one it's third with only 131K miles. The first went out at 62K miles, the second died a mere 15k miles after that. The second was a complete overhaul of the first transmission. The third was a used rebuild and it is still going strong. The transmission is not cheap (couple grand installed), but seems to be plentiful and easy to find. I would suggest if you have to replace it, to go with a company that has a national warranty and pick the best warranty you can get. They seem to be very hit or miss as to whether or not yours will have an issue. Since the one you are looking at has 90K miles, I would venture that it probably has a good transmission. It has either had no issues in all that time or was replaced already.

[Ltdumbear]

If you think you're son will be an 'aggressive' driver, stick with the Ford...cuz it's American, and parts will be easier to find, not to mention that buying said parts will (hopefully) keep Americans Working. The Nissan might likely have been built here, on American Soil...but lets face it...parts (by this time) might need to be shipped from overseas, unless you're comfortable (as I am) scavenging through Salvage Yards.

[mustang84]

Personally I would go with the Sable; I have driven a Taurus of that vintage and it was a decent driver, with a nice sized trunk that your teen will appreciate if he has to haul stuff around.

I would assume the Sable has a higher crash test rating than the Altima, which is something you need to consider. Ford family sedans and vans have typically scored five star crash ratings from the 90s to present. I wouldn't worry about the power in the Sable...they only made 200 hp, and they aren't exactly race cars.

[sunsprit]

Either car is suitable for your teen to drive. If they're a poor driver and are going to get into trouble, the car won't be the source of the problems ... any car will do for that, even lower powered cars.

So, I'd be making the final choice on your overall lowest cost of ownership and operation. As a first car for a teen, you can figure that it will be getting some amount of road rash and possibly into an accident. Which would be cheaper to repair? Which is less expensive for consumables (tires, brakes, fuel, etc.)?

Get a quote from your insurance agent for insurance, given that a teen age new driver will be driving the car. Which will cost less at the DMV to register and license?

If the stereo in the one car bothers you that much, then decent radio upgrades are readily and inexpensively (and expensively, if you need a concert on wheels) ... available.

[Hopes]

I want to thank everyone for the opinions. I think I'm going to go with the Altima.

It has a great carfax history---one owner, no accidents, always maintained at a dealership. The Sable's history is a complete mystery.

I can handle replacing an altinator or starter system, but I think transmission and power stearing problems are a huge gamble with the Sable. T

he gas mileage is a great bonus too.

I've decided to replace the stereo system, as someone recommended in this thread. Thanks for the idea!

I'll give the Altima to my son next year after I have time to find the car that has everything I want.

Then again, I might change my mind tomorrow........

[SAAN]

Sable all the way assuming its the 24V DOHC Duratec motor. Safer car, handles better, more luxury featues and looks better. As long as you change the fluids and do required tune ups, it should go atleast 175K easly.

[MikelX]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I want to thank everyone for the opinions. I think I'm going to go with the Altima.

Then again, I might change my mind tomorrow........

Well, the Sable performs far better in all IIHS crash tests, with Good ratings across the board. The Nissan rates Marginal overall in these tests. The Nissan does get better fuel economy, but the two cars aren't nearly as far apart in that respect as one might think.

Regards,
Mike

[Hopes]

Surprise!

I'm getting the Sable!

(I didn't have to make a decision. The bank wouldn't do a loan for a 1999.)

Let's pray it's dependable!

I feel more comfortable with this forced decision since most people here recommended the Sable anyway.

My thanks to everyone here!

[johnfrisco]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Surprise!

I'm getting the Sable!

(I didn't have to make a decision. The bank wouldn't do a loan for a 1999.)

Let's pray it's dependable!

I feel more comfortable with this forced decision since most people here recommended the Sable anyway.

My thanks to everyone here!

Congratulations! It sounds like a really nice car. After reading yours and others great things to say about the Sable I just may have to consider getting one for myself.