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I've been looking for a car for about 2 months now. I've had an Infiniti and a Sentra in the past (both used) so I wanted to stay with Nissan. I prefer the Altima over the Sentra but I'm trying to stay under 10K. I found one online at carmax; it's an 03 with 105K mileage and they want 8,500 for it. I went and checked it out and it seems like the owner kept it up pretty well but I'm looking to keep the car another 5 -6 years.
I'd have to drive it from Florida to New Jersey, which is 1,000 miles itself and that after that I'll probably do about 10-12 a year with just everyday driving.
I was hoping someone could give me some feedback on the life of Nissan's if they are maintained well. Thanks
I've been looking for a car for about 2 months now. I've had an Infiniti and a Sentra in the past (both used) so I wanted to stay with Nissan. I prefer the Altima over the Sentra but I'm trying to stay under 10K. I found one online at carmax; it's an 03 with 105K mileage and they want 8,500 for it. I went and checked it out and it seems like the owner kept it up pretty well but I'm looking to keep the car another 5 -6 years.
I'd have to drive it from Florida to New Jersey, which is 1,000 miles itself and that after that I'll probably do about 10-12 a year with just everyday driving.
I was hoping someone could give me some feedback on the life of Nissan's if they are maintained well. Thanks
I have had three nissans since 1987 and the reliability is one of the strong points. My first Nissan was a 1987 Nissan Sentra and I drove it past 200k miles. I wanted to get rid of that I "forgot" to change the oil for about a year and the car still continued to function. I eventually junked it when the clutch went and I was ready to get another car.
I currently have a 1995 Nissan Maxima bought new. It's at almost 250k and still going strong. I have taken care of this car with oil changes always between 3000 - 5000 miles, and all the other regular maintanance stuff. After 200k miles I have changed the alternator, starter, oxygen sensors, knock sensor, crankshaft sensor, front end parts (bearing,tire rods, upper control arm). I also changed the transmission last year. All in all I think it has served me well. I usually pay $14 to R$Straus for them to do the diagnostics, then buy parts online and then take it to my mechanic with an idea of what is wrong and let him figure it out.
All miles are not created equal - if you drive it mostly on the freeway, mostly long trips and you are smooth (some are, some are not, anyone can be if they try) it will go an almost unlimited number of miles without wearing out the engine, transmission, clutch, etc.
This is a common enough car, I don't see much sense in you going to Fla. to buy one.
If you are using the car in an urban environment, you will wear the clutch (or autobox), brakes, etc. a lot more per mile.
We have an 87 Toyota Camry and a 92 Subaru Legacy, both with way over 200K miles, both run fine. Any Japanese car from the 1980's or newer will go 200K if maintained properly. This is key, if you never change the plugs or O2 sensor, and let them go bad, not only will this waste gas but it will dilute your lube oil with gas, increasing wear.
You will have to keep the car tuned, and change the oil when needed, using the correct grade of oil, and not let worn seals cause your transmission fluid to leak out and thus ruin the transola, to get these mega miles out of the car.
You being in NJ, the tin worm will probably kill the car rather than wear.
All miles are not created equal - if you drive it mostly on the freeway, mostly long trips and you are smooth (some are, some are not, anyone can be if they try) it will go an almost unlimited number of miles without wearing out the engine, transmission, clutch, etc.
This is a common enough car, I don't see much sense in you going to Fla. to buy one.
If you are using the car in an urban environment, you will wear the clutch (or autobox), brakes, etc. a lot more per mile.
We have an 87 Toyota Camry and a 92 Subaru Legacy, both with way over 200K miles, both run fine. Any Japanese car from the 1980's or newer will go 200K if maintained properly. This is key, if you never change the plugs or O2 sensor, and let them go bad, not only will this waste gas but it will dilute your lube oil with gas, increasing wear.
You will have to keep the car tuned, and change the oil when needed, using the correct grade of oil, and not let worn seals cause your transmission fluid to leak out and thus ruin the transola, to get these mega miles out of the car.
You being in NJ, the tin worm will probably kill the car rather than wear.
We moved to NJ because of my boyfriend's job but right now i'm still in Orlando waiting for our son to finish the school year. We were okay with one car in Orlando because of the bus system and our jobs were in close proximity to our home but in NJ we'll definitely need 2 vehicles. I was just trying to buy something here (because I have someone who will work on my car for free - I just have to buy the parts but they aren't able to go car shopping with me) and drive back up in June. After the initial drive - it will be used for everyday travel; I have to take the expressway to work but mostly urban environment. I hate to ask but what's a tin worm?
I don't see the miles on this car as excessive for what you want to do with it.
If you have a "free mechanic" friend who can help you fix up the car before the trip, by all means take them along with you to inspect the car before buying.
For some odd reason, all of the Nissan Sentras here (especially the 2000-05 models) all seem to be dented, abused and battered in some way and very poorly taken care of... has anyone else ever noticed this in their area?
I keep cars till the doors fall off. Well, almost. And I drive a lot, going to different client sites.
I bought the 91 Maxima back in 2005, with 118k miles on it. I was eastbound on I-80, doing my daily commute from North NJ to Weehawken, NJ, in my 88 Mercedes 300E (over 230K then). I was just thinking of replacing my Benz when a black 91 Nissan Maxima passed me on I-80. I saw the for sale sign and a phone number.
Got on his tail, dialed the phone number. Guy picks up the phone.
Mercedes: "Hey, how much you want for your Maxima?"
Maxima: "Who's this? Where are you?"
Mercedes: "I'm driving right behind you! So, how much do you want for your car?"
The guy just laughs. Long story short, we haggled, and I ended buying his car for $1500, while traveling eastbound on I-80. I spent an additional $800 bucks for preventive maintenances: replace the timing belt (just in case), 4 new tires, all new brake pads, exhaust pipes, fluids, etc...
It's been a dream to drive. Great 6-cylinder engine. Never had a problem. Extremely reliable! Very good all season car. Front wheel drive is great in the snow. I've never had a problem driving in bad weather.
Of course, I've taken very good care of the car. I change oil and filters myself every 3 to 4 thousand miles. I'm on my second set of new tires.
I currently have 201,502 miles on it. I'm still driving it everyday.
Oh, back in the fall of 2006, I packed my stuff in it and moved to Jacksonville, FL for a year. I drove three round trips between Northern NJ and Jacksonville, Florida. Also some weekend golf and camping trips from Jax to Myrtle Beach, SC and Jax to Charlotte, NC. Plus explored all over Florida on weekends.
I came back to NJ in 2008. Took it to the inspection station expecting it to fail, since I just got back from Jacksonville, FL. It freaking passed, till 2010!
I'm still driving this thing to work everyday - 64 miles daily. The only problem with this car is : it won't freaking die! Everything still works on this car. The air conditioning still blows cold. It handled the Florida heat fine. The heater is great during the NJ winters. There's no rust that I can see. Even the heating element in the rear window is still complete.
I probably can't sell it for much due to very high mileage. So I figure I might as well keep it. It'll be a 20 year old car in 2001. Maybe I'll drive it to 300,000 miles then sell it back to Nissan as a historical/collectors vehicle. It should be great for marketing!
Because of my experience with this 91 Maxima, the car that you're looking at seems expensive in comparison. Then again, I probably just lucked out.
By the way, I've been reading through the forums on the newer Maximas (2000 & above), and I get the impression that they're not as reliable as the 90's models. Also, there was a bunch of complaints about the headlight assemblies on 2000 and above Maximas being easily stolen and very expensive to replace. Forums Search Results - allin:msgtext limit:.eec9a9f stolen headlight
Whatever you do, if you are going to buy a 2003 sentra make sure you get the base model with the 1.8 liter engine. Do not even consider getting the se-r with the 2.5. They are complete garbage and are known to suck up the catalytic converter and burn the valves. However, the 1.8 engine has been relatively trouble free. Here is a link with many reviews on the 2003 sentra....
I don't see the miles on this car as excessive for what you want to do with it.
If you have a "free mechanic" friend who can help you fix up the car before the trip, by all means take them along with you to inspect the car before buying.
Good Luck!
He lives about 2 hours from me and just had a new baby so he wasn't able to look with me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by fastninja500
Because of my experience with this 91 Maxima, the car that you're looking at seems expensive in comparison. Then again, I probably just lucked out.
That's what my brother said but when we were researching the prices for 03 Altima's are still in the teens. Here's a link to the car - my brother said he suspects I'd be paying more for the leather seats and sunroofs then anything else. 03 Altima
I also found a 04 with 67k mileage for 8k but because their small and used I'm wary. I wanted to wait for my friend to come up and look at them with me but so far he hasn't had time. Car buying is such a headache. Here's a link to the second car 04 Altima
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So, how much do you want for your car?" 
Here's a link to the second car 
