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Im in my mid 20's , never had a car before, Been absolutely scared ****less driving because i had a friend 7 years ago, fatally injured in a car accident, but I've already gotten over it and I just got my license recently.
But I've narrowed it down and i absolutely love the aggressive/bullet look of the Nissan 4 door Altima Sedans. And i wish i could afford the Audi, but I want the Japanese reliability.
So its a toss up between these two
2010 Altima 3.5SR Black with 72,000 miles - Asking price on Craigslist was $7,700, and i managed to get him to do it for $7,250
I just saw the car and test drove it and engine seemed to be/look fine, and i did kinda pushed the pedal, and it was super quick and i loved how smooth it was. The brakes and everything was good, but the dude didn't have the Carfax, so I'm kinda skeptical.
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2011 Altima 2.5S. Blue color with only 27k highway miles, $9200
This is going to be in a dealer that I'm visiting tomorrow Friday. But i love how it has low miles and the fuel economy.
With the craigslist for the 3.5sr, he could work with me on the paperwork. Meaning he could write that he sold it to me for a "lower amount" so i pay less taxes when i register the car.
With Dealer, carfax and everything looks good and the mileage is really low and i can pay a partial amount with credit card and finance the rest. But then there's dealer fees, extra taxes, etc..
But I'm a very new driver, I probably don't even need the v6 engine?
Should i jump on the 2.5 or the 3.5sr? Any thoughts? I'm a pretty frugal person in general.
I like a car to be reliable, but still hold its own when it needs to. Maybe i should go with the 3.5sr once i mastered the 4 cyclinder?
Make sure to have an independent company check them over and buy the carfax and/or autocheck it is worth the minor investment. Don't rush into anything. If you can afford it the newer car with less miles and smaller engine may be a better fit but research those years and any problems.
Again don't rush into anything and have an independent mechanic look it over it is worth say the $100 if they find any damage, issues, or sign of flood car or otherwise. Maybe barely extreme but you want to do your due diligence before spending coin on a vehicle.
The 3.5 is very quick. The 2.5 isn't quite, but has more than enough power for everyday driving.
Unless you're a pedal-to-the-floor type of driver, I see little to no reason to get the 3.5. I've had both. Both were reliable, but in the end, when came time to buy another vehicle, I went for a 2014 2.5.
As far as reliability goes, both are great. My 3.5 took me over 200k before I sold it, and my 2.5 to about 280k. My 2014 currently has 81k. No issues. Just keep the oil changed and change the transmission/CVT fluid every 30k-50k miles.
With the craigslist for the 3.5sr, he could work with me on the paperwork. Meaning he could write that he sold it to me for a "lower amount" so i pay less taxes when i register the car.
In my state, that never works. You could pay $500 for the car, but they will look up book value and if it says $9500, you pay tax on $9500.
I'd go for the 3.5L simply for horsepower as I like fast cars, but just be warned, the 3.5L can be bit of a gas guzzler. I had a 3.5L in my Infiniti. Plenty of power, but drank a lot of gas for a v6
[quote=BostonMike7;47537959]In my state, that never works. You could pay $500 for the car, but they will look up book value and if it says $9500, you pay tax on $9500.
This and other states as they have caught on to lying. Plus greed of course.
Texas states sales tax will be that of sales price or 80 percent of presumptive value,which ever is greater.
For Texas there is a calculator for that.
You can play the actual date on the title though to avoid any penalties if you don't apply for the title right away though. That's kinda pushing it if a cop pulls you over and your using other plates though.
Either way do it the proper way.
As for the car.
they will both probably last a while,
but keep in mind,without service records,you don't know what fluids have been changed,how often,etc etc.
The 2.5 seems like a better bet for reliability.
You need to ask more questions regarding the 3.5,and if the dude seems irritated,then he can kiss your a**.
Take a mechanic you know or pay a small fee to check out the car.
Get the carfax,another 40 bucks ain't gonna kill you. Keep in mind though, carfaxs arent always accurate either.
If you know someone with a Nissan scan tool(probably not though)actual mileage can be read off an ecu despite what the cluster says.
The 2.5 has way less miles,probably an older lady,and if all maintenance plays out correctly,that will be the more reliable one.
As the dealer if they can change out the fluids for you so you can start fresh(fluids need to be changed on a time interval if exceeded by mileage) PLus does it come with a warranty?
If you're a young driver - insurance rates would be a BIG concern (they're very high). You'll probably pay less for the 2.5 liter engine model than a comparable 3.5 if the same year. But the 2.5 is one year younger so the difference initially might be less. Check with your insurance company.
Also, regular service maintenance with the 2.5 would be less than the 3.5. Not to mention fuel economy.
So long term cost of ownership in terms of fuel, repairs and insurance, the 2.5 would be less than the 3.5. 2.5 is plenty adequate for everyday driving in terms of torque and acceleration. The 3.5 would be quieter and smoother, especially at highway speeds.
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