Which used car would you go with? Is 1999 too old?

[copynpaste]

Heres the cliffs

I saw both in person and test drived them, both feel great.

1) 1999 Altima
Black ext, grey cloth interior
138K KM
New tires and brake pads just put on 6 weeks ago
AC, power windows, seats etc

$4750ish (before negotiating)

2) 2003 Maxima V6
Black ext, black int leather with heated seats
148K KM
Sunroof
AC, power windows, seats etc

$6990ish (before negotiating)

My biggest concern is that i was told not to get a car older than 10 yrs, how true is that? When i was testing out the 1999 altima it didnt feel like an 11yr old car but is it a risk buying such an old car? Will the extra 4yrs on the 2003 make a huge improvment?

[Kardon]

Maxima is a much nicer car, no contest imo.

[Khalil.e]

Big difference.

Maxima also hauls ass - and has a heated steering wheel!
One touch front windows and sunroof..decent stereo if you dynamat the rear deck..oem hid's..

Much nicer car.

[Abeo]

I would stay away from the Altima. Maxima is a better car, and I believe it was built in Japan (makes a difference with Nissans)

[Tik-Tok]

Originally posted by copynpaste

My biggest concern is that i was told not to get a car older than 10 yrs, how true is that?

Why not? When I was 18 I had a 18 year old Dodge that cost $500, and only need a brake job and e-brake cable. 7 years ago I bought a 20 year old, $300 Honda that needed nothing, and lasted 3 years (with no other work done) until my wife got bored of it, then we bought a 17 year old, $50 DSM that need brakes all around, and it lasted 4 years (with only a starter and alternator replacement required) until she tired of it, now we have a 13 year old Subaru that was $300, new engine and some body work, and it's been driving great for the past year.

We also have a 7 year old Audi, that has had more money put into it than all the rest of our vehicles combined :rofl: (but we still love it... sigh)

[dirtsniffer]

once a car is ten years old, you need a safety inspection to insure it. Usually anywhere you take it will tell you to fix some meaningless shit to make a few hundred bucks. I would take it into consideration when buying an older car.
I say go with the maxima

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

^I didn't need safety inspections on either of my vehicles and they 12 and 18 years old.

[dirtsniffer]

oh, it must vary insurer to insurer, good to know

[dj_rice]

Originally posted by Twin_Cam_Turbo
^I didn't need safety inspections on either of my vehicles and they 12 and 18 years old.


Was this within the last couple years though?They just started putting the safety inspections into effect a couple years ago

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Yes, ive changed insurance for the vehicles 3 times in the past 2 years.

[BenC]

My insurance company makes me get one if the cars older than 12. I'm with co-operators

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

My Nissan (18 years old) is with Meloche Monnex. My Jeep (12 years old) is with Peace Hills.

[Kardon]

I've had 3 cars (one at a time) insured through RBC insurance and two of them were JDMs, never needed anything other than the serial number of the car.

[bigbadboss101]

I had a 2003 Maxima. Pretty good performance, lot of goodies inside, comfortable and reliable. They turned ugly with the big rear end the next model year though.

[Scuderia]

Altimas have too much electrical and computer problems, especially those years. Maxima is way more suitable, nicer, and more reliable. 4750 for a 99 Maxima... Buy my 2006 Elantra for 4750;)

[leftwing]

i have a98 chevy blazer, 239xxx kms. 4wd. runs like gem, ive owned it for 3 years now and havent had a single problem with it. 4wd works perfect. starts and runs like new...

my friend had a 2008 acura rdx that shes had to constantly bring to the dealer for a wide array of problems.

what im saying is all you can really do is your due dilligence, get it thoroughly inspected and you shouldnt have any problems finding a good car.

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
once a car is ten years old, you need a safety inspection to insure it. Usually anywhere you take it will tell you to fix some meaningless shit to make a few hundred bucks. I would take it into consideration when buying an older car.
I say go with the maxima

Depends on the insurance company. With TD Meloche I never had to get anything inspected, no matter how old.
That being said; no 10 years old doesn't matter. I've owned countless vehicles **WELL** over 10 years old and they've been just rock solid.

[Clever]

I'm with AMA and they ask for a safety inspection if the vehicle is 12 years or older, they're usually not that expensive.

[copynpaste]

ok maxima it is, thx!

Before i go in again can you guys check out the car ad and tell me if you think the price is too good to be true? Cause from what ive seen 03 maximas fully loaded usually go for $12k+

This guys is half that! He says its fully inspected already.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2003-Nissan-Maxima-GLE-Sedan-Financing-Available-W0QQAdIdZ210286390

Have any of you heard of that auto dealership?

[Scuderia]

Lol anyone paying anything close to $12,000 for an 03 Maxima isn't exactly the best bargain hunter in the world. Even 7 grand for your Maxima isn't "too good to be true" whatsoever. Do your due dilligence, check the vin for liens, accidents, and owners, and take it to your mechanic for a full inspection.

EDIT: Did you ask if it's a rebuilt or clean title? If it's rebuilt and you're fine with that, check this one out too.
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2003-NISSAN-MAXIMA-W0QQAdIdZ218620004

[relyt92]

Originally posted by copynpaste
ok maxima it is, thx!

Before i go in again can you guys check out the car ad and tell me if you think the price is too good to be true? Cause from what ive seen 03 maximas fully loaded usually go for $12k+

This guys is half that! He says its fully inspected already.

http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2003-Nissan-Maxima-GLE-Sedan-Financing-Available-W0QQAdIdZ210286390

Have any of you heard of that auto dealership? If that's the same maxima they had about 2 months ago, there was a decent bit of rust on the right side of the vehicle. The information seems to be the same so maybe call and find out before you go looking.

[copynpaste]

Originally posted by relyt92
If that's the same maxima they had about 2 months ago, there was a decent bit of rust on the right side of the vehicle. The information seems to be the same so maybe call and find out before you go looking.

Ya dude there said they got it about 2 months ago. Thanks for the heads up, rust is a nogo for me.

But I actually decided on a 2002 Civic SI coupe, met up with the buyer last night and going with that instead. Only 130,000K clicks, new tires, new pads, new timing belt.

Once i got in it, immediately realized how 2DR is better suited for me than 4.

[relyt92]

Originally posted by copynpaste


Ya dude there said they got it about 2 months ago. Thanks for the heads up, rust is a nogo for me.

But I actually decided on a 2002 Civic SI coupe, met up with the buyer last night and going with that instead. Only 130,000K clicks, new tires, new pads, new timing belt.

Once i got in it, immediately realized how 2DR is better suited for me than 4. Yeah the rust is what kept me away from it, I ended up spending a bit more and got an Acura CL-S, and I realized that despite originally wanting a sedan that I almost never use my back seats for anything anyway. Congrats on the new car

[Xtrema]

CBB of 03 Maxi with 100K is about $7.5K. Which means it should retails for around $8.5K and up. Any less than that (especially from a dealer) must be in a less than desired condition.

[911fever]

Originally posted by Graham_A_M


Depends on the insurance company. With TD Meloche I never had to get anything inspected, no matter how old.
That being said; no 10 years old doesn't matter. I've owned countless vehicles **WELL** over 10 years old and they've been just rock solid.

weird, because I'm with TD now and I have to get my truck inspected and it's less than 12 years old but it's required to get insurance on it


Originally posted by Scuderia
Lol anyone paying anything close to $12,000 for an 03 Maxima isn't exactly the best bargain hunter in the world. Even 7 grand for your Maxima isn't "too good to be true" whatsoever. Do your due dilligence, check the vin for liens, accidents, and owners, and take it to your mechanic for a full inspection.

EDIT: Did you ask if it's a rebuilt or clean title? If it's rebuilt and you're fine with that, check this one out too.
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicles-cars-trucks-2003-NISSAN-MAXIMA-W0QQAdIdZ218620004

no kidding, like Maxima's and G35's are so cheap nowadays. What is this, 2006 where they are worth 12k? holy people