2008 2.5 S coupe 127k miles, $8k

[Donathius]

So I'm considering buying my first Nissan. I've had my eye on this 2-door coupe but I'm worried about the transmission. Here's the listing on cars.com:
http://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detai ... /overview/

...and the carfax report:
http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/ ... tner=CDM_0

The only mention of transmission service on the report is a fluid change and service at 100k. I've already had it for an overnight test drive and loved the car but I'm concerned about it having that kind of mileage with what I've read about issues with the CVT. It's gorgeous inside and out (one small dent on the driver's door near the handle, but I can live with that). Engine feels great, handles great, nothing feels off, but I wanted to get the opinions of some of the enthusiasts here who know a LOT more about these cars than I do.

[bcola1234]

I cant fully speak on CVT reliability, but mine currently has 75k and runs fine. One thing I would say is though is to talk them down on the price. I took my dad with me when I bought mine and he negotiated with the salesmen as if he wasn't even interested in the car and ended up getting another 1k off the price despite the fact that the guy originally said there was no room for negotiation originally. I ended up getting my 08 3.5 coupe with 70k miles with every available factory package (except spoiler) for 12k. A standard 2.5 with 127k miles for 8k seems a bit high. It may be different in your area, but I would definitely try and talk them down on the price.

[Donathius]

I'm really going back and forth on it. The interior and exterior are absolutely beautiful considering the age and mileage. The equipment package is probably the low-end (no Bluetooth). They originally posted this car for $9800 a month ago and I talked them down to $8500 before I decided to cool off for a bit before committing. In the meantime they dropped it to $7900. I think they're eager to clear the lot space, but they claimed $8500 was below their cost already (don't know how true that was though, they were pulling every car sales trick in the book).

I actually did a 24 hr test drive and it felt great. I've driven a Prius with a CVT before and this felt very similar just with more pickup. I really like the car, I just don't want to buy it and get stuck with a bad trans right after I buy it.

[justeller]

I have an '08 CVT with 119,000 miles on it. Bought it two years ago for $8900 and it had just over 90,000 on it when purchased. I have heard the CVT's are not the strongest transmission, and I am not even sure the service history on mine, but I have never had a problem with it. I drive it in tiptronic quite often, and it seems to be holding up just fine. Last time I checked high book on mine It was around $7600, so $7900 isn't to far off, depending on how long the dealer has had the car, they might actually be losing some money, although they don't usually give book for a trade in so it is hard to tell.

[seldomseen]

The CVTs on the coupe are solid, and with any used transmission whether it's a typical geared transmission or CVT, you will bear some risk of transmission failure after 100k miles. However, the good news is that the CVTs on the coupe have a solid reliability record. Tell the dealership you're willing to take delivery of the car for $7,000 and go from there.

[Donathius]

I've read a lot of FUD about these so I'm obviously a bit dubious. Is it just a massively overblown problem? Like how do you look at the warranty extension? Is it Nissan admitting to a problem or confidently backing up their product?

I'm also looking at a 2000 Camry with the same mileage. It's a boring as hell car but I'm also not as worried about it AND it's $3k cheaper.

[seldomseen]

Go with the Altima coupe....you deserve to enjoy life a bit! A 15 year old Camry isn't going to be a trouble free vehicle. And you can expect to soak the $3k saving back into the Camry for maintenance and repairs.