A potential new Versa owner's questions

[dosle]

Hello,

I totaled my 2003 Mazda Protege5 in an accident last week, it's gone to car heaven.

I've gotten a rental car from a nationwide distributor to get me through the holidays... anyway they recognized my situation with no vehicle in my immediate future. The rental place has a 2007 Versa S automatic with 30K miles for sale for 11K along with warranty.

I recognize that some folks think 'eww i bet renters drove it like garbage', but it could be the opposite, having been maintained with records. I do know the CarFax data is perfect for what it's worth.

As I've just learned of the Versa I'm particularly motivated by the MPG as I often commute 60mi daily.

I'm going to give it a test drive this weekend. Can anyone recommend things I should check or be aware of when I test it out?

thanks!

[Vahagn23]

you got any pics?

[uglymale]

my

Hello,

I totaled my 2003 Mazda Protege5 in an accident last week, it's gone to car heaven.

I've gotten a rental car from a nationwide distributor to get me through the holidays... anyway they recognized my situation with no vehicle in my immediate future. The rental place has a 2007 Versa S automatic with 30K miles for sale for 11K along with warranty.

I recognize that some folks think 'eww i bet renters drove it like garbage', but it could be the opposite, having been maintained with records. I do know the CarFax data is perfect for what it's worth.

As I've just learned of the Versa I'm particularly motivated by the MPG as I often commute 60mi daily.

I'm going to give it a test drive this weekend. Can anyone recommend things I should check or be aware of when I test it out?

thanks!

what sort of warranty are we talking about?

my V was an ex-rental, '08 certified pre-owned. it is also eligible for nissan's gold preferred security+plus extended warranty program which i was thinking of signing up for.

[blindsnyper]

1: welcome to NICO

2: hey, my dad has an 03 protege5. he drove my car for a week on his 80 mile round trip drive to work and got almost exactly the same MPG.

3: honostly i wound not buy a pre-rental. i wound find a used one at a dealership with warrenty (im also young and dumb, so maybe this is a bad idea...?). OR, you can get a brand new one for under $10k.

[NV Lady]

Blind_Synper has a good point. I was looking at a rental and realized that I could get a brand new 09 for 3000 dollars more. I did purchase a rental for my daughter in 2006 and have had very few problems with it and the problems we did have were covered under the manufactures warranty (she has a Chevy Cobalt).

[dosle]

my

what sort of warranty are we talking about?

my V was an ex-rental, '08 certified pre-owned. it is also eligible for nissan's gold preferred security+plus extended warranty program which i was thinking of signing up for.

It's currently in/comes with a 3yr-36K mile bumper to bumper. This warranty is extendable (which I'll do to be safe).

1: welcome to NICO

2: hey, my dad has an 03 protege5. he drove my car for a week on his 80 mile round trip drive to work and got almost exactly the same MPG.

3: honostly i wound not buy a pre-rental. i wound find a used one at a dealership with warrenty (im also young and dumb, so maybe this is a bad idea...?). OR, you can get a brand new one for under $10k.

1. thanks

2. I loved my 03 P5. It averaged 26.3 mpg between highway and city mixed commute.

3. Yeah, I'm a little cautious approaching this one from a rental place. Although having the warranty dealer-held (not rental company!) is satisfying, also the rental company also adds a 1yr warranty. Like I said before I'd go for an extended warranty. Dealers in my area are selling used 2007's with less features than my 'S' version for a bit more than I can afford

[biggie]

There is a joke, but usually it can be truful.

"Buying a used rental car is like finding a wife at a whore house."

I'm sure Nissan Dealerships have 06/07/08 Versa's that have been traded in. And probably cheaper.

[dosle]

lol good point. I've come to the acceptance of paying a bit more for a spankin' new one.

Going to do a test drive on an 09 Versa SL tomorrow!

I've done a lot of research since Monday. Contacted 7 dealerships via email and gotten quotes, lowest 15300 and highest 16600~ . I think I could potentially get the lowest to drop a few more and start competitive bidding amongst them.

Any suggestions are welcome

[07Vsdn]

i had an 02 mazda protege5 i bought in 01. put 30k trouble free miles on it and traded it in on a new vehicle in 03. should never have gotten rid of it!

i'd go new.

[Bubs daddy]

I don't know if I could ever buy a rental.

[SuperTurbo]

No rental man.... Speically that S one is just 4 speed Auto, not CVT!Other than that, almost everyone abuse rental cars! From doing drag race, doing stunt to even off roading with a V

so I am pretty sure you will hate it in the long run!

Just get a brand new one with tech pack. It's asking around 20000can on the road!

[rwanttaja]

I don't know if I could ever buy a rental.

I've had two, didn't have any special problems with them.

I'd think I'd trust a one-year-old rental more than a one-year-old used car on a dealer's lot. You *know* why the ex-rental is for sale, and it's nothing to do with the car itself. Maybe that 2008 Versa was traded in by somebody who changed his mind and didn't care about losing a few thousand on the trade. Or maybe it's a lemon that the dealer took back because the owner threatened to bring in the state, or it had been repossessed from someone who not only couldn't keep up his payments but couldn't afford to have the oil changed. Face it, there are VERY few valid reasons for selling a car with just a few thousand miles on it...unless it's corporate policy, like a rental car.

But of course, the dealer is going to tell you it was owned by a 4.0 student who was president of the Student Temperance League and sold it because he was going to do a year's missionary work in Africa.

As for "everyone abuses rental cars," I'll agree if we're talking about cosmetics. You can tell a rental; look for the scratches on the bumper below the trunk lid where people dragged their suitcases out of the trunk.

Mechanically? I don't think they're that bad. No doubt some renters push the cars hard, run up curbs, etc. I've not only rented cars on and off for 30 years, I've ridden with a lot of other folks who have the rental. Some of them were leadfoots, some liked to take corners fast, but I rarely saw any actions that seriously threatened the car's condition.

The cars really don't get *that* many miles, and I think the amount of time they're actually abused is relatively low and doesn't significantly affect longevity. The only major thing I'd worry about is that the car probably didn't experienced the recommended break-in regimen, but you've got no guarantee of that in any used car.

Ron

[dosle]

Hi,

Just got back from the dealership. Walked out-the-door (w/ tax) @ $16,325 with features being;

2009 Versa SL CVT (Magnetic Gray)Convenience packageAnti-lock brakessplash guardsfloor mats (lol WOW!)

Thanks for everyone's suggestions, my test drive went great. Loved the feel of the CVT shifting, keyless entry/start, wheel audio controls.

I certainly spent a few days doing research and cost comparison amongst 7 dealers all over, that got me the best pricing with competitive bidding. It's kind of funny sitting in the sales person's cube bargaining a deal while the guy next to you dives in paying near MSRP.

[kc5f]

floor mats (lol WOW!)

I thought the same thing, but am really glad I've got them. There have been lots of times when I've pulled one or more out to knock dirt off of them when I wouldn't have bothered to get out a vacuum cleaner.