Advice on Purchasing a Murano

[DBOConsulting]

Hi,

I am interested in getting a Murano. I can't afford to purchase a new one but I would like to get between a 2003 - 2006.

I prefer to get a 2003 model but have heard alot of negative feedback about that year.

I would like to get some advice on the following:

1. Are the CVT transmission problems limited to only the 2003 year or do the problems apply to the 2004 and 2005 model years as well?

2. Are the CVT problems related to the FWD or AWD version?

Seems like the reviews on Edmund's lean towards the problems being with the AWD version:

http://www.edmunds.com/nissan/....html

Any advice on your experience with your Murano as well as the number of miles you have would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[nafddur]

Any advice on your experience with your Murano as well as the number of miles you have would be appreciated.

Thanks.

04 SE AWD here, bought new (10/04) and currently with 72K miles. Have put zero $$'s into the car other than normal - ie wear - items. Battery at 4 years, tires at 62K, brake pads ($50) at 65K, accessory belts and antifreeze (less than $200) also at 65K, wiper blades, and regular engine oil, oil filter, and in-cabin filter changes. I am contemplating replacing the transfer case and differential oil in the next year or so and, naturally, will need plugs in 2 or 3 more years when we hit 100K.

We still love this car (my wife's daily driver), and drove it effortlessly from MA to NC and back a couple months ago. It still looks and drives (almost) new. Garaging and taking care of it helps in that regard, of course.

Used Mos can be a different story, however. Examine any used one you are contemplating buying VERY carefully. From what I have observed on these forums, many people treat Muranos as trucks, thereby abusing them and creating problems. I suspect that this is the root cause of most (not all, certainly) of the handful of CVT problems that we see here. Remember, Mo's are merely modified Altimas. Also remember that we hear about almost every CVT problem here, while the vast majority of happy Mo owners remain silent.

Other people have admitted to neglecting maintenance or driving their Mo's as if they were trucks, knowing that they were only renting them for a short period of time. Those are the ones to especially be wary of.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your search.

[mcfava1]

I'm coming up on one 1 year with my certified, pre-owned 2004 SL AWD Murano. So far so good. I only put 6,000 miles on her (now has 56,000). I replaced rear brake pads, changed oil, wipers, and returned to dealer for free tire balance/rotation due to steering wheel shimmy between 50 - 60mph. Starting to notice decreasing gas mileage even though mostly city driving (11 - 13mpg!?). Otherwise she runs relatively well and looks great inside and out. Nissan just sent letter to all owners doubling the warranty period on the CVT transmission to 10 years / 120,000 miles. This was a "good faith" extension in lieu of the repair or replacement cost of the transmission.