Buying Armada??

[jmorrow]

I have been looking at Armadas. I am thinking of trading my 02 suburban for one. My local dealer is getting some used 06's with 15-16k on them and I think I can get a good price. About trade value. Have most of the problems been fixed for 06?? I like the armada and we love our 06 Altima 3.5. That thing is fast. I have 83k on my burban and have not had many problems. I still have not had to do a brake job! I am new here and hope this hasn't been asked to much. I am still working my way through the post. Thanks.

[nissansalesman_wtx]

Armada is an excellent choice to replace the suburban. Your biggest obstacle which I am sure you have discovered by now is going to be your trade allowance.

Suburbans, Tahoes, Yukons are not trading very well at all right now due to the fact the preowned market is saturated with them. Any preowned lot you look at will have 3 or 4. Now take that observation and look for Armadas you are lucky to find 1.

The brake issues have been resolved for 06 models. I have not seen one come into our service department for that issue.

Good luck in selecting your Armada I do recommend checking it out thouroughly. Preowned Armadas with mileage close to the 20's sounds like rental cars...enterprise uses alot of Armadas.

[puddlejumper59]

I'm another "newbie" and have a few questions about the Armada.

I've read several posts on other boards that stated numerous brake, roof, bumper, XM radio, driver window, vibration, rollback, roll forward, leaking windows, exhaust in car while "recirculating", ..., issues in previous models of the Armada (2004 and 2005, to be specific).

I have always liked the styling of the vehicle, but now I'm a bit concerned about what I've read. Are any of the these problems present in the 2006 or 2007 Armada's?

I am 6'9" and it's rare to find a vehicle that I can drive that is comfortable for me and one that would allow another "giant" to sit behind me while I'm driving. I'm really leaning towards purchasing an Armada in the April-May 2007 timeframe, but I really want to know the ills of the vehicle, since these puppies are NOT CHEAP. If I'm destined to live at the dealership, I'd rather know ahead of time and look to purchase something a bit more reliable.

Out of curiosity, besides the cost of the vehicles, which is the better buy: the Armada or the QX-56?

Other than the Armada / QX-56, do you know of another SUV that would accommodate someone of my size AND be a practical purchase? I've looked at the Range Rover, but I really don't see the logic in paying $80K for an SUV.

Lastly, you mentioned that "Enterprise Rental Car" leases Armada's; do you recommend purchasing a "used" Armada through an agency like Enterprise or purchasing a "new" Armada through a dealership?

Please "excuse" this lengthy posting, but I want to make a prudent choice with my next purchase. I should note that I have two Acura's ('91 Legend Coupe - 254K miles and still going; '94 Integra - 150K miles and still going). I love Japanese vehicles because of their reliability and quality. The new Acura's have much smaller interiors and will not accommodate my size. I am about to purchase an FJ Cruiser (Toyota) for my wife, which I'll be able to drive every once in a while, but the Armada would really "fit" me better.

Thanks, in advance, for your replies.

Kind regards,

Puddlejumper59

[jmorrow]

Would

Armada is an excellent choice to replace the suburban. Your biggest obstacle which I am sure you have discovered by now is going to be your trade allowance.

Suburbans, Tahoes, Yukons are not trading very well at all right now due to the fact the preowned market is saturated with them. Any preowned lot you look at will have 3 or 4. Now take that observation and look for Armadas you are lucky to find 1.

The brake issues have been resolved for 06 models. I have not seen one come into our service department for that issue.

Good luck in selecting your Armada I do recommend checking it out thouroughly. Preowned Armadas with mileage close to the 20's sounds like rental cars...enterprise uses alot of Armadas.

Would you definately stay away from one if you thought it was an enterprise car????? I know they can go through alot. I have seen some with 14-15k on them. Would that be better. They are just enough cheaper that a used one would really fit my budget better. And oyu are right about the value of the Suburban!!! It has taken a hardhit. The new body style seems to be popular right now, but I think in a few years they will be in the same boat I am in right now. I should break even on it. Thanks for your reply!

[jmorrow]

And since you are in Texas what do you hear about Tom Peacock nissan where you are. The Manager has told me when he gets an 06 in that I want he will sell it to me for what seems like a great price. I looked them up in the nada book and it seems good.....about book trade. Thanks

[nissansalesman_wtx]

you can look at the rental car thing in 2 different ways

1. In order to maintain reliability for a rental car maintenance is taken care of consistently. They change all the fluids and check it out more often than your average owner does

2. When you rent a car most people abuse them. They drive them too hard and rag them out crazy. I know we rented a mustang gt drove that thing over a 100 mph to the beach got it stuck in the sand, burned the tires ugly...then gave it back...

So each individual rental car is different you have to check them out good. i highly recommend you telling the dealership you want to take it to your mechanic and have it checked.

As for Tom Peacock Nissan unfortunately I don't know anything about them, have never done any business with them or heard any horror stories. Sorry I can't help there.

[nissansalesman_wtx]

I can only go by what I know some of that stuff I have never heard of the Armadas having issues with...but the brakes is the most popular issue. They have been resolved since 2006 models have not heard of a case yet. The Titan and Armada was Nissan entry into full size vehicles (by American Standards) So it took them a little while to get the brakes right.

The Armada is a perfect selection for a person of your size because not only does it have the front seat room but the second row has the largest leg, hip, shoulder, and head room in its class. So you would be able to fit comfortably back there as well.

I don't know if you specifically want a large Suv or just something that would be a comfortable ride....The 2007 Versa and Sentra are designed to be a smaller car but have huge interiors...my General Sales Manager is 6' 4" and he fits in the back seat of a Versa

[jmorrow]

Thank you for your comments. I will keep those things in mind. I have two acquantences that are nissan mechanics so I can get them to check out anything I am interested in. I will be sure and do that!

[spta97]

I just got an 07 Armada and have had the following issues:

1) Window Rattle - The front windows rattle badly if you hit a bump when they are partially rolled down. The problem can actually be duplicated by closing the door firnly with the window in the partially down position.

2) Rear Power Lift Gate - A few days ago the rear power lift gate stopped opening all the way. It now stops about 3" - 4" from the full open position (enough to hit my head).

3) Fuel Gauge - Yesterday the fuel gage took about 20 minutes to register the full tank of gas. I did some research on line and it appears that others have had this same issue, replacing the sending unit resolved it.

Nothing earth shattering, but it is not perfect. Having said that, I love the truck and would buy it again. The bummer is the dealer only fixed the window rattle about 60% so they still rattle but not as loud now. They said that was the best they could do and all the Armadas on their lots had it.

The previous models had most of the issues addressed (like the brake problem) through TSBs.