Background:
In 2 weeks I am returning to the US from a 2+ year stint as an expat.
I currently own a wonderful 2011 Xterra PRO4X with 153,000 miles on it.
Leather, rear locker, the works.
But it will be on a ship for some weeks while I am in the US.
I hate to waste money on a rental and I am not exactly destitute so I want to take the money spent ona rental ( plus obviously a lot extra) and buy another vehicle.
Plus I really have not done something nice for myself in a long time.
So I really want a new vehicle for myself.
But I am not 19 ... so I will be thrifty and only consider a used vehicle and I do not have yet secured follow on employment (but again my savings are substantial I do not have to work for some time) and will chouch surf with buddies for a month or so.
......
Here is the original car I was strongly considering (and still am)
2016-2018 Nissan Altima
Pros:
-still very fresh design
- Functionally identical to much more expensive cars
The most comfortable seats of any car in its class matched only those of much more expensive cars
- 39 mpg on the highway in combination with an 18 gallon fuel tanks makes for incredible cruising range of well over 700 miles.
And my next job may take me far from family and friends.
- Takes regular fuel too. By far most economical choice for long drives of which there may be many in my future.
Cons
- CVT Transmission. They may have a reputation for great mpgs but not so much for reliability.
With a used one I may not be able to control how good the critical fluid changes where.
Still good prices can be had even on some very low mile units as rental companies have flooded the market with them.
So there is no free lunch.
A used CPO could greatly alleviate the CVT concern (warranty to 100,000 miles from Nissan) but those CPO cars do cost more than "regular" used.
Price points: 12 to 16 k (14-19 k CPO). mid trim CPOs can be had in a '17 MY for just under $15k. The loaded 2018 CPOs are overlapping in price (19-20k) with my next choice which is a noticably higher level car
Still easily nice enough to give me some pride of ownership.
Here is a friendly review of the 16-18 facelifted Altima
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCxnxR_xvc0
A deal in the area:
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventory ... =284616821
...
2014-2019 Infiniti Q50.
PROs
-The 14's and 15's are as reliable as the sun, with their naturally aspirated 3.7L 328 hp V6s paired with a very mature 7 Speed auto.
And while the 16+ have turbo engines with their attendant reliability risk... going with the "basic" 300hp Twin Turbo will give you the same hardened components, (cooling, even more beefed up transmission etc etc) components as the 400hp version.
Yes when you buy the 300hp car nearly all the hardware is the same as the 400hp car, including the engine+transmission, and rest of drivetrain which I suspect will make a lot of those components bullet proof in the 300hp trim. And the 300hp trim is no slouch.. quarter mile in 13.5 seconds and a trap speed of 105 mph (those were Corvette numbers not so many years ago)
-Unlike the Altimas they all have sunroofs
-Unlike the Altimas they all have leather, etc etc
- Superior performance vs the Altima.
-Most are equipped with Infinitis excellent ATTESA AWD system. Usually am not a fan of AWD in passenger cars but these Infiniti AWDs systems are very reliable and work quite well without adding too much weight.. and i need to be able to drive up the hill to friends/family houses on a dirt road even in inclement weather..
- Just a really nice luxosport Sedan for the money that would give me tremendous pleasure.
Cons:
- Takes premium and mpgs much less than Altima. Newer lower mile Altimas can generally be had for 2/3rds (!) the price while being functionally near identical.
Price points for 14/15 16-20 k depending on miles and equipment, 16-17 model years in 300hp trim approx 19000-24000 USD..
- The 14s and 15s still seems to sell for nearly as much as the 16s/17s despite being outperformed by the newer motors.
Here is a review of this car
(2014 Sport trim)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r805qYFXKTM
Also here is an example of one of the better deals I found in the area:
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventory ... =281741326
.....
Next choice is a 2011 or 2012 Pathfinder LE 4WD.
PROS
- Super robust 4WD system
- As reliable as the sun, in the all-bugs-fixed 11 and 12 model years
- good ground clearance
- Still looks good.
- A bit more comfy than my Xterra
- Similar controls
- Drives quite well for a body on frame SUV at speed on the hiway, better than my Xterra due to independent rear suspension and longer wheelbase.
- Available in a V8 version which has TONS of power to push lesser vehicles out of the way in an emergency but even the 4.0 V6 is a better performer than the model year equivalent 4runner V6s and very close to the 4 runner V8s.
Cons;
-
Bad mpg while using premium fuel, not particularly good unrefuelled driving range, both will be important to me when I will work many hours driving away from friends/family.
-Only available as older used cars with the attendant potential for problems. Tho this gen in these 2 model years has a reputation for being bullet proof. (other than the early model years of this gen which, just like Xterra and Frontier had bad radiators which could damage the tranny but this is an easy fix to prevent)
- I already own a 4x4 SUV. Wouldn't it make more sense for my additional vehicle to be a long range cruising sedan?
price point ; 10-13k. Which is not low considering the age with loaded (and older) V8 LEs... going for 15k.... the market still appreciates them.
Under 10k for older models even with V8.
Here is a deal I been checking out:
Perfect color, with 4WD and V8 ,albeit higher miles. carfax looks real good:
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventory ... =276542783
Lower miles but "only" the V6..
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventory ... =285717208
Still very much a vehicle where for significant lower price than even the Altima (never mind the Infiniti!) I would still feel a lot of joy of ownership.
Comments welcome.