I had to go in to repair my 2011 Rogue SL, AWD with 98000 miles on it - in Houston Texas

My AC Blower went out and when it was being checked out I had the following additional issues that the dealer found and prices they quoted:


AC Blower (Dealer $766, Repair Shop $384)
Front Inner CV Boot (Dealer $525, Repair Shop $513)
Engine Oil Cooler O-Ring (Dealer $408, Repair Shop $267) - says I have leak
Both Front Lower Control Arms and Alignment (Dealer $1382, Repair Shop $1034)

So now the question is...do I cut and run and repair the AC then take it for trade in and hope to get some cash towards new Rogue 2020 purchase? Or repair, and wait to 2021 models, or wait longer?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I'm always a fan of no car payment. Are you handy (or willing) enough to dig in and do any of the repairs? A couple of those repairs are fairly simple (and seem overpriced).

Wondering why a blower motor would go out under 100k miles.... I'm VERY critical of the Rogue (overpriced and poorly-built) but that just reinforces my position.

Can't imagine making the same mistake twice buy buying a 2020. It's an inferior vehicle (the rest of you, don't bother defending it - there are better cars on the market in that category).

There's a lot of factors involved in this decision. To simplify things do a pros VS. cons list.

Have you taken a new Rogue out for a spin?
How much do you REALLY like your 1st gen Rogue?
Are you willing to put up with your current Rogue nickel and diming you to death? Death by a thousand cuts, I mean car repairs, can get old after awhile.
Sorry, I dunno if you bought new or used, so.. If it's paid off, how do you feel about taking on a new car payment AND higher insurance rates?

I think right now car dealerships are still hurting for sales and will likely give you a better offer on your trade-in (they'll ding you somewhat due to needed repairs). You can put the money needed for the repairs towards the new car, if you decide to go that route.

The 2021 model year marks the start of the third generation for the Rogue, with a ground-up redesign. Conventional wisdom suggests that you never buy the first model. So IF you decide on new, you should wait until the 2022 model, so they have time to work the kinks out.

2021 Nissan Rogue Press Kit

WHAT'S NEW:

• "Family hub" interior offers extraordinary utility and comfort for all occupants, with available features such as 4-door Intelligent Key and tri-zone climate control
• Enhanced available ProPILOT Assist with Navi-link, standard Nissan Safety Shield® 360, wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay® lead extensive suite of Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies
• All-new platform with enhanced driving dynamics and a range of available driver-assistance features create a confidence-inspiring driving experience
• 2021 Nissan Rogue set to go on sale in fall 2020

IMHO . . . it depends on how much rust is underneath. If there is too much rust, then I would say no. But . . . if the rust underneath is ok, then I would consider it.

I'm not sure where you're located OP.

But I'm here just outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In the salt-belt! Lots of snow. So lots of salt on the roads in winter. This really eats away at cars.

We bought an old 2000 Nissan Altima back in 2015. It had a lot of rust. But we just needed something cheap. And I told my wife I wasn't very good at looking after cars, so this was the car that was going to force me to learn what to take care of.

And it did. LOL. Paid $1,600 on the car. Spent $3,300 in maintenance and repairs for the 3.25 years we had it.

But, because we paid so little . . . even with all the repairs, it is the cheapest car (per year) that we've ever owned. I don't regret getting it.

And it totally showed me what I need to keep my eyes on. LOL.

It is the rust underneath. If that old 2000 Nissan Altima didn't have so much rust underneath, I would have kept dumping money into it to keep it on the road. It was a brake change that finally got us to pull the plug on it. Because we didn't want to dump >$600 into the car with that much rust underneath. I was thinking the subframe would go soon, so we just donated it and moved on.

But that is why I am fanatical about rust proofing my current cars. (2016 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2011 Nissan Rogue.)

OP. If your car is paid off, then it is only maintenance and repairs that you are paying.

If you think ~$2,000 of repairs could keep you on the road for 2 years, and there is no major rust underneath (ie. your subframe isn't about to fall off.) then I would (personally) highly consider paying those ~$2,000.

If the car lasts 2 years . . . it could be a cheap 2 years. No car payments. Lower insurance. And no need to buy new floor mats, roof racks, hitch, all if applicable. LOL.

The longer you keep your car, as long as the repair costs don't exceed ~$2,000 per year average, I think you come out ahead, because each additional year keeps bringing your overall average yearly cost down.

But this is why I think, at least here in the salt-belt, paying ~$125-180 per year to rust proof the bottom of your car will pay back in spades at the end of the life of your car.

Take care.
TheRogue!

EDIT: Oh, yeah. We have a 2011 Nissan Rogue with about 147,000 KMs on it. So about 91,000 miles. We just got it in Nov, 2018 used. So a recent purchase for us. It had 7 years of rust underneath. But I've had it rust proofed (Corrosion Free). I think if I can keep the rust level at where it is now, I have no problem dumping money into this thing. I told my wife, I want to try to get 7-10 years out of this car. We've almost got 2 so far. So only another 5-8 years to go! On the outside, that would mean we'd try to keep this thing until it was 17 years old. Well. The car our Rogue replaced was an 18 year old Nissan Altima, so I don't think it is completely impossible! LOL.

My car was bought new in 2011 - all paid for. Repair shop said the front control arms are perfectly fine - no need to be replaced at all. So at this point I decided to get the AC blower fixed - wait on the CV boot and the O-Ring until I figure out the future car.

I live in Houston, so no salt issues here - but hot weather so AC is not surprising to go out. I have an AWD version of the SL model - I just prefer AWD even though I'm not in snow, etc.

I have not tried a test drive yet on the 2020 model - will today. Was looking also at the 2021 press kit and release info. The 2021 looks to have an electronic gear shift vs the mechanical one, so that is kind of cool, but I realize also that buying a 2020 now would be better deals than the 2021. Also 2021 has nicer displays...darn it. I'm torn because the new features on the 2021 are nice, but then everyone always talks about not buying the first year of a new iteration.

This is the hardest part of the decision I think - do I wait for the 2021 and chance having a first iteration and also potentially pay much more for it than I would on some 2020 version that I can get now. I have no clue - I hate decisions like this.

thank you for the response.

On our 2009 Rogue I had the AC stop blowing cold(air still blowing and heat still working, just no AC) this past month. We diagnosed it to the AC compressor clutch coil. Ordered that part off ebay and it works great now. Replaced coil instead of replacing that entire compressor.
The CV boot is a common issue on these Rogues.

Personally I would wait for the new 2021 Rogue. The motor is still the same 2.5 inline four from my understanding. I hope the CVT will be updated in the 2021

Also if the CVT fluid has not been changed recently you may want to look into having that replaced, especially with the temps you experience down south. Do you hear any whining(akin to a supercharger)??

I'm thinking of getting the 2020 version - the price difference for the 2021 SL (AWD) etc would likely be on the order of $4000 to $5000 difference if I wait. This includes the $2500 cash back offer now, plus the extra repair I would need to add to current vehicle to keep driving it for a while.

In my case the AC was just the blower going out...so had that fixed for $411 (with tax)

I do hear whining on my car - has been like that for at least 3 years (maybe more)...when I speed up, I hear that little whine. eek. Thanks!