@Brian P and other auto ppl - leased cars wtih high mileage?

-D-

-D-

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I am wondering if these are bad cars.
Example
2014 fully loaded Nissan Maxima or G37x off lease car
120k-160k body in mint condition, interior mint condition

Clearly these cars were highway driven to rack up that amount of km's
Also cars would have service records from dealership.

What I would like to know if you would buy a car like this or not and why.
To me, the wear and tear should be less than a car stuck in traffic.
I guess I am trying to figure is just how much wear is wear.
As we know, you can ride a brand new bike and put 1k on it vs. someone with the same bike with 10k but the 10k bike is better mechanically due to care.
 
I wouldn't worry about it too much. It could be an opportunity to get a good car for a good price. Just bear in mind that you will cross 200k in no time and then it gets hard to sell. If you plan to drive it into the ground, not an issue.

I haven't driven either of those cars. They're substantially different underneath, the G37 is rear drive (Nissan's attempt to be a BMW 3-series competitor) and the Maxima is front drive (platform-mate to Altima with a few more bells and whistles).

I haven't tried a Maxima but I've had its platform-mate Altima as a rental. Maxima will be CVT ... make sure you are okay with that. Also go around a few corners to see what the steering is like. I have yet to drive a late model Nissan in which I didn't hate the way the power steering felt. It initially feels okay on center but then gets overassisted with harder cornering, with zero feedback whatsoever. Nissans are now on my "do not rent" list because of that.

The G37 was meant to be a BMW 3-series competitor and it's a platform-mate to the 370Z, so maybe it's better, I haven't driven anything on that platform.
 
I wouldn't even go near a Maxima if the same year G37 is in your budget.. that's a no brainer.
 
Speaking as other I would suggest using basic math, even taking out repair costs. How much mileage do you do per year and what is the cost of the vehicle. If your keep the used car for five years or the brand new car for ten years. How does it math out? The cheaper used car could turn easily turn out to be penny wise, pound foolish. Then add in the repair costs on the used car which will come a lot sooner and it's game over. A newish high mileage car would need to be very cheap to make it worth while imo. Find a car same age with 1/3 mileage, pay more but way further ahead in the long run.
 
For the most part the cars I suggested are just examples.
It is the overall question about mileage and wear for value.

@Inreb some of these cars went for $50-60k new.
You can pick them up for $15k mark (around that) plus deal them down on whatever price they list.
Yes, a smart person would invest some $ into preventative/schedule maintenance.
Clearly some wear items would need replacing but overall the engine and body should be solid.
Yes, if you plan to keep for 5 years or drive into ground and yes if you do low km's.

I saw some pretty decent deals on solid cars to begin with. Cars that have a good overall mechanical history.
Yes, CVT would be are of concern BUT highway mileage is better for CVT than city driving according to Nissan techs I spoke to.

Just getting general feedback.
A Japanese car with 30k is pretty much no different than the same car with 50k engine wise.
As long as the maintenance schedule was followed.
 
Too many unknown variables to give a straight answer. We don't know how much you value features typically found on expensive cars or is lowest operating cost per km the ultimate goal? Yes, if you want to get into a high end vehicle dirt cheap the numbers you show would do that but you might be giving up a lot of pragmatism for the honour. Anyway, cost per km could be predicted with a fair bit of accuracy barring calamity. I think we can agree a 160k car is nowhere near the end of it's life but if you start getting into little mechanical snafus it could become a headache. It's a gamble. Personally I would go as new and low mileage as possible and give up features to get $/km down. Spend savings on motorcycle.
 
Brian P said:
I haven't tried a Maxima but I've had its platform-mate Altima as a rental. Maxima will be CVT ... make sure you are okay with that. Also go around a few corners to see what the steering is like. I have yet to drive a late model Nissan in which I didn't hate the way the power steering felt. It initially feels okay on center but then gets overassisted with harder cornering, with zero feedback whatsoever. Nissans are now on my "do not rent" list because of that.
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This .... I call their CVT feeling a slipping clutch feeling. I hate that rev counter shooting up at some point and sounding like a clutch just slipped. I would second Brian's feeling about the steering. Just terrible. Keep in mind thought that it all depends which type of cars you come from. You come from, let say manual tranny or DSG and properly calibrated steering, you are in for a nasty surprise ... you come from Camry or Civic, you might call us crazy .... you know what I mean, right?
 
okay, some of you guys are missing what I am asking.
I was looking at a Subaru Legacy 6cyl top of the line (every option) including auto braking feature.
Looked like it would make a good winter car.
 
-D- said:
okay, some of you guys are missing what I am asking.
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Oh probably....I just wanted get my 2 cents in. I would only buy a 160,000 km car for throwaway money. I don't care what it cost new. $15,000 is not throwaway money. Yet.
 
inreb said:
Oh probably....I just wanted get my 2 cents in. I would only buy a 160,000 km car for throwaway money. I don't care what it cost new. $15,000 is not throwaway money. Yet.
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This. Very much this. I recently bought a 2010 Mazda 3, 60k km on it, for $8000 all in. I realize that this is not in the same league as the cars you're looking at but that's why I bought it, it's cheap, fun and is low mileage. In the meantime, the wife got a new bike last week, and I'm shopping for a dual sport as a second bike. My car is a good way to keep costs down to free up cash for the real luxuries. YMMV.

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-D- said:
For the most part the cars I suggested are just examples.
It is the overall question about mileage and wear for value.

@Inreb some of these cars went for $50-60k new.
You can pick them up for $15k mark (around that) plus deal them down on whatever price they list.
Yes, a smart person would invest some $ into preventative/schedule maintenance.
Clearly some wear items would need replacing but overall the engine and body should be solid.
Yes, if you plan to keep for 5 years or drive into ground and yes if you do low km's.

I saw some pretty decent deals on solid cars to begin with. Cars that have a good overall mechanical history.
Yes, CVT would be are of concern BUT highway mileage is better for CVT than city driving according to Nissan techs I spoke to.

Just getting general feedback.
A Japanese car with 30k is pretty much no different than the same car with 50k engine wise.
As long as the maintenance schedule was followed.
Click to expand...

only issue is maintenance and repair costs on a $60k car that you may have bought for $15k can still cost an arm and a leg, and the bells and whistles on these cars are usually the first thing to go, and are very costly to replace.
 
If the maintenance history is there and up to date, mileage is a none issue for my money. Age and lack of maintenance is what you need to stay away from. That said Brian makes a great point in regard to resale, so if the intent is to get into something different in a couple years, you might want to go with something lower mileage as you'll be taking a much bigger hit when you cross the 200k mark. I'm currently in a 2008 Volvo S40 with 270k on it. I picked it up from a customer for $2500 at 240k because it was due for a T-belt and he was ready for a new car. I've done the timing belt since, and nothing else. It's good as new for a few reasons. First because the service history is excellent; second, it's not that old; and third, it's a Volvo. On that last point, do your research, look for common problems etc. and talk to a mechanic you trust for advice on service cost and reliability before you pull the trigger on anything... but that holds true for any purchases scenario
 
i would buy a newer car with less options and lower mileage.
if the car you are looking at is fully loaded think of all the electronics that can, and will fail.
heated seats break based on how much seat time you have in them sometimes...wires bend and crack.
power windows at the 150k mark have been used as much as a 10 yr old car, they may last forever but they may not.
same goes for all the sensors in the car (exhaust, bumpers, steering etc) are all wear items.

i had a friend looking at used bmw's a couple weeks ago for the 18-25k mark. ended up getting into a 2017 elantra for the same price.

any clue what a OEM headlight housing costs on a bmw? how about the HID ballast?
i useto have a cadillac cts and when the headlight ballast blew it was something like $900 staff price from gm for just the part. mind you i went a different route but my point is small things can cost big money on newer cars these days. gone are the times of a $6 headlight bulb.
 
Some of the things that can get spendy with high mileage vehicles are:

Suspension. Ball joints, trailing links, stabilizer bars, shocks or struts etc. The bushings get weak or stuff is worn and needs replacement.

Edit: wheel bearings seem to go around the 100k mark too. Sometimes earlier and sometimes later.

A/c compressor and other accessory items.

Fleet vehicles are typically bare bones maintenance. Oil changes and the basics.

For example my VW didn't get its DSG serviced. I demanded, they refused.

Keep on trucking.

Otherwise, executive vehicles are nice to have. I'd consider a G37x.

But until I have to buy my own, I'll just drive what they give me.

Good luck.

Ps. I'm running 80k annually on a company car. But my position is more middle of the road so it's fusion, camery, or Altima's. The big wigs get the nice rides. Lol.




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mbroyda said:
only issue is maintenance and repair costs on a $60k car that you may have bought for $15k can still cost an arm and a leg, and the bells and whistles on these cars are usually the first thing to go, and are very costly to replace.
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But the repairs on that $60k car you bought for $15k still aren't going to cost $45k. That said, there's a price on the hassle of getting it fixed all the time, too, and the possibility you'll end up with some issue that no mechanic can seem to figure out (been there, done that). Although that can happen with a brand new car, as well, but is far less likely.
 
EaZ8 said:
i would buy a newer car with less options and lower mileage.
if the car you are looking at is fully loaded think of all the electronics that can, and will fail.
heated seats break based on how much seat time you have in them sometimes...wires bend and crack.
power windows at the 150k mark have been used as much as a 10 yr old car, they may last forever but they may not.
same goes for all the sensors in the car (exhaust, bumpers, steering etc) are all wear items.

i had a friend looking at used bmw's a couple weeks ago for the 18-25k mark. ended up getting into a 2017 elantra for the same price.

any clue what a OEM headlight housing costs on a bmw? how about the HID ballast?
i useto have a cadillac cts and when the headlight ballast blew it was something like $900 staff price from gm for just the part. mind you i went a different route but my point is small things can cost big money on newer cars these days. gone are the times of a $6 headlight bulb.
Click to expand...

In my experience almost anything rubber in the suspension and motor mounts, etc will need replacing near the 200k mark.
Power windows seem to last forever. I'm bought several very old cars and they all still worked. Saab had an issue with the window switches but that was an easy fix to clean them up. Even on my old 944 the power windows still work. Power mirror on the passenger side is a bit flaky but still working.

OEM headlights on luxury cars are crazy expensive. Whole headlight assembly for a Lexus a couple years old was quoted over $1500 for a used one to my gf's sister just recently. Friend has a 2005 BMW that I don't think even has HIDs and he bought it with a cracked headlight thinking it would be a cheap fix. BMW wanted $2000 just for the housing.

Guys at work that don't give a damn about cars just buy our retired fleet vehicles. $1000 for a minivan with about 100k on it. Might not last forever but in 3 years they just buy another for the same price. Meanwhile I just paid $2000 for a transmission in my car when I could've bought 2 retired vehicles for the same price, lol.
 
I wouldn't touch a G37 or most Nissan cars. Atrocious quality of all the Japanese brands. Besides, ever sit in a G? Tight tight tight.

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Old supervisor of mine loved to buy used/older German cars. Audi/BMW especially around the 170-200k+ mark. His justification was that 'most of the things have been replaced already at that point to keep it running. Plus he can pull and install a new motor/transmission on his own so it's typically not a concern for him. If you can wrench yourself you can save all kinds of money on a car. I'm not handy enough to go that route, and luxury cars scare me in terms of repairs. But if you can do it DIY...I'd say go for it.
 
SunnY S said:
I wouldn't touch a G37 or most Nissan cars. Atrocious quality of all the Japanese brands. Besides, ever sit in a G? Tight tight tight.

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maybe you need a LARGER car/suv to accommodate your physical requirements
 
SunnY S said:
I wouldn't touch a G37 or most Nissan cars. Atrocious quality of all the Japanese brands. Besides, ever sit in a G? Tight tight tight.

Sent from my Passport
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I thought Mitsubishi was below Nissan in the quality and reliability area? They have a 10 year warranty, though.
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