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Please help me decide between...

562 messages,  Last post on Sep 17, 2009 at 7:31 AM

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Messages Page 1 of 57

#1 of 562 Please Help Me Decide by wsuguy

Oct 28, 2003 (10:57 am)

Hi everybody,
 
Im a student looking for a get around car. I need your help.
 
There is a 91' Toyaota Camry,153k,auto--$1550
Average Condition
 
and
 
93'Nissan Altima,111k,5spd-$2300
between clean and average
 
I don't know which one to buy. I need ur opinion i'll drive 6k a year at a maximum.
 
which one is good in terms of resale value after two years.
 
please reply
 
Thanks in advance
wsuguy

#2 of 562 wsuguy... by blh7068

Oct 28, 2003 (11:29 am)

So you have looked at and drove both?
 
Without input- which do you prefer?
 
Based on what you said I'd go with the Altima...little newer/lower miles/in better shape.
 
Dont worry about resale value. 11 and 14 year old cars with that kind of mileage have pretty much the residual value left(IOW- there's not much depreciation left to be had).
 
Good luck.

#3 of 562 by stickguy

Oct 28, 2003 (12:32 pm)

plus, the Altima has a 5 speed, so you eliminate the chance of the auto tranny going belly up, and on a car like that Camry, that is a fatal wound.
 
I also prefer sticks, especially on 4 cyl cars, so I know which one I would go after (assuming they are roughly the same condition otherwise).

#4 of 562 Our Altima by bobst

Oct 28, 2003 (1:06 pm)

Our son drives our 93 5-sp Altima with 130K miles, and it is still a wonderful car. One of the best we have ever owned.
 
Too bad the new ones got so big in the butt.

#5 of 562 Well... by isellhondas

Oct 28, 2003 (5:17 pm)

Clutches and manual transmissions go bad too.
 
It sounds like the poster is concerned about resale values.
 
Camrys are MUCH more in demand and five speeds can be tough to unload. Few people share stickguy's opinion of them.
 
Both good cars.

#6 of 562 I have to agree with blh by tblazer503

Oct 29, 2003 (4:31 am)

at 2300, there isn't much "depreciation" left there. even at two years, most cars hit a number and just hover there.
 
Personally, I would be much more concerned with maintanence/repair costs. Take both in to a mechanic and have it checked out. If it is a private sale, ask for maintenance records... looking for engine tune-up, timing belt change, clutch change(for the manual), auto trans flush(for auto), etc. Any one of these could drive up your maintenance costs pretty heavily unless you do all the maintenance yourself(tune-up $100, Timing belt change 6-900, clutch change 3-500, auto trans service 100-200, etc)

#7 of 562 wsu guy by steine13

Oct 29, 2003 (4:36 pm)

http://www.msu.edu/~steine13/auto.htm
 
something to ponder.
I'm with the guys who say have it checked out. 11 or 13 years old, it's all in the condition. no way to tell from here. and at that age, the stick is less likely to give trouble. if the clutch is good now, it'll be good two years from now, if you know what you're doing.
-Mathias

#9 of 562 How many miles should I look for in these used SUVs? by flashwave

Oct 29, 2003 (8:14 pm)

Replying to: steine13 (Oct 29, 2003 4:36 pm)
I am looking to get a used SUV, and have narrowed my list down to the following choices:
 
1997 - 2000 Explorer (with SOHC V6).
Approx price: $7,000 - $9,000.
Not really my top choice, but the least expensive route. The positive thing is that they've lost so much of their re-sale value, it seems to make them relatively better values. The downside is that most of them seem to have around 80k - 120k miles on them. I'm worried that with a Ford, this is right about when I might start running into bigger repair expenses, making them not such a good value after all.
 
1997 - 2000 4Runner (with 3.4L V6).
Approx price: $11,000 - $15,000.
Since I've decided on a used car about 3 - 7 years old, I thought I might be better off in the long run going with Toyota reliability. I've seen a wide range of miles on used 4Runners in this price range, from as low as 40k to over 150k.
 
1998 - 2000 Land Cruiser (with V8).
Approx price: $23,000 - $26,000.
Somewhat surprisingly, I've seen alot of Land Cruisers in this range with relatively low miles (50k - 60k). In fact I saw just as many Land Cruisers with low miles as ones with high miles. I wonder why that is? Do alot of Land Cruiser owners not use their cars that much?
 
A rather wide price range, as you can see. If I went with the Explorer, I would only keep it for a few years (after which I would probably look to buy a used 2003 4Runner). If I went with the 4Runner, I'd probably keep it for around 3 to 4 years. If I went with the Land Cruiser, I would want it to last at least the next 5 years.
 
As a rough guide, I figured that with the Explorer I should look for one with under 80k miles, if possible. With either the 4Runner or Land Cruiser, I figured that anything under 100k miles was still safe, as I have read people saying that these have run as long as 200k miles or more. And I saw plenty of 4Runners and Land Cruisers with less than 70k miles or so, which I figured would be especially good buys. Also, I only put about 6,500 miles on my car each year, so especially with the more reliable Toyotas I figure I'd outgrow the car before it became an issue.
 
So, all things being equal, any suggestions on what limits or how many miles would be ideal on those models I'm considering? I know there are other factors to consider such as whether the miles on the car were primarily highway or city miles, and how well the car was maintained. But those seem difficult to verify unless the owner kept all service records, and the claims of "mostly highway miles" seems impossible to verify at all. Also one last thing, again with all other things being equal, would you go with an older car with fewer miles or a newer one with more? Say between a 1998 with 70k miles and a 1999 with 90k miles, which one would you choose?

#10 of 562 You are really... by isellhondas

Oct 29, 2003 (8:30 pm)

Replying to: steine13 (Oct 29, 2003 4:36 pm)
All over the board!
 
Explorers can be troublesome as they age. Look for condition over miles. A car can have 100K and be in better shape than a mistreated one with 60K.
 
A Land Cruiser is a huge land yacht. Unless you REALLY need a clumsy gas hog, I would lean toward the 4 Runner.

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