Should I buy this car

[shamful7]

After a recent Accident which I hit my car with my other car ive decided to buy another car for work purposes only. My jeep gets about 10mpg with its Hemi and my hyundai is new and i dont want to put 1000 miles a week on it but it gets better mpg. So im looking for a work Only car something i can abuse and not have to worry about reliability and that gets good mpg.

My dads girlfriend offered to sell me her car for $5200.

The car is a 2003 nissan altima 2.5s with 80k miles. She has changed oil every 5k miles and has only given it chevron premium since she bought it when it had 9k miles.

The pros are that the car has been well taken car of since she bought it and its about $800 under kbb,

the cons are the color is an ugly golden color and it has a few scratches and missing side view mirror cover. also i have to pay her the money cash.

I was thinking of buying a Honda element 2006 or newer for about 8k and 120k miles from a dealer. In truth the element fits my life style more it has huge cargo space which is like my jeep and it get decent mpg like my hyundai. Its but ugly yes but its a car that meets my needs the most.

I need great cargo space at and good mpg their are other suvs i was looking at like a honda pilot and a honda fit but none seem to meet the needs as well as the element

so what do you guys think but the greatly maintained nissan for piece of mind of the element for 3k more but it fits my life style. Or do you guys have other recommendations.


Forgot to mention im probably gonna sell my jeep. Its still worth about 10k and as much as i love my commander with the hemi 10 mpg is just not a option anymore.

 

[Billy Goatee]

I wouldn't go into debt. Even if i had to buy a 2000 car that lasts a year, and spend that year saving for a better car.

But that's me, busting my rear getting out of debt.

 

[shamful7]

Ive done everything in my power to buy nothing i cant pay off in a moments notice. If theirs one thing im good at its managing my finances and despite the fact I dont have money for it I need a car that I canuse and abuse without worry. I got a new job that pays well but it requires me to drive for like 6 hours straight a day and the miles add up quick as well as gas.

 

[MSstrahan]

Think about all the gas you can buy for $5200, and all the depreciation on the Hyundai that will cover...not to mention the extra taxes/fees, upkeep and insurance on that third car. I would consider the Hyundai to be the disposable car that it is, and drive it into the ground before I would spend all that money to protect it from being used too much. Put your money into something that might give you some actual return, instead. Maybe a house or retirement plan.

 

[dklaiman]

Ive done everything in my power to buy nothing i cant pay off in a moments notice. If theirs one thing im good at its managing my finances and despite the fact I dont have money for it I need a car that I canuse and abuse without worry. I got a new job that pays well but it requires me to drive for like 6 hours straight a day and the miles add up quick as well as gas.

I think this part answers your question. If you are truly worried about putting miles on your Hyundai, pick up something cheaper than the Nissan and that get's good gas mileage and drive that into the ground. You're not looking for something to haul a lot of stuff, just something for your commute.

 

[HazyDayz]

If you must buy, buy the element. I have one with 147000 on it and going strong with absolutely NO issues.

 

[shamful7]

How do you like the element Ive been thinking of getting one for along time before I even needed the car but the gas milage seems ok at best but i like the folding back seats, huge storage space and the fact i can sleep in the back or put my dogs or bikes back their.

 

[dklaiman]

Shamful7, it's early (although not as early as it is where you are) so I may be missing something. Your original post says "ive decided to buy another car for work purposes only" You don't mention what you do, but worrying about the storage space for your bikes and dogs seems different to me than buying a car for commuting.

Before you buy anything, figure out why you'd be buying the vehicle and then assess what you need.

 

[shamful7]

What I was trying to get across is that if i get the nissan cause its cheaper ill probably keep the jeep it i get the element ill probably sell the jeep i dont need 2 suvs/crossovers and the element can do what the jeep can do. Ive actually been looking to sell the jeep for awhile and get a more fuel efficient suv like a Forrester but but the forrester doesent have as much cargo space as the jeep. also the element would be use mainly for work but i would proabably use it for when i got bike riding. dog parks or to home depot. which is what i mainly use my jeep for now.

 

[jrp316]

Three cars are a lot to juggle and probably quite expensive in terms of maintenance and insurance for all three. If you're planning on selling your Jeep, I would recommend doing that before buying anything else. If you end up buying something else afterward, you can either pay cash outright for it or at least make a substantial down payment.

Since you have a Hyundai already and all you say that you need is a commuter car, there you go. That's basically what most Hyundais are. Rack up the mileage on it; maybe if you hit a million on it, they'll give you a new one gratis . At 1000 miles a week, it'd take a little over 20 years to hit a million. Get on it!

 

[MaxP]

Buy the one that fits your body the best. At a 1,000 per week, you're spending a lot of time behind the wheel. Make it as pleasant as possible.

 

[HazyDayz]

How do you like the element Ive been thinking of getting one for along time before I even needed the car but the gas milage seems ok at best but i like the folding back seats, huge storage space and the fact i can sleep in the back or put my dogs or bikes back their.

I love the element. I've carried everything from a 10' kayak to my oversized 29" mountain bike, to a friend's dishwasher without trouble. My only complaint is that even with the vtec engine, it's a little under powered, and it really can't tow anything. Mileage is decent- I get about 20-25 around town and 28-32 on the highway depending on terrain.

I'm 6'3" and there's plenty of head and leg room, though the steering wheel could stand to raise a bit more.

I would probably have bought a jeep if I could have afforded it at the time, but I really love the element.

Oh, and if you have the option, get fog lights and the real time AWD in it. Worth every penny. AWD without the hassle, just when you need it is amazing. We've had insane snows this winter, and it didn't skip a beat.

 

[N1CK]

After a recent accident which I hit my car with my other car I've decided to buy another car.....

After that I want to say get a bicycle.

Seriously though here's what I would do. I'd sell the Jeep, pocket the 10k, and drive the wheels off the Hyundai while looking for another rig that's a better fit for what you need. And do you really want to buy a car off your dad's girlfriend?

 

[pejay66]

What Nic said...

 

[jlanger]

After that I want to say get a bicycle.

Seriously though here's what I would do. I'd sell the Jeep, pocket the 10k, and drive the wheels off the Hyundai while looking for another rig that's a better fit for what you need. And do you really want to buy a car off your dad's girlfriend?

what he said, why else would you have the hyundai?? It's not like it's a Ferrari or something to be babied and never driven. Saving some miles on it really isn't going make it worth that much more.
Honestly I'd be a bit worried about an Element with 120k on it. They have had some issues with transmission and engines, (honestly just about any car reaching the 150k mark is slightly worrisome IMO) A co-worker of mine's warranty just ran out at 100k and now the Honda Dealership is recommending a new engine as she's got a serious valve issue happening (I know just a single issue of someone I know but...)

 

[datzc]

Hyundais aren't necessarily long-term reliable cars. Long warranty but after 100K miles not sure. I bought a new Elantra last year and am happy with it. Might not keep it forever, though - after warranty runs ok I'll probably be looking for a replacement.

I buy cars for comfort and gas mileage. The higher the mpg the better, in my opinion. Not simply because of cost saving but also environmental concerns. Then I find various cars have different comfort levels, based on seat contour, firmness, etc. I test drove quite a few before getting an Elantra. Not as cushy as a Buick, of course, but decent for a small car.

Look at Consumer Reports repair records and predicted reliability. Libraries have copies or buy the April issue at the newsstand.

 

[oc_in_fw]

The car is a 2003 nissan altima 2.5s with 80k miles. She has changed oil every 5k miles and has only given it chevron premium since she bought it when it had 9k miles.

That Altima isn't even middle aged miles-wise yet. If I were to buy a new car for work today, I would get a Toyota Corolla with a manual transmission. A co-worker has one and consistently gets 40+ MPG, and those engines have A LOT of life in them.

 

[mrb7]

I was thinking of buying a Honda element 2006 or newer for about 8k and 120k miles from a dealer. In truth the element fits my life style more it has huge cargo space which is like my jeep and it get decent mpg like my hyundai. Its but ugly yes but its a car that meets my needs the most.

I need great cargo space at and good mpg their are other suvs i was looking at like a honda pilot and a honda fit but none seem to meet the needs as well as the element

[...]

Forgot to mention im probably gonna sell my jeep. Its still worth about 10k and as much as i love my commander with the hemi 10 mpg is just not a option anymore.

Who cares what we think. It seems to me this above is what you think. And I'm not going to lay awake at night wondering if you bought the right car. But you might.

As for debt, what everyone else says. Debt is undesired.

As a certified Old Fart - think of me in the role of your dad rather than peer - I am here to tell you that every new car I ever bought got old and went to the junk yard (salvage yard for the purists). And my interest money, equal to many many hours of my life, went to bankers.

Now, I'm not saying there aren't smart uses of debt. You gotta make that call. We can't. But debt and loaded guns are similar. Neither is intrinsically bad. Both have legitimate places. But misused either will ruin your life. Act wisely. You're an adult.

 

[shamful7]

My main issue is My jeep runs on baby seal blood, seriously with 10mpg im dying but i sometimes needs its cargo space for work. My hyundai is good on mpg but its trunk is sometimes to small for what i need and also im always afraid of damaging it some more.

I want mpg and cargo space ive been thinking about a small truck or 68 el camino but their mpg sucks kinda and reliability is an issue. Ive been searching and so far every car I kinda likes has issues. Mostly from dealers claiming the car has never been in an accident and when i ask to see title I notice car came from out of state and When i ask to see title from the state where car came from they basically ask me to F$$k off.

 

[cb91710]

Take the Nissan.
50k and $3k less is a winner. That Altima is not even broken in and you know it's been cared for.
No telling what condition the dealer car is with 120k on it. Yes, it's still got a good 100k left in it IF it has been cared for... but the price is a bit steep for something with that much mileage.