so-beyond-broke
08-17-2006, 08:26 AM
Hello
I was going to post this under the japanese car thread but figured it might need its own thread. I bought a used 1998 Nissan Altima in 2001. I owe about $2K on it before I own it outright. Japanese cars do run well and I think are cheaper than American cars. My SO has always drove Dodge (American all the way) but then after using my car for 5 yrs he said that Jap cars are better than the Dodges he's had in his life. My SO said that every car regardless of origin has it "achilles (sp?) heel." - where its weak somewhere. Anyway I don't know how people can drive a car w/o any problems for 10, 15 or even 20 yrs. I have seen some '86 Maximas on the street and I was a teenager when these came out. I wish I was so lucky. People warned me never to buy a used car, because you are getting other people's problems. My SO said this and my in-laws mentioned it. Anyway I went to a reputable used car dealership in NYC to get my car. But I have had my mishaps with this car over the years and pulled out of pocket to fix things. Six weeks after I bought the car I was in a major car accident with my kids - no one was hurt but there was some expensive damage. My car had cut off, I restarted it again and when I made a right hand turn the car cut off again and slammed into the pillars in the street on the elevated train. The auto repair place said that it was a faulty O2 sensor. Then in 2003 on 2 different occasions that year I had to replace the struts in the front of the car and the rear shocks had to be done because my car was literally swaying to the side ( the mechanic said that a car that was 5 yrs old with less than 38K miles should not have had worn out rear suspension. He said Nissan probably uses cheap parts) Then in 2004 my distributor needed to be replaced and the water from the AC somehow was not draining outside the car and it backed into the ECM and destroyed it. When my car was lift - leaves were clogged in the drain tube and there was a gallon or so of water that flooded my car. Needless to say the warranty that I purchased would not cover the cost of a new ECM. So the guy got one from a car he salvaged and charged me $175 - no labor cost because I didn't have $600 for a new ECM. I do the reg maintenance stuff and this year I had to replace both my O2 sensors because that's what the diagnostic code said this past June when my engine light came on. It also explained why I was burning too much gas. So then yesterday SO calls me to tell me that the car died but he got a jump and was able to make it home from work. We changed the battery ( the car had its orig. Nissan battery inside - making it over 8 yrs old) So the car appeared to be fine. Then SO called me this morning to say that the car cutoff 2x but not when he was on the highway only when he was in stop and go traffic. The car re-started immediately so maybe he figures the car needed to get adjusted to the new battery - I don't know. There are no warning lights coming up on my dashboard so who knows. The guy tested my alternator yesterday after putting in the battery and he said it was ok (the power, lights and AC are ok). So I don't know I have had problems on and off with this car that I am not enjoying it for fear that something bad will happen to it.
I want to get rid of the car NOW. I have been getting so post BK offers to get a new car. My SO says pay off the $2k first- then sell it or trade in for a newer car. I am afraid that it won't last long. SO really needs the car now because he needs to drive to work to start at 6 am. Public Transportation is not running well at 3-4am. SO thinks I should get a brand new car, but I don't know. Maybe an 04 or 05 used but still under orig warranty.
Besides don't new cars depreciate quickly once driven off the lot?
What about a lease over owning? My father in law leases his cars. After 2-3 years he gets another one. I hear other people do the same. You have a smaller payment, you are not stuck looking at the same car for years and if theres mechanical problems you're covered. I was just interested in just owning a vehicle thinking its better than a lease. Can someone get rid of a car owing 2K and get a lease - will the dealership accept it? Any insights?
i thought my BK kept me up at night, now that its over its the car keeping me up?
I know that this is a long post but please help me shed some light.
Thanks
sbb
I was going to post this under the japanese car thread but figured it might need its own thread. I bought a used 1998 Nissan Altima in 2001. I owe about $2K on it before I own it outright. Japanese cars do run well and I think are cheaper than American cars. My SO has always drove Dodge (American all the way) but then after using my car for 5 yrs he said that Jap cars are better than the Dodges he's had in his life. My SO said that every car regardless of origin has it "achilles (sp?) heel." - where its weak somewhere. Anyway I don't know how people can drive a car w/o any problems for 10, 15 or even 20 yrs. I have seen some '86 Maximas on the street and I was a teenager when these came out. I wish I was so lucky. People warned me never to buy a used car, because you are getting other people's problems. My SO said this and my in-laws mentioned it. Anyway I went to a reputable used car dealership in NYC to get my car. But I have had my mishaps with this car over the years and pulled out of pocket to fix things. Six weeks after I bought the car I was in a major car accident with my kids - no one was hurt but there was some expensive damage. My car had cut off, I restarted it again and when I made a right hand turn the car cut off again and slammed into the pillars in the street on the elevated train. The auto repair place said that it was a faulty O2 sensor. Then in 2003 on 2 different occasions that year I had to replace the struts in the front of the car and the rear shocks had to be done because my car was literally swaying to the side ( the mechanic said that a car that was 5 yrs old with less than 38K miles should not have had worn out rear suspension. He said Nissan probably uses cheap parts) Then in 2004 my distributor needed to be replaced and the water from the AC somehow was not draining outside the car and it backed into the ECM and destroyed it. When my car was lift - leaves were clogged in the drain tube and there was a gallon or so of water that flooded my car. Needless to say the warranty that I purchased would not cover the cost of a new ECM. So the guy got one from a car he salvaged and charged me $175 - no labor cost because I didn't have $600 for a new ECM. I do the reg maintenance stuff and this year I had to replace both my O2 sensors because that's what the diagnostic code said this past June when my engine light came on. It also explained why I was burning too much gas. So then yesterday SO calls me to tell me that the car died but he got a jump and was able to make it home from work. We changed the battery ( the car had its orig. Nissan battery inside - making it over 8 yrs old) So the car appeared to be fine. Then SO called me this morning to say that the car cutoff 2x but not when he was on the highway only when he was in stop and go traffic. The car re-started immediately so maybe he figures the car needed to get adjusted to the new battery - I don't know. There are no warning lights coming up on my dashboard so who knows. The guy tested my alternator yesterday after putting in the battery and he said it was ok (the power, lights and AC are ok). So I don't know I have had problems on and off with this car that I am not enjoying it for fear that something bad will happen to it.
I want to get rid of the car NOW. I have been getting so post BK offers to get a new car. My SO says pay off the $2k first- then sell it or trade in for a newer car. I am afraid that it won't last long. SO really needs the car now because he needs to drive to work to start at 6 am. Public Transportation is not running well at 3-4am. SO thinks I should get a brand new car, but I don't know. Maybe an 04 or 05 used but still under orig warranty.
Besides don't new cars depreciate quickly once driven off the lot?
What about a lease over owning? My father in law leases his cars. After 2-3 years he gets another one. I hear other people do the same. You have a smaller payment, you are not stuck looking at the same car for years and if theres mechanical problems you're covered. I was just interested in just owning a vehicle thinking its better than a lease. Can someone get rid of a car owing 2K and get a lease - will the dealership accept it? Any insights?
i thought my BK kept me up at night, now that its over its the car keeping me up?
I know that this is a long post but please help me shed some light.
Thanks
sbb