Sorry guys but Nissan isn't as reliable as Honda or Toyota, do not get a high mileage Nissan ever

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

If you don't go forced induction... I think the 7AT has less problems overall

I'd have to disagree, especially with such a extreme as "ever". You don't think Nissan is reliable? I'm pretty sure the Z can easily double the mileage that is already on the car he's looking at, especially if it has been well cared for. OP, honestly don't scare away from the car just because it has 70k miles, which IMO isn't even that high, maybe for the year it is though. You stated you looked at it and everything on the car seems solid. Get it inspected by one of the certified techs if it hasn't already been and try to talk them down in price, which you should be able to fairly easily since it has higher than average mileage for the year. Being a automatic would be a deal breaker right away for me, but that's me.

Ya like I said Nissan is a joke compared to Nissan and Toyota when it comes to reliability and bs issues. Nissan is the best bang for your buck but they cheap out in so many ways why do you think the resale value on all toyotas and Hondas is almost always better than Nissan.

And lets not ever forget what a pain in the butt the dam 300zx was to work on with cramped engine bays galore

What, would you rather have a car that accelerates on it's own? cough toyota cough

Hey, that wasn't Toyota's problem, that was the pedal manufacturers problem...
Pontiac had the same issue too

And the guy who had the prius that stated that whole thing was lying



Oh, and I BET the ENGINE on the 370Z the OP was talking about will last to double to 140k, but I bet not a damn think else will without giving some sort of headache...
I don't know a hell of a lot about Hondas from first hand experience... I know my dad had one that he sold to a family friend and it's at 300,000kms with no oil changes, lol (the guy just adds oil)

But I can't find anything wrong with any of our JAPANESE MADE Toyotas... My 370Z... Going in for another smattering of problems (I will admit, MOST are bullshít panel squeaks and buttons on the radio not working and such, but the transmission is acting up)

Pretty sure it became their problem when they had to recall thousands of cars and lost millions of dollars on it. Regardless, I think Nissan's are more reliable then you give them credit for. Would you not agree they are more reliable than the average domestic car or Kia? And you want to talk about cars with reliability issues, try owning any VW/Audi. I love those cars to death, but not enough to pay for labor costs and deal with shi*t breaking everywhere.

Fair enough, I think the Nazi sleds are GARBAGE too, don't get me wrong. But in terms or Japanese reliability it's Lexus, Toyota, Acura, Honda, I'd give the next few to Subaru then Mitsubishi, THEN Nissan...

I've had sports cars with 150K+ miles on them have more issues than sports cars with 75K miles on them. I used to never buy new cars, so I have some experience with it, and basically, it comes down to this: How was it treated, and more importantly...are you lucky? Some cars just break, while the next one down the assy. like will never need anything but tires and a new battery.

One thing I always tell people "never buy a used sports car. Whoever bought it in the first place, had need for speed." But that not always true. Sometimes people buy it just to look cool or don't ever track it or anything.

As for buying 70K sport car, you should def. check it out. See how it is and drive it. My Z just rolled over 66k and seriously, it drives like brand new. It had redline synthetic oil every 5500 miles (religiously changed despite the weather conditions outside), transmission, brake and differential fluids changed regularly, outside detailed and waxed with Adams polishes, inside is immaculate as I have every single detailing stuff you can think of etc. My Z as a used probably drives better than many 20-30K Z out there. So it's all in the "how it was taken care of" really.

I personally think nissan makes very reliable engines. My brother Infinity I35 (vq egnine) holding up very well even after 130K of abuse, my old 350Z vq held up very well. HOWEVER unfortunately, Nissan's biggest weakness is the transmission. We all know how many tranny we went though with our 350zs. Luckily, still no issue with my first gen SRM equipped transmission in my 370Z. but it's def. weakest point.

Agree with AK: used is used. I would wager people with sports cars tend to baby them more (maintenance) then you going to get a nice used Accord/Camry/Altima etc...where people beat the snot out of the when cold, give them jiffy lube and call it a day.

Bottom line is cars are more resilient then we think: used is not the risk it once was. Stuff breaks on anything. Being an educated consumer and patient is key.

My first used sports car I got with 50K on it...sold it with 154K and it was quite well behaved (including a ton of mods I put into it).

Next used sports car was the 370Z. 2400 miles on it, someone didn't really fit in the seats well. Win for me.

Third used sports car is the Cayman we now have. Its still new, and yeah got an extended warranty for some piece of mind (wife wanted it, not me so much).

You an read the reliability studies and perhaps state that Honda or Toyota eek out a few points in issues per 100 then other brands but honestly, Nissan is right up there. A bulk of their cars are Altimas, Maximas, Sentras, Versa etc...the Z contains some unique components, lots of shared ones.

OP: find the lowest mile/year car you can find in your budget. If a few K is going to stretch you too thin...you should *really* reconsider the price point for now and save longer. I would shop within 5K ranges, so say 25K is your top end. If that hurts too much, then lower it to 20K.

- b

I worked for Ford for a year, and agree 100%. It's ownership/usage more than miles. Give me a 100K mile car that was driven by a guy like you vs. some highschool "pimp's" "Airforce One" with 20K miles on it, any day!

That said, my first sporty car was a 1995 Trans Am. I bought it with 14X,XXX miles on it, and kept it until 177K miles. It ran like a top. The only flaw it had was the heater core went out. When I bought it, the oil looked like pudding, it was terrible. Horrible maintenance. But you know what? That Trans Am was very fast for what it was, killing 350Z's and the like (for a 2.73 Auto LT1, not bad!). It was a great car, and literally the most problem-free that I have ever owned, other than my C6 Z06 that I sold at 4K miles, lol. Great car. Can't say enough good about it.

Then the 2001 WS.6 that I had, bought with 72K miles, former owner I called, he was older, lived in TX and drove 30mi to work each day, maintained it FLAWLESSLY (I had bought from a dealership and tracked him down, so no reason to lie to me). Was probably the worst car I ever owned. Horrible. Everything, EVERYTHING but the engine had issues to one degree or another.

Luck of the draw, some cars are ****, some aren't, and it could be as minor a difference as "this was car # 18 made today, and this was car #19". No way to know.

Congrats on getting a degree! I am a recent Clemson grad so I share a similar experience. You just spent several years paying to go to school. You earned your degree, now get EXACTLY what you want. IMHO it would be a crime to waste your "fresh out of college" car experience on a used one that you weren't there to start with from day one on your new life. You hesitated on automatic, get manual. Make sure you get everything you want the way you want out of a car you are buying with your own money. Don't have enough money? Save up. Life is too short to settle on something like this during your prime years. This is your chance to own a very impractical car before you have a family so do it right.

Take it from me, I bought a new 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe on a whim because it looked nice and saved me some money from getting a Z. Several maintenance issues later i traded the car in after 6 months for a new 2013 Nissan 370Z. Buy right the first time!


At the end of the day it's better to wonder "Why?" than "What if...?"


Ps: If you don't have a job yet, don't even bother looking for a car yet.