hey everyone...
i am looking at purchasing a 2k2 blue max se very soon, the one i test drove is priced at 17,995 w/ 38k miles, auto, no sunroof or leather. i was negot. with the sales mgr. there, and he said their firm price would be 17k out the door.

i have a 97 civic all paid for, with 100k miles on it, and at first i was going to trade it in, but they were only going to give me like 3k total for it. should i keep the civic, and use it for everyday driving, or get rid of it??
also is that a good price for that max??

all responses are appreciated...

 

17k for a 2k2 max....thats a good price around here .....I'd say get rid of it and if your not in a big hurry sell it outright and get more money for it

 

im really not in a hurry, the thing is, if i trade it in, the 3k they knock off would lower my payments by roughly 40 - 60 dollars. If i finance the full 17k, and sell the car on my own, would that be better?

 

keep the civic, always nice to have a second car if you can swing it.

 

Keep the Civic as your daily commuter car. My '93 DX lasted 239,000 miles before I traded her for a '02 SE-R. The dealer wanted to give me only $300 as a 'wholesale' price because the car was so old, but when I was about to walk they upped it to $1000 to meet the sale price I wanted so I took it. No big deal. Civics are great as beaters.

Then if you can afford to get the Maxima too, go for it.

 

^ good post, thanks for the info man. Just fyi, i drive roughly 250 miles a week back and forth to work, and they are all highway miles.
i wouldnt want the everyday wear and tear on my new car.
my major thing was should an extra 40 dollars a month in payment deter me from keeping the civic?

 

You will save a lot more than $40 on gas when driving your civic to work trust me. My friend has a civic and not only does his gas tank hold a lot less gas, he still gets a lot better milage than me. I was actually thinking about buying a beater civic or other 4 banger just to commute to work and lower the miles on my max

 

Keep the civic. Put a turbo on it. Autocross it!!!

 

The financially conservative thing to do is to always keep your car as long as its reliable. A guy I work with has a 93 civis w/ 250K that he drive 100 miles a day. A lady I work with has an 88 Acord with 350K miles and has never had any work except new rotors and a new clutch at about 250K. Otherwise all original. So your civic will last another 100K no problem. So figure thats another 5 years. How much will your 3K trade in civic depreciate in those 5 years. Maybe you'll only get $1K trade in. youve lost 2K in 5 years or 400/ year. The Max will depreciate thousands per year. I generally keep a car until I have well over 100K on it and then only get rid of it if it dies, looks bad (I need to keep a fair image-my wife tells me) or I need a different type of vehicle -like buying a minivan when I had kids.

So if you want a newer car -get the Max-they are reliable and fun. If you can wait-you'll be $ ahead compared to most people in this country who have car payments.

 

I would keep the civic if you can afford to keep insurance on the additional car.

 

Keep it. The convenience of having the truck for taking dogs to the vet and what little I was getting offered due to over 100K miles on it is why I kept it, and have not regretted the decision.

 

Keep the civic. I have a 2000Si. It comes in handy whenever I need to go someplace while the Max is getting worked on. The Max has been in 9 times in the two years I have owned it. Civic none. With your daily commute, the Civic would be much better on fuel consumption as well. Ins. is most likely very low as well. Keep it.

 

IMO, if the Civic is in good condition and paid off (!!!), I wouldn't even bother with the Max right now unless you absolutely must have it. Take the $$ that you were going to use to make the monthly payment and invest it. Be debt free for as long as you can.

Just my $.02, if it's even worth that.

 

Where the heck do you live??? You are lucky to get a 2000 Max from a dealer around here for $17k I actually went to one and they let me walk because I wouldn't pay $17.3k (before fees) for a 2000 SE with 37k miles... For some reason the Boston area seems to be a hot spot for used Maximas, damn city.

 

I even like Craigs idea better than mine. $400/mo at 10% for 3-5 would kick a$$!! You could buy whatever you wish at the end of that deal. Good call Craig

 

Keep the civic!!! You own it dude. Some people forget how valuable owning something is. I was in the same situation and I kept my beater car. You'll be surprised how handy having a second car is. When you put insurance on your Max, put your beater car as your primary car. It will be a little cheaper for you. And since you're in no hurry, if you do decide to sell your civic, you can always get more for it by putting it in the newspaper and selling it yourself.

 

Wow, I feel really good about my deal then. I got the AE for $16,400 @ 10.5%. And AE's were hard to find in ATL.

 

Why would you want to make payments on something you're not going to enjoy driving every day?

Who cares about keeping the miles low? These aren't exactly collector autos. Do basic frequent maintenance and miles won't matter.

The reason I own a Maxima as my every day commuting car is because it's FUN TO DRIVE. Hell, that's what makes my commute bearable. I'd be one cranky bastard by the time I got to work/home if i spent 45 minutes each way driving some POS.

My advice: keep the beater cuz a second car never hurts, but for the love of god, DRIVE YOUR MAXIMA

 

im in virginia, and for a 2000 max they had 1 on the lot but it was 15,500, for a black se auto no leather no sunroof w 45000 miles

 

They are getting a pretty penny for 00/01's here in Dallas too many are in the 17-19,000 range it seems the 00/01's ae holding their value quite well.

 

Ya have fun with it, that car has a great chassis/suspension.