Hi,
I'm looking at a 2011 Maxima with 109k miles. I just began reading all the drama regarding the CVT. I'm curious how long these last typically run? Am I crazy to consider this car or should the tranny be okay at this point?

Thanks
Jason

 

I've bought a lot of used cars in my time and have found pretty much without exception that if a car looks good, i.e. body and paint and interior in not just good but GREAT shape, it's an indicator of how well the mechanicals were maintained. A plus is if the owner has a service record that shows regular dealer visits and regular fluid changes, tire rotations, etc. When you find a car like this and you look underneath it and see no evidence of oil/coolant/transmission leaks, you can have even more confidence in purchasing.
There are a number of members with well over 100K on their CVTs, and it's a good transmission if maintained and not abused.

 

All depends on the price. It's high mileage, and these things still go for close to $10k. If you were in the $8k range, and of course it was running good, might be worth it. Me personally I don't buy anything that requires payments without at least some kind of warrantee associated. Hard to justify making payments and having a major repair pop up...being at 109k, you won't find an extended warrantee for this car worth anything.