My friend is looking for a new car. Her car was totalled. She had a 2001 Altima.

The two cars she is looking at are a
1999 Infiniti I30 limited &
2001 Honda Civic EX

Now obviously this is going to be a biased response based upon the forum I'm in but I'm looking for realistic/educated responses simply because she wants a car that will last a long time with the least amount of problems. So while I know it will be hard, try and look at the info presented and respond according to that also what you know about hondas and infinitis. Now I've gone with her to look at both cars and I told her which one I thought she should pick (but I'm biased also) but she still is unsure. One of the things that is really making her unsure is that the honda is newer and that is has about 30000 miles less. So here are my findings according to both cars from what I know.

2001 Honda Civic EX (coupe) - $7200
53000 miles
automatic
17" wheels
paint chips all over the car
2 owners
interior in good condition
engine runs good
driving around feels good
brand new tires

1999 Infiniti I30 Limited - $7800
82000 miles
automatic
fully loaded-leather, auto climate, multi CD, dual power seats, etc.
excellent condition inside and out
all service records, regular oil and maintenance
no major problems up to this point
2 owners
engine runs good
driving feels good
window tint

 

Definitely the Honda over the Infiniti, but not with those paint chips and 17's. In the used car game, newer is better than older. The dumbest moves are like, 2k5 Accord or 1999 740i? People tend to be fooled by a seemingly low price on a "premium" car. That's like a nice house in a lousy neighborhood--poor buying decision. Also, OEM is best on a used car, not modded. Rims, tail lamps, exhaust, all of these should mean $$$ off/deducted. my .02

 

DEpending on how bad the paint is, I'd probably take the Honda. It's better on gas and a good car overall... but not as fun as the I30

 

She could probably live with the paint. It's just chips. It's not like the car is unmasking in any areas.

The other problem is that she already told the infiniti people she'd buy the car, so they went ahead and paid off the rest of their loan to get the title for the car, but it takes a couple weeks for them to get the title so she hasn't paid them anything. But then a few days later the honda comes up. So this is another thing that she has been thinking about

 

I'd take the Infiniti; $600 more, but she'll have the warm and fuzzy feeling every time that she tells someone that she drives an INFINITI! And it's fully loaded. Just get a tune-up if needed and your good. It's a slightly better version of a Nissan, so you know that you can't go wrong!

 

A lot of people make the above mistake when buying a used German car. The price seems so low that they can't resist. Then they get charged $1800 for front rotors and pads, and can't believe it because $1800 could easily buy 4 new rotors, pads, calipers two times over on a Japanese car. See how special you feel driving your '99 Infiniti to the dealership for repairs....

 

so having a higher performance wheel with prolly better handling tires should cost you less

 

You just can't compare those cars. If she values comfort, performance and "prestige" than it's Infiniti. If reliability is a more important factor, Civic would be a better choice...

 

yes... every performance oriented aftermarket part brings the value of your car down. Sad but true...

 

I'm not comparing the cars as to which car is better. I'm asking which one would be a better choice. I know that infiniti is a very reliable car and can last a very very long time. The same is true for the honda.

If you were to compare the cars outright, then the Infiniti is the better car. My question simply is, should she go with the older car that is better fitted to make a person comfortable driving and will probably be ok for a while(mechanically speaking), or should she go with the newer car because it is less likely to breakdown as soon as the other, even though it's not as nice?

I say go with the I30 because it is a great car, but is my judgement being biased because I love maximas/I30's, and really the better car in this situation is the newer civic?

 

It depends entirely on her preference...

Some people value reliability, others performance. It's not "which one would be a better choice," it's "which one would she, personally, choose..."

 

So are you saying that the Infiniti is a good choice?

 

No, I think regardless of brand, newer is better. As an example, a 1999 BMW 740i can be found for as little as $13,000. Rather have that? Or a 2k6 Hyundai Elantra. The BMW has features that the Elantra hasn't even gotten, 7 model years later. But with the BMW, get ready for stuff like front pads/rotors, 2 grand. Water pump, 1 grand. You get the idea, newer is better. It's not a good idea to say the I30 is "loaded" and the Civic isn't, therefore take the I30.

Although personally the new G35 has got me curious. I know how chintzy the 1st gen G35 seemed on the inside, and how poor-fair 'ly it handled, and I hear Infiniti addressed both those issues on the 2k7.....

 

D*** straight. If you ever go to sell your car, be it trade-in or private sale, it makes sense to put the OEM back on. Aftermarket detracts from resale. My cousin bought an M3 with the Dinan chip--he told the guy he doesn't want that despite the seller's claims that it didn't void the warranty. He got the seller to take off $1200 because of the chip situation. Based on your sig, I probably just saved you at least a grand when you go to sell your car.

 

I say get a loaded I30 since its little faster then the civic my girlfriends parents have a civic that thing is really really slow but then again its all about preference. Civics are really good on gas I30 in the other hand is not that great on gas since you have to put high octane gas vs civic you can put what ever you like that's cheaper there but it pays to own a I30 it feels a lot nicer meaning softer and comfortable where civic feels like you are driving on crates

 

My mom's got a 2001 civic EX and I've had occasion to borrow it for a few days at a time over the years.

I'd say for performance, it's really a toss up. Civic has less hP but weighs less so it accelerates pretty good.

I'd still prefer my max though. Roomier interior, feels more comfortable sitting inside.

Also, changing any of the front light bulbs is a PITA on a civic. I usually have to pull out the battery just to get to the driver's side headlight bulb. *annoying*

 

not true, with those wheels nobody would actually take the car, so you saved him the entire resale value.

As far as the car choice, i would go with the I30 because of the comfortability. they are both going to be pretty close as far as reliability AND maintenance costs. nissan parts arent overly expensive compared to honda parts.

 

Civic, but not one that was modded by its previous owner....go find one that was adult owned and dosent have rims. Im sure its been abused.

 

Well I'm not sure it was abused. the only thing on it are rims.

Irregardless I think she is going to go with the I30. I figure if she drives it nicely there shouldn't be any problems for a couple years. The only thing I think she should do in about a year is get the 90000 mile service.

 

Whatever you decide, I think it's a good idea to pay a mechanic to do a full inspection if you haven't already. This way if there are any problems you can ask the seller to fix them or lower the price accordingly.

 

If I wasn't 110% sure that the Civic was a lease once, maybe twice i'd say get the Honda. However that car has probably had a hard life and its reliability is out the window. The I30 however appeals to older buyers when new, and has probably had much better care and maintenence. Given these two choices only i'd have to go with the I30.

 

They are both good cars. It just depends on what is important to the buyer. I would take the Infinity. Everyone has Honda's.

 

No one has asked:

1) How many miles per year is the new car likely to be driven?
2) What driving conditions is the new car likely to experience, eg. % of highway vs city driving?
3) Is the new car going to be driven to work and back? If so, how many miles each way and at what speed?

 

^^^^i would say 15k-20k.... i think
my car got about 30k in a year.....i work far from home...not that far but not the egular 5 mile drive to work..

 

Why are you answering my question? The originator of the thread is in Reno, Nevada not Houston, Texas!

 

I got no time to read but I'm sure some has been answered, but referring to the original post, tell your friend to buy what she can afford and to consider the car payments and insurance.

Buying either cars will have each pros and cons. I don't know her financial situation but she's got to consider theft rates for either cars, maintenance costs, and a plethora of other problems that might rise.

Edit: And also take both cars to a competent independent shop just to be sure that they are in "good condition."

 

I'd go for the Infinite. In the used car market having all the records makes great peace of mind and good resale. It shows you exactly what was done so you don't have to guess. It's also a much more comfortable car to drive on a daily basis.