Thinking of picking up an i30
01-20-2013, 07:20 AM
#1
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 27
Thinking of picking up an i30
Hi guys. Thinking of picking up an i30 for my daily driver shortly. Car has been maintained great, only 2 [elderly] owners, garaged, and 132k. I will be driving this car about 90-100 miles per day for work and Im just wondering how reliable these cars are. I was looking at maximas for a while (same car for the most part, right?) but the majority of them were younger owned and beat up, to say the least.
01-20-2013, 11:43 AM
#4
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Should have elaborated...wont be everyday, only 3 days a week. My car currently gets 17-18 so the i30 is much better. Just wondering about reliability.
01-20-2013, 02:06 PM
#6
Car is extremely reliable. The I30 is a maxima, with different panels and luxury options. The frame, engine and drivetrain are identical. There are gentleman on here with 250k miles! :-)
01-20-2013, 03:59 PM
#7
It's a highly reliable car, go for it and with elderly owners that's even better, the engine is a solid engine, just get a tune up once you get it and with general maintenance you will be good
01-20-2013, 06:46 PM
#10
THIS! If I had a job where I was having to run 300+ miles a week...I'd find me a beater with a 3 or 4 cyl...that gets 30+MPG
01-20-2013, 07:22 PM
#12
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Thanks for the input guys. Bought it today 
Rode super smooth, shifted great, and handled excellent. Garaged its entire life, 2 owners, newer tires, brakes, maf, starter, oil change, o2....the list goes on. Very happy about the purchase, hope the car lasts me a long time.
Exactly what I was saying when I was looking for a car. I wanted something I wont be
a) embarrassed to drive (I will take a few clients in this car)
b) something comfortable and refined and
c) something that nets better than 17mpg on the highway...what Im getting now (18 on a good day.)
Yes, I could have gotten a Civic or something and eeked out a few more mpgs but a cloth, 4cyl, econobox wont fit my lifestyle right now.
The main commute is about 70mi. Literally its 69mi highway and about a half mile of a back road. EPA rated the car at 28 highway so if I get anywhere close to that, that makes me happy. Traffic is an issue sometime but with an interior like this, Ill cruise through it just fine.
Rode super smooth, shifted great, and handled excellent. Garaged its entire life, 2 owners, newer tires, brakes, maf, starter, oil change, o2....the list goes on. Very happy about the purchase, hope the car lasts me a long time.a) embarrassed to drive (I will take a few clients in this car)
b) something comfortable and refined and
c) something that nets better than 17mpg on the highway...what Im getting now (18 on a good day.)
Yes, I could have gotten a Civic or something and eeked out a few more mpgs but a cloth, 4cyl, econobox wont fit my lifestyle right now.
The main commute is about 70mi. Literally its 69mi highway and about a half mile of a back road. EPA rated the car at 28 highway so if I get anywhere close to that, that makes me happy. Traffic is an issue sometime but with an interior like this, Ill cruise through it just fine.
01-20-2013, 07:52 PM
#14
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: St.Pete,FL
Posts: 153
Hope you enjoy it! Stay on here and keep us updated with how you like it.
Here are the newer revised Fuel Economy estimates:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/15913.shtml
Here are the newer revised Fuel Economy estimates:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/15913.shtml
01-21-2013, 05:51 AM
#15
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Around Charlotte NC
Posts: 27
great cars
I bought my '03 I35 with 10K miles on it in '06. It now has 205K on it ( I drive about 150 miles a day). Mileage has been 25 mpg driving almost all highway (75 mph) on premium, lower if I let my teenage daughters drive it. 8-)
Other than maintenance, I have only replaced a muffler and radiator. As some of the VQ's are prone to, it burns a quart of oil every 2K miles. That started around 140K or so but has not increased.
Tires make a big difference on ride. I did not care for the Bridgestones it came with - they were very harsh on some rough concrete highways around here. Switched to a "softer" tire and it has been great.
Good luck with the car, you will love it.
Chuck
Other than maintenance, I have only replaced a muffler and radiator. As some of the VQ's are prone to, it burns a quart of oil every 2K miles. That started around 140K or so but has not increased.
Tires make a big difference on ride. I did not care for the Bridgestones it came with - they were very harsh on some rough concrete highways around here. Switched to a "softer" tire and it has been great.
Good luck with the car, you will love it.
Chuck
01-21-2013, 09:38 AM
#16
My I30, although newer, has essentially the same engine and it's been very reliable in the year and a half I've owned it (just had to do a sensor and had the ECM reprogrammed, although I own a 2000). My gas mileage for some reason is suffering, but it could be due to my city driving and it being winter since I did a 200-mile almost all highway trip and got about 25MPG. You are right with wanting something comfortable, as I drive into one of the biggest cities in New Jersey every day and when there's traffic, it's really not so bad just sitting in an I30 lol
01-22-2013, 08:24 PM
#18
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 27
I bought my '03 I35 with 10K miles on it in '06. It now has 205K on it ( I drive about 150 miles a day). Mileage has been 25 mpg driving almost all highway (75 mph) on premium, lower if I let my teenage daughters drive it. 8-)
Other than maintenance, I have only replaced a muffler and radiator. As some of the VQ's are prone to, it burns a quart of oil every 2K miles. That started around 140K or so but has not increased.
Tires make a big difference on ride. I did not care for the Bridgestones it came with - they were very harsh on some rough concrete highways around here. Switched to a "softer" tire and it has been great.
Good luck with the car, you will love it.
Chuck
Other than maintenance, I have only replaced a muffler and radiator. As some of the VQ's are prone to, it burns a quart of oil every 2K miles. That started around 140K or so but has not increased.
Tires make a big difference on ride. I did not care for the Bridgestones it came with - they were very harsh on some rough concrete highways around here. Switched to a "softer" tire and it has been great.
Good luck with the car, you will love it.
Chuck
01-22-2013, 08:28 PM
#19
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 27
My I30, although newer, has essentially the same engine and it's been very reliable in the year and a half I've owned it (just had to do a sensor and had the ECM reprogrammed, although I own a 2000). My gas mileage for some reason is suffering, but it could be due to my city driving and it being winter since I did a 200-mile almost all highway trip and got about 25MPG. You are right with wanting something comfortable, as I drive into one of the biggest cities in New Jersey every day and when there's traffic, it's really not so bad just sitting in an I30 lol
Perhaps your gas mileage is suffering from the not-as-pure winter blend gas at the stations now, just speaking out loud.
01-22-2013, 10:00 PM
#20
Not to derail your thread, but I that is one of the more popular reasons my gas mileage isn't the greatest (I have a thread posted in the 5th generation section about it). Also that the estimates when the car was produced were over 10 years ago, when I bet ethanol wasn't blended into gasoline (E0) as much as it is now, as ethanol decreases mileage since it doesn't have the same energy release when burned as actual gasoline.
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