Q: I was thinking of buying a used 97 nissan altima with the 4cyl. engine auto and with 151,000 miles. for $3k? with that many miles whats the track record for this years altima? do they last well? what things should i be looking for that might be going out on it?
A: Just think of it like this spending a down payment on a 12 year old car with half the life driven out of it. The better half of the cars life too. Now you'll have a car that won't be worth much and you will put only Liability insurance on it. And that won't cover medical expences for you inside the car if wrecked or damage that prevents you from driving it. For a young driver great a 12 year old car fills the bill. But for a primary wadge earner that has to be at work every day not a good idea. I bet if you organize some debt and you can own a new Sentra or Versa. A car no one else has driven and will start and run every day for the next 6 years with only oil changes a set of tires and minor servicing