Buying first MO. Please help

[newbie]

Hi,
I'm new here and, somewhat, to MOs. I have been researching them for about a year and am finally in a position to purchase one. I am going to L.A. tomorrow to find one because in my area they are way too expensive.

I do have a few questions for those out there willing to help.
1) I know there are sometimes issues with the tranny. Are there any other areas I should watch for specifally? We are looking at MOs between 70-95k miles.

2) We are looking at 05-07 MOs. Are there any pros/cons versus one another? I read that the 07 suddenly needed premium fuel even though I didn't see a reason for. Is this true?

Last, we are looking to spend $14k or under. Anyone out there selling a good MO in the L.A. area? Love some pics and info on it if so.

We hope to find a nice MO that will last us, and appreciate all the help this forum has already given us in our research.

Thank all!

[njjoe]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your hunt.

The MO's CVT gets a bad rap that it does not deserve. The CVT is a very smooth running and quiet transmission with a reliability rate that is on par with your more conventional automatic transmissions. The complaint most often voiced by owners is Nissan's decision to replace the entire CVT at the first sign of trouble. They refuse to let their dealer network troubleshoot and repair the CVTs. So in the unlikely event your CVT fails due to an inexpensive, otherwise easy to replace, component you will be force to pay $6,000 for a new CVT. The good news is that Nissan has extended the warranty on the CVT to 10-years and/or 120,000-miles. It is a transferable warranty so your new MO will be automatically covered.

None of the model years require premium fuel. All MOs will operate just fine with regular and mid-grade gasoline. Using premium increases horsepower by a few percentage points. Nothing spectacular.

Happy hunting.

-njjoe

[newbie]

Thanks njjoe. I appreciate the update on the tranny warrenty. Makes me less nervous as this is my first CVT.

[nipsirc]

You have nothing to worry about the CVT as long as your MO is covered by the CVT warranty however the transfer case is not. (Read this $3596 to replace 03 murano transfer case.)

So that is the very first item to look for, any signs of distress and leaks. Same thing goes for the power steering hoses, the front end (tie rods, control arms, bushings, ball joints, play in the wheel, etc...)

If you haven't committed to buying it yet, then I would say stay away from it.

[pridbor]

You didn't state if you were looking to a FWD or AWD. The comment about the transfer case is only valid if you go for AWD.

The reference to the fellow with a case of a bad transfer case is a sad story, but from my reliable service lady, she isn't seeing those very frequently. She actually had to think seriously about when the last one was.

So not to be any smart here I'm wondering if someone in this group have kept taps how frequently people have had a bad case of transfer case? I'm sure the AUDI group has some stories about mishaps in their Quatro systems, as nothing is perfect we can all expect to encounter a problem now and then.

I must add that I do have an AWD and is "concerned" if indeed this is a common phenomenon despite my service lady's experiences.

Just my 2 cents

[nipsirc]

Originally Posted by pridbor

The reference to the fellow with a case of a bad transfer case is a sad story, but from my reliable service lady, she isn't seeing those very frequently. She actually had to think seriously about when the last one was.

Maybe in your area it wasn't.

Just go through the horror stories about the huge repair bills here for the CVT (if you are out of extended CVT warranty) and the transfer case in this forum alone would give you the creeps, let alone the other Murano forums.

Ultimately it's your money NEwbie, you decide....

[carbooja]

Please see my post here

Should i buy 2004 Murano with 60000 miles on it ?

[blackdog]

this may help, i bought a 2003 mo 4 years ago and was offered 7k trade in value, i paid 20k that is a lot of depreciation , however no cvt prob's or transfer case, oil consumption is the thorn in my side, i may sell/trade my mo, but for the life of me i can't think of another car i want. the mo is just so great of a driving experience. to bad for the problems, love this car.

[newbie]

I appreciate everyone's input, and carboojar and blackdao I'm sorry for your unfortunate circumstances.

We did end up getting a MO today. Its an 07 SL with awd and just oner 90k miles. I know the miles are on the high side, but its a one owner car and I only paid $13k for it.

Although having to buy in a rush, as in today was the only day I had for it, I was able to have it checked out by a shop. It did have a pretty severe leak in the power steering hose. Since I have to drive it about 1400 miles home, I gritted my teeth and shelled out a little over $500 to fix it. I think thats cheaper than a 500 mile tow bill though.So far really impressed with it. Only two big annoyances.

1: Both sun visors won't stay up against the ceiling or the window. I am trying to look into the cost of replacing them, but an not sure if this is a common thing that will just happen again. Anyone else run accross this?

2: The drivers seat has an issue with the motor. When you try to lift the seat higher, the right side will lift but the left won't. All other directions work well, so I don't know if its a bad motor or maybe just a loose wire. Any input is appreciated.

I will post pics once I get back home. Happy driving all

[nitely]

Yes, both of your issues/problems are well discussed here. I suggest you do lots of reading before any action is taken. So that turned out to be a 13700 car with gas. Well, buying in haste is never a good thing..more so in used cars. I wish you luck.

[Pilgrim]

Don't feel bad about having that power steering hose fixed. Based on accounts here, it's NOT a fun job and also not something you could do quickly. You did well to get it done so you don't have to worry about it.

Look for a thread here with specific info on how to open up the sun visors and add a screw to tighten them. They're stupidly expensive to replace.