[A.J]

I have been in the market for a new car for some time now and finally decided on the Murano about 3 weeks ago, I knew what I wanted and what configuration, the whole 9 yards. So I called a local Nissan Dealer to see what they had to offer. They had an '03 with 19k miles on it Bose system, sun roof, AWD, Chardonay outside and Cabernet inside. Its what I wanted. What I want to know is what some of the ups and downs of an '03 are. What service bullitens are posted, common problems and if they are fixable, and how much you think I should be getting this car for. Dealer is saying Mid to High 20's for the vehicle. Please give me your input, if all goes well I will be purchasing the car this weekend.

BTW almost forgot, Car Fax on it came back clean, mileage is fine. One thing on it is that it was a Fleet/Rental. Sorry to be so brief but I am in a rush, I will post more later. Thanks

 

[Stoker]

I have been in the market for a new car for some time now and finally decided on the Murano about 3 weeks ago, I knew what I wanted and what configuration, the whole 9 yards. So I called a local Nissan Dealer to see what they had to offer. They had an '03 with 19k miles on it Bose system, sun roof, AWD, Chardonay outside and Cabernet inside. Its what I wanted. What I want to know is what some of the ups and downs of an '03 are. What service bullitens are posted, common problems and if they are fixable, and how much you think I should be getting this car for. Dealer is saying Mid to High 20's for the vehicle. Please give me your input, if all goes well I will be purchasing the car this weekend.

BTW almost forgot, Car Fax on it came back clean, mileage is fine. One thing on it is that it was a Fleet/Rental. Sorry to be so brief but I am in a rush, I will post more later. Thanks

You will want to ensure that you still have warranty on the Mo as the 03 have a history on bad alternators.

I have a 03 MO and the only issue is that the alternator went, but the dealer replaced right away.

 

[ekaxel]

Ask the dealer to see the service history of the vehicle. You can see how/if it was cared for.
It should have the remainder of the factory warranty, which will give youy plenty of protection.
Re: the alternator. We have a lot of alarmists around here. For every one that failed, there are hundreds, if not thousands that didn't!
Good luck, and buy with confidence!

 

[zebelkhan]

Do not buy the car if service history is not there or is incomplete. Without that, Nissan will not honor the warranty.

Personally, I stay away from rental cars as they are often abused. Have a trusted mechanic check it from top to bottom if you really want this car. Keep in mind that for a bit more than what the dealer wants for this car you can get a 04 brand new. Some on this forum have paid as little as 30K for a nearly loaded new 04.

 

[GripperDon]

You need to do some searches, lot of price info on the forum. Grip

 

[revhigh]

I would think this car should be in the LOW 20's, like 21. No way mid to high 20's. As posted above, you can buy a new SL with a list of 29--- for 26 or 27 or a loaded SL listed 34-35 for around 30. AND with a new car you can get great financing if you need it. I got 0.9 on my Mo. Or tell the dealer 21K and mean it. What makes the deal even more ridiculous is that its a rental car that they bought at an auction probably for 15K. Have you ever driven a rental car??

My dealer gets cars off fleet from Enterprise too, they'd rather sell one of these than 5 new cars because of the profit involved. Don't be a party to it. 20-21 MAX !!

Edmunds value is 21600.

PS if you took that car back a week later they'd be offering you 15 for it ... don't believe me??? Try it.

 

[95se]

One thing on it is that it was a Fleet/Rental

I hope this is something the dealer disclosed. If they didn't and you found it out on a carfax I think it may be illegal of them, and at the least I would steer far away from donig business with them.

 

[Boobaba]

Well said Revhigh..........

Dealers make their REAL money on selling used........sorry "pre-owned" vehicles. What exactly IS their price??
I personelly wouldn't go higher than $23K.
Considering the service history, if it was well kept, and the quality of nissan vehicles (please excuse the rattles and ticks) 19K miles is fairly a new car. But just as revhigh said, the dealer couldn't have paid more than $15K. Maybe even $16,500. But I definately will not pay any higher.
Their is a very high profit margin in the pre-owned (used) car market.

 

[GripperDon]

A little more of the twins story, at one point the dealer said my 04 was only worth 24K at 750 mi and less than 4 months old. So believe what you are hearing on the forum
GRIP ;D

 

[A.J]

Thanks for the input. I didnt plan on paying the dealers price (which he hasnt given me a deffinate answer yet, I am getting one out of him tommorrow) he keeps saying mid to high 20's. Seeing as it was a fleet vehilce I am not going to pay more than low to mid 20's. Edmunds says as follows for the vehicle with the color and options selected...

Trade In: 22,980
Private Part: 24,515
Dealer Retail: 27,368
Certified Used: 29,453
And thats in "Clean Condition", add about 900 to each for "Outstanding Condition", I beleive the car is inbetween and its nothing shampooing the carpets and cleaning the leather wont fix.

The dealer didnt mention the "Fleet/Rental" aspect to me at all, I found out in the Car Fax report that he gave me. What other things should I ask him tommorrow? What do I need to know?

 

[GripperDon]

Ask him what is he smoking? GRIP PS I must say that's quite a spread for edmunds. What are they selling for in the newspaper? That what I would go by. If you are going to pay so much, maybe a new one would be a better deal, more fixed problems, what does cars direct offer for a new one, or the fleet manager?

 

[A.J]

For one just like the one I am looking at CarsDirect.com's price is 30,409. BTW I beleive I forgot to mention, the big thing with this Nissan Dealer is that they are offering 8000 minimum trade in as oppossed to the standard promotion of 5000 minimum trade in. That 8000 trade in is great. I'm thinking of asking for the vehicle for 22k-ish seeing as a local paper has an 03 with Nav out on Long Island for 24,995. Havent seen it but sounds decent and has 16kmiles on it. If I buy there though I would have to come back on the ferry and pay tax in both NY and CT.

 

[GripperDon]

Sounds like time for a "tea party" Something about taxation without repsentation, unless you are a clone. GRIP P.S. Is that cars direct price for a new one?

 

[A.J]

I dunno if it's double taxation exactly, but its something like that I dont recall. Any way... the carsdirect price was for a brand new '04.

 

[GripperDon]

Sure beats edmunds. Check out the paper in Fla and Az Get a free winter vacation. GRIP

 

[A.J]

Despite the general tone of the replies in this thread I am still leaning towards this car, it has what I want and I can more than likely get it for a decent price and the dealer has been good to be thus far.

 

[GripperDon]

Go for it! I just wanted you to get a tan to go with the MO. GRIP

 

[SugarRushMurano]

Several more advices:

1.
The most important, mentioned in earlier post, is to make sure it has complete service record. Nissan will not honor warranty claim for a used vehicle unless you can proof that prev owner have all service record and treated the vehicle well. There was this one forum member whose claim is rejected by NISSAN because the used murano has no maintenance record.
Search in this forum for more detail.

2.
Dont be discouraged by BAD alternator.
The failure rate might seem high from this forum, but that is definetely not the actual failure rate of the population.
NHTSA is conducting investigation on this issue.
If it is a recall by NIssan in the future, I will personally post it in this forum and and you will know about it too.
In the mean time, just pay that AAA membership in the case you need 100 miles free tow.

3.
About the "rental car". I know that enterprise rent acar is using some murano for their suv fleet. It is your decision whether you want the car or not. A while a go, people always have the negative stereotype on used rental car. But this article from motortrend may help your decision:
http://motortrend.com/buyersguide/preowned/112_0404_preownedcars/index4.html

4.
I think it is wiser to spend the money on an 03 model instead of an 04. An 03 has pass its 2 yr depreciation instead of the 04's one year. So you will save some money there going with a used 03. Just negotiate with the dealer patiently ont the price

5.
If i were you, i will use this strategy:
Go to another Nissan Dealer, then negotiate on a brand new 05.
Then also get a financing. If qualify, a new car loan rate is usually lower than used car loan rate. In the end, going used might only save me around 6K to 7K. Under 5 yrs - 60 mo loan, the saving is only $100 - $150 a month, yet I get a newer car.
If you are the type that keep car for at least 5 yrs, an 05 is a better buy.

Good luck. Post pics when you got her will you ?

 

[A.J]

I will post pics tommorrow as I am dragging my digital camera along for this next trip to the dealer. I have e-mails out to a few other Nissan Dealers in the area inquiriying about new 04's. The insurance on the 03 is cheaper as well by about 100 dollars per year. And thanks for that article too.

A few more questions I have are technical stuff. How is the AWD when it comes to snow/ice? Is AWD always on or do you have to engage it? What is CVT? What is this VDC (I think thats it or VTC) that I see mentioned? Does Nissan offer a OEM remote starter? Is the MPG estimate a pretty accurate range of what you get in your Murano?

 

[GripperDon]

Sugar you do the job, I just fold up. GRIP