[rtking]

Hi Guys,

Just thought I'd seek opinions. I had my MO totalled in December and I'm in need of a car with an automatic transmission because of the traffic here in LA.

I considered getting a brand new '04 MO, but the adjuster for the other person's insurance company is painfully slow and I'm not sure when we'll reach a settlement. In the interim, my MO got totalled but I'm out a few thousand dollars between the payments and "gap" (difference between totalled value and my loan balance.) That leaves me looking at these two vehicles:

1) 2003 MO SL AWD, NAV, VDC, fully loaded, pewter/latte, 19K miles - $28,000
2) 2003 Mustang Mach 1, Azure Blue, automatic, brand new, $23,000 (including Ford rebate.)

I know, I know... this is a Nissan Murano forum, so I'll probably get people telling me to get the MO. I really enjoyed my MO, but the Mustang Mach 1 is such a bargain with the rebate. (MSRP is $30,490) Also, the MO is clear across the nation and it will cost me another $1000 to have it shipped to California.

What should I get?

Bob

 

[Mr3Putt]

That leaves me looking at these two vehicles:

1) 2003 MO SL AWD, NAV, VDC, fully loaded, pewter/latte, 19K miles - $28,000
2) 2003 Mustang Mach 1, Azure Blue, automatic, brand new, $23,000 (including Ford rebate.)

What should I get?

Bob

Talk about apples and oranges! As you know those are 2 totally (no pun intended) different rides. If I were looking for strictly a commuter mobile, I would get a disposable new Hyndai or something well warrantied in the 10-12K range. But since you've narrowed it to those two, I would still say the MO is the better choice. (Besides, I had **** for luck with my last Ford) Don't you already have a Mustang? Good Luck with whatever you decide.

:runaway:
:runaway:
:runaway:

 

[hfelknor]

Get the Murano.

You need to drive somethng "different".
I recognize the syndrome.

AND if you HAVE to have a new Stang.......

Forget the Mach 1.

Get the new 2005!

That thing would raise the lust of a Camry Driver:2:


Homer

 

[rtking]

Thanks Guys!

I have to admit that I was torn... mainly because the thought of doing a smokey burn-out from the office parking lot after a bad day would be entertaining.

But you guys are right, and I enjoyed my MO when I had it. And, after a week of back-and-forth negotiations, the dealership and I have Just (as in 5 minutes ago) arrived at an agreeable price.

So... if all goes well... I'll be back in a MO again! A 2003 Pewter/Latte SL AWD MO w/NAV, VDC, etc. At least I can re-use my XM Radio kit! (Not to mention the 2 Nissan and 6 Mobil 1 oil filters, K&N air filter and custom-fit sunshade I have sitting on my shelf!

Bob

P.S. It's true that I've had horrible luckwith my 2003 Mustang Cobra (which I sold with 600 miles on it) and my 1998 SVT Contour (that the dealer kept 9 months because they couldn't rebuild the transmission correctly.) I'm glad that things worked-out in favor of the MO. I kind-of forgot about the hassles I had with Fords...

 

[Caruso]

The Mach 1 seems like a gimmick to me. ("Retro" styling, etc) It has the GT suspension and is only good for going in a straight line. Most sports cars use soild rear axle systems w/ leaf springs. The GT suspension has a soild rear axle, uses coil springs and is inferior by far.


03 Cobras > Mach 1's - Sucks that you had probs with yours. My friend drives a 03 Cobra and hasnt had any problems so far. Its a beast too.. He raced and beat a Ferrari 348 Tb with me in the car the other day.


I'd get another Murano. (If you can break the jinx of getting rear-ended ) It offers so much more than most Fords vehicles and you dont have to worry about seeing 1,000 other cars just like yours everyday.

 

[bob1]

Behind curtin 3

Bob, my point of view. I don't like used anything. You never know how someone has treated the car before you. Me, I'm a nut, cars in garage every night, washed every week, parked 16 miles away from the store to avoid the door banging crowd.
I had some budget issues as that I was still paying for my 3.5/2002-Altima.
Ask yourself a question, do you need AWD in Calif? ($$$) How about the NAV($$$), can you live without that and the leather($$$). The cloth is really nice. Me, I go into the dealer and grab a base MO. Only add mud flap/guards Rear cargo mat and factory floor mats and for some reason I got a free cargo cover. Sticker about 28,200 or something close to that. You can beat them down somewhere about 25,800 add some tax and BS fees and I'm out of there for about 27,200 with zero miles on the odometer.
I'm still having fun with the many many standard features.
I'd drop some toys and go for the MO. That ford will be worth about 2 grand in 5 years.

Bob1
04-Pewter/No-NAV/No-Latte/No-AWD............with steering wheel

 

[rtking]

Good points, Bob1.

Personally, I don't worry too much with Japanese and European cars when buying used. (I bought my Audi A4 used and now have 160,000 miles on it. It burns 1 quart of oil every 5,000 miles.) I'm also a nut... park at the farthest space in the parking lot, every car garaged, etc. I'm even rebuilding the motor on my Mustang SVO myself, and I'm raising the ceiling height in my townhome's garage so I can fit a 4-post lift and squeeze-in another parking spot for my due-to-arrive-later-this-year Lotus Elise.

I have to admit that I don't like the feeling of regret by not selecting certain options. If I didn't get the NAV (since my last MO had the NAV), I'd miss it horribly Same with the leather, heated seats, etc. AWD isn't mandatory for me, but I like knowing that I can drive the MO anywhere and not have to worry about inclement weather.

I agree that a new MO with fewer options would be a good compromise. But I like to spoil myself (since I'm single) and buy the toys. Besides, the NAV system is absolutely awesome!

As for the Mach 1... it's a fast car with excellent torque. But it really does want you to drive it quickly. I think everybody is right when they say that the MO is a much better car. My last MO was very quiet and comfortable to just cruise in. But it is also athletic enough to handle some twisties. Sadly, American cars depreciate so much faster also... so I agree that the Mustang Mach 1 might not be worth much after 5 years.

Bob

 

[XOC]

Welcome back

I think it says a lot of good things about the Murano that after owning one that obviously had a curse on it you would buy another -- hope you will will tell your story as often and with all the emphasis of the traded-it-after-only-2-months story.

Personally I like buying good cars used. Bought the VW convertible used in '86 and still have it. We owned a 10 year old BMW 745 when we lived in Europe -- great car! We have owned 3 Acuras that we bought with 36 to 42,000 miles on them (former leases -- excellent cars) and the last one we traded at 10 year old and didn't actually think we needed a car yet, but drove the MO and :10: :10: :10: couldn't wait for a returned lease but it was a demo.

 

[rtking]

Thanks XOC

Yeah... I thought about not getting another MO after my horrible luck. I earnestly went looking at other vehicles and didn't find any that I liked better than my MO.

I then had a few friends try to get me back into Mustangs, so they took me out to drive the Mach 1. Terrible ergonomics IMHO, but great power. The seats, if replaced with Recaros, would have me sitting lower and the driving position would be better.

But after thinking about it, I realized that I would still miss the MO. I loved the utility, the sportiness, the comfort (especially with those heated seats... Ahhhh...) and the Nav system (I never worried about being lost!) Also, I realized that later, I would be buying a Lotus Elise and I would like to have a vehicle (the MO) to tow it to different track events.

In the end, the MO won because it was really a vehicle that I truly missed. The Mach 1 is fun, but even with an automatic transmission, it's impractical. When I bought my first MO, I walked away from my order on a 2004 Audi S4 because the Audi couldn't carry my clients in the back seat. The same holds true for the Mach 1. I just had to jog my memory a bit to remember that!

Besides, the MO isn't anywhere close to being a penalty box! It's practical, has plenty of room and is an absolute hoot to drive! I even beat an Lexus IS300 up to 60 mph in my old MO.

Bob

 

[Eric L.]

I might have missed it in the thread above, but did you ever decide which to get? I notice your sig says you have the Mach 1? Did you go for the Ford over the Nissan?

 

[NVMYGT]

yeah, he went the route of the Mach 1. I can't say that he made a bad choice, being that my last car was a Mustang. The deal that he got was almost too good to be true! :4: Oh...and the lotus elise that he is going to get...awesome! I saw one at the local auto show this weekend and couldnt believe how small they were in person. I could easily jump onto the roof of the car from a standstill! Regardless, it's beautiful and now I 'need' one!

 

[rtking]

Thanks Snow Mo!

Yeah, I did get the Mach1. The deal was too difficult to pass-up and the dealer really did lose money on the deal. (I got it for $7,100 under MSRP.)

I'm sure that there will be another MO in my future... but it'll probably be another 2-3 years away since, as Snow Mo indicated, I'm getting a Lotus Elise also. (I've got a deposit down and I just can't wait until November for delivery! )

Bob