Sat May 15, 2021, 04:01 PM

Mr.Bill (20,178 posts)

I did something yesterday I've never done.

I bought a new car without even opening the hood, and I've been a gear head for most of my life.

The lease was running out on my 2018 Sentra and the used car market is so crazy right now, the dealer offered to pay off the residual on my lease and give me 5K to put down on a new one. Payment for me will be the same, but I'm buying instead of leasing. Good deal for me and the dealer, because he will still make money selling my leased car. Because of the pandemic, it only had 18K miles on it.

This is my third Nissan Sentra, I leased the first two. The new Sentra is way improved over my first two. Lots more safety and entertainment features.

I am someone who has built several car engines, and when I got home I did open the hood. If I was shown a photo of what was under that hood, I would almost not be able to identify it as a car engine. Only things like the battery and dipstick would give it away.

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16 replies	Author	Time	Post
I did something yesterday I've never done. (Original post)	Mr.Bill	May 2021	OP
I had a Sentra 15 years ago, it was one of the most dependable and fixable cars I've owned.	marble falls	May 2021	#1
My last two were very reliable, too.	Mr.Bill	May 2021	#3
The used car market has definitely gone crazy	MerryHolidays	May 2021	#2
Yep. The dealer who bought mine will probably still make 2-3K	Mr.Bill	May 2021	#4
I am trying to convince my wife to sell now, so long as she has a deal for a new car	MerryHolidays	May 2021	#5
Honestly, I would have waited awhile to sell/trade mine,	Mr.Bill	May 2021	#7
What is all that crap?	Pinback	May 2021	#6
thats what i drive too	drray23	May 2021	#8
What year is it?	Mr.Bill	May 2021	#9
2013 sentra with CVT.	drray23	May 2021	#10
Have you had the transmission serviced regularly?	Mr.Bill	May 2021	#11
yes. at 80k miles and 160k miles	drray23	May 2021	#16
I have CVT in my Nissan Versa 2007	IcyPeas	May 2021	#12
I buy cars new and drive them until the wheels fall off.	Chainfire	May 2021	#13
The last time I bought a new car the salesman opened the hood to show me the engine	Ocelot II	May 2021	#14
I can't even find the spark plugs on mine. n/t	Mr.Bill	May 2021	#15

Response to Mr.Bill (Original post)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:08 PM

marble falls (47,684 posts)

1. I had a Sentra 15 years ago, it was one of the most dependable and fixable cars I've owned.

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Response to marble falls (Reply #1)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:10 PM

Mr.Bill (20,178 posts)

3. My last two were very reliable, too.

Although I only owned them for three years and never reached 35K miles with either one. Nothing but oil changes.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Original post)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:10 PM

MerryHolidays (7,684 posts)

2. The used car market has definitely gone crazy

A year ago, we got an offer from a dealer to buy my wife's car for around $20K. Today, more than a year and about 8000 miles later, we have an offer for $24K. That's nuts, give the passage of more than a year and adding more mileage to it.

I was getting my car serviced yesterday and walked around the dealer's used car lot. I was SHOCKED at the prices that I saw on "pre-owned" vehicles aged 2017 and newer.

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Response to MerryHolidays (Reply #2)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:12 PM

Mr.Bill (20,178 posts)

4. Yep. The dealer who bought mine will probably still make 2-3K

when he sells it.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Reply #4)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:15 PM

MerryHolidays (7,684 posts)

5. I am trying to convince my wife to sell now, so long as she has a deal for a new car

Take a look at this article from CBS News: UNBELIEVABLE the prices for even high mileage cars (and our car is MUCH lower mileage than these):

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/used-car-market-pricing-inflation/

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Response to MerryHolidays (Reply #5)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:32 PM

Mr.Bill (20,178 posts)

7. Honestly, I would have waited awhile to sell/trade mine,

but my lease was running out and I didn't really want to buy it, because the warranty would be running out. I think prices will continue to go up for awhile. Prices are going up even on recently purchased new ones, too. I had to pay sticker price on my new one, and they only had two new Sentras on the lot. This is at a huge Nissan Dealer where they typically would have 50 of them.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Original post)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:24 PM

Pinback (11,616 posts)

6. What is all that crap?

That's what I say when I open the hood of any car made in the last 10-15 years.

I'm not a gear head, but in my younger, more impecunious days, I did plenty of minor repairs out of economic necessity. It now seems strangely refreshing how much unused space they left under the hood in some of those cars! And when well maintained they still ran like a top with so "few" (compared to a modern car) components.

A couple of years ago we got a new Subaru with the "EyeSight" technology, and it's fantastic to have all the safety features -- which have already helped us in a couple of near-miss situations with idiot drivers. Of course, I still think a backup camera is an incredible luxury. Hell, I'm old enough to still be amazed by intermittent wipers!

Enjoy your new wheels, and congrats on the transaction.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Original post)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:32 PM

drray23 (6,996 posts)

8. thats what i drive too

My Sentra has 218253 miles as of today. Only had to do regular maintenance on it. I take care of it and it purrs.

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Response to drray23 (Reply #8)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:40 PM

Mr.Bill (20,178 posts)

9. What year is it?

Does it have the CVT transmission? In the earlier models, those were somewhat problematic.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Reply #9)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:41 PM

drray23 (6,996 posts)

10. 2013 sentra with CVT.

No issues with it. Maybe I lucked out.
On edit: Most of my commute is highway driving, not urban driving.

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Response to drray23 (Reply #10)

Sat May 15, 2021, 04:45 PM

Mr.Bill (20,178 posts)

11. Have you had the transmission serviced regularly?

On car forums they are pretty adamant about that on these cars.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Reply #11)

Sat May 15, 2021, 07:20 PM

drray23 (6,996 posts)

16. yes. at 80k miles and 160k miles

they changed the fluid.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Reply #9)

Sat May 15, 2021, 05:14 PM

IcyPeas (19,915 posts)

12. I have CVT in my Nissan Versa 2007

no problems at all.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Original post)

Sat May 15, 2021, 05:21 PM

Chainfire (12,725 posts)

13. I buy cars new and drive them until the wheels fall off.

I have literally driven cars to the junk yard.....Car dealers and barbers have always hated me.

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Response to Mr.Bill (Original post)

Sat May 15, 2021, 05:57 PM

Ocelot II (106,802 posts)

14. The last time I bought a new car the salesman opened the hood to show me the engine

and I hardly recognized anything that was in there. I'm old and I'd become used to things like carburetors and air filters and throttle cables, which have gone the way of the buttonhook and 8-track tape. I was able to identify the battery but nothing else looked at all familiar.

I did something yesterday I've never done.

1. I had a Sentra 15 years ago, it was one of the most dependable and fixable cars I've owned.

3. My last two were very reliable, too.

2. The used car market has definitely gone crazy

4. Yep. The dealer who bought mine will probably still make 2-3K

5. I am trying to convince my wife to sell now, so long as she has a deal for a new car

7. Honestly, I would have waited awhile to sell/trade mine,

6. What *is* all that crap?

8. thats what i drive too

9. What year is it?

10. 2013 sentra with CVT.

11. Have you had the transmission serviced regularly?

16. yes. at 80k miles and 160k miles

12. I have CVT in my Nissan Versa 2007

13. I buy cars new and drive them until the wheels fall off.

14. The last time I bought a new car the salesman opened the hood to show me the engine

15. I can't even find the spark plugs on mine. n/t

6. What is all that crap?