Getting my stepsister a first car (Update: Got it)

"sm70- why not Duesenberg?" (sm70-whynotduesenberg)
08/11/2017 at 14:39 • Filed to: None

Here’s some pictures of the actual car to replace the GIS ones I had when I first posted this.

I’m sitting here waiting for a 3rd party to finish a PPI on a 2000 Infiniti I30. It’s got 85,000 miles, seems to be in reasonably ok shape, and we can probably pick it up for around $4000. It’s boring as hell (it’s literally beige) but it should be safe, reliable, and it’s fairly well-equipped. Perfect for a 16y/o girl who gives no shits about cars. It’s also peppy for what it is.

Update: We went ahead and got it. We’ll pick it up tomorrow after the dealer puts a new set of tires on it.

DISCUSSION (20)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 14:41

That’s..... really low mileage for the age. Have a service history? I’d be worried that it spent a significant amount of time sitting or only doing super short runs where it never got up to temp.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/11/2017 at 14:44

I’m not sure on the records, but it drives fine. We’ll see what the inspection reveals.

awmaster10 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/11/2017 at 14:46

Not low enough to be worried in my opinion. I am looking at similar aged cars and 80-100 is ideal, 100-140k is normal, 140+ is high. Under 80k is where it gets a little sketchy to me.

Chariotoflove > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 15:03

This is a great choice. You’re saving her a lot of trouble on her first car, and possibly (though hopefully not) her life. Solid brother.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 15:24

I’d be more worried about gaskets and lines rotting. It will drive fine, but there’s probably alot of rotted rubber under that hood. My first two cars were bought because they were low mileage and I know for a fact that one was owned by a little old lady who did all of the recommended service at the dealer (it was a friend of my grandmother’s). They were both 90s Hondas, drove great, but were were without doubt the most problematic cars I’ve ever encountered. 200k 32 year old car? I just drove one 2600 miles without a worry. 50k 12 year old Honda? Broke every month.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > awmaster10
08/11/2017 at 15:25

Who’s saying that’s ideal for the age? It’s well under 5k per year. That’s suuuuper low.

awmaster10 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/11/2017 at 15:35

Yeah but 5k a year its certainly not sitting around never being driven. You can drive a car 3-4 times a week and hit only 5k and thats certainly plenty of use that you wouldnt get any problems from lack of use. 14 miles a day if you used it every day...thats really not alarming at all.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > awmaster10
08/11/2017 at 15:37

That’s mostly why I suggested to look at the service history. It’s not so much to see what was done, but to see the mileage increments. If there’s a huge time gap and the mileage number’s similar, run. The flip side is it could have been driven every day of the week for a commute of three or four miles, in which you should still run.

LongbowMkII > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/11/2017 at 15:37

*looks at 63k 18 year old honda*

well at least I got new rear tires

awmaster10 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 15:43

Check out the same year maximas. Exact same car minus the interior and they go for absurdly cheap on craigslist.

fintail > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/11/2017 at 16:05

100 miles a week sounds fine for getting a car exercised.

Now, if it was driven 5000 miles in 2 weeks and spent the rest of the year sitting, year in-year out, there could be issues.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > awmaster10
08/11/2017 at 16:14

Appreciate the advice, but I probably won’t bother. At under $4000 it’s not we’re looking to avoid things like a nicer interior to cut the cost even further. The PPI checked out, so we’re just gonna buy this one

awmaster10 > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 16:17

Thats great, im sure itll be a champ. Cant really go wrong with those cars and you get a lot of features and a good motor for $4k which is a steal.

My citroen won't start > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 16:37

16 year old and not interested in cars.

I seriously would have tried to find something crossovers-ish because it will:

Be curbed harsh.

Be driven into bumps and potholes at speed.

Suffer from failed parallel parking attempts.

And all sorts of neglect.

I am seriously against new (non-enthusiast) drivers getting large SUVs or Trucks, but something with a relatively higher ride height and beefier suspension and plastic bumpers is usually the best choice.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > My citroen won't start
08/11/2017 at 16:42

We looked at CR-Vs, Foresters, RAV-4s, Escapes, XL-7s, etc. This was just more car for the money. We’re in charge of maintenance, and she’s a mild-mannered hippy type who barely drives any and certainly never drives aggressively. With all that being said, I’m not really concerned about the additional abuse this will take over a lifted hatch.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 16:42

Boring mobiles are the best first cars. I had a 2001 Outback with an Automatic. It got passed on to my sister to be her first car which allowed me to graduate to a fun car.

My citroen won't start > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 16:47

I was thinking something more like a Lexus RX of the same vintage as the I30 or a Subaru Outback.

I have a hippie sister who just learned how to drive, she doesn’t drive aggressively but she has hit every pothole this city has to offer and has destroyed 2 tyres trying to park.

But then again, we live in a city akin to NYC, cars suffer a lot more abuse here.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > My citroen won't start
08/11/2017 at 16:54

This was the car that happened to be the best deal at the time. I don’t know that a crossover is particularly more immune to potholes than a sedan. Bottom line, I’m not worried about it.

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/11/2017 at 21:05

Buddy had one. Got to about 200k before rust did it in. I think some of the earlier ones burn a bit of oil, just keep an eye on it.

66671 - 200 [METRIC] my dash > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
08/13/2017 at 11:46

For what my opinion is worth, solid choice and decent price for a used car, as long as the PPI checks out, something like that should last quite a while and what little bit of luxury you might get over a base civic or something might be a nice touch.