Buying a used car HELP

[Truckguy84]

2015 altima with 28k miles for 8500 its a noname dealership in north east Rhode island. He already said there was a reconstructed title. But it absolutely flawless and engine is also. Sounds great no knocking. Any feedback what would you do? Thanks

 

[RLGL]

NOT

 

[Tormac]

Do you know why it was a "reconstructed title"?

Is that a good enough deal that you are ok with sinking major money or time into fixing things if they go wrong?

 

[dmoney1980]

Stay away! Read owner reviews on most 2013-2016 Nissan cars and you’ll read horror stories about CVT issues and other annoyances. There are tons of Altimas and Rogues on sale for a reason. Add to the fact that this is a reconstructed title, you may end up paying more to insure it or worse, they won’t even insure the car altogether.

Keep looking

 

[HarryLui]

Reconstructed title means the car had an incident serious enough for the insurance to total it. Then car is auction off, bought by someone, rebuilt it, and re-titled it.

The issue is, you have on idea what the incident was, could be an accident, could be flooding, could be thief... stay away.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The only salvage title that's worth considering is hail damage, since it's pretty much cosmetic.

 

[ondma]

Stay away! Read owner reviews on most 2013-2016 Nissan cars and you’ll read horror stories about CVT issues and other annoyances. There are tons of Altimas and Rogues on sale for a reason. Add to the fact that this is a reconstructed title, you may end up paying more to insure it or worse, they won’t even insure the car altogether.

Keep looking

Those model years IMO, were not that bad. I had an altima of that vintage and it was a very good car. They arent as solid as a Toyota of course, but generally average.
Now a rebuilt title is another story, I would stay away from it

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Those model years IMO, were not that bad. I had an altima of that vintage and it was a very good car. They arent as solid as a Toyota of course, but generally average.
Now a rebuilt title is another story, I would stay away from it

Ditto. I can think of one situation as exception: when I bought a car that was totaled, put on a jig and repaired, then received a new-engine replacement, new carburetor, 5-speed replacement for a 4-speed -- and I knew the car inside and out for owning three others of the same model and year.

I bought that car for $200. I wouldn't spend $8,500 for a "reconstructed title" and other complications.

If you're going to buy a used/pre-owned vehicle, create a budget-target for yourself before you go shopping. You can use Kelly/Edmunds and personal preference to initialize that budget. But you should add in an allowance for post-purchase repairs initiated within the first couple years. Better -- you should have an idea as to what those repairs should be at the moment you seal the deal for the car. And if you're going to borrow to pay for this car and some likelihood of near-term repair and replacement -- borrow the money from yourself. Which means -- you should already have a savings account to pay for the car and the budget-of-unforeseen need.

Then, continue evaluating the car for any additional work and pat yourself on the back for knowing what you're doing in the first place. Eventually, you can transfer the residual second component of your budget back into an account for general use.