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Choosing between two cars

spanky

spanky

Lifer
i am in this situation because some dude smacked into my parked car.

i currently have a 93 accord lx. it's a 5 speed with 206k on it. this is the car that got hit, and a the insurance is offering to give me $2500 to cover the estimate given by the body shop i visit. on the side, i got a quote from "the dent wizard" (my cousin is a mechanic at a porsche dealer and he recommends this guy) and he said he can fix it for $400. the insurance also gave me to option to have them total the car, in which case they will cut me a $4000 check.

on the other hand is a 1993 maxima gxe. well... the seller said it was an se, but carfax shows it to be a gxe. i'll assume carfax is right. this car is an auto with 180k, with a new engine (50k on it) and trans (8k on it). the seller is asking $1300.

now the choices are...

1.) keep the accord, have the dent wizard patch me up for $400, and pocket $2100
2.) total the accord, buy the maxima, and net $2700

i know some ppl will tell me to get something newer, but lets just imagine that these are the only two possible options. thoughts?


edit - there appears to be an option # 3 now... woohooo! saw an ad at a local store for a 95 accord ex w/ 148k for $3200 (neg). i am going to look at it tonite, hope all goes well 🙂
 
Originally posted by: jndietz
keep the accord, pocket 2100 for future expenditures.
Click to expand...

any reasoning? i really like both cars. i've loved that gen maxima since i saw commercials for it on tv when i was in grammar school. i love my accord too... it's reliable, good on gas, and i like the way it looks. however... i am tired of driving a stick, which is one reason i'm considering replacing the accord.
 
How is the Maxima? You don't want the extra money you pocket going into repairs for another car.

I'd get the Maxima (Nissan fanboy at heart), but it really depends on the car.
 
Originally posted by: bootymac
How is the Maxima? You don't want the extra money you pocket going into repairs for another car.

I'd get the Maxima (Nissan fanboy at heart), but it really depends on the car.
Click to expand...

i am going to look at it tonight. pics look pretty good tho.
pic
 
nah man, I say keep the car.

unless you are sick and tired of your Accord... then get the Maxima, which imo doesn't make finanical sense.
 
Originally posted by: andylawcc
nah man, I say keep the car.

unless you are sick and tired of your Accord... then get the Maxima, which imo doesn't make finanical sense.
Click to expand...

i'm not really sick of the accord. i still love it. but there is no denying that it has seen better days. rust building up on rear quarterpanels, busted passenger doors, and the 206k sometimes gets me wondering. plus like i mentioned before... sometimes it feels like a chore to drive stick.
 
Yeah...keep the car. There's no need in getting a car that has questionable reliability over your current ride. You need to take the money saved from the deal and put it towards a down payment on your next car. Save it for when you have to replace the accord for real....

Of course, you could always have them total the Accord and then buy something better than the Maxima....but for $4000, you'd probably be lucky to get a Kia or something old. Try to stick with cars you know have lower miles on them because the transmissions are most likely going to drop if they were abused and have too many miles on them.
 
Originally posted by: spanky

i'm not really sick of the accord. i still love it. but there is no denying that it has seen better days. rust building up on rear quarterpanels, busted passenger doors, and the 206k sometimes gets me wondering. plus like i mentioned before... sometimes it feels like a chore to drive stick.
Click to expand...

well, in that case, i'd total the car and get something newer then.
 
Originally posted by: Scarpozzi
Yeah...keep the car. There's no need in getting a car that has questionable reliability over your current ride. You need to take the money saved from the deal and put it towards a down payment on your next car. Save it for when you have to replace the accord for real....

Of course, you could always have them total the Accord and then buy something better than the Maxima....but for $4000, you'd probably be lucky to get a Kia or something old. Try to stick with cars you know have lower miles on them because the transmissions are most likely going to drop if they were abused and have too many miles on them.
Click to expand...

i'm tempted to just get another 93 accord with lower miles. i won an auction on ebay for something like that, but the seller bailed on me. what a douche.
 
Originally posted by: jndietz
keep the accord, pocket 2100 for future expenditures.
Click to expand...
This can't be done. If he accepts the $4000 for a totaled car the insurance company takes possession of the vehicle.

I recommend buying the Maxima. It seems like the better car between the two choices.

Good Luck,
Quixfire
 
if i let them total the car, i wonder how much they would want from me to buy back the car. basically, there is a $1500 difference between me totalling the car and having them cover the cost of repairs. u think the buy back price would be $1500?
 
Originally posted by: Quixfire
Originally posted by: jndietz
keep the accord, pocket 2100 for future expenditures.
Click to expand...
This can't be done. If he accepts the $4000 for a totaled car the insurance company takes possession of the vehicle.

I recommend buying the Maxima. It seems like the better car between the two choices.

Good Luck,
Quixfire
Click to expand...

Read again. Spanky was offered $2500 to have the car fixed but can get it done for $400 thus $2100 profit.

Profit is always good :thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: spanky
if i let them total the car, i wonder how much they would want from me to buy back the car. basically, there is a $1500 difference between me totalling the car and having them cover the cost of repairs. u think the buy back price would be $1500?
Click to expand...

The totaled car will have a salvage title. You won't be able to register it.
 
Originally posted by: AnyMal
Originally posted by: spanky
if i let them total the car, i wonder how much they would want from me to buy back the car. basically, there is a $1500 difference between me totalling the car and having them cover the cost of repairs. u think the buy back price would be $1500?
Click to expand...

The totaled car will have a salvage title. You won't be able to register it.
Click to expand...

thought you just had to pass some DMV inspections to get past the salvage title.

I'd be wary of a 6k mile transmission in the maxima. I highly doubt that's a new one, most likely it's a transmission that was rebuilt 6k miles away.

The maxima's a good car, but because it's not your car, you don't know how it's running. Have your cousin check out the car with you, and based on his decision, get the car or keep the accord. I personally think totaling the accord and getting a sound, newer car would be the best thing to do, but the $2700 towards credit card debt will be huge.
 
Originally posted by: AnyMal
Originally posted by: spanky
if i let them total the car, i wonder how much they would want from me to buy back the car. basically, there is a $1500 difference between me totalling the car and having them cover the cost of repairs. u think the buy back price would be $1500?
Click to expand...

The totaled car will have a salvage title. You won't be able to register it.
Click to expand...

hmm... this is new territory for me. mechanically, the car (to me, the non-mechanic) is great. if i took it for inspection right now, i think it would pass. the car is being totalled for cosmetic reasons.
 
Originally posted by: jaedaliu
Originally posted by: AnyMal
Originally posted by: spanky
if i let them total the car, i wonder how much they would want from me to buy back the car. basically, there is a $1500 difference between me totalling the car and having them cover the cost of repairs. u think the buy back price would be $1500?
Click to expand...

The totaled car will have a salvage title. You won't be able to register it.
Click to expand...

thought you just had to pass some DMV inspections to get past the salvage title.

I'd be wary of a 6k mile transmission in the maxima. I highly doubt that's a new one, most likely it's a transmission that was rebuilt 6k miles away.

The maxima's a good car, but because it's not your car, you don't know how it's running. Have your cousin check out the car with you, and based on his decision, get the car or keep the accord. I personally think totaling the accord and getting a sound, newer car would be the best thing to do, but the $2700 towards credit card debt will be huge.
Click to expand...

you are correct, it is not a new trans; it's rebuilt. is that a bad thing? i would guess its better that he (the seller) had it rebuilt, because if it was a stock trans, it's probably be ready to go at any time.
 
Originally posted by: spanky
Originally posted by: jaedaliu
Originally posted by: AnyMal
Originally posted by: spanky
if i let them total the car, i wonder how much they would want from me to buy back the car. basically, there is a $1500 difference between me totalling the car and having them cover the cost of repairs. u think the buy back price would be $1500?
Click to expand...

The totaled car will have a salvage title. You won't be able to register it.
Click to expand...

thought you just had to pass some DMV inspections to get past the salvage title.

I'd be wary of a 6k mile transmission in the maxima. I highly doubt that's a new one, most likely it's a transmission that was rebuilt 6k miles away.

The maxima's a good car, but because it's not your car, you don't know how it's running. Have your cousin check out the car with you, and based on his decision, get the car or keep the accord. I personally think totaling the accord and getting a sound, newer car would be the best thing to do, but the $2700 towards credit card debt will be huge.
Click to expand...

you are correct, it is not a new trans; it's rebuilt. is that a bad thing? i would guess its better that he (the seller) had it rebuilt, because if it was a stock trans, it's probably be ready to go at any time.
Click to expand...

Transmissions are sticky things. A rebuilt one usually isn't guaranteed for more than a year or two. Who knows, maybe the mechanic did a great job, and everything will be fine until the engine craps out. You GOTTA GOTTA GOTTA gotta take your cousin (or other mechanic) with you when you look at the car (or take the car to the mechanic) I'm not sure about 3rd gen maximas, but transmissions are the first thing to go on 4th gen maximas (95 - 99).
 
welps, i went down to look at the car and did not get it. before going down, i was made aware of two things wrong with the car. first was there is a dent under the passenger side fender. second was that the front passenger window did not work. well i get down there and i observe the following:

-rear drivers side window does not roll down
-power antenna mast is gone
-handle of rear passenger door is half dislodged from door
-ciggerette lighter does not work
-hood is mounted on crooked
-headlights are out of whack (which leads to the next prob....)
-front bumper is showing obvious signs of front end collision
-chipped paint on corner of rear bumper (the corner not shown in pics)
-power locks don't work

all this was observed at around 9pm, when the sun was down. if the sun was up, i think i would be able to find a few more items, but as it stands, i think the seller should have made me aware of at least some of these faults. for example, i asked if the car has been hit or in accidents and he said no. looking at the front bumper and whacked out alignment of the headlights, it's blatantly obvious that at some point, whether during his ownership or not, the care has been involve in a front end collision. anyway, he was a nice guy and all, but i didn't feel i could trust everything he's told me... esp about the engine and tranny being great. the car did seem to run pretty nicely, but hey... who knows what'll happen later.
 
Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Get the Maxima and don't look back.
Click to expand...

yeah, i say #2. if you could do a third option, though, definitely total the accord and get a newer honda.
 
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