Advice needed on what to do with my car?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Advice needed on what to do with my car?

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#2093853 20-Sep-2018 14:32

Get Smith and Smith to put the windscreen in properly like they should have in the first place.

Just decide if you like the car, if you do it's quite possible to get it in a fit state. Really the only things which will put a late 90s/early 2000s Nissan out to pasture is rust or a screwy CVT. Otherwise they are bullet proof, easily repaired, and parts are cheap.

kekehuang

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#2093919 20-Sep-2018 16:37

gbwelly:
Get Smith and Smith to put the windscreen in properly like they should have in the first place.

Just decide if you like the car, if you do it's quite possible to get it in a fit state. Really the only things which will put a late 90s/early 2000s Nissan out to pasture is rust or a screwy CVT. Otherwise they are bullet proof, easily repaired, and parts are cheap.

Are they easy to repair? What about perishing LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHES? Won’t cost much to repair?

gbwelly

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#2093991 20-Sep-2018 18:13

The bushes will be really cheap (google what they are to see). It comes down to having a trustworthy mechanic to not rip you off on labour. You can be sure it'll be less than a 5k Mazda which being 12 years old will probably need work too, soon.

gbwelly

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#2094020 20-Sep-2018 18:22

Sorry, should have said, I'd expect $200 for bushes and labour. In your position I'd push smith and Smith to fix the windscreen unless they come back and say the rust wasn't repaired properly in the first place and that is the cause. If you get the windscreen sorted then try for a new wof. They may not think the bushes are bad enough to fail you anyway. As I said, rust is the enemy of Nissan's of that age, your decision should be based on that.

pctek

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#2094027 20-Sep-2018 18:43

I've had experience with older cars.

$200? They're robbers. You could get $400 - $500 from a wreckers with a bit of negotiating. I have. On cars much higher mileage and worse issues.

Or fix it. And sell it on TM, auction if you like....

I sold my sons scruffy 428000km Corolla, needed hoses, clutch, rear shocks, and a hell of a tidy up and clean for $900.

Guy who bought it was a mechanic....admittedly.

MichaelNZ

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#2094030 20-Sep-2018 18:54

Earlier this year I sold a Nissan of similar age to yours to the local scrap metal yard for about $120.

Cars like you describe aren't worth crap. Place an advert in your local Facebook B&S group and you will see what I mean. Losers will contact you and never turn up. Losers will ask for time payment.

It ain't worth the grief.

Right now I could go to a car yard in Auckland where I bought my last 3 cars (incl the one mentioned - but 14 years ago) and buy a fresh import with 30k or 20k or even less on the odo for $7,500 to $8,000. For all intentional purposes it will look and drive like a new car.

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MichaelNZ

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#2094031 20-Sep-2018 18:55

pctek:

I've had experience with older cars.

$200? They're robbers. You could get $400 - $500 from a wreckers with a bit of negotiating. I have. On cars much higher mileage and worse issues.

Was that a few years ago?

$200 or less is the going price now.

WFH Linux Systems and Networks Engineer in the Internet industry | Specialising in Mikrotik | APNIC member | Open to job offers | ZL2NET

hsvhel

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#2094033 20-Sep-2018 18:57

Where about are you based?

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MichaelNZ

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#2094034 20-Sep-2018 19:00

hsvhel:

Where about are you based?

Manawatu but that is probably irrelevant.

New Zealand is flooded with old crap cars. Sure people ask $1,000 and so on, but it's what they get that matters.

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Scott3

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#2094158 20-Sep-2018 21:26

As others have said, try your luck at getting smith and smith to patch up the windscreen install at their cost. They are a big reputable company, so are likely keen to sort out anything that be seen as a workmanship issue on their end. I wouldn't bother trying too hard if they don't play ball.

Then, as others have said, given you want to sell it, and upgrade, I would do it quickly "as is where is condition". Little chance you will recoup the cost of any work you can't do yourself.

That said, a serious clean, and possibly a cut/polish & wax, plus tire shine on tires & all exterior black plastic is worth it if you have time. have done it to both my 12 year old cars, and it takes them from looking tired, to looking in good condition.|

Selling and upgrading looks like it makes good sense from at total cost of ownership point of view

Basically any car with a current WOF & rego, and no drive-line faults is worth $800+, almost regardless of age & condition. 7 seaters & suv's are worth more. 4wd's with low range, and utes are worth even more still...

For a guidance on price, you could take it to Turners "cash now". They look at sales statistics, and try to offer you 80% of what they think they will sell the car at auction for. (which in itself a wholesale price that will need a dealer margin added to before retail).

That said, I think you will get most money for it by selling it either as a $1 reserve auction, or for a $1200 asking price.

Note that you now cannot add a buy now once your reserve is met, and have bids on trade-me (likely pritty much instantly on a $1 reserve car auction.

Aredwood

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#2094205 20-Sep-2018 23:10

Definitely list it for sale on Trademe, or on the local Facebook cars for sale group. There are lots, including ones that specialize in cheap cars.

Fixing the windscreen and suspension can be easily done by a backyard mechanic. That car can still provide cheap motoring for someone.

If you are earning min wage, it is far cheaper for you to buy a car for $500 to $1000, and spend your own time keeping it on the road. Compared to buying an $8K car on finance.

If it has a manual gearbox, you would probably still get $1000 or close to it. Even as is. Maybe around $500 if automatic gearbox.

Don't bother trying to take it to a dealer. No sane dealer would offer you more than $100 or so. Because dealers have to provide a guarantee under the CGA on everything they sell. The dealer would just take it to the scrap yard.

As for the comment about there being lots of old cars on the road. NZ has really high housing costs VS wages. So for lots of people, buying such old cars is their only option.

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kekehuang

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#2094219 21-Sep-2018 06:52

gbwelly: Sorry, should have said, I'd expect $200 for bushes and labour. In your position I'd push smith and Smith to fix the windscreen unless they come back and say the rust wasn't repaired properly in the first place and that is the cause. If you get the windscreen sorted then try for a new wof. They may not think the bushes are bad enough to fail you anyway. As I said, rust is the enemy of Nissan's of that age, your decision should be based on that.

So you are saying $200 for both the parts and labor?

My friend’s husband is a machanic and has a car business now, I told him that I got this issue of perished control arm bushes on both sides.

So he said if it’s already perishing 6 months ago, it most probably will need to be replaced now. So it will be $200 for each side for the parts, and also need to pay for labor as well.

So plus the $500 for the windscreen, it really gonna cost $1000 on repairs.

I guess there’s really no point to pay that much to fix it now. Will try to sell it as is.

andrewNZ

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#2094222 21-Sep-2018 07:05

We just sold a Datsun/Toyota van (one of those terrible little ones).

It spent a lot of its life at a fertiliser plant.
Stinks of fertiliser and you'll never get the smell out, rusty but nothing structural, a very annoying constant but irregular beep from the dash, paintwork is knackered, and it's generally not that tidy.

$1000

kekehuang

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#2094224 21-Sep-2018 07:15

andrewNZ: We just sold a Datsun/Toyota van (one of those terrible little ones).

It spent a lot of its life at a fertiliser plant.
Stinks of fertiliser and you'll never get the smell out, rusty but nothing structural, a very annoying constant but irregular beep from the dash, paintwork is knackered, and it's generally not that tidy.

$1000

Oh wow how did you sell it? What type of people did you sell it to?

How old is the car? So I guess the car doesn't have any major mechanical problems right? It still runs well and with current WOF and Reg?

pctek

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#2094232 21-Sep-2018 07:53

MichaelNZ: Place an advert in your local Facebook B&S group and you will see what I mean. Losers will contact you and never turn up. Losers will ask for time payment.

But I did. No-one asked for time payment.

Some offered slightly less but as I said we got a decent amount

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