Hello Scotty! Checked out this vehicle yesterday at a small car lot. A couple minor accidents listed on Carfax, but it seems very well maintained. Quiet motor, smooth shifting and interior in great shape. The guy had moved it before I got there, so unsure if I heard it on a cold start. I will definitely have it checked out before buying, but are there any particular issues with this engine over the 4 cylinder that I should be aware of? And does it sound like a good buy, in this market?
No. The engines are pretty bulletproof since 2012 was the last model year. The 4 cylinders are kind of peppy, but still grunt quite a bit. The 6 cylinders are sports cars, though and get higher resale value too. The one you saw is quite expensive, don't you think? They have crappy interiors is their worst flaws. Full of plastic. I test drove one and felt like throwing up afterwards because the dealer put a chemical where I can smell the plastics. Every surface I touched was hard and there was out of place leather on top of hard plastics. The prior generation had even worse interiors.
Yes, it turned out to be way too expensive (only worth $8.5-10.5k) and had a questionable repair history. I did not buy it. This market is just so rough right now that I was tempted to buy anyway (before I got it checked out). Ideally I would just wait until the market recovers, but my Altima is at the age and showing signs it may fall apart - so I am more afraid of waiting than buying in this climate.
Seems like CR-V is more the way to go for around $12k. There are some 2014s with about 100k miles around that price. No CVT, no earth dreams, might be a good deal. IIRC, just have to make sure they changed the timing belt and kept up with oil changes.