I am helping a friend buy a reliable car but she is on a very tight budget. Her Nissan Juke is bankrupting her at 120k miles.
I'm a honda guy, but they are expensive! 2013-2014 CRVs around 100k miles still go for $15,000. A 2015 Outlander Sport 75k miles is only $11k. $15k is tight on this budget!
Outlander sport info is harder to come by, they say reliable if you change the CVT fluid every 30k... but I'm skeptical.
This gen CRV (before turbo & cvt) all seem to last forever and may be worth the extra money.
What do you think? I would hate to get her into a new car that will have problems.
I believe that Mitsubishi uses the same crappy Jatco CVTs that Nissan uses, so you're liable to wind up no better than with the Juke. There's a reason they're cheaper.
Pass in favor of the CR-V. It's been almost 10 years, if that Mitsubishi does have the JATCO CVT, it's had 9 years to wear out. If the original owner never changed the fluid, which they probably haven't, run away.
What do you think?I agree with @chucktobias and @justin-shepherd on avoiding the Mitsubishi. The CR-V could provide reliable transportation but have a mechanic check it out first. This should be done regardless of the make or model you decide on.
Thanks for the input. We did make sure the mitsu had a transmission fluid change, and we'd do another right after purchase. But yes, the warnings about these are being well heeded. The other thing is that these engines are so low power that it seems like they get strained less than the nissan / honda equivelents that had 30-40 more HP running through them.
Still learning towards the Honda, just a matter of getting financing approved. Being over 10 years old, and the price are making it a challenge.
Kind of sucks that bank financing algorithms force you into a newer crappier cheaper vehicle even when the honda would be a better financial decision and lower loan default risk because of fewer unexpected repair bills.
UPDATE: we found a 2014 Honda CR-V with 100k miles and a full service history of on time oil changes and service intervals. dealer serviced the whole time.
it's in great condition. only a few weeks into ownership but a few thousand miles already on it. so far it's flawless!
thanks for the advice everyone
@boon4376 Thank you for the feedback and good luck with your CRV
