Hi Scotty, I am a single mom of 13 yr. old big growing twins and am looking for a relaible crossover style SUV. I have a strict budget of not exceeding 27,500, out the door. I have been looking for a long time. I want to know what you can tell me about the 2020 Nissan SlL. Im scheduled to test drive one through Avis Car Sales. It has 44,300 miles on it , VIN # 5N1DR2CN0LC578950 and they say they do a thorough, 120 pt. inspection before I buy it. I have tested one before and loved it. I am taking it to a Nissan dealership to be independently checked too. I read that they got rid of the cvt this year and that older models before 2020 had BIG problems. Are the CVT 2020 ones okay? I truly wish it got better gas mileage but it seems many brands at this level, mpg is about the same. I have tested Highlander (kept bonking my head getting in and 3rd row a nightmare to get in and out). Love reliability of Toyota but cant seem to find one w decent mileage in my price range. Not ruling out Honda. I know higher mileage on both brands is a different deal due to relability factor. What do you think of Kia? We have suffered a great deal, financially, over the past year. We are currently driving my 99 Chevy Cavalier Coupe. That car keeps going and going. But is dangerously small for my kiddos. Thanks Scotty. Allison in Houston,!!!!
Clarification: How many years and miles do you need the vehicle to last you?
Also, which crossover are you referring to? Nissan Kicks, Rogue, Murano?
Please don't get a Nissan especially from a rental agency. Honda and Toyota are good. I would look at Mazdas as they are almost as good and you can get one cheaper than a Honda or Toyota.
Stay away from Nissan and Hyundai Motor Group products, especially if you need the vehicle to last you well past 100,000 miles. Also, do not buy any vehicle from a rental agency, and always take the vehicle to an independent, honest mechanic to check it out not the dealership. Don’t trust what they tell you about performing a multi-point inspection, as from my and others experience they always seem to miss something.
Stick to Toyota, Honda, and Mazda, and you can also go used to save some money. Besides your budget, you didn’t list your other constraints but if the Toyota does not fit your budget, then look at a Honda or a Mazda. You can get better deals on a Mazda and their reliability is near Honda’s.
What is the knock on Nissan from everyone here? The CVT-equipped models I get. I have a Frontier, Xterra and Armada and have no problems. And all are approaching or over 100k already. I agree about rental cars, though.
@S1C EM Well if you are talking to the common consumer, in GENERAL, Nissan are not good cars. Past 100k or even before. Many of us here have seen more than one that have fallen apart over time old or new, Carlos Ghosn era I mean. He did try though besides the other allegations. Older old Nissans/Datsun are way more reliable compared to now if you are talking about in general. There be a reason that their lowest selling new car is like 12k new out the door. I use to work at a benz,bmw shop so yeah there are worse out there but that doesn't make Nissan just better by being better and cheaper than those, it's a pretty low bar haha. And it's also not to say that you can't get lucky, or get a good car from Nissan today either. But just in the case of general probably and in speaking. Personally I wouldn't recommend a Nissan for reliability. There is a different between being a fan and what the numbers say as well. In the case of this form many here are both when it comes to Toyota, Honda. More Toyota. But that doesn't mean we all drive the most reliable thing either, I currently own a 2015 VW TDI, 1987 BMW and a 2019 Camry so in my case 2 out of 3 are crap for reliability but that's not what I I am looking for in those 2 out of 3. it's just what most people who ask those questions on here want. The most reliable thing, and Nissan doesn't make the cut.
Have you tried out a CX-5 or RAV4? If you don't live in a snowy area I think the Mazda CX-5 is pretty nice ride. My GF is also pretty content with her RAV4. As long as you don't get the Tesla/Toyota hybrid rav4 then you should be ight lol.
I personally own three Nissans and like them all fine, but none of them have a CVT. Stay away from those. The new Pathfinder is going to have a 9-speed auto and that would be the route I'd go, but I know price is an issue. That said, I would pretty much avoid anything with a CVT altogether.
