Hi Scotty,
I just moved out of NYC to the suburbs and I am looking to buy a car. I came across a 2000 Infiniti G20 with 159,000 miles and 2 owners (with all maintence records) for 2200 bucks. What are your thoughts on the car (since it is a Pre-Renault) and what should I look out for?
That car is already a money pit. But a Corolla or Civic instead.
I would pass on the Infinity. I read all the posts above and with even the ‘98 Grand Marquis being above your budget, have you looked at a 1998-2004 Buick Park Avenue with the ultra-reliable 3800 3.8L V6?
I have and those are going for 3400 as well. Weirdly enough, the cars that are going for around my price point are the 2.5 Nissan's of the mid 2000's with the CVT and I am 100% not going to get one of those. The used car market up here is crazy and the sellers don't care about KBB value. They see their car at that price and won't budge. I know it isn't ideal, but at least I won't have to worry about changing a timing belt, or any of that cvt stuff with this car.
@Chrisgrimm Not sure if you can get these for $2,500 over there, but here’s several more recommendations:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j4YkCWsFKuQ
Could you find something like these in your area? Would be a lot more reliable than the Infiniti.
That vehicle you are talking about is very very similar to the Nissan Maxima from the same era, which happens to be my father's first car. It was OK but fell apart 10 years ago, when it was around 15 years old.
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/d/sacramento-1998-lexus-es-300/7279338036.html
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/d/elk-grove-volvo-smogged-runs-like-champ/7279074621.html
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/d/davis-buick-2000-park-avenue/7272333955.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/antioch-2001-lexus-es300-runs/7279025985.html
I'd really consider a Lexus, Mercury Grand Marquis, Lincoln Town Car, or Buick Park Avenue before I get to the Infiniti.
Now if you could get the Infiniti for like 1000 bucks then hey why not its a car and if it runs and drives fine I would go ahead and get it but for the 2000-3000 range there are better options.
BTW I live in California, and trust me prices are the highest in the nation, second being NY. Being patient is the key...
If your fine with a Toyota Camry I'd also look for those 3k is through the roof 2k tops for those. We could look for listings if you put your zip code in the question.
Thanks for your input Kerem and all of your research, I appreciate it. Yup I am in the New York region. Its been rough. I've been search for 2 months and I haven't found anything reasonable. Now with the snow in the North East, and the public transportation being unreliable here, and uber/lyft drivers are generally 30 minutes away, I'm getting kind of stir crazy having to walk to places. My zip code is 07442
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/parsippany-1999-toyota-camry/7279720899.html
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/saddle-brook-price-just-reduced-by-500/7273351753.html
https://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/cto/d/brooklyn-2006-toyota-camry-plates-and/7277592485.html
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/east-orange-mint-condition-toyota-camry/7277696498.html
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/montville-1997-honda-civic-door-lx-low/7270558878.html
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/paterson-1997-toyota-avalon-xl/7273553509.html
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/elizabeth-2005-honda-civic/7279296739.html
You would want to have a mechanic check them out and check out the Used Car Buying Guide (linked in my above post) to find model years to avoid. GL.
I ended up looking at it today and while the previous owner did a lot of great work on the car, there was a bit too much rust for my liking, the rear brakes were rusted pretty badly, and when I used my obd tool, there was an error code P0325 for a knock sensor circuit malfunction. The owner said that because there isn't a check engine light my tool was lying and he was firm on the price. I told him if he is not willing to negotiate, I am not interested in the car. Thank you everyone for your input though this process!
The owner just doesn’t know any better the knock sensor will never turn the check engine light on.
don'tbuy it. buy a lexus
I'd love to but I am at a tight budget of 2500. The current crop of Lexus ES300's within a 100 mile radius are around 3500, and don't have any service records. Even Toyota Camry's/Corolla's go for around 3000 and anything under is around 250,000 miles on the clock with no records. This one I at least have a history and fairly low milage.
find an old lincoln town car
The closest car on that platform is a 98 Grand Marquis with 220,000 miles for 2800. I live in the suburbs of NYC, so prices are higher than the rest of America
My opinion is that g20 is awesome I’ve always been a fan of those cars.. the 2.0 is a super strong engine and the trans never really had mechaincal problems. If it’s clean I would say go for it those cars were only really prone to rocker rust but mechanically they were awesome cars
Thanks for your input R4nier, have you owned one before or have worked on one many times? Yeah, it looks pretty clean and the records seem solid. Thanks for the info on the rocker rust, I will look specifically for that issue.
I have worked on a handful of them they are very comparable to the old Sentra ser with the 2 liter. Good power for a four cylinder and very well built