Jeep vs. Nissan?

General Discussion
1

I have a specific amount of money to spend on a good used car. Here are the choices, I’m looking for those in the know to weigh in. I know actual comparison is apples to oranges, but which one would you pick for the money (both are similarly priced - in $3500 of each other) and why?

Choice 1: 2002 Jeep Liberty Renegade 4WD, 85000mi, 3.7L V6 with all newer conveniences plus an upgraded stereo system that accepts satellite/iblah/DVD/bluetooth, in amazingly pristine condition, 1 Owner, the carfax is clean and the lists that the owner took it to the dealer regularly for maintenance. My mechanic says other than a front end alignment, engine and body are superb. There is no warranty.

Choice 2: 2010 Nissan Altima 2.5s, FWD, 46000mi, from Hertz, 2.5 l4, with all the new new conveniences, also in excellent condition. Its a fleet vehicle, obviously, carfax is clean, and my mechanic says other than 2 missing bolts on the radiator mount and a french fry under the seat, that engine and body are great, too. It comes with 2000mi limited warranty from Hertz and the remainder of the powertrain (ends at 60K miles).

I am a consultant and have to travel and sometimes relocate for my job. The Jeep would be infinitely useful for the moving around and from job to job thing and is built to take the extra weight punishment. The Jeep is a comfortable ride with a good wheel base and a nice, high level view of traffic, but not too high to be inconvenient or tippy.

The Nissan gets better gas mileage and that also counts in regard to the moving, traveling job to job situation. The warranty part gives me a certain comfort level for driving it over the next year. It is a very comfortable and smooth ride, and is a 4 door, so getting stuff in and out of the back is easy.

Thoughts, concerns, remarks, snide comments?

Thanks,

Mal

2

Option 3: consider how much the 2010 Altima costs, then go to nissanusa.com and price a brand new one. Chances are, the new one will be so close in price to the used one that it’d make more sense to buy brand new.
Base price is $20,410 on up to $31k for a 2.5s with tech and leather packages

3

An '02 Jeep Liberty is not the most trouble-free car. I’d be expecting some pretty repair bills if you go with the Liberty.

Comparing the price of a new Altima with the Hertz deal is a good idea. The Altima is a better car overall. An '02 within $3,500 of an '10 means the Jeep is either way overpriced or the Altima is a super deal. I’d guess the Liberty is overpriced.

4

Skip the Jeep. If you want room and mpgs, look at a recent or new Scion xB.

5

I would avoid the Jeep like the plague. It has poor repair history, poor owner satisfaction, and a gas guzzling motor for the performance it delivers. PS, they ride poorly too. Almost anything is better.

6

I’m with UncleTurbo on that either the Jeep is way overpriced or the Nissan is an amazing deal for them to be that close in price. Assuming the Jeep is fully loaded (every available option) and in excellent condition (which means full maintenance and repair records since new, zero cosmetic or mechanical flaws, excellent tires, etc), it’s worth about $8500 according to KBB (compared to their $14-15k for the Altima you describe). A two year old Altima will be a much easier to live with car than a ten year old Jeep Liberty, I can assure you of that. I just got rid of a ten year old Grand Cherokee. Nice car, but once it hit ten years old, a lot of things started breaking and it seemed to turn into a money pit: power window motors, transmission problems, water pump, various other minor electrical issues. This should be an easy choice, unless you’re in love with the Jeep and are okay with it being in the shop quite a bit more than the Nissan would be.

7

Agree, the Jeep will nickle and dime you, it is a fun car, but that is it. Based on truecar you can get a base Altima, brand new for around $18K. I don’t take much comfort in the 2000 mile limited warranty. That is barely one month of driving for us and the “limitations” means that there is 2 pages of fine print to read through.

8

That pair of vehicles is the stereotypical odd couple so it would be impossible for me to say which one is better. You would have to really ponder your automotive needs before making a choice as it’s comparing apples to oranges.

I don’t consider the Jeeps to be that bad of a vehicle. They’re very popular around here and many rural mail carriers use them. If they were that problematic they wouldn’t be that popular and the rural mail guys, who inflict some of the toughest punishment that can be inflicted on them, would not keep a money pit to deliver the mail with.

The son of the lady across the street from me is a mail carrier and has an '04 Jeep Liberty that he bought new. This Jeep is both a mail carrier and personal vehicle and has been bullet-proof in spite of slogging through dirt, mud, gravel, and snow on a near daily basis.
He actually traded his Tacoma in on that Jeep because the Tacoma had become a headache after 3 or 4 years.
The rural carriers in 2 neighboring towns also use Jeep Libertys and have for several years but I can’t speak with authority about how their vehicles have held up.

9

“They’re very popular around here and many rural mail carriers use them. If they were that problematic they wouldn’t be that popular and the rural mail guys, who inflict some of the toughest punishment that can be inflicted on them, would not keep a money pit to deliver the mail with.”

I believe the Jeep was “made” for such use. The Liberty is an upgrade of the old Jeep Classic with it’s low RPM stout but inefficient 6. Our mail carriers use CRVs which have given more reliable service than the Jeeps before. Of course, there is no set up for a .50 mounted in the rear and our tax dollars are paying for it. Some areas have politics that demand an American iconic name brand for their public use and the self described superiority that goes with it.

10

“Some areas have politics that demand an American iconic name brand for their public use and the self described superiority that goes with it.”

You mean that the USPS doesn’t control the vehicles bought to deliver the mail? I doubt that local governments can control what the federal government or the USPS can buy.

11

The rural carriers buy whatever kind of vehicle they want and receive a stipend from the USPS.
Some around here use Ford pickups, some Subarus (right hand drive), and one even drives a 15 year old Ford Taurus.

12

Our rural mail carriers I see around here use rhd Subarus.

You mean that the USPS doesn’t control the vehicles bought to deliver the mail? I doubt that local governments can control what the federal government or the USPS can buy.

Many rural route carries don’t work for the USPS…They work for themselves. They have a contract with the USPS to deliver the mail.

13

That’s right MikeNH around here too. They used Jeeps from the local PO until they went to private contracting. A few of the old timers who continued to use and maintain the Jeeps found out pretty quickly, that cars like converted used CRVs were more efficient and economical to maintain.

14

I meant that if anyone controlled the vehicles, it would be the USPS or the federal government, since the USPS is sort of a division of it. Mostly I just wanted to point out that local governments can’t force mail delivery drivers to use a certain vehicle or group of vehicles.

15

Go with the NISSAN