i had a 2006 lincoln mkz and it pretty much went kaput on me. i have no saved cash so i have a $5k loan from my bank towards a car. im 17 and have a steady mode of income as a dental assistant.

i have always wanted a sporty sedan but something that was reliable compared to a BMW or Benz. so i found this G35 which i love. the only thing that is scaring me is that it has 170,000 miles. owner has kept up with the car and is only selling it because he recently bough ta new infiniti. always kept up on maintenance and used only synthetic oil. he has recently replaced rotors and breaks. car is very clean.

i have had horrible luck with cars recently and am wondering if this car is reliable with this amount of miles? i plan to sell the mkz for around 2.5K and bank it in my savings for repairs and maitnence. any ideas form you guys?

 

Since you asked for opinion, i'll give mine. Don't take this as preaching.

Hard to say if you should buy a 170K miles car online without seeing the car. I've seen 170K miles cars go 250K+ without issue, i've also seen 170K cars struggle to hit 200K before nickel and diming the owner.

How long do you plan on owning this car? The entire course of the loan? How many more miles and years do you think it has left in it? What is your plan if something major fails like engine or trans, with a good chunk of the loan left? These are things to think about when buying a higher-mileage car.

I'm really surprised a bank is willing to finance such a car with high mileage. usually they have restrictions on age and mileage and usually float a higher interest rate. The reason being higher mileage cars might croak on the owner and they simply stop paying and let the bank repo a dead car.

Personally, i wouldn't buy such a high mileage car, let alone finance it. Trying not to preach financial strategy on a automotive forum, but if one must finance a low-end example of a particular car, maybe they should consider other options, like a $3K civic or something for a couple years.

WHat's wrong with the Zephyr that you only expect 2.5K for it? I've seen beat models selling for $5K. Engine gone?

 

I would buy a Honda civic where your biggest worry is replacing the brakes. Your choice mate.

 

It's something in the engine. I've had 3 mechanics look at it and all confirm the engine is pretty much shot. And kudos for knowing it's actually called a zephyr

 

Can you afford a $150 month car payment for 4 years? (roughly) Good question above asking how long you will keep the car? 170,000 should go for a lot longer -at least that's what I'm telling myself my g has 171 on it right now. Paying a car loan sucks at 17, if you are only going to have 2,500 max in the bank better hope that clutch isn't shot- there goes 1500 right there. You should just get a 99 Maxima with the $2000 and save the $500 and keep working hard.

When I was 18, I took a 3 year $4000 loan for my 98 Maxima, 2 years into the loan I got sick of the car and bought a 13,000 g35 at 20 years old. Way better car but I was paying car payments for 7 years. Now my g35 is worth $5,000 based on the mileage HA I say you work hard and save money so you can get what you really want later down the road.