Hello. A careless driver recently destroyed my 1998 Nissan Maxima (4th generation owners will understand my sorrows) and needed to find another low mileage daily driver. My Maxima was rust-free and meticulously maintained and would have stayed with me for at least 5 more years if it hadn't been for a preoccupied driver moving into my lane on the highway. But I digress....
I had several replacement options including buying another 4th gen Maxima. The wife was against this decision as they are approaching 20 years of age and to find another low mileage car that was well-maintained was nearly impossible.
My second option was to find a low mileage late-model small to mid-sized sedan that didn't look like it was bred from the fleet Impalas. Vehicles I considered were Buick Regals, Buick Veranos, Chevy Cruze's, Ford Focus's, Nissan Altimas, Toyota Corolla's, Honda Civic's, Honda Accord's, and Mazda's (3's and 6's).
Since my budget warranted a $15K cap, most of the forementioned cars had higher mileage (30-60K) on the clock. And the ones that fell within my budget were either older (2008-2011) or were barebones, optioned lacking.
To my surprise, at one of local Detroit Nissan dealers, the pre-owned salesman offered up a very low mileage 2014 Sonic with manual tranny. He told me to take it for a ride and tell him what I thought afterwards. I did just that, took it out on the interstate, and they drove it about 5 miles along city streets.
Never in a million years would I think an econobox would drive this nice. Grippy tires, nice riding suspension, tech options, and a powerplant that could keep up with any of the above small to mid-sized sedans. The hydraulic clutch shifted buttery smooth and engine had some balls when entering the on ramp of the interstate.
So, after some initial haggling with the saleman and his manager (asking price was $13,999), we struck a deal for $13,000 plus tax, plate transfer, and doc fees. I received 1.5% financing x 6 years with $3K down, payment is only $185 per month. Now I'm the new owner of a 2014 Red Chevrolet Sonic LTZ with only 3,500 miles and 27 months left on the bumper to bumper factory warranty. The powertrain is 5 years/100K.
Not bad when they're selling new for north of $20K. :banana: