Why are used Nissans very cheap? [MERGED]

[coiter]

dito kasi, a civic, corolla, sentra and lancer are all the same from a prestige perspective - they don't have any. diyan yata, may snob appeal ang civic...is that true?

yes its true. all honda cars in fact (even the lowest class city!). it's because of the "no taxi" policy of honda. it's like saying "you can't ride a honda unless you own a honda" unlike corollas, sentras or lancers which are used as "public vehicles." that's what other people see as "prestige" hehe

regarding the topic, i'd rather think of it this way: toyota has the "easy to maintain" factor while honda has the "prestige" factor. these are what gives these two brands higher resale values. my perception is that all cars are good since they're japanese made, BUT toyotas are better since one could very very very easily find cheap parts and services. Honda, on the other hand, gives "prestige" (whatever that means), horsepower and subjectively, better looks. in short, that's the extra premium you pay for these brands. but buying a nissan or any other brand doesn't mean you get a low quality or unreliable car. you just don't get the extra factors (or frills) that toyota and honda have.

[caloyski5]

when we got our b13 super saloon brand new before, sabi ng sales guy samin na, "this isnt the nissan of old..mas maganda na quality namin". probably referring to the b12 sentra. sakit daw kasi nito yung sagging springs and rust..dito siguro naperceive as panget nissan...

anyways, after our purchase, we got another nissan..brand new 96 series 3 a/t..and another second hand 95 series 3 (same color and model as ours but m/t) last 1999. sulit na sulit namin yung mga yun. very reliable sila..

[niky]

As for rust... I've noticed rust on box-type (B12) Sentras, but then, old Civics have the same problem... it's not a problem with just Nissan in particular.

Car condition for 2ndhand cars varies a LOT per owner. One of my uncles still has his California and it's still going strong. My brother in law has a B12 Sentra (same year, nearly the same model), and it's coming apart.

Sentras are nearly as good secondhand as Civics and Corollas, and parts are NOT hard to find at all. Considering the B13-B14 Sentra (from 93 up to 2001) share a lot of parts, a single trip to Banaue and half an hour are all you need to get good replacements.

But the Civic no-taxi policy has one good effect. No secondhand Civic is likely to have been abused as a taxi... but they've ALL probably been raced. :D

[orly_andico]

You could also ask the question, "why are used Mazda's very cheap?"
Or Fords, for that matter (I'm talking about the Japanese Fords, not the "my Exped's cruise control will burn down your house" Fords).

[MXFX]

i got my maxima relatively cheap compared to other models at a time. i think nissan has the same reputation here in u.s. like in pinas, not as reliable as toyotas or hondas. although nissan is now much better, its resale is still not as good. maybe a couple more years before it catches on? just like what was typed before, buyers benefit from it.

also, when i compared other japanese and domestic cars at the time, nissan tends to have bigger displacement and higher hp. i thought maybe nissan and/or buyers tend to be more on the performance aspects. again this is just what i assumed.

i also agree that parts tend to be more expensive as my (japanese) mechanic explains. at least for him, he replaces parts with original nissan instead of aftermarket. but from my experience, i rarely saw my mechanic for repairs.

at about 150,000 miles (about 240,000km), the only costly things i have to pay for was the denso spark plugs that should last about 60,000 miles, and the starter about 2 years ago. id say i drove the maxima pretty hard over 100mph a lot and 1000 mile trips.

[squala]

not just slightly cheaper... the price difference is big.

Just compare the same year model Sentra 1.6 & Corolla 1.6.

Don't know if I should laugh or cry here. I got the Corolla (101) a year ago and now, I see a slightly older sentra (B13) costing half as much. Practically, I can sell my car and get 2 of those for coding reasons. But on the intangible side, it's just that Nissans here don't appeal to me. As many have claimed, they have a willing body but no soul. I'm kinda thinking now if charisma also puts a great deal of value in a car.

By the way... if you look at it the other way... the question should be:

WHY ARE USED TOYOTAS / HONDAS OVERPRICED?

You have a point there. It's true that given its newfound rust problems (roof and fender), the Civic ESi's resale value (about the same as Corolla GLi of same age) is rather too much. And this is one reason why no one should believe in the so-called Japanese Car of the Year. A vehicle's true worth can only be determined through the years.

Given this, I'm technically a victim of overpricing, but heck, I love my car and it was worth every buck. IIRC, this is called consumer surplus.

[ale828]

Second hand xtrails have a good resale value as of the present. i guess its all about style and popular pinoy perception. Something thats in demand and popular would always get a good resale value. Just like civics and corollas, a lot of pinoys are looking for them as a 2nd hand purchase thus the price is higher. Rumors seem to also hurt most cars resale value. Ask any driver or car nut about nissan cars and most of them would have the same perception of cars depending on the brand.

[pink_cadillac]

We all remember the time when the B12 Sentras were marketed so heavily in late 80's featuring just about every "luxury" feature unseen in a 1600 sedan.

Power steering, power windows, power mirrors...unfortunately beyond the trinkets the other aspects of this car from joints to clips to bushings were terribly prone to displacement. Hence the reputation of Nissan as being "kalampagin" and of poor quality.

Somehow this attribute still pervades among many people in the second hand market perhaps as prolific as the notion that Nissan's airconditioning is very good.

[niky]

We all remember the time when the B12 Sentras were marketed so heavily in late 80's featuring just about every "luxury" feature unseen in a 1600 sedan.

Power steering, power windows, power mirrors...unfortunately beyond the trinkets the other aspects of this car from joints to clips to bushings were terribly prone to displacement. Hence the reputation of Nissan as being "kalampagin" and of poor quality.

Somehow this attribute still pervades among many people in the second hand market perhaps as prolific as the notion that Nissan's airconditioning is very good.

Amen to the power windows... but I've never seen a power window last much beyond the sell-by date...

The AC is better. Thou shalt not question the AC. I did an engine swap once, and switched to a DENSO compressor (a big one!) as the new motor was (hehe) destroying (over-revving) the stock compressors. It was nowhere near as cold as stock.

But not all Sentras came with the same kind of AC, though...

[orly_andico]

isn't the nissan aircon a calsonic?
if your AC compressor got destroyed, couldn't you (theoretically) slap in a calsonic and get nissan-level frigidity? or is it more than that? (e.g. larger condenser coils...)