Y'know, a good portion of the world was offered a MkIII GTI with the 2.0 8v engine - the same one that was in the base car here, and available there. With a whopping 115 horsepower.
See, this is why I never get appetizers at Chinese food restaurants. Small, really oily, and have absolutely no value whatsoever. And it's all senseless filler too. They know it, you know it, your colon knows it. So c'mon, let's skip this, go straight for the General Tso's chicken, and speed up the whole process where I'll feel perfectly fine until fifteen minutes after I finish eating, when I'll suddenly get the urge to throw up and/or pass out.
So it's a trim level lower than the S? I have an 08 SL HB myself. I get 35-38 mpg. It's about 5-6 mpg over the listed highway mpg. They aren't bad cars and aren't really cheap as far as interior.
$9,990, that's about what I want to spend on my next car. I'm currently considering:
-mid/late 1990s BMW 540i -nice late 1980s Mercedes 560 SEC -LS-1 Pontiac GTO (might have to wait a couple of more years for the depreciation to get down to my level) -late 1990s/early 2000s Mustang GT -nice BMW E36 or E46 2 door coupe, maybe even a E36 M3 -just spend about that on a crate motor, manual transmission swap, new interior, and paint job for my 77 Corvette
Everytime I hear Nissan Versa all I can think of is Hiro on "Heroes" screaming for a blue Versa at the rental car counter. I guess the in-show advertising is paying off for Nissan.
@econobiker: My g/f had a 94 Neon. Good luck to anyone who can find a 10 year old Neon that a) runs and b) whose interior hasn't fallen to bits. Hopeless cars, and these days about as safe as driving around in a cake tin on wheels. Very poor build quality and utterly shit crash protection - my g/f had a low-speed smash and it was wrecked. Any faster and she would have been seriously hurt.
I was one of those idiots that bought a first year Neon Sport. (5speed). The car arttled from day one, the front suspension squeaked and moaned over the simplest bumps, the clutch shattered (literally shattered as my mechanic brought me into the shop to prove what he has just witnessed) at 60K and the paint started to peel in layers/////Chrysler can suck one!
@Turbolence88: Damn the auto-collapse, I didn't see the punchline to your post until after I made mine.
It would be a lovely idea to have someone else run 'team creative accounting' and try and sell $8,490 off of a brand new Versa to run at LeMons, though. The blog would be a great read, as would the BS inspection.
@kleinlowe: That's F-ing brilliant! If you judiciously remove parts as opposed to what most people probably do (rip, hack, torch, etc.) you might be able to do it... Who needs nice new bumper covers for a LeMons Car? Sell 'em! Who needs Airbags at LeMons??? I hear they're good money, Sell 'em! Hell, maybe even the entire dashboard! Remove all the windows rather than smash them... Taillights, headlights, exhaust system (we're just going to run a straight pipe and cherry bomb)... new tires -too much tread- Sell 'em! Hmmm, it just might work...
@SlowMo: Most cars are worth MUCH more by the piece. I had my eyes opend to this with a rusty Fiat 850 that I had. I couldn't sell the whole car for $300. I made over $1,000 selling the parts and still had the rolling shell to donate to charity. This idea might work even better with something like a new Mustang. Sell the new engine and replace with your junkyard built 302, etc. Better market for the parts and more valuable parts too, more Mustangs get wrecked by kids, more parts demand.
@graverobber- It says Loud Pipes Save Lives: Time to put down that very loud pipe of yours there. It'll be better just as soon as the insects stop crawling around under your skin. Really.
Much, much better than the previous price champion (the only thing in which it'll ever be a champion), the lovely Kia Rio. Yes, I'd rather have a Fit or a Yaris or an xD or... but can't argue with $$$!
The 'cheap' Versa is available in sedan form only, and with a 1.6L engine instead of the 1.8. Transmissions are 5 speed manual or 4 speed auto. Although equipment wasn't mentioned in the presser, I wouldn't expect anything beyond a/c at that price.
11/17/08
There's something familiar about this.
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10/31/08
I didn't even know there was a Versa sedan. I guess I wasn't crazy when I thought I saw a tiny Sentra...
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-mid/late 1990s BMW 540i
-nice late 1980s Mercedes 560 SEC
-LS-1 Pontiac GTO (might have to wait a couple of more years for the depreciation to get down to my level)
-late 1990s/early 2000s Mustang GT
-nice BMW E36 or E46 2 door coupe, maybe even a E36 M3
-just spend about that on a crate motor, manual transmission swap, new interior, and paint job for my 77 Corvette
Everytime I hear Nissan Versa all I can think of is Hiro on "Heroes" screaming for a blue Versa at the rental car counter. I guess the in-show advertising is paying off for Nissan.
10/31/08
Small car with an epa estimate that you could get by buying a 10 year old dodge neon for $2000.
10/31/08
But seeing all these Aveos every day means that plenty of people still value cheap + new + warranty.
And frankly, Nissan is more likely to still be in business in a few years. Chevy, who knows?
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1.6L I-4 engine (standard)
Transmission (optional)
Windows (standard)
Front seats (standard)
Rear seats (optional)
Mirrors (optional, required by most states)
Exhaust (optional, also required by most states)
Steering knuckle (standard)
Steering wheel (optional)
Front brakes (standard)
Rear brakes (optional)
Brake pedal (optional)
All for $9,990? Sorry, I'll go buy a used LeMons racer. At least there's a slim chance it might have A/C!
10/31/08
It would be a lovely idea to have someone else run 'team creative accounting' and try and sell $8,490 off of a brand new Versa to run at LeMons, though. The blog would be a great read, as would the BS inspection.
10/31/08
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10/31/08
Wait . . . what?
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Nice car, poor marketing strategy.
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which begs the question - wtf do you need a 6spd for in a car w/ a 120hp?
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The CVT in these cars feels even worse, but supposedly gets better fuel mileage...which I could't substantiate.
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