how do i know if a car is going to last without that much maintenance?

Samatha Nicar: GET IT EXAMINED by someone that knows NISSAN! The thing about a TURBO will be how well the previous owner did OIL CHANGES and which oil they used! ALL Turbos are made to AIRCRAFT specifications, but the use of WAX BASED OILS will KILL THEM QUICKLY! I was the NUMBER TWO SAAB technician for a while in the DETROIT area! The engines that use WAX BASED VALVOLINE all got BLOWN turbos in them! MOBIL ONE 0W-30 is the EASIEST to find and to use and AMSOIL has a NISSAN approved oil that is good for 25k miles or ONE FULL YEAR between changes! it is REALLY GREAT and is PERFECT for a turbo engine! You can examine this thing YOURSELF a bit by removing the OIL FILLER CAP and flipping it over! if it has DARK BROWN WAXY deposits or CRUMBLY dark COOKIE CRUMBS on it, you are taking a RISK!! HAVE SOMEONE that knows CAR look it over! Drive it over an OIL CHANGE PITT and let them tell you how the EXHAUST system is and if the FRAME or SUB-FRAME has any rust or damages! I TRUST th! e NISSAN power trains! I have them running around with 300k miles and MORE MILES on them! But you CANNOT sometimes undo damages done by the previous owner! The GOOD NES...Show more

Ramon Dahlheimer: i know that old cars need some maintenance but i want to know how to find out if the transmission is good and if the motor is fine since those are the most neccesary parts

Mandy Mustaro: If you want a car that lasts without much maintenance, buying a 17 year old sports car is probably not your best bet!

Jinny Dronen: NO car will last very long without regular maintenance, not even a new car. A clown that I used to work with bought a new Ford Fusion in 2007. It was dead at 27,000 miles because he never changed the oil. Even though it was still technically under warranty, Ford denied warranty coverage since he failed to maintain the vehicle to the minimum factory standards.There's no way to tell the condition of a used vehicle without a comprehensive inspectio! n by a certified mechanic. That's especially true with old tu! rbos which are VERY sensitive to regular oil and filter changes as well as how they are driven. Even if you find one in good condition with a full service history, older vehicles are more prone to breaking down due to their age. Parts wear out eventually no matter how well it's maintained.Any car with a sports car name -- Mustang, Camaro, Corvette, Firebird, 300ZX, etc. -- or virtually any turbo is going to be VERY expensive to insure with a 17-year-old driver behind the wheel. Liability insurance alone can run several hundred dollars a month in major cities....Show more