Does anyone own the cheapest car in america?

I think it's pretty decent for a commuter, while keeping the nice wheels in the garage.

6/19/2012 9:53:27 PM

It's really a car originally intended for other markets that have more small cars.

6/19/2012 11:39:53 PM

I don't know about that...I think that they think that market is large enough in America to justify importing it, and is poised to grow.

of course, they wouldn't have built it if it was only for the North American market.

6/19/2012 11:52:08 PM

I'm a tall guy....and for 13k I was driving a car that had very basics.

AC works great, radio was decent enough, powers doors and windows.....automatic transmission.

I love the price point for a commuter with a decent warranty.

6/20/2012 12:03:42 AM

It's a POS CVT transmission.

I'd take a CPO Civic or Fit over a Versa every time. I'm not a fan of vehicles that when I drive I feel like I'm being punished for something.

6/20/2012 12:12:54 AM

NMSJ

you'll see.

6/20/2012 9:54:45 AM

^^ what's wrong with CVT (serious question, as i don't know)? is it a performance/preference thing or is there a mechanical reason that they're inferior (prone to breakage, inefficient, etc)?

6/20/2012 1:40:01 PM

Mainly b/c when you need to accelerate the engine just drones, as it will pick one engine rpm to stick at and vary the pulley ratio as you accelerate. It's more of a disconnect from the engine and compared to conventional transmissions it's long term durability is not as well known.

6/20/2012 2:05:24 PM

How can it be a POS...when you don't know the reliability on it yet?

It can very well be a shit box, but I the civics I feel cramped in.

6/20/2012 4:00:28 PM

There are some technical advantages to CVT, particularly if the engine is designed and tuned to take advantage of it, though they are kind of annoying. On a car like that, I wouldn't give a damn at all--driving enjoyment isn't a design or purchase consideration (obviously).

Longevity/reliability is a wild card in my book, though.

6/20/2012 9:12:04 PM

I bought one for my pops back in '09. Sticker was 16,200 for the 1.6 SL (?, something like that. it has cloth interior but pw, pl, etc. not fully loaded but not the base either). I paid 11,900 out the door. It's been a great car for him. He consistently gets 37-38 on the highway if you consider Hwy. 15 from central VA to Wake Forest highway driving. He's got ~50K on it now so it is still a baby. Hopefully it'll hold up.

6/21/2012 8:59:36 PM

i had a sentra with a CVT as a rental car one time and it wasnt bad at all.

it could be a little annoying yes, but turn the radio up and appreciate its purpose.

calibrated to the engine obviously it provides a host of benefits.

i imagine any durability issues it has down the road are probably easily and quickly fixable (some sort of belt no)?

a sentra is a superior vehicle to a versa for not much more money if youre bent on a nissan.

6/21/2012 9:09:52 PM

Quote :

"Mainly b/c when you need to accelerate the engine just drones, as it will pick one engine rpm to stick at and vary the pulley ratio as you accelerate."

Yeah... That's kind of the point.

Quote :

"It's more of a disconnect from the engine and compared to conventional transmissions it's long term durability is not as well known."

CVTs have been used for decades, unless you're just talking about Nissan's CVT.

CVTs are generally simpler with less moving parts. It should be fairly reliable, and work done on it shouldn't be too expensive to do compared to a normal transmission.

Now, I have no idea about the Versa's reliability. Maybe you have more insight in it than I do. But I don't think this car was designed to be particularly inspiring to its user, but rather a simple car that works.

6/21/2012 9:18:47 PM

^I like how you come into the garage and act like we don't know what CVTs are or how long they've been around Around for decades yes, but in very limited applications and on low torque engines (which, yes, the Versa has).

[Edited on June 22, 2012 at 8:12 AM. Reason : k]

6/22/2012 8:11:53 AM

my scooter has a CVT!

6/22/2012 9:46:09 AM

The Versa is a cheap car, so it's using older stuff.

The CVT on the new Altima is pretty good for what it is. It's not a particularly soul-crushing driving experience, as far as CVT's go. That's high praise in my mind.

[Edited on June 22, 2012 at 7:56 PM. Reason : Nissan has two new CVT's coming out]

6/22/2012 7:54:28 PM

is it really the cheapest car available in the US? i would have thought the kia rio or the hyundai accent would be the cheapest, or perhaps the mazda 2.

6/23/2012 1:23:28 AM

http://cars.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Least-Expensive-Cars-Of-2012_2.htm

6/23/2012 1:40:51 AM

^^like i said, i wrote a check for 11,900 which gave me the keys to a brand new car. that's pretty strong.

6/23/2012 10:20:18 AM