I'm looking to purchase a 1999 Infiniti I30 as a beater to my 2001 330Ci, and there are two in my area (Sacramento) that I'm considering so far:

#1: 1999 I30 Limited, Black Obsidian over Black, $5500
104,000 miles.
Had an accident at the gas tank area (been told it was only cosmetic damage). Also will need a new tire because tire shop gave them one bad tire.
2 owners, 2nd owner has had it for only 8 months.
Some scrapes on the front and rear bumper. This car will need to be polished.

#2: 1999 I30 Touring, Autumn Bronze over Sage, $5100
149,000 miles with all service records.
Will need 150,000 tune-up very soon.
No accidents.
Original owner.
Normal wear-and-tear on body (rock chips, door dings, etc), well-detailed.

I'd much prefer the I30 Limited because of its black over black combination, but there has been an accident at the gas tank area and I do NOT want to deal with any issues that may arise (is this at all possible?). This car is slightly dirty, but it should shine very well after a thorough detailing.

This leads to the I30 Touring, which seems to be very well taken care of with a complete service history. However, it's in a color combination I'm not looking for, and it has very high mileage with the 150,000 tune-up on the horizon.

What's your take?

 

bmw owner asking about infinity's on an s2k board?

dude, just go with the one you like.

 

I'm looking for better, unbiased input (no "But why not the BMW _____?"), and a good portion of S2000 owners have a second car to their S2000. And as for my s2ki membership, I don't see why non-S2000 owners can't join one of the largest and most informative car communities on the internet. Some of the information I find is very universal.

And I'm obviously stuck between these two cars, or else I would not be asking for feedback.

 

You might find more answers if you posted this question in the Car Talk forum. This section is inhabited by people that aren't exactly helpful all the time

My opinion would be to spend the extra $400 and get the one with less mileage. But then again the other car has no history of accidents and was taken care of. Idk its a tough decision. If you want the car to last awhile I'd go with the lower mileage one and hope there isn't any serious problems associated with the previous accident.

 

Black looks great when it is detailed, keeping it looking like that takes time...then again it's only going to be your beater.

 

kind of hard to go wrong with all the service records. Even if the car has more miles.

Good luck

 

Both should be relatively trouble-free for a while longer. I have a friend that has a 99 I30 T with about 185k on the clock, still runs well. I like the T, just because the look is a bit more destinctive but if the color doesn't work for you, go with the ltd. Less miles, better color for you seems to be worth the $400 upcharge. I know of few cars with 100k that haven't been bumped at some point in their lifetime so I wouldn't let that dissuade you.

 

i would not take the one w/ accident. if u must get blk/blk, then wait for another car.

the original owner, all service record is a better car but more expensive due to the tune up coming. i'm not too concerned w/ the higher mileage if all the service records show good maintenance.

3rd choice is to wait for a better option down the line

 

Get a fit. Jk, great car, great value, I'd go with the black one, fuel tank shouldn't be an issue but for piece of mind just have it taken to a shop and checked out anyway. Assuming cars live till 200K, you got 100K with the black one vs. 50K. But yeah, maitenance is key.

 

Get the 1 owner car...GL