Should I get a Nissan CVT car?

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chocd, Jan 1, 7:42am
I'm looking for a new car to drive to work that is economical on petrol. Return journey is 100kms a day, mostly open road. Is 1500cc suitable, or should I aim for 1800cc. Also the Nissan brand has caught my eye (Tiida or Wingroad), but I'm a bit worried about CVT. Should I avoid a CVT? Looking to spend up to $5k, so around 2004/2005 (100k mileage) for those models. Other recommendations appreciated. Thanks.

intrade, Jan 1, 7:44am
100km continues drive in one hit on open road you need more then 50km moderate driving without stop then you can consider a diesel.

intrade, Jan 1, 7:49am
(Tiida or Wingroad) i think you should close your eyes and walk past these.
i have done diagnostic training on nissan wingroad it was used because its the most difficult electronic system to diagnose a fault on , when you can do that junk you can diagnose anything afterwards .

chocd, Jan 1, 8:08am
Thanks. The drive is 50km each way, with 30-35km of each way open road, and the rest slower, including m'way crawl. Not a diesel fan anyway.

gs1220, Jan 1, 8:11am
You may find that open-road economy is quite different from around-town. It may be that a larger engined car could be more economical at the legal limit than a smaller one.
If you are doing getting on for 30000km per year maintenance could be a significant cost.
intrade is probably right that a diesel, probably euro, is your best bet. but maybe not in the under 5k class.
I would get a Legacy for 4k and spend the difference on a new water-pump (and hope that the petrol price doesn't increase too much).

intrade, Jan 1, 8:12am
na got to be 50k open road and diesel be more like 10 grand for a good one upwards. What you want is look for a toyota 2000 to 2004 model more then nissan.
post 5 has good advise also

chocd, Jan 1, 8:12am
The other consideration is a Nissan Bluebird Sylphy either 1500cc or 1800cc, 2000-2004 which is non-cvt I think?

morrisman1, Jan 1, 12:01pm
Nothing wrong with the CVT, they are very reliable in the big picture but require correct servicing. They do have some limitations in their load carrying ability (limited towing capacity) but overall not a bad transmission.

Get the larger engine, always! Open road cruising you want to have a bit more snot in reserve for passing and besides, the economy difference in open road cruising will be next to zero.

I cant comment on the wingroad, but the tiida is an OK car, quite good in some areas (access and space inside is very good), but is pretty average in other areas (features). Certainly not bad, but they didn't innovate a hell of a lot other than the new generation engines which have a few thoughtful design features for reliability rather than being cutting edge. They are good engines. For the materials used in the Tiida I think its very well put together.

aoc1, Jan 1, 12:23pm
I do over 100kms a day to and from work and have a suzuki swift drives great and economical too get round 500 out half a tank.

tamarillo, Jan 1, 6:15pm
They are cheap because they're cheap. unless well and fully Serviced cvt often claps out and is expensive to replace. Also horrid to drive to me. Do better.

msigg, Jan 1, 8:24pm
daryl14 that golf is only worth 2-3 k with those km, If you can get it for cheap price you need to run it into the ground as nobody will buy it after another owner.It's a throw away car. Yes cheaper is OK.

tgray, Jan 1, 9:04pm
If you were talking about a late 90's Primera or Logo or a 10 year old Fit/Jazz, I would agree.

vtecintegra, Jan 1, 9:04pm
If CVT is on your radar as a bad thing then DSG certainly should be too

bwg11, Jan 1, 9:19pm
Absolutely. Apart from Nissan's offerings in the 1990's, their CVT's are nothing to avoid. Newer Nissans use CVT's from the same manufacturer as Suzuki who provide a 5 year/100,000 km warranty on their power-trains.

As vtecintegra says, CVT have a far better track record than VAG's DSG transmissions.

mad_signtist, Jan 1, 9:51pm
Jez I sold my 09 Wingroad for 5k. Aim for a bit later model. Cvt gave us no trouble

chocd, Jan 2, 4:14am
Thanks. really appreciating the input. I've just returned from driving a late model Nissan Altima with CVT as a rental on holiday and according to the dash info, it was using around 6.5L/100km, and it had heaps of power. While it was a pleasure to drive, I was just wondering at what point in time, CVT became a more reliable technology and without the high revving sounds.

I'm thinking I'd be better with 1800cc over 1500cc which as a Wingroad or Tiida are harder to find and would raise the budget a bit more. I've also identified the Toyota Opa as a 1800cc for the $5k budget if anyone has anything to comment on about them.

maleman, Jan 2, 4:38am
I have owned 2 vehicles with CVT and found it most satisfactory. If you research it on google you will find that it is nothing new and has been used in trucks back in the forties onwards.

mad_signtist, Jan 2, 8:01pm
Our Wingroad was 1.8. No power horse but was a cheap run around. Great on gas too.

stevo2, Jan 3, 4:56am
My daughter recently bought an 1800cc Tiida. Roomy,comfortable., and economical. It has the cvt Trans which seems fine.
She wanted the 1800 because she does quite a few open road kms and she's very happy with it.

vtecintegra, Jan 3, 5:02am
If I was spending a hour plus a day on the open road then I'd spring for a nicer car than a Tiida/Wingroad - even something like a Mondeo will ride and handle a lot better and won't use that much more fuel

kazbanz, Jan 4, 12:03am
Chockd--for YOUR use an Opa would be perfect

vtecintegra, Jan 4, 12:15am
Spending significant open road time in something with such a poor chassis? I'd pass.

chocd, Jan 8, 10:12am
Just to update. purchased a 2008 Tiida, NZ new, no CVT, 120k for $5500. I had become more comfortable about a CVT, but it just panned out to a purchase of a non-cvt.

rpvr, Jan 8, 7:07pm
Just out of interest, what constitutes correct servicing for a CVT transmission? I know you have to use the correct fluid for the make/model, but read somewhere that they are not to be flushed as you would a conventional automatic transmission. Is it possible to do at home?

andy61, Jan 8, 7:13pm
Is your Tiida a manual?