[aidan80]

I've given new thought to switching from my bare bones 1.8S manual which I like very much to an SL. The primary reason for this is I was rear ended recently and there was damage to the frame. How much damage I don't know but I do know it's knocked a good $3,000 - $3,500 off the KBB value of my car and cost just a bit more than that to fix. Maybe I'm being silly but it just makes me wonder if I were rear ended again would I be as protected as I was before repairs were made or would I have someone parked in the back seat?

Anyway I was offered $12,000 from a dealer for my car which they didn't inspect for damage just did a walk around. I had it appraised at another place and it was valued at $9,000. The dealer I spoke with was offering to put me in the exact same car only an SL for $16,000 out the door. Which seems like a decent offer. Once everything is done with insurance I may just take up this offer and switch to an SL. I do expect the dealer to find the repairs and lower their offer accordingly.

Any thoughts, suggestions or comments are most welcome.

 

[aidan80]

I admit it's very tempting to jump on the SL. Like as has been mentioned I'd get all the bits I'm missing now and not have to add them on lol Although I have to admit I actually prefer shifting the gears myself although I did drive a rental Sentra and the CVT was very smooth and quite. Buzzy taking off but quite when driving.

They are offering 12k now for my car but when they inspect it and they will they will see the damage and I expect they would only offer 9k which is expected after a crash. I need to think it over alright.. it'd reset my loan but payments would be the same. Then again wouldn't it be odd to get an SL in the same colour haha!

 

[aidan80]

There’s an idea stick the SL badge on it lol.. My Versa is a 2009, looks and drives like new just don't have the power options.. which honestly I can live without or maybe best if I just have it added aftermarket? The frame damage is limited to the rear from what I understand. It was hit in the bumper. A trained eye would spot it I'm sure, the new bumper is off by just a few millimeters but not very much. Looking underneath I’ve no doubt that’s where the frame damage would be easily visible.

Both the dealer and CarMax admitted they were selling the Versa left and right mainly the hatchbacks. The dealership I stopped in with only had one hatchback on the entire lot and it was sold over the phone while I test drove it lol! CarMax admitted had there been no frame damage they’d offer $11,000 or $12,000 for it but with the damage I’d only get $9,000.

The new SL is a 2011 base SL and they could get me any color I wanted in it. They’d have to order it in but I’ve no doubt I’d not get any more than $9,000 from the dealer for my car once it’s properly appraised. I’ll admit $16,000 out the door for an SL is tempting. CarMax had a used SL with 6,000 miles on it for $15,990.

I don’t mind aftermarket wheels but I try to keep things looking fairly stock if I can. If I find something I like I’d jump on it. That is after I make up my mind about the SL lol Right now I’m leaning towards keeping the S and just adding a few bits to it.

 

[aidan80]

Lol adding the "SL" badging is actually a good idea. I actually just removed mine. I found my hatch was looking too cluttered. Now just sporting the Nissan symbol and Versa badging.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

That's how mine looks like, dealer vinyl sticker is gone but.. and I'm a bit of a freak for details I noticed my Nissan badge is slightly off center and my Versa badge is also lower than it once was lol.. I don't know why I notice the smallest most insignificant things at times. Anyway I actually like how it looks without the dealer sticker but mine never did have an S on it just always said Versa.

 

[aidan80]

Thanks for all the advise everyone.. I originally paid $13,500 for my car out the door then got almost $200 refunded for the license plate I didn't need and that was 17 months ago. I've got 16,300 miles or about 26,230km on it. Apart from the rear bumper being replaced everything inside is like new. I never eat, drink and don't smoke. I also never let anyone in that does this.. they can do it outside or walk lol

Honestly I'm just tossing the SL idea around in my head. I am leaning towards hanging on to the S at the minute. The thought of restarting the loan puts me off a bit. I suppose i have to hang on to it until I'm at least done with the insurance and the claim for the damages, plus I have to replace the driver seat. The insurance company approved a junk yard seat in my near new car.. the bastards will pay for a new one lol.

If I were to sell.. side of the road per KBB is $12,750 so I would start higher than that and allow to come down a bit. I would be totally honest about the damages, repairs and show before/after pictures of the crash plus the write up from the insurance company and a carfax. I'd rather present people with all the information up front as I'd expect any honest seller to do the same for me if I were buying.

 

[aidan80]

For me the cloth in the SL versa (and the CVT, which I actually like) are the biggest draws. Bluetooth is convenient but not a necessity (headsets are dirt cheap) but the interior upholstery is just soooo much nicer. It sounds weird, and you might not think about it..I mean, cloth is cloth right? But I like it so much better. Not saying to get a new car just for that, especially not if you're going to replace the seats or something anyway, but wow, I like it a lot more...just seems so much nicer. I've had friends say that they find it a good leather alternative (even though it's nothing like leather) because it just seems so much nicer yet so much cheaper. Like the steering wheel too, leather and buttons are great.

If the interior never bothered you and if you're happy with the manual transmission than I'd say keep what you have. Do you ride with people/pets/valuables in the backseat often? If there is structural damage it sounds like that would be what you'd have to worry about, maybe not your own neck? Since you were rear-ended shouldn't insurance help you out...were you at fault?

I admit I didn't mind the CVT in the Sentra I drove but I do prefer manual although I do like the interior of the SL better than the S. What I don't like about the S interior is the static it produces in the winter lol Although I could get a good seat of seat covers?

I don't drive with anything but myself so very little if any wear on in the car. I was rear-ended and not at fault but the insurance company is penny pinching. I've the same insurance as the other driver. I expect I'll have to fight my own insurance company to get them to pay up for anything other than damage to the car.

 

[aidan80]

You got it!

If you decide to sell it yourself you'd do better than the dealer would currently
offer and that's the point. Even with the fully repaired damage.

I saw the photos of the damage from your previous post. It didn't look that
bad at all and I think a potential buyer would feel the same.

Good luck with what ever you decide.

The damage on the outside didn't look bad at all. When I went under it I did notice quite a number of welds extending back a bit from the bumper. The Interior bumper was replaced with a new part (least that's what they told me) and it looks like from the welds the impact forced things to crumple a bit on the left side which has been patched up. I also assume this is what got straightened out again.

 

[aidan80]

I think that was the option on the table. (don't know about the sunroof, but the 2009.)

Sorry for the miscommunication, what was on the table was a 2011 Versa SL. They offered a 2010 used Versa but took the offer off the table. They'd not have made much in the way of money on it with a trade. I did however get the feeling they were trying to drop me in a 2011 S with the power option. They had me "test drive" a car and when I got going I noticed it was an S model with the 4 speed auto.

Car sales men are slippery alright! But this is how they make their money and I as a consumer should apply as much friction as possible to avoid their tricks.

 

[aidan80]

Trading Versa S to another Versa S, in my opinion, would not be an upgrade!! is like trading 4 quarters for a dollar bill :biggrinjester:


Hey, how much do you still owe on your current Versa S?

Why would I trade my Versa S for another Versa S with an automatic. I like the 6 speed and wasn't too found of the auto. Like I said the salesman was trying to be slippery but I wasn't interested to be honest. Once I was on the road in that car I noticed.. no power option. It was after that I headed back to the dealership.

I'd walk away with money in my pocket if someone said to me here's $12,000 or $12,500 for your car. Before the accident one of the things I was happiest about this car is I owed less than it's worth.

 

[aidan80]

My S does not have Aux in :frown2: Just the bare bones stereo. In the S that I test drove it had Aux in and the stereo was slightly different. Lack of Aux and USB are the two primary reasons I want to change the stereo but I'm not in a hurry just yet as I've not seen anything that really makes me want to buy it.

 

[aidan80]

Lol I think that's because you dont have the power package, you're good though...atleast yours came with a radio. I was radio-less for like a month when I got my V, I wanted an OEM radio but couldnt find the one I wanted so I went aftermarket.

That is true at least I had a radio and CD lol! I was originally looking for a 1.6 so was ready to go with just the bare plastic plate to start with. What type of stereo did you end up getting? Double din.. single?

 

[aidan80]

Ok I've decided after much thought that I'm just not ready to part with my 2009 S. I like the car and really like shifting gears. As nice as the CVT could be at times I'd miss actually driving the the car lol. I will say this though.. when I was buying the S the sales man kept trying to sell me into the car based on monthly payment. They did the same again when I inquired about a new car. Had I have let him he'd had me on a 72 month loan with a slightly lower payment but more interest!

I have to say I'm really glad I didn't finance through Nissan (not that I could, they turned me down after they put me in the car and I had it home lol) but went through my credit union. They at least let me pay as much as I like over the minimum each month which will help shorten the life of the loan.

 

[aidan80]

What type is it? Do you like it? I bought a single din stereo from Walmart a couple of years ago for my old car for like $80 had SD slot, USB and Aux in but at that price point it died after a couple of weeks as did the two replacements. The car died before the last stereo did haha.. stupid ford escort.

I'm thinking I'd like to go for a double din in the Versa. Like i said I haven't seen anything that jumps out just yet. But who knows what I might find online or in a store somewhere.

 

[aidan80]

I'm looking for a factory.. I mean OEM, something that has MP3 plug in because making CDs is a thing from the past YO :biggrinjester:

ohh thanks for explaining about double din and single din :thumb2:

I was going to get this radio from best buy but they were going to charge me for installation so I said no. then I was going to buy it online at a cheaper price but they were sold out.

Mine did not come with MP3 plug in

I've been looking at the exact same stereo and was about to buy it a few weeks back from Amazon but they were all gone. They had it on sale as well for a decent price. Ah well I'll grab it again.

 

[aidan80]

Yes the car sales man wasn't to great at his job because I kept talking big picture full out the door price put it in print that you'll pay off my loan and apply the difference to the new car. In fact I told him put me in the new SL for $15,000 out the door and we have a deal. He came back with "$15,000" out the door plus.. crap put it at $18k lol

Anyway I've now only 33 payments left on my S which is as good as new to me. I'll add the power locks, stereo and if I find some.. alloy wheels as well! Get this thing paid off as fast as I can then maybe look to see what the leaf is like a few years form now. My round trip to work is less than 20 miles and for me the leaf would be perfect even the beach/theme parks are well within range. In fact they've even installed charging stations in and around this area recently.