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Hi There,
I have been looking for used wagon type 7-seater vehicles at the car dealers.The current prices of nissan liberty (2000+ models) are lower in comparison to Toyota models (personally a Toyota fan but budget decides choice!)
I therefore need performance feedback and reliability of the nissan liberty models so I can make an informed decision whether to buy it or not. There seems to be a fair amount of this models in NZ and car dealers have them as good family 7 seaters.
Can you please advise potential issues and things I should be aware of if I am looking at buying one?
Thanks.

If the budget is pointing you in this direction then you to be prepared for compromises. While this vehicle doesn’t have a bad reputation it doesn’t have the same reliability tag as the Toyota either so you get what you pay for in some ways.

You need to look for an example which comes with a proven service history, has a reasonable odometer reading and the latest model your budget will allow.

Check out the seat belt configuration also as the rear passenger seats may come with lap belts only which are definitely not the safest restraint system.

My only real negative from a technical point of view is if any of the vehicles you look at have a Constant Variable Transmission (CVT). You may need to seek the advice of a automatic specialist in your area to confirm this either way.

With used imports you never quite know what you are getting and you can’t always assume every particular model is the same technically. Any vehicle with a CVT can be very high risk in this age bracket.

Also make sure this vehicle does in fact meet your needs. While it has 7-seats it may be a tight squeeze depending on the age group and size of your intended passengers.

The other very popular people mover for many years has been the Honda Odyssey but once again you need to be careful. The older high mileage examples can also be costly to maintain.

It’s a tough call to be honest deciding on what is the best option. All you can do is try and reduce risk.

Hi,
Thanks for the direction.. one thing I think that reduces the risk is the 2-3 year mechanical waranty that comes with the cars.
My only concern again is this thing I hear on the 'CVT' gearbox. I certainly would not like to take chances on this if there is a high risk in this part. Odyssey I gather is out due to maintenance costs.
Mazda premacy is another that does look of interest but not sure if it has similar high maintenance costs associated.

Yes I agree, having the 2-3 year mechanical warranty protection does reduce risk.

Always remember, some of these policies have strict guidelines on the interpretation of 'fair wear and tear' so make sure you read and ask exactly what a particular policy actually covers.

I wouldn’t dismiss the Odyssey, in fact I think it is the pick of all the vehicles you mention. It drives well and the interior room and seat layout is hard to beat.

They can very become expensive to own however if the transmission was to develop a problem.

They do have a conventional automatic which can/will suffer from wear and tear over time like any other mechanical component.

We have heard reports of parts alone costing over $3K. Add labour and fluids etc and it’s not hard to spend $4500 plus on one repair.

Obviously the older the vehicle and the higher the mileage the greater potential for unpleasant surprises (due to fair wear and tear) .

They also run a cambelt (they actually have two belts) which has a replacement period of 5-years or 100,000kms whichever comes first so once again you don’t want to be caught with that cost not long after purchase.

As I said earlier if you can find a vehicle with a proven service history it does definitely reduce risk.

The Mazda Premacy is worth consideration but you would need to check out the interior to make sure it meets your needs. I don’t believe it is quite as user friendly as the Odyssey.

Once again it has similar mechanical issues to the Honda.

I’m starting to feel like I'm not really helping you and only providing negative comments but we do see the worst of everything particularly at the cheaper end of the market.

Hi,
Frankly I don't mind the feedback as it does give some good insight into what you can consider when faced in front of a dealer... I made a few rounds today as well and my pick in the Toyota spacio with it's compactness... though again the rear seats are child seats, but does exactly fit into a young family. Again the price of this is high enough so again budget is the key so have to look for an equvailent model.

Mazda and Honda are fairly up there is terms of costs with Toyota... I did though see the nissan liberty at a good bargin price (keep hearing specials on this model though the dealer cannot justify any problems with it) with less than 90k mileage but again the trade off is on the CVT you mentioned last time.

You are right in saying with lower budget, you will get less choices of good cars and with used ones, mainly being new imports, it is hard to find service history so guess an pre-inspection check to help.

The Spacio is a very poular vehicle as is the Ipsum. Maybe you have to consider stretching the budget if possible.