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Hi there AA Expert/s, I cannot think of a better time to seek your advice and knowledge. I am a noob (newbie/first time car buyer) looking at a 2004 Nissan Bluebird Sylphy (a fresh import) that has done about 38+ odd kilometers at a dealership. The dealer has put a quote of 6000 + ORC. I am considering buying the car very seriously. I am looking for a car that would seat 5 people. Was considering a Tiida but having 5 people in (with luggage) would make the engine work harder (not to mention make the people seated in the back cranky), wouldn't it - given it's a CVT engine? Plus i have been reading that CVT's are quite hard to maintain. Does the 2004 Nissan Bluebird Sylphy model have a CVT engine? **thinking**.

Unfortunately, money is a luxury i cannot afford. I have already over-stepped my budget quite a bit and cannot go anymore. I would like to know (if possible) any reviews, suggestions or feedback that you guys could share when it comes to reliability, known issues, things to consider related to this particular model. I have been researching via Google but so far i haven't got any helpful leads (honest to God).

Another thing, the car has been fitted with 4 snow tyres (thread depth of 4.0mm in the front and 5.0mm in the rear). Would they need to be changed to regular/normal/all season tyres? The dealer said that they could have them replaced with normal ones. Personally i do like the tyres as it "kind of" adds a few brownie points to the car's cosmetic score (which by most people and my research has shown to be at the negative end of the scale). Once again, i appreciate your time, efforts, reviews, suggestions, etc. to my queries and eagerly hope to hear from you. Thanking you =)

P.S. - If you look real close, my display picture has the subject line in it ;)

Hi there,
I have had no bad reports on the 2004 Bluebird. All the information I can see, is that it has a conventional transmission.(no cvt) These cars are very popular, so should be no shortage of parts.
As far as snow tyres are concerned, the minimum legal tread depth is 4 mm so they will all need replacing for your next wof and would have only just scraped through this one.
I really advise getting them changed before purchase, they are not the best to drive on anyway. The price seems reasonable for such low km's our books show an estimate of 5-7k.

Thank you for your reply Cade. I would surely get the tyres replaced. I wonder if the dealer would do it for me before i purchase the vehicle. My next question to you would be what type of tyres should i put on? I am new to New Zealand and have heard that one can witness pretty much all the seasons in a single day or over a few days. Would you advise getting wet tyres (seeing as how the rain creeps in anytime) or all season tyres?

Hi there,
Most general vehicle tyres sold in NZ would be classed as all season tyres. If the dealer is going to replace them before you buy the car, you won't really have a choice on what tyre he uses. There are so many brands out there, if unsure stick to the mainstream brands like Bridgestone/ Firestone, Yokohama, and also some lesser known brands becoming more popular. Nitto, Neuton, Sagitar and Westlake. I've had Neuton tyres and was very happy with the how they performed.

Thanks Cade,
So i had gone to the dealers and put 500 to block the car. I would be refunded the money if the vehicle failed the AA Appraisal inspection and if i did not get a finance application (which i may not get seeing as how i have no credit history being new to the land). The vehicle passed the AA Appraisal report and i got a copy of it too. As directed I did get a vehicle history report of the car from AA and the report showed that the car has inconsistent odometer readings (about approximately 3900kms lower from the time of import into the country). Please advise. Thank you.

Hi there,
I hope you got a Pre-Purchase inspection and not an Appraisal?.
An Appraisal is a dealer only inspection that is a brief check of the vehicle before being presented on the yard for sale. A pre purchase is a full inspection that gives a full overview of the vehicle condition to help you make an informed purchase decision.
I'm not sure what the mileage discrepancy could be, maybe a typo when putting in the mileage. If you would like to email any details to aatech@aa.co.nz I can try and look into it for you.

Thank you Cade. Your efforts are truly appreciated. I have sent you an email with the subject line of Re: Cade - 2004 Nissan Bluebird Sylphy 1.8Vi and have attached the Vehicle History Report i received too.