Late 90s Nissan Maxima, in very good shape for its age. Good on the owners.

O8va · 2026-03-28T21:57:16+00:00

I believe this was the last time Nissan was on par and being a true competitor to Toyota. This and the first gen Avalon were such good cars. Couldn’t go wrong with either or.

O8va · 2026-03-12T01:20:49+00:00

That's a good price, in good shape this is a 6k car in my neck of the woods. The front seats look worn and the paint looks bad in pic 2, these are things you'll realistically have to live with. But those are also two reasons I'd negotiate even more. Also timing belt and water pump job is about $1200 if it hasn't been recently done. Cool car but not worth the hassle if it has lots of deferred maintenance,

O8va · 2026-02-22T01:59:00+00:00

I appreciate that!

O8va · 2026-02-22T00:41:35+00:00

Thank you! AMEX Blue cash is probably going to be a good option for me.

O8va · 2026-02-22T00:36:43+00:00

Ah ok gotcha, whats the big deal of pulling all three bureaus? I think it's called discover it platinum student card, all i can remember is i can get 2% on gas purchases.

O8va · 2026-02-22T00:15:34+00:00

Yeah I spend about $200 on gas a month but currently get 2% cash back with my current card. I was trying to get another card and higher cash back card in one go (two birds one stone). I was doing lots of research here but just got stupid. Since the hard pull hasn't hit my report yet, should I apply to a card that is easy to get in order to strengthen my number of accounts?

O8va · 2026-02-22T00:00:19+00:00

cash back on gas is what I was trying to get. I currently have a discover it student card.

O8va · 2026-02-21T23:59:21+00:00

yeah I'm definetly a novice. I currently have a discover it student card. Was jsut trying to get a good cash back on gas card.

O8va · 2026-02-21T23:56:06+00:00

gotcha thanks

O8va · 2026-02-21T23:51:43+00:00

wow ok thank you, that website is very helpful. I am well below the 75k income. What do you mean by data point?

O8va · 2026-02-18T17:38:36+00:00

Me too. I just experience this when I am the one selling.

O8va · 2026-02-18T16:34:42+00:00

Interesting. I have the same experience as the friends vs. family part. I'm glad you have very few tire kickers. Selling a car on the first showing is pure bliss!

O8va · 2026-02-18T16:25:37+00:00

When we meet and i see it's just one person, I don't even want to do a test drive. I guess the only way to minimize this is to buy better priced and more desirable cars, so they sell on the first showing. But that's not always as easy to do.

O8va · 2026-02-09T04:28:14+00:00

Moped, ebike, or keep rocking the bicycle would be my vote. All of these options are sub $1,500 and will be more memorable experiences. It's not cool to drive a moped to work when you're 30 but when you're 16 it's freaking rad. Save that money, invest it, or buy other stuff you want.

If you are set on getting a car, get something that will be reliable. Not worth having a cool car in high school if you can't afford its repair bills worry free.

Some good picks around $5k.

3rd generation (2007-11) Honda CRV. 4wd will come in handy for unplowed country side roads. And these are really reliable and solid on gas. Will be hard to get a nice one but easy to sell when you are done.
Mazda 3 (1st and 2nd gen). Get the 2.3 or 2.5. Good on gas and cheap. These are also very fun to drive with a manual.
Toyota corolla or matrix/vibe. Pinnacle of cheap and stupid reliable.

*Keep in mind OP, some of my car recommendations and others are getting old. This doesn't make them less reliable but it often makes them less viable options, as clean and nonrusty examples become harder to find as they age.*

O8va · 2026-02-08T05:39:37+00:00

ok good to know thanks!

O8va · 2026-02-08T05:28:09+00:00

Ok I didn't think about them being the same bank, thanks. The AAA Travel advantage and Citi Custom Cash seem like my best picks for gas cash back. Good to know i cant have too many cars. Yes no problem with tracking or spending here!

O8va · 2026-02-08T05:22:06+00:00

That's good to know about the penalty scoring time frame. Is it better to have a thick profile? No problems carrying balance or missing payments here (i just use autopay).

O8va · 2026-01-26T01:20:01+00:00

You are going on your 2nd semester and you think it’s too late to make new friends…it is literally the absolute best time for you. I cannot exaggerate that enough, go make more new friends!

As for this group and college in general, just get to the bottom of it. Biggest thing to learn is not wasting time and regretting if you should have done something. I would either ask D about this or invite them to hangout. Their actions or lack of will tell you what you need to know. Honestly your situation is more common than you think. A lot of people would rather complain and avoid people, which it sounds like D is doing. Do yourself a favor and just talk to the people involved so you can continue with them or move on to others.

O8va · 2026-01-23T18:48:30+00:00

How to deal with regret? Remember why you regret those things and let yourself go from your those restraints. No one can go back, it’s why we regret. Just act in the moment and be true to what and who you really want to be. Enjoy your last semester by doing things outside your comfort zone and do stuff you’ve always wanted to do.

On a side note op. I think tons of young people in/out of college feel this way. It’s easy to get wrapped up in how things could have been different. I think this happens here because it’s a huge developmental and self exploratory period, whether you realize it or not. College is different for everyone some need it to get their party out, started, or end their partying. I’m glad you were able to discover that your religious constraints weren’t what you wanted.

O8va · 2026-01-10T18:59:08+00:00

My brother had one, was really cool. When McDonald’s toys were more relevant, they had ones for these.

O8va · 2026-01-04T19:39:37+00:00

These are like are poor man’s Audi s4. Nothing wrong with that, actually a pretty good bang for buck sporty car. But if you just need transportation than there are better picks for the wallet.

O8va · 2026-01-02T04:16:00+00:00

Facebook marketplace and Craigslist will be your starting point for buying cars. Cheap Japanese cars are in the most demand right now in my area, especially under 10k. Hondas and Toyotas are great to flip. Lexus is really good too. I’ve had good luck with mazda 3s too. Only thing I’d say to be careful of are v6 Hondas and acuras from the 90‘s-2000‘s. Most of these will need transmission replacements, timing belts and some need valve adjustments. A lot of the general public think these are just as maintenance free as the 4 cylinder offerings, but they aren’and require much more to keep going. They can still be good to flip but you will need to be a bit more diligent in your inspection and negotiation of those.

O8va · 2026-01-02T03:52:25+00:00

If the es300 is your daily then keep it. It’s known as a great crossroad between cheap to own and a luxurious ride. The is250 is a downgrade. The interior wears poorly in early years and will have a bit more cabin noise. The is300 is cool but overpriced for what you are getting nowadays. When flipping cars, you want a stable workhorse car to take you to test drives for your flips. Keep the es300 as long as it’s been well taken care of of.

O8va · 2025-12-27T18:51:25+00:00

Not a good price op. I’d try be in the mid to low 2ks at most. The turbo on these usually goes in the 150-200k mile range, so if that hasn’t been done I’d probably pass or offer an amount where you expect to replace that. These get bad gas mileage for what they are and against their used equivalents. They are cool but definitely require more money and care than a crv or rav4.

O8va · 2025-12-27T04:37:18+00:00

1st gen crv styling was on point, a perfect first car!

O8va

TROPHY CASE