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TM has a 2002 Nissan Sunny with 180k on the clock for $2800. My son wants a reliable car for less than $3k.

I have never owned a Nissan so don't know anything about them. Do you know if Nissan Sunnys are known to have any problems?

What is your opinion on buying ex-rental cars? I know they all tend to have high mileage when sold and it is believed that they get thrashed to death by renters. However, the one plus is that they are normally serviced every 10k and there is a service history available. This one falls within our budget, but in your opinion is it worth the risk buying it?

Hi there,
I think ex-rental cars are not too bad to buy, but you need to do your homework and get it checked out before purchase. It would be more likely to have had a few paint and panel touch-ups, and you may find at 180km there are likely to be a few components wearing out. These vehicles as a whole are not bad, and I haven't heard of any major failings with them. A regular service history is also a very important factor, and will make buying a high mileage car more attractive. Also I later model car should have more safety components than an older lower mileage one of the same price range.