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hello, I read that cvt transmissions are not so reliable if the car is not maintained regulary. I am looking to buy a nissan serena 2000 -2006 how can I tell if they have CVT transmission? as most of the Private sale owners are not able to tell me if it is or not as they have no idea.

And being a japanese import I can't expect the car to be maintained regulary.

Earlier CVTs don't have a good reputation and the Nissan Serena is likely to have a CVT type transmission fitted to it. The conventional automatic versions are hard to find and if you are not sure if it is a CVT or not then you should rather walk away or have a mechanic confirm it for you.

Japanese imports mostly don't have service records and you should try negotiate with the dealer to have the vehicle serviced before purchase.

would an AA vehicle check tell me if the cvt transmission is ok.

As most cars that I am looking at seem to have CVT transmission then I can't really walk away or won't find anything, is there a list of cars that don't have cvt 2000-2006 period.

have cars with CVT tranmission are to be avoided - is this correct? hence my posts

It is best to avoid CVT transmissions on used vehicles as they are costly to repair when they fail, and in most cases there are no spares available to repair them, in which case the complete gearbox will need replacement.

Having said that, there are some CVTs that have better reputations than others.

We are under the impression that CVTs in new vehicles are of better quality but the verdict is still out and time will tell.