Almost down to the wire on my first Z. I have been eyeing 2 2005's with 51k to 60ks miles between to the. Low and behold, I found a 2004 with 44k for about 16k. The price is fine and im sure I can haggle it down, but how good would it be for me to take the plunge on an older car with only 44k miles? Im not sure if its a 2004 or 2004.5 and haven't seen it in person, but it has the tranny, color and body i have been eyeing. Also, I haven't seen the Carfax and don't know if there have been any accidents nor how many owners.

 

if its clean go for it, the only way to see is in person, its really hard to judge from your description

 

My 03 touring has over 70k miles no problems.
If the car was maintained well,should be bulletproof.
Any mods on these cars? Or,stock?
With that few miles,I'd guess they are pretty OEM.

Hey,go for it...enjoy...life is too short!

 

44K on a 2004 is normal mileage, that's not necessarily that low.

Of course if the CarFax is clean and the car is in good working order the lower the mileage the better.

 

If you can get the car for the price you want, go for it. A 2004 with 44,000 miles is not bad at all.

 

If your dilemma is whether or not to go with an older car with lower miles, you need not think too hard. Take the older car with lower miles. I drive a 2004.5 with 17k miles and haven't had any problems. Owned the car for 4 years now.

Also, get the VIN and you can find out if it is a 2004.5 or you can look at the gauges or something. Easiest way is to just check the VIN.

 

You better see it up front and personal.

 

Research the TSBs for the year you are considering. Make sure that they were handled by the previous owner(s).

Understand that as the model progressed, they dealt with the seat bolster that wore out, they dealt with the window motor failures, the tire feathering (well for the most part anyway), etc....

Just be wary of the 05 Anniversary model (if it's yellow, it's that model but that wasn't the only color of that model) and the 06 because they had a "rev up" motor that might have some pretty severe oil consumption issues because of a bad ring supplier that you will be dealing with.

[/civic duty]

 

Pretty sure its stock based on the pictures. I would actually rather get something that wasn't modded. Better chance it was babied.

 

Oh definitely.

 

Really? Out of the many 2003's-2006's, this is definitely the lowest Ive seen so far. Most range from 50k-60k

 

Depends on how you define low mileage. To me, low mileage isn't relative to the car.

If the average person drives 10k a year and is trying to sell a 20 year old car, 100k miles is half the average mileage, but not low mileage.

I consider anything under ~25k to be low mileage.

 

I just bought an 05 with 29K miles, so 51 - 60K sounds a bit high, even though it's "average" for that age. If the 04 is clean, I would say go with that. If not, go with cleanest one you can find.

 

I bought my '03 Track w/44k miles. I also own an '03 Excursion with 137k miles. To me, the Z had very low miles for being almost 8.5 years old. Then again, I'd say that claim is always going to be subjective based upon the individual. I'd say go with the older model with less miles. If it's mostly stock and has had routine maintenance, you're more than likely good to go. Just double check your carfax report.

 

Maybe in 2008, but this is 2011. Those are low miles. It is assumed 10K to 12K a year for a national average.

If it was maintained the OP is golden with those miles. But an 04 has some TSB issues that should have been addressed, most importantly the tire feathering and the window motors.

 

Ok, just received the car history report and it checks out. No accidents and routine maintenance. Only thing I haven't seen are any repairs for recalls. it was my understanding that the 2004's had some problems with feathering of tires and oil consumption. I'm driving the 30 miles on Saturday morning to check it out and do a test drive. Also, they're currently offering it for just under 15k. Pretty good price to me but anything else you guys would start as an offer. Im trading in my rear ended 99 Altima with 150k+ and a few other minor problems. Also will be dropping about 2k in cash.

 

Sounds like a pretty good deal , tire feathering is not something to worry about, all Z's can have that problem and a simple alignment fixes it. Oil consumption does happen, my 03 has always burned oil 1 quart every 5k of normal driving, my 05 doesn't burn a drop. Same engine.

 

Father schooled me last week on synthetic oil last week. Didn't realize it costs way more than what i use now. LOL going from $20 oil changes to $75 oil changes wont be fun. Especially with oil consumption issues.

 

sounds good to me, i have an 2004 bought it with 27,000 miles on it a couple years ago and it has not even 42,000 on it right now. the more miles i put on it the better it feels. I would go with it. i have no problem with oil, i use royal purple and its still clear after 5,000 miles. and tires like terrasmak said its gonna happen all you need in an alignment

 

I just bought my 2004 Touring coupe with 44k on it for $12,000. So the asking price of $16k seems a little high.