Im currently talking to someone that offered me his 2001 silver IS300 for my 2005 Altima SE-R. And im really thinking about getting it but I have some doubts

The IS300 details-
150K
salvage title-due to vandalism
Semi auto
clean interior
Bigger cams
CF hood and trunk

Claims timing belt service was done when he installed the cams by his buddys shop.

Here's a pic


Now my Altima SER details are as follows
2005 sheer silver
3.5VQ 6speed
clean title
143K,68K on the motor installed at a nissan dealer/tech under the table.
all stock
Clean interior

Cons-front bumper is jacked up and have some door damage
Here's a pic
-



Now man questions are

Is it worth it? Is a IS300 more expensive when it comes to DIY maintenance?is there a way I can check to see if it really has bigger cams installed?

I don't wanna make a mistake. Any help or opinions are welcomed.

Thankd

 

In my opinion, hold on to your SE-R. You had the car, you know what was wrong, fixed. The problem with used is that you never know what happened with the vehicle in the past. I've bought a used 2001 with 130K on it, and I'm getting occasional misfires. I've changed $700 worth of parts up to date (doing work myself, so no labor costs). Don't get me wrong car is great, but god knows what might go wrong, especially since you dont know its past. Diagnostic usually points out 20 different things that can cause a problem. Now since you don't know what was changed and what wasn't. You gotta go through every single thing= time/money. In SE-R premium fuel is only recommended, in IS300 is required (I know people get by with regular, but they'll pay later). It has more hp than IS300. Your car is newer too. Unless you plan some kind of build (IS300 is a great foundation for that) and have money for it, I would recommend you to stay with your SE-R.

 

I got my 2001 IS at 90k for 5,000. In my opinion I would strongly be against the salvage title. I would agree with Nissanfan in the sense that you should not jump into the trade so quickly. Maybe see your pros and cons to make sure that in the end you're ending up with the best deal.

 

First off welcome to Clublexus. Coming from a FWD, 4 dr car myself, your Altimas faster (torque steer much), roomier, and already manual.

It all has to do on what your gonna use it for.

Did you wanna stance, drift, manual swap and boost the IS? A lot of work, but plenty of options