According to popular legend, today’s Nice Price or No Dice CrossCabriolet is a model that former Nissan head and present international crime figure Carlos Ghosn commissioned at his wife’s behest. Let’s see if its price and issues bring even further intrigue.
As scruffy as it appeared, last Friday’s 1992 Mazda Miata engendered a great deal of consternation in the comments. It wasn’t that the $4,600 asking price seemed out of line, but that it would be a better plan to scrimp together a little more and buy a nicer car. Ultimately, the scruffy little Mazda won over our hearts and wallets in a narrow 52 percent Nice Price win.
Considering how popular Mazda’s Miata is around these parts, the nail-biter nature of last Friday’s vote came as a bit of a surprise. We’ll have to see then what we make of a far less popular Japanese convertible—and one that also has its own significant issue.
Today’s 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is notable for three factors. The first is that, when introduced, Nissan promoted it as “the world’s first all-wheel-drive crossover convertible.” The second is that, shockingly, it wouldn’t be the last such car. The CrossCab may not have been beloved by buyers or people with working eyesight, but it did pave the way for similar vehicles from Volkswagen and Range Rover. The final bit of party prattle regarding the CrossCab is that Renault-Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn pushed its development. He would later move from mere aesthetic offenses to actual crimes, eventually going on the run and becoming an international fugitive.
The CrossCab was left in his wake as a lumpy-dumpy convertible with questionable handling, somewhat cramped space, and a CVT transmission that emptied the pockets of the 265 horsepower 3.5-liter VQ35DE V6 that was the model’s sole powerplant. On the plus side, it sure is funky, and at least it can drop its top.
Well, this one can’t. According to the ad, a non-working top is the big hungry bear in this Murano’s cave. At least the top’s electro-hydraulics failed in the up position. Failing in the down position would likely have made for a very interesting winter. And, anywhere in between would have probably rendered the car un-drivable.
The rest of this Murano looks to be in excellent condition. The Gun Metallic paint holds a decent shine, and the factory alloys appear un-marred. The top—while presently non-functional as a convertible—looks intact and otherwise without damage or wear.
Per the ad, this Murano has done a remarkable 200,000 miles. Despite that, it’s claimed that both the engine and transmission are in “excellent running condition.” Equally surprising after so many miles is the condition of the cabin. There’s no appreciable wear anywhere. And to be fair, it looks more like an Infiniti in here than a Nissan.
Being a car from this century, this CrossCab has a lot of the niceties you might expect, including a nav screen, lots of airbags, and automatic climate and cruise. A clean title and a recent gold star from the state safety inspector are additional feathers in this Murano’s cap. The most important question, then, is how much it will cost to fix that dang non-working top.
I guess a more important question would be is it worth even investigating that work at this car’s present $4,600 asking price? That’s less than a 10th of what this CrossCab cost new, but, back then, it had a top that would go up and down.
What do you think, is this CrossCab worth that $4,600 in its present high-mileage, non-convertible state? Or, like Carlos Ghosn, would you run away from it as fast as you can?
You decide!
Facbook Marketplace out of Sandston, Virginia, or go here if the ad disppears.
H/T to John Toth for the hookup!
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