I'm aware this questions sounds like a joke, especially since like the first result for googling "2012 Nissan Altima good?" is a post from this sub where the consensus is "no, they're unreliable" but bear with me please while I add context.
I am in somewhat desperate need of another car that will at least last me a year or two and is cheap. Last one got completely totaled in an accident where I wasn't at fault. One of my coworkers happens to be selling this Altima, starting at $4000 and I've talked him down to $3500. It currently has about 140,000 miles
He says the CVT in it doesn't seem to be having any problems and it's currently his daily driver. I've seen it running in person in our work parking lot. The body of it is a bit rough but the interior is in pretty great condition.
The list of things he said he plans on doing is changing the oil (of course), doing a drain and fill on the transmission since it's older, and replacing the dog bone mount on the back of the engine since it's worn out and causes the car to vibrate a bit when stopped at a light.
It also has brand new tires on it if that changes anything.
Is this a safe enough bet for this price? I'm okay with the car not lasting me more than a couple years but I can't really afford a high monthly car payment on top of what the insurance will be. Would I actually be risking the transmission going on me within a year? Is it liable to have some other problem that Altimas are also known for?
Should I continue to consider buying it if I can't happen to find a better deal or should I just not even be thinking about it?
Any advice is very much appreciated