wheel My order
Mon-Sun 9am-7pm
512 650 3307
Austin, TX
wheel My order
Home / Insights /

Ford vs Nissan

Ford or Nissan — what we actually found

Side by side from 492 Fords and 247 Nissans buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 60/100.

vs
Head to head
FordNissan
Cars inspected492247
Average condition57/10058/100
In good shape (60+/100)46%53%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~126k mi~108k mi
Repainted or replaced panel71%77%
Structural repair found4%8%
Fault codes recently cleared23%23%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Ford
Excellent 12% Good 34% Mediocre 40% Poor 15%
Nissan
Excellent 10% Good 43% Mediocre 34% Poor 13%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Ford▬ Nissan▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Ford, 0–20k mi: 94% in good shape (18 cars)Ford, 20–40k mi: 90% in good shape (41 cars)Ford, 40–60k mi: 81% in good shape (54 cars)Ford, 60–80k mi: 63% in good shape (49 cars)Ford, 80–100k mi: 34% in good shape (59 cars)Ford, 100–120k mi: 36% in good shape (72 cars)Ford, 120–140k mi: 36% in good shape (47 cars)Ford, 140–160k mi: 21% in good shape (42 cars)Ford, 160–180k mi: 30% in good shape (33 cars)Ford, 180–200k mi: 20% in good shape (25 cars)Ford, 200–220k mi: 19% in good shape (21 cars) Nissan, 0–20k mi: 92% in good shape (12 cars)Nissan, 20–40k mi: 82% in good shape (17 cars)Nissan, 40–60k mi: 87% in good shape (31 cars)Nissan, 60–80k mi: 68% in good shape (40 cars)Nissan, 80–100k mi: 59% in good shape (39 cars)Nissan, 100–120k mi: 29% in good shape (34 cars)Nissan, 120–140k mi: 25% in good shape (32 cars)Nissan, 140–160k mi: 24% in good shape (17 cars)Nissan, 160–180k mi: 36% in good shape (11 cars)Nissan, 180–200k mi: 0% in good shape (8 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Ford▬ Nissan▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Ford, 1 years old: 93% in good shape (15 cars)Ford, 2 years old: 79% in good shape (19 cars)Ford, 3 years old: 92% in good shape (24 cars)Ford, 4 years old: 77% in good shape (43 cars)Ford, 5 years old: 63% in good shape (32 cars)Ford, 6 years old: 63% in good shape (35 cars)Ford, 7 years old: 55% in good shape (40 cars)Ford, 8 years old: 43% in good shape (40 cars)Ford, 9 years old: 28% in good shape (40 cars)Ford, 10 years old: 37% in good shape (30 cars)Ford, 11 years old: 40% in good shape (20 cars)Ford, 12 years old: 37% in good shape (27 cars)Ford, 13 years old: 15% in good shape (13 cars)Ford, 14 years old: 18% in good shape (17 cars)Ford, 15 years old: 25% in good shape (16 cars)Ford, 16 years old: 18% in good shape (11 cars) Nissan, 1 years old: 100% in good shape (11 cars)Nissan, 2 years old: 86% in good shape (14 cars)Nissan, 3 years old: 86% in good shape (14 cars)Nissan, 4 years old: 45% in good shape (22 cars)Nissan, 5 years old: 72% in good shape (18 cars)Nissan, 6 years old: 67% in good shape (24 cars)Nissan, 7 years old: 65% in good shape (26 cars)Nissan, 8 years old: 25% in good shape (24 cars)Nissan, 9 years old: 39% in good shape (23 cars)Nissan, 10 years old: 91% in good shape (11 cars)Nissan, 11 years old: 21% in good shape (14 cars)Nissan, 12 years old: 33% in good shape (9 cars)Nissan, 13 years old: 20% in good shape (10 cars)Nissan, 14 years old: 25% in good shape (8 cars)Nissan, 15 years old: 25% in good shape (8 cars) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Ford
Oil leaks · Engine
59%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
39%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
35%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
31%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
22%
Nissan
Oil leaks · Engine
49%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
38%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
34%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
23%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
18%
Trajectory by generation
Ford ▬ Consistent across generations 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 45% in good shape (age-adjusted; 37 cars, raw 41%) 45 2015–17: 50% in good shape (age-adjusted; 90 cars, raw 46%) 50 2018+: 50% in good shape (age-adjusted; 76 cars, raw 58%) 50 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
Nissan ↘↗ Dipped in the mid-2010s — the newest generation recovered 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 65% in good shape (age-adjusted; 29 cars, raw 59%) 65 2015–17: 45% in good shape (age-adjusted; 45 cars, raw 44%) 45 2018+: 58% in good shape (age-adjusted; 47 cars, raw 66%) 58 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

Whichever badge wins on paper, the car in front of you is its own story. Get it inspected before you pay.
Book an inspection

Based on 739 inspections · updated Jul 12, 2026