2kMaxim

Its been a long time since posting here!...... but Im still driving my DE-k every day for work and its running like gangbusters. Im at an interesting point as I just turned over 201,*** miles recently.

Over the years Ive put in:
Radiator
OEM ignition coils and plugs (fixing all that usual bs)
Nearly full exhaust...(just needs y pipe to complete)
Engine/tranny mounts
New valve cover gaskets
Grounding kit
Intake
Timing advance
Floor mats
New high pressure steering line

As you can see ive done a lot of the normal maxima high mileage stuff already, so the car is worth more in my garage than on the market as it is. They are going for 2500-3500 on craigslist which is nuts because i still can tell im driving what was once a 30k+ car. My question is this.......For roughly $1700 including labor i could do everything I want to complete the car which would be coilovers, rear wheel spacers, replacement pioneer double din stereo, keyless entry, and warpspeed y pipe. If i did all this I would ahve zero reason to even think about wanting a new car. I love my car.

Any DE-k owners that can set my mind at ease about the engine going another 50-100k? Id hate to have the dreaded timing chain disaster or tranny rebuild...but both seem in perfect shape. Its amazing really. Weigh in.....

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Go for it no hesetation about it.....WORSE case scenario is a $500 new used engine and a $350 tranny ....that's like one month new car payment a a couple of bumper to bumper Ins...on top of the $1700

george__

iTrader: (1)

How is the body, interior and electrical items (motors, clock etc) on your car?

Sounds risky... Why

- It's at least 13 years old
- 400,000 km on engine & transmission
- You could find a replacement Maxima with half the mileage or even less for $2,000.00
- More things will break

Mateen995

agreed, especially the mileage factor

2kMaxim

I forgot to add....front wheel bearings, control arms, ball joints as well have been replaced.

Body is awesome..no rust....everything is great according to my mechanic. Electronics are working fine.....MAAAYBE window regulators at some point. But other than that...first crank every time. Oil changed about every 4k......transmission about every 50k.

george__

iTrader: (1)

Jeeeez you put a lot of work into that car.

Maybe just do engine and tranny swap in the future but if you pay someone to do that it would end up more than the car is worth

edit - gen 5.5, gen 5, i30 & i35 have lots of compatible parts. Maybe pick and choose what you can onto a lower mileage old car?

2kMaxim

Yeah....this is why selling the car would be frankly retarded at this point. The question is do I put a little money in it.......suspension is considered normal wear and tear for cars. It got cheapo replacement pep boys shocks around 100k. Time for new suspension at some point. It's got new brakes already as well. Swapping parts over to a less reliable engine (the 3.5) wouldn't make much sense either...

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
Selling it might wouldn't be retarded, the cost of a replacement engine and transmission would exceed the value of that car probably.

Sell it to a someone who is looking to buy their first car & instead of giving them a lemon you give them a gem

2kMaxim

From what I've read...the De-k was like the Lexus v8 of maxima engines...unkillable

george__

iTrader: (1)

So whatcha going to do in 3 years? Dump another $2,000+ into the car?

30,000 km / year * 3 years = 90,000 km...

Don't forget the transmission!! You are a AT

2kMaxim

Buying a new car wasn't ever on the table...lol. It's drive this car into the ground while liking it.....or while REALLY liking it. I sold a Celica gt once with 255k on it still running like a top. I'll never make that mistake again. Besides if I was buying a used car it would be an 04-07 Acura TL....no question.

george__

iTrader: (1)

The 2nd and 3rd gen Acura TL are notorious for their transmission problems

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkTybnYtx8o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc5zCPI3pn8
http://youtu.be/CA0o82iCM_M

etc etc

2kMaxim

It's on the list of ten most reliable cars you can buy. This is a pointless argument....and off topic...lol

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

The Hondas? Every tranny is crappy until 07.


Op, the engine will outlive the car twice over. Tranny will go eventually, but find a low mileage one for cheap and hoard it.

2kMaxim

Cool

Mateen995

I'm looking at TL's too, the auto's are turds but get a 6spd if you can.
or if you wanna stay in the maxima family, find an 00-03 with a stick

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Yes he could but he doesn't know how it's been taken care of....it'll be like starting over don't you think?

So it would be a bigger gamble imo...
If you could do(diy) a lot of the upgrades you want to finish off the maxi,to me it's a no brainer,especially if you love your car like i do mine....

cornholio

iTrader: (1)

might as well keep it if you're happy with it. maybe replace the iacv as preventative maintenance and get a spare MAF for when yours might go out?

i'd think with the stuff you're talking about doing (coilovers, y-pipe, stereo..) if something catastrophic were to happen in the near future that you decided to not fix you could probably re-sell most of those parts without losing all of your money.

2kMaxim

Yeah....that's the thing. I know every squeak, creak, and buzz on my car and where it's coming from. Took me 5-6 years of ownership to learn the whole car...lol. I think the smart thing might be to start with the $700 part of the $1700.....that would get me better radio, y pipe, wheel spacers and keyless entry. Looks, sound, power and practicality. Then when I need new tires....decide whether or not to drop a dime on suspension...

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Just buy a replacement key fob and program it..then..there's a guy on the classified sec selling an oem double din trim, what size spacers do you want i got some i proly sell,i also wanna y-pipe in the worse way too...

2kMaxim

Those keys from Nissan are 150-200. I've only got one left. I can get keyless entry w/installation for $150. Plus I'll be able to open the doors like a normal person...lol. My didn't have the keyless option, although I think it can probably be put in easily enough.

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

I feel you on that BUT...there's a thread here about how you can buy ndsll and the USB cable for less and program your own keys using window7 or older, Ebay sells them transponder keys for cheap...i bought my key fob for $10 and it did cost me some doh when i lost my original key,but i went thru a local locksmith(fvck the stealership).

2kMaxim

I can't seem to get a straight answer from Google. If I still have a good key left....can I buy an aftermarket keyless entry system and program it myself with that ignition sequence?

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

I'm under the impression all 2000 max have keyless entry but what do i know i bought a used infinity i30 keyfob and just tried the program sequence amd it worked.

2kMaxim

You mean like my car is pre wired already to receive a remote signal? That would be helpful. I know when I got the car I only got keys from the previous owner..

Seems like it might be worth it to have the reputable custom place get it and hook it up for $150..lol

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Yes ,i think so, unless some ol'G on here knows otherwise

But the keyfob has to be the fcc id:NHVWBU43

I even start my car with the keys and get out then lock it with the keyfob while it warms up...comes in handy

Max_5gen

iTrader: (2)

The keyless entry feature is provided by Secure Entrance Control Unit (SECU) and it has nothing to do with starting the car, it takes care only about 'entrance'. It has small radio receiver a fob talks to and then it opens / closes doors, trunk or sounds horn. The same unit, funny enough provides Battery Saver feature as well- when you leave the car with engine off lights ON it will turn them off after some time to prevent battery discharge. I'm sure you're familiar with the feature so SECU is there and working . You buy a compatible fob, program it using instructions off here (opening / clsing doors, dancing around- no extra equipment) and you're done. I fail to see what would you need to pay $150 for. I did such procedure for both of my max 2k and 2k3. First due to fobs wear, second- the same as yours, prev owner didn't pass over any. Cost close to $15 each fob.

BTW, congrats on having rust free body, my 2k succumbed to Canadian road salt after 12 years despite all anti rust protection I put. IMO you can drive it as long as you like it if the body is fine, the rest is fixable and much less than any car payments even if transmission / engine fail. Buying another used car with lower mileage may be quite risky as you'd be playing the same lottery with the car of unknown history. Transmission reliability is not affected by mileage as such but the nature of it- if it was pizza delivery car it might die very soon but if most of your miles are highway it might outlive you . For AT I can recommend to replace ATF with RedLine D4: one winter my 2k AT started slipping when cold between 2nd and 3rd. It just started, I didn't abuse it and it was going away after warming up. Replacing ATF with D4 completely cured the problem and I drove it couple winters after until I sold the car without problems.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

I think they're like 3 bucks each on ebay. Used OEM fobs. The ones I get are in great shape.

2kMaxim

Thanks for all the advice guys. If this turns out to be true and it saves $125, that'll be awesome! Lol

2kMaxim

Should I VIN check with a Nissan dealer to see what my ffid number is...or whatever it's called

theherdmaster

So this won't have anything to do with key fobs, but I say keep the car. You've owned it for a while and you know how it's been treated. Like it's been said before, it's always risky getting a used car from someone else when you aren't aware of how the car was driven. With the AT you may have to get that re-worked but I've seen people with these cars that have 300k on their engine and it still goes. It's especially nice the body is in great shape.

As far as putting money into it, I love tinkering with cars myself, but whether you do or not just depends on whether you think you'd enjoy it if you did. It doesn't sound like any of the money you're considering putting into it is for necessary replacements, so it's really all about whether you think the enjoyment you'd get from doing it is worth the money.

And side note - my best friend had an '06 Acura TL with an auto tranny. Beautiful car, really fun to drive, pretty reliable overall. . but the transmission slipped on occasion. A new tranny would have really destroyed his wallet. He sold it rather than having the transmission replaced.

Max_5gen

iTrader: (2)

You'll save $125 minimum - you can get fobs cheaper . It's really not a big deal.

2kMaxim

So I just talked to my local stealership parts department. He looked it up and found that there were two remotes during that year, but part numbers were the same...only the style changed. He said they would both work for my car. They go on eBay for 15-25$ shipped...not bad. Is it easy to open these and put new batteries in?

nestorlugo

iTrader: (11)

Yes very easy,just make sure it has the fcc id# i gave you...

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

To be honest...don't invest too much into aftermarket things on your car at this point. If it is running well and handling fine then don't touch it. Just do the normal maintenance items and keep it running in good shape.

My 2k has over 272K miles and has been running very well aside from the recent tranny slip issue. I recently put a good amount of money into it for maintenance purposes.

Personally, I always look at the maintenance costs versus the payments you may make on a new car. Say, for example, your maintenance costs are $1,000 and you go to get a new car you may have monthly payments for around $300 depending on yoru financing and what have you. Also, your insurance costs are higher and your annual registration is higher so factor that in. Let's say a monthly cost of $400 with higher insurance and registration. That's only 2.5 months for the $1,000 the repair or maintenance will cost you. So, you ask yourself, "does the repair or maintenance get me at least 2.5 more months in this car?" More than likely yes....

2kMaxim

Yeah exactly. Thats why Im going to do this keyless thing first, because it saves additional wear and tear on the ONLY key I have left for the car. The ypipe would actually be smart too because its the only part of the exhaust I havent redone. Occasionally I do smell sulfur, and it likely is coming from that part of the exhaust...as i have no main cat, and i already replaced the front bank precat with a Walker a year or two ago. Im gonna wait on supension till i need new tires and make the call.

D.Stillwell

As someone with a 2000 Maxima who has invested a bunch of money into his car, I say keep your car! Keep it, invest the money in those final mods, and enjoy it. You won't regret it, even on what some may call an "old" car.

I plan to keep mine until the day it dies on me, that or the body rusts out completely lol whichever comes first

Another used car is never the answer, if you have one that you love and you know inside/out

jared21927

Sounds like you are planning to invest a lot. I'm at that crossroads myself. Maintenance and repairs on an older car are much cheaper than buying a new one, even if you engine or tranny goes.

I'm replacing mine this year at 180k miles just due to convenience. Repairs are a pain with my car being high mileage. It seems like there is something new every month and i don't have the time to do all the work myself or the patience to sit in shops for hours. i got ish to do

If you base the decision off of financials alone, you will end up keeping the car for the rest of your life because it will always be cheaper than buying another car.......always. At some point you will have to upgrade but i guess it's up to you individually when that upgrade will occur and how much you will spend. I'm not buying a new car myself, just a decent used one.

Just make a good sound decision. Either way, it won't be a mistake. You will be paying for a car your whole life, either through maintenance or payments. Choose what % of your income will be allotted to your vehicle expense and go from there.

Stooop32

My vote would be to keep your car. If you really love it and enjoy tinkering on it like you said, you would always regret getting rid of it when it was still in pretty good shape. (Speaking from experience)
You also have to remember that as a whole, newer cars are less DIY friendly than older ones. Having the option of being able to work on things yourself will always save a few bucks.
...and as a closing argument lol
You can't put a price on the feeling of pride you get driving a car that you have modified to the level you want, and were able to do it yourself. I would personally take older, modded, and paid for over new and shiny anyday of the week.

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

Bull**** property tax and sales tax (also bull**** on a used car) alone will cost more than repairs, plus higher insurance.

People always forget about those costs, then are crying broke.

You could always buy a blown up 5.5 and do the "HR" swap . For 3k you could have a very low mileage engine and HLSD 6 spd...
Two cars are better than one. A new(er) car doesn't do you any good if you get stranded, but you can always hop into the old max.
I have 3 running, currently, and don't regret it for that reason. 3 old cars are worth a lot more than one that's new.

Plus, it feels good driving past broke down newer cars. LOL