Looks like I may be back to a Maxima...
 

After an almost 7 year break from Maximas, I may be returning tomorrow afternoon. There's a nice '87 wagon I'm going to see (silver/grey) that looks pretty clean for the age, clean carfax, paint still shiny, rims still look good (not faded), 108K miles. It's also one of the talking ones with the split stereo and manual belts. I've had a '91 GXE (my favorite car I've ever owned), '95 GLE my mother sold me cheap and a '97 GXE so I'm no stranger and looking forward to getting a tank-like VG car again.

I've always loved the U11s and have passed up at least a dozen over the last 15-20 years for one reason or another. So I will bid adieu to my '06 Grand Prix and be left with potentially the Maxima and my old '91 STS. My house needs a roof so hence cashing out the GP and maybe the STS if the Maxi proves a good car. Keep you all posted!

108K? that's it? wow...

Carfax showed as a lease car to begin with then a nice, gentle progression of miles after that. Hope she runs as well as she looks and I sure hope I find a sticker saying the t-belt was changed at some point. Dealer pic attached..

how much?

There's a dealer around me in WA that had an 88 with under 70K on the clock...guy wanted 4 grand for it. That was in January when I was looking for a max

3K. After a good deal of looking, it's the cleanest, lowest mile car I can find for the money. LT1 Roadmaster wagons are easily still 4-5K+ around here (hey, they can hold a 4x8 sheet of whatever) and if they follow my experience with GM engines, start to become pretty leaky after 90K.

Ended up getting the car for $2500. There were a number of little things and a couple of big things working in my favor but for the money, it’s generally a solid, rust free car with a proper running VG and still-working A/C. Here in Michigan, cheaper cars are never rust free so an old and clean rust free Maxima wagon is an absolute rarity. And thankfully it made the 1300+ mile trip back from Denver, Colorado without incident.

The horn didn’t work (turned out to be a fuse), tailgate popper switch is broken, radio isn’t working so I’m about to pull that out to check the fuse on the back, front passenger window button is missing (switch works, just missing the button) and a new-to-me ebay switch is on its way. The moon roof switch was broken so I swapped and soldered in one that came out of a 3rd gen since they use the same switch and now I have a working moon roof.

As far as bigger issues, it needs struts and a starter. Starter’s been ordered. Replacement strut selection is pretty slim. I don’t like KYBs for crappy Michigan roads (great out on the highway though, from when I had them on my ’97 GXE) and I have an aversion to Monroe’s for some reason. I did find a place online that sold Sachs Super Touring struts—their everyday, entry level ones—so if the fronts actually get shipped (shipped from Sachs or their North American distributor apparently; 5-10 work day wait), I’ll order the rears (several sites sold the rear cartridges, only one sold the fronts) those will be put on. Age and mileage on the timing belt is unknown so that time bomb will be changed along with the tensioner, water pump and probably cam and crank seals just because of the age of the car, along with all the other fluids and filters.

Other big thing I discovered, and it may be harder if not impossible to correct or ignore, is the wide array of unpleasant smells from the back seat. Mind you, I noticed the fairly heavy air freshener smell in the car once I got there and figured it was covering up something like smoke (I smoke myself so my sniffer isn’t all it could be). But I wasn’t expecting vomit on the driver’s side and pop on the other that both managed to slide back between the butt cushion and the sheet metal underneath and soak into the underside of the foam. I gagged a number of times cleaning up the crusty old vomit once it rehydrated with cleaners. It was breath taking. Simply among the worst smells I’ve ever smelled. The cushion cover itself washed out to like-new looking and smelling condition (along with all the other covers, once THAT was found…removed, washed, reinstalled) but I’m gonna need to do quite a bit of calling to quite a lot of yards to locate a cleaner butt cushion.

As I was finishing that up, then the urine smell appeared (“Oh f*#@*%g come on! Really?” I thought) THAT smell seemed to be coming from the rear carpet behind the driver’s seat. Since the seats were already out, I took out the center console and noticed quite a bit of dog hair near the shifter so I’m thinking dog urine. I originally was planning on taking the carpet out altogether and power washing it at the car wash but there’s an inch-thick bonded cotton-type pad on the back that complicated that idea so that’s been scrapped for the time being. So…the carpet was pretreated with enzyme cleaning solution, extracted once already, probably do that again (with more Kids N Pets and Bissell’s own enzyme juice) later this week. I told a buddy of mine I hope I can laugh about this later. He replied that he already was. :rolleyes:

So while I finally have a U11, I’m left with mixed feelings as to whether or not this particular U11 is the one I wanted. Granted, I know I won’t find another one as rust free and low mile as this one this year and if I do, I know it won’t be $2500. I think if I can resolve the whole smell thing, it’ll be worth it, and in the process, easily end up with one of the cleanest 2nd gen interiors around. ;)

After all that work and work to come, trust me... You'll laugh later. I know I did/am nearing the end of my 3 year long 3rd gen restoration.

Geez, that stinks... heh.

Not quite. I've had a aggravating days and good ones. Days with funding for parts and broke ones (plenty of broke ones):rolleyes:. I can say that I enjoyed the experience and wouldn't take it back for nothing. Although there are some things i would've done differently to make life easier.:)

I hear ya. I bought my '91 Seville STS (Polo Green/Beechwood, 4.9L...the old square ones with the big slabs of wood on the doors) back in '08 and that has proven to be a labor of love. But it's worth it when people who know what these old cars are look at them while on the road. I still remember plain as day the guy in the passenger seat of an XK8 (this was 3 or 4 years ago) that totally was checking the car out as they passed me on the highway. It made the several days of trying to figure out how to remove the rusted-on rear top strut nuts which, in the end--required a Facom 289.36 nut splitter to remove--worth it. Or two weekends ago when an older guy in an S550 was checking out the freshly clay-barred, polished and waxed Maxima. Car people notice old/older cars that bring them back to a point in time in their lives and they think "Hey, I remember that car" for whatever their reason is. So I guess in that respect, I do know I'll laugh later. I just hope the scope of work isn't anywhere near what the Caddy has needed.