Hello All!

I currently own an 86 Maxima wagon, but came across an one
owner 90 Maxima sedan.

The 90 has 98K miles on it, 30K miles on the timing belt,
20K miles on the tires, and 10K miles on the brakes (non
ABS).

The car has been pampered and been meticously maintained.

The original owner has done all the work to the car and
the car speakes for itself... the body of the car is in
beautiful condtion with barely a door ding let alone a
scratch in the paint.

The interior is in near mint condition (never been smoked
in at all).

Always been garaged when not in use and it shows.

The asking price is $3900 with the knowledge of the car
needing struts in about six months or so (can feel the
tires not keeping complete contact with the road).

My question to you guys is what are some of the problems
for this year Max that I should look out for?

I know about the auto trannies and window regs, but what
else? I hear some scuttle-butt about the injectors, what's
that about?

At any rate, the 90 would be a welcomed upgrade from my 86
wagon!

Thanks!
Scott

 

Hi Scott, I don't own a 90 max but I do own a 90 sentra wagon. I am the original owner and have only had to do 2 expensive things to it. Struts and a paint job. Mine has <100k and will probably last another 100k. I hope I didn't just ginx myself. The paint I did myself with the help of a friend <$300. Struts were $500+ done by sears durring a 1/2 price installation sale.
I still see alot of 90 maxima's on the road if that is any help? I think you should probably try to talk them down a little on the price. $3900 seems a little steep for a car thats 13 years old.....Just a thought...

 

sounds pretty good. i have an 89 max with 169,000 miles and she runs like new. ive literally had to put no money into this car (except for my mods and a new timing belt). ive never had a problem with the injectors or any other part. with proper maintance, you shoudnt expect any major problems. do you know if it is the original tranny? if it is, i would try to work em down on the price quite a bit. i paid $2600 for my 89 and its in awesome condition. (although it does have 169K miles.) good luck to you tho.

 

I have a 90 GXE with 176K. Similar situation, I know the history of the car since it was new. Basically in the family since about 70K. Interior and body immaculate (pearl white w/ burgundy interior- not my choice, but hey, mine was free, so..) It's in the shop now for a rebuilt tranny ($1600)and it needs the studs replaced and struts all around. Other than that, I'm pretty confident that it will go another 50-100K without too much trouble. So, if you figure all that in, I'll really have paid about $2K for it. I'm with maximum, though- beware of the tranny, and if you can talk him down, I would. Still, 98K is practically brand new if it's been taken care of..

 

I agree with Nismomaxt, you should try to get him to drop the price. Yeah it has great mileage, but it is 13 yrs. old. Leave yourself money for things that may go wrong or to fix her up.

 

I have to agree with snowman.at 13 years the tranny in my maxima was rebuilt, and once my '89 hit 14yrs, some parts started to self destruct, like the power steering pump.

 

My 90 SE is still driven daily back and forth from work plus around town. Not driven as much as before since it is now a third car, but it still runs great.

I've gone through the usual brakes, mufflers, pipes, 1 cat convertor, axles, timing belt replacements (along with water pump, therm., belts, tensioner at the same time), hoses, starter, alternator. Nothing ever broke that left me stranded anywhere though.

I've always replaced the oil, filter, coolant at regular intervals. Still have original struts, injectors, wheel bearings, engine internals, etc. An occasional lifter tapping at startup for a couple of seconds, but not always.

Being in upstate NY has taken it's toll on the body the past few years (heavy salt use), but I still haven't painted it or anything. If anything, check for heavy corrosion at the left rear wheelwell area, behind the fuel filler neck. Can rust through into the seat belt attachment point from winter salt/ice buildup behind filler protector.

But, it is a 14 year old car, things will break and wear out so don't be surprised if something goes!

Always get a car of this age at the lowest possible price. A little negotiating won't hurt.

Tim

 

My 90 gxe only started giving me probs after I modded it. I bought it at 117k, modded at 170k (look at sig) and then within the next 2 oil changes the tranny started acting up. Miraculously the tranny has held up to now at 181k, but here's a small list of what went wrong since I've had the car:

- Auto rebuild needed
- Window regulators (fixed myself)
- Alternator (replaced 30k miles ago or so)
- Power Antenna doesn't go down all the way
- Console clock works on andd off
- Struts!!

Not bad at all considering the car's age and how hard I drive it. No fuel injector problems ever or exhaust stud issues yet. Just get scheduled maintenance done (flush the tranny!), and oil changes every 3-4,000 miles. If you like to drive hard save up for a rebuild.

 

Well it seems the car was sold out from under me...

There was some miscommunication - seems there was two offers
at $3500 - the seller called me and told me to make a higher
offer, I told him that I'd get back to him, and when I did,
he stated that someone came along and offered the $3900.

I told him that I was calling to offer the $3900 he wanted
(which I told him I'd do in the first place because I didn't
want to loose out on the car).

Oh well... ya snooze, ya lose!

Thanks for the replies guys... guess fate has a better Max
in store for me!

Scott

 

sorry to hear that. im sure there is another max out there just waiting for you to find it.