Ok, I recently got a 93 maxima GXE. But now I just found a guy selling a 93 5 spd SE with 118k. There are alot of little problems with the car, but that i can deal with. The biggest problem about the car is the VTC ticking, which has already started. The owner says taht it goes away right after it warms up, but how long can I drive this car with the ticking. I am a broke *** college student and I really can't dish out 1200 to fix the VTC's.

basically, Im asking how long b4 it gets real bad?
Should I get the dayam thng?

The guy is asking for $2000 but I think I can probably get it cheaper.

 

I'm pretty sure it's ok to drive with the ticking VTCs, you can even disable them but you lost some horsepower.

 

mine tick like crazy but all you have to do is turn up your radio a bit and the sound is gone! They won't hurt your car. fix them if you like, or ground them or just turn up the tunes or get a lound exhaust system that works too.

 

I bought my car from my brother and he said it started getting ticking VTCs at around 110k. It has 146k on it now and I can still get it up to 140 mph. Mine tick like a ****, too. Just ask MrGone, he's heard them in person.

I would say if you like the 3rd gen body style the best, absolutely buy it. The 5-speed VE is the most sought after 3rd gen and they are somewhat hard to come by.

But, it's your money and your decision on how aggravating the VTC will be to you.

 

if ticking VTC's are its worst problem then I dont see why not.

just ground them if you get annoyed with them and sell your GXE to try and come out even.

Heck maybe even try to get him to knock the price down some more, it never hurts to try.

 

if you can fix all the little stuff then yes dont let the vtcs stop you buy it now damet. it will be so much faster and more fun to drive than your gxe

 

just have nissan rebuild them. the kits like 30 bucks a pop and they charged me 125 to rebuild. however all the labor you would have to do yourself. now that ive done them (and screwed them up) in hindsight it wasnt that bad...

 

VE Powahh!!!

gowirelessnj,
Tell me a little more about this rebuild. You paid $60 bucks for the kit, $125 for them to rebuild the VTC's (both of them) and you installed them yourself? How hard was the install? I'm no mechanic, but I'm learning and my next door neighbor is a mechanic for American Airlines and also does auto repair work for two small dealerships in our area, at his house.

 

hell i didnt even read this thread, its almost the same as whats happening with mine.

 

It's really not that bad, Your neighbor could probably do the rebuild on them since he most likely has a press, just make sure he gets the directions. Also gowirelessnj installed them himself, but his cam was turned (most likely when he was either unbolting them or torqueing them down), so after he got everything installed his valves hit the pistons when he went to crank his motor over and it broke a bunch of his roller rockers.

 

He fotgot the broken rule.
Measure twice cut once
or in his case Verify correct positioning 4 times before 1 crank

 

so how much would it cost for me to take it to a nissan dealer and have them do it. the car im gonna get (hopefully) is a 92 SE 5spd with leather and the vtc sound is loud whenever the car is first started. then it goes away. im not a ve dude so i dont know if this is a VTC symptom.

 

But I've cut it three times and it's STILL to short!

 

OY VEY EZMEER

 

The VTC problem is really a problem. The car will drive for along time without fixing them. There are several good writeups about grounding them (which silences them) or you can just leave them tick.

How's the rest of the car? Well kept? Rust? Exhaust manifold noise? Stereo still work? Windows work? Power steering pump squealing? Windsheild wipers work? A/C work? Check the rear disc brakes to make sure the calipers aren't frozen.

If it checks out, offer the guy $1500-1750. $2K is still a pretty good deal. I paid $1500 in Feb for my 92 SE 5spd when I got it w/129K on the dial. I've got about another $1K into it with mods and repairs. The repairs total maybe $400 and include windsheild wiper rod and pivot, all 4 window regulators, all 12 manifold studs, RR caliper and power steering pump. Of course I did all the work myself for that kind of money.

If you want performance, dump the GXE and get the SE. Go For IT!

 

man i hope i remember how to drive stick, its been like two years. im gonna go test drive the se tomorrow. the dude said 1700, but if i can talk him down to 1500. its has 170k so ill have to see. i have no real options but i think im gonna have to take out a loan for it.

 

The BOSE CD player doesn't work, rear windows dunt go down. Power locks don't always work. THe guys says sometimes it does, sometimes it don't. Rear quater panel got dent do to a bus hitting it. 1 side of the spoiler is detached cause someone was trying to rip it off and no leather.

But I've decided to not get it. I can't afford to spend money and the technical know-how to maintain the vehicle myself.

but you guys almost had me getting it. I was pulling my hair out on deciding.

 

sounds like it was in crap condition, i wouldnt want any body damage, and no leather is a big bummer too.

 

sounds like it could be a pretty good parts car.

 

sounds like a $500 car to me. so long as it runs and shifts good.

 

yeah definitly under a grand with body damage would have been a nice fast beater though since all the problems besides the body damage could of been fixed for under 200$

 

the se i am desperately tryin everything to do has leather, wood dash kit, the body is in good condition, the paint is a little dulled and its white, but im only gonna go and paint it black. he said 1700 which seems reasonable since i paid 2500 my GXE. it looks pretty pimp, the bose all works which is good. all the windows work, sunroof, leather, i havent driven it yet, but im planning on doin it when it quits raining. it looks pimp but it has the older style wheels on it, but whatever.

 

oh yeah, definetly under a grand for that car, sound like there are too many problems with it to be over a g. id still say go ahead and get it, coz i mean its a se 5spd with a ve.

 

Ok man, this is some vital information you should have put in the first thread, if you wanted to know if the car was worth the money. You might not have recieved so many "yeah man, I would jump all over that". Also, how big is this dent, if it a bus hit it???

 

I didn't see it, he said that it was just the rear quarter panel, but the light weren't hit or anything, but Iwould assume its a pretty big dent.

 

so i went and test drove that car, feels like there is definetly something wrong with the engine. whenever it accelerates there is a nasty shake. its got a real rough idle when in gear. So along with the vtcs and thosei wont be gettin it. i dont hve the money to fix that kind of thing. i can barely afford to keep mine goin.

but i was thinking about it, if i can find another SE, with either ve/vg, and its a 5 speed, im gettin it.

 

If your a broke college student why do you want to buy a car you already know has problem? If it is already falling apart how is it going to be in 6months. Never buy a car with an engine problem unless you can afford to put another one in

 

Part of being a broke a** college student is trying to get the most fun for a buck, but if money is tight, I'd stick with the GXE until you have some time and money for a different car-just in case the newly aquirred car has some defects hidden. Of course this doesn't keep me from admiring some awesome Ebay Maxima deals, like a recent auction for a 92 SE five speed, 120K, gold paint, cloth, no radio and I think it sold for 1500 dollars in Pennslyvania. Wish I had the money for it

 

They usually don't by now....

This will happen to all 4 windows eventually unless the fronts have been fixed already.

Sounds like a loose solder joint. I think this is also covered on one of Craig Brace's pages.

Okay, that's REALLY dropped the price. Body damage, rust REALLY eats into the price of a car. You'd be surprised how much people will pay for a car that runs like crap as long as it looks good or has fancy wheels. But it could run like a bat out of hell and if it has a couple of spots of rust or a wrinkle here and there they won't pay squat for it.

Probably wasn't being torn off, it's probably just lifting away from the body. Again, this is something that's addressed on one of the many Max how-to pages. Seems to be becoming a fairly common problem with these 10-12 year old cars.

Call me crazy, but to me that's a bonus. Sure Leather looks good and feels nice in moderate weather, but when the southern sun comes out to play the smell of frying bacon on leather is in the air! Even the Michigan sun was able to do that on my old MGB roadsters. And leater doesn't breathe as well as fabric or grip as well as fabric (corners are put there so you can attempt to reach 1G).

Probably not a bad idea if your GXE doesn't have any of the SE's problems. But you might want to post the contact info for the car so someone else here can look at it and buy it. Possibly someone looking to do a SE Auto to 5spd conversion?

 

im actually starting to make pretty good money with my new job, i have school paid for next semester, i think im gonna put the complete warpspeed setup on my car. and get my car up to emmisions, then i gonna save up for another max. the one im driving now is technically my moms, and since my lil bro is almost at that age, hes gonna end up with that in a little while. by the time he starts driving, ill be driving a 5th gen maybe. or ill jsut have the money for a bad a$$ VE SE 5spd.


aaah Wishful THinkin

 

I know this was a little back in the thread but on the 20th i'm gettin an 89 se w/ 240,000 miles on it. how far gone are the VTC's and how do I ground these?

 

only 92-94's have VTC's

 

yeah that se is gonna be the one with the vg. thats pretty high mileage, does it have a stick or an auto? the vg will last over 300000 miles especially with the stick.

i think im gonna start looking for a 89-91 se 5spd, the vg is still a fun engine but i want the handling of an se. my gxe rolls too much in the corners

 

Personally, I wouldn't buy an se if I could find a GXE in similar condition..sure the VEs have more power, but most tend to develop many small problems that add up..plus, the SE trim package is ugly..to suit my personal tastes, I would have to put in black guage faces, a new trunk lid without a spoiler, a GXE grille, chrome window trim, body color mirrors, and if possible, the doors and keyless entry keypad system off a GXE..

I'm going to do a 5 spd swap on my GXE, because I really don't like the "spongy" maxima auto tranny shifting.

If I were to wreck my max, I'd buy another GXE that didn't have the couple of permenent weaknesses that mine has (it was wrecked once while my uncle still had it and never handled the same after it was fixed) and use my mods off this one on it..

 

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