ngthing

Took the car in for a routine check up, the shop said the distributor was going...should b e about $600 to fix, we replaced all the fuel injectors last year for about $1,500.I know the 3rd gen trannys aren't any good so that's another $3,000?

I might be looking at a 4th or 5th gen max or a new car..not sure how much those go for and the mileage..and I'm going to take a look how much the car is worth now.

What are you guys thoughts on this?

Jon91SE

Just let me know what your selling and for how much


Well if you think the car is going to total itself in the near future then mabye it would be in your best interest to look at something newer, i have had alot go on my 3rd gen but i have kept it around and i plan on driving it until its dead, as long as your next car is a max your ok in my book

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

You've done a lot to your car in a short time, I wouldn't want to go and sell it now, but I see the repair thing you are talking about too... If anything else big breaks in my car I probably won't fix it, since I did the tranny allready and some other crap, more then 2 grand invested just on repairs, which is like a 1/3 of what I paid for the car.
I am looking to upgrade myself, hopefully a nice, low milage 4th gen by the end of summer...

I think you should make sure you have the right funds for another max, some of the mods are transferrable to a 4th gen, some aren't, you can sell those.. I think the general price for a 95-96 Maxima w/ about 70k miles, is around 8-9 grand, depends on what it has, I've also seen fully loaded 95s with around 90k miles for 8 grand from private sellers...
If I'd have the $$, I'd go for it.. 3rd gens are getting a bit outdated, to me.

ngthing

lol. we'll talk if something happens.

I do like my 3rd gen..and I'm pissed b/c I just got all my crap for it..speakers, tint, body kit, etc, etc...those aren't that big of a deal since I can sell them...the WORK that I put into it pisses me off...wiring..remote start..custom work..blah..

I kind of want an Audi or an Acura but I am still not sure...the newer Maximas are ugly..4th gen are nice though and 3rd gen rule

What kind of problems plague the 3rd gen, and how much does it cost to fix them?

Jon91SE

what kind of price range are you in? im not too fond of the late audi's and those late acuras arent too reliable from what ive seen, i think you should just get a newer 3rd gen, how cool would it be to get like a 94 SE 5 speed tripple black.... now thats perfection

and i would rather get a fully loaded 3rd gen then a bone stock 4th gen with nothing in it......

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

*drools* Triple black 94 SE 5spd *drools*


just get another third gen! thats what i'll do when my car craps out which should be a long time from now. i could dump alot into my car right now for repairs though:

new water pump: $75 or $300, depending on if i wanna mess with all that!

new axles: probably $300 or so, shoulda fixed the darn cv boots a long time ago! and that clicking sure is embarrasing

new tires: $100

alignment/installation of camber kit: $100 or so

i need the water pump pretty bad, and i'll probably coax my dad into doing the labor for me..hehe. maybe i'll get some graduation money and get the axles taken care of? and who needs tires!? lol. i should be in good shape come summertime.

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

why not get a rebuilt one for $1500?? after the rebuild, just maintain your ATF changing interval, add a cooler and watch for leaks and you'll be fine! I know it sucks sometimes cause these cars put us through hell, but usually once you get things fixed RIGHT they don't break again unless you forget about it. Personally if I had put all the mods on that you have, I'd have no probs putting out $1,500 to get my tranny replaced because obviously you love the car and as long as I get a warranty on it, I'm staright!! Plus me personally I'm not touching another set of car payments until I get out of college, I already struggled to pay of this SOB and I'll be damned if I start over again. think about it before you just throw that Max out

Jon91SE

Hey DA-MAX what are you going to do when your psychotic horse breaks a leg?

ngthing

not really sure, something reasonable. a 94 would be nice but my 92 right now is nice engouh for me

we're looking at the new audi or new acuras, but we don't know..my mom is at least. my dad wants to get a hyundai b/c it has a 10year warrenty ;p

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

Since you owned it since it was new... I'd probably keep it if I was you. First of all, you allready have a ton of $$$ dumped into it, you know it wasn't beaten on and know how it's been treated from day 1. You said you replaced the fuel injectors allready, probably other things through the years.. A transmission rebuilt will cost you 1,200-2,000$ at most..... I paid 1,300$ for my tranny rebuilt, along with a few small maintenance things.. If you rebuild the tranny, you will be set for a while, like DA-MAX said, add a tranny cooler...

It would be a different story if you bought it used, like I and many people here bought ours, most people don't sell cars without reasons, such as repairs or something being wrong with them... You always have risks with used cars, so who knows, maybe the previous owner of my car used to off-road and carry horse **** in it. If I was to buy my car new, i'd probably hold on to it, until I can get another new car I really really like....

Also, how much miles do you have on your max? just interested... looks like i have injector problems as well.

ngthing

Good point, I'm going to discuss it with my parents on Wed. The car has just over 101k on it.

thebull

i think your max is lookin really good. i wouldnt sell it unless you had to. in my opinion the 3rd gens and the 97-98 maximas look the nicest...especially after they have the stillen body kit added on. the way i look at it is, if you invested alot in the car on mods your takin a big loss in $$$ anyways. your not gonna get back anywhere near what you spent on it. if you sell the max with everything on it, your gonna get less for it if you trade it in than if it had no mods. if your lucky enough to find someone looking for a max that has mods you may get a little more than if it was bone stock, but i doubt it. your gonna end up loosin cash anyway you look at it, so you can just spend it on fixing the tranny. if you really want a new car sell it and take the loss.

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

aww man that thing is a DAMN BABY!!

DA-MAX

iTrader: (10)

I just get a replacement from Horseparts.com, shipping is a ***** but noting is too much for my good 'ole horsey! it takes a lot of patience to run 13's on a horse I'm planning on using adjustable Konis this season now that thye make replacments!

dmontzsta

iTrader: (8)

Just keep it.My car is creeping on 200,000 miles and still fast as hell.I will run until it dies then put in another motor and run it until it dies again.

ngthing

I wish it was that easy...we'll see I guess. I think I'm going for show now more than for go...even though I keep telling myself, "performance parts give you better gas mileage if you don't speed"...arrg

speaking of better MPG..what would the following do MPG wise each?:

y-pipe
cai
pop chager (if i sell my cai)

KraZel

I was in the same situation....was getting tired of all the repairs....scared as hell about the tranny going on me....but u know what F*** it! I love my damn max!!! I am just going to keep it if it breaks fix it.... I already invested about 2,000 in repairs in it and only had it for 3years. so when i do get a new car (98 max)i am just going to keep my 89 max to beat it up. You know Maxes dont die just multiply...165,000mile runnin strong baby

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

Wow, you must be the highest milage VE I've seen on this board so far! Not bad! This boosts my confidence in my car, if only it was a 5spd

BlackMaxGoddess

Any thoughts on the likelihood of my '94's tranny being dead soon? My car is in great shape, but the posts on here are making me nervous. I'm wondering if I should be saving up some money. And does anyone know where I can get great 3rd gen wheels and tires for fairly cheap. I kind of like the stock ones, but I gotta start mods somewhere! Any thoughts on where to begin? Thanks!

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

many factors determine how long your tranny will last, like mileage, and how hard you are on your car. how many miles do you have? you'll definitly know it when your tranny is about to go. i wouldnt be saving up money if i were you. however, i would invest in a tranny cooler. they are available from most parts stores and usually run anywhere from $30-60. a tranny cooler will dramatically improve tranny life.

ngthing

well...my parents decidedt o sell the max. i was not happy about this...so i gathered the $600 necessary to fix my distributor, so now the max is MINE

i installed my cai too I was so pleased

shi89max

Im getting tired of my max too, soo many things i need to get fixed just so that its running close to normal, The car was my moms before she gave it to me, and she had since it was brand new.its allready been through like 4 clutchs, not to mention the other things that have been fixed!! I wanna a a 94 se 5sdp, or a 95 se 5spd, what would you guys do?

KraZel

well the max is an old car but it is very reliable! I mean i have a 89 Slow Max also but it is much faster ther ne other 89 car out there and in much better shape. If u wanna get a 94 or 95 u may have problems wit those down the line also plus u will have car payments and your insurance will go up and then u are really going to be PooR. So what do u have to do to get it to run normal? Put Like $1,500 in it? Thats better then 36 or 60 months of payments......my .02cents

BlackMaxGoddess

I've got about 115,000 on my car. I don't treat it too rough. How does the transmission cooler help extend the life? I am just starting to learn about my car so I may sound dumb, just bear with me.

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

it keeps the the transmission from getting too hot....greatly increasing the life of the transmission. believe it or not but during just normal driving the tranny can get incredibly hot, this isnt good for it. so basically the cooler just cools the tranny, in turn, making it last longer.