I went and looked at a used 1990 Max SE Auto yesterday for my friend. They don't have much money. The guy was asking $3500/$3300 for the Max. It has 213,000 miles, but is bone stock, has had it's timing belt changed (once at around 70k mi and again at around 175k mi), and had it's shocks/struts changed around those times as well (first time was Monroes and the second time to KYB). The Bose system is busted (doesn't even turn on), and the car has two golf ball sized dents from when the car got hit on two different occasions at two different golf courses. The brakes were changed around 175,000 miles and they stop fine and don't pulse (rotors seem fine).

Two tires are good and the other two will need to be replaced by winter. He is the original owner, and claims to have changed the oil every 3000 to 5000 miles. The car is extremely clean in and out, and all the glass is fine. The seats are still good (the cushions don't feel worn out or anything) and there are no rips, tears, or wear marks. The car was garaged most of it's life.

I think I can get him to $3000, maybe $2800. Can I do better or does this seem like a decent deal?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

-V

btw, is it normal for the car to require heavy pedal pressure for the brakes during a panic stop? I drive a '97 and the brakes seem to be much more powerful...

hmm... that sounds like a lot of miles. I dunno what I'd pay for that car. Mabye $2500. I paid $6000 for mine and it has low miles and is in great condition.

i paid 600 for mine with 184,000 miles

I bought mine 4 years ago with 42k on it for $7500. Try to get him to $2750. ***** about the mileage.

paid $4200 for mine with 75,000 miles more than a year ago. I think I got good deal.

Three years ago.....
 

mine was $6k with 105k on the odo(my dad got the guy down from $7.5-8K), but like the other guys are saying I wouldn't pay more than $2500-2700 with that many miles on it and the possbility of some minor maintenece issues needing attention.

Mine was free my mom gave it to me !

I paid $4000 for my 92 SE it has mint black leather interior and 124000 Plus every option possible

I paid 2000 for mine....
 

I paid 2000 for mine at about 184K miles.... its at about 222K miles now and i've just run into a big maintanence loop. Just got the waterpump and timing chain done, plus 4 new tires, and the alternator. But its still in good condition running perfect as of now. Keep an oil change every 2500K tho

For my 91 Auto Max SE with black leather and all the options including ABS, with 115,000 miles, i paid $5500

$5000 for my Pearl White 90 SE 5-spd w/88k miles
$15000 for my SkyBlue 90 SE auto w/30k miles

$7995 for my current '94 GXE with 72,440 miles.

I got mine for $4000 with 92,000 miles. Ummmm one question, he didnt change his timing for 100k that car should of been dead by now. ur suppose to change the timin every 60k.

Good Deal
 

i paid $1600 for 89 with 175,000 on it runs great!

Some VG maxs had 90k timing belts or so I hear. But even if it was a 60k belt. Waiting until 100k does not guarantee a failure. It makes is alot more likey but in no way does it automatically mean it's gonna happen.

I got my loaded 92 gxe for $1,000 with 199,000 miles on it.
All it needs, is a fuel injector.

3 years ago I paid $9,500 for my 91 with 84K miles on it. (that's not including the loan interest that was tacked on :( )

I got my Max with 108k in October '99 for $4400. They were asking $5400, but the timing chain had NEVER been replaced and both lower ball joints were bad. Since then, I've replaced two window regulators, tires, the Bose head unit (still sucks), front struts, exhaust, alternator and am just finishing the brakes.

If you live somewhere that actually has seasons (i.e., snow), then your engine will most likely far outlive the body - as I am coming to realize. Once rust gets a hold of you, you can either Bondo it up (sacrilige to ANY car) or bite the bullet and have the offending member(s) replaced.

Pricing is subjective; dealers normally charge 1-3k more than you can get from the avg. private owner. Any true enthusiast will tell you that SE and 5-spd models will go higher than GXE's, etc. The bottom line: shop around, check the car top to bottom, and go with what makes you look good.
:-)

Actually it's not a timing chain.. it's a timing belt. The VE engines use a timing chain that doesn't have to be replaced regularly.

i paid..
 

i paid $4000 for mien with 130k miles..needed a few small thigns here and there but now i love my car!!!

I got my 92 for around $6500 with 64K miles on it.

Paid 2200 in ny for a 89 se w/ 145000, in good condition, needed some repairs, spend like 1500 on it (maintaince,repairs, goodies)
i love it though, worth the repairs. way better than the last car i had 90 honda accord (slow crap)
ur better off taking it to a mechanic u know. And dont pay more than 2500 for it, theres other max's for sale out there for a better price and milage

I technically paid $7K for my car 2 years ago with 125K, but the thing is I actually paid him $3500 and gave him a POS acura integra that was falling apart at the seams that he took for $3500 (approx REAL value = $1500).... Since then I have basically made the car new again because of the things breaking cuz the way I drive. New engine, tranny, brakes, tires, wheel bearings, CV's. etc. I think I got a good deal at the time because I didn't know any better to realize that the maxima I wanted was a VE stickshift, and who knows, I could be driving around some crummy GXE thinking I am cool when I go get my 17's at the track.

Thanks Everyone!!!
 

I got the car today... well kinda. We agreed on the price and stuff, and we're gonna meet on Friday at the DMV/AAA to do the title transfer.

Here's the specifics... 1990 SE Auto 213,000 miles. Timing belt has been changed twice, and will be due at 225,000 miles. Brakes are all good. Radiator has been changed. The struts were changed to Monroes all around around 100,000 miles and the front ones blew out and the guy changed the fronts to KYB. Two tires are good, and the other two will last at least till winter.

Here's a question. How do I fix the stereo? The guy told me he heard static from the passenger front speaker, looked over, saw smoke come out, then everything turned off. I tried changing the fuse, and it turned on, but then the static came back and I turned it off and pulled the fuse before it could pop again. He thought it was broken.

Also, I'll be needing new CV boots on both sides... suggestions on cost of getting that done or doing by myself? Also, the steering rack boot has a tear in it. The front main seal also needs to be replaced. Leaking oil on the ground. Was thinking if I have to take off the pulley, maybe should go for a underdrive pulley? If so, which is the cheapest underive for the 3rd gen? Finally, the passenger window looks loose in it's tracks... it goes up really slow because the back edge of it seems to be sticking causing the windwo to go up crooked... Any tips on fixing that? Thanks!

-V

4.5 k dollars for my 93 gxe with 130 k miles

GRM Challenge Car
 

I paid $800 plus the cost of a battery for my '91 SE. It has quite a few miles on it, all highway and is still on the orig. clutch. The car runs well and is fairly solid. Body is straight and rust free.

It has a broken drivers seat, and some minor rear end damage on the bumper from where the car rolled slowly into a tree. I am planning on making it a Grassroots Motorsports $2002 Challenge car.

http://www.grassrootsmotorsports.com/2002rules.html

I figure I can get the car pretty, tuned up and all the bolt ons, perhaps new struts and put it on the bottle for less than $2002. I am also going to try to put it on a diet... Try to strip off anything that isn't needed. Extra seats, sound proofing, etc. I figure it will be possible to get into the 14s in the 1/4 mile, autocross fairly well and with a really cool (free) paint job make it really stand out.

me.......
 

I paid 7,200$ for my 93 SE auto just over a year ago with 84k miles... At first I thought it was a good deal, compared to prices I saw for these cars on dealer lots, ranging anywhere from 7,500 to 10,000$. But estimating the cost of the car and the tranny I had to rebuilt like a month and a half after I got the car, it all came out to 8,400$ ...
Right now, I see 92-94 SEs with less then 120k going for 4,500-6,500.
I wouldn't pay more then 1,500$ truthfully for that car with 215k miles!! You can find the same car with nearly 2 times less miles for a price a bit more then that..

Re: me.......
 

I paid $6000 for mine a year ago next month with 75,000 miles. Then had to get a new tranny a month later, another $2500. At the time this was a good price for how much maxes were goin for in the Northern Virginia Area.

$3,000 for 1990 GXE Loaded w/108,000 Miles Automatic

Bad Deal:(

I paid $6500 for my 93 fully loaded GXE with 74k miles about a year ago. I haven't changed anything on my car...never even did a complete tuneup...car runs great AS-IS. Now I am replacing the springs and struts but that's voluntary. The tires also have to be replaced which is just normal maintenance.
I sold my POS 91 Chevy Cavalier Station Wagon to some dumba$$ for $950 and it fell apart on his way home..hahaha
I bought the car for $600 myself..hehe what a sucker he was.

Yeah...I love my Max. I might have to sell it though if I don't pay it off before I start college again in the Fall. Probly not though.

Hell yeah you did, depending on the year, I thought my deal was good... $4000 for 90 with 110k miles..

The car isnt worth more than a $1000, he is asking way too much. A car with 213K will be an incredibly hard sell for the guy, I suggest you wait it out a bit.

I bought my Maxima December of 2000, it was going for $8999, We talked him down to $7999 and with taxes it came out near $8300....When I bought it, had only 69,500 miles on it..but I only paid for $2000, mom bought the rest for a christmas gift... :D

Mine
 

I think I must have paid the most upfront so far. I bought my '92 GXE with 65,000 miles in 1997 for $9900. 4 years and 60,000 miles later, I think I did very well. Outside normal maintenance (two front tires, wiper blades, brakes, timing belt, tune-up, lots of oil changes, several tranny flushes), only parts that I had to replace were oil pressure switch, battery, one brake light bulb, and a front exhaust manifold.

Hey man, you don't have any pics of your car anywhere? It sounds nice..

$7300 + tax for a 93 SE w/ sunroof, heated mirrors, manual and 78k miles. that was last december. now, 4 stereo systems and $1k in body work later, the vtc's are ticking... i'm going to change the oil and pray for the best. by the way... new tires come tomorrow... i'm going to take some tire smoking shots. i think i paid a little on the high end because i bought it from a dealer (damn them_) but i'll have to agree- waiting a week brought even the dealer down $600 (no bargain policy) so if youre hot for the max, take a cold shower and pretend that youre not that interested... you could save a lot of money that's good for a stereo :-).

Paid $3800 ($5500 CDN) for my 93 SE w/ all options, 125k miles. I thought I got a pretty damn good deal, it's in near perfect condition mechanically and otherwise.

mine was $8600 last year at this time. i got a new exhaust with it and i think i paid a little less than the asking price. it had around 72k miles on it.

I have pictures, just not developed...I might go today and get that done...and the ones listed as "Summer Mods" are my projects, I have only done the tint and headunit installation...heheh, it's really nothing to brag about yet ;) Thanks though!

I paid $5100/w a bad clutch. Car is amlost perfect though.