Guys, okay, I am looking to buy a VE to add to my collection of Maximas. Anyway, there is one about 2 hours from me for sale. The owner listed in in the sale section of the ORG. This is what he said:

"FS 93 SE 5 Speed (FL)
93 Maxima SE 5 speed - Red with black/grey
138K miles.
Original paint in good condition with some dings.
Interior is mint with Wet Okole Seat covers on the front seats.
Only non-stock items are the stereo - JVC AM/FM Cassette with 12 disk CD changer in the trunk and a really old car phone.

I bought the car in Oct '99 with 102K miles.
I'm the third owner.
The second owner was very meticulous with the car. I have all his receipts along with the original window sticker.
Since owning the car, I've used full synthetic in the motor (Amsoil and Mobil One). There is zero sludge/carbon on the heads.

Work on the car from most to least recent is as follows:
4/2002 - Injectors cleaned
4/2002 - New VTC sprockets
9/2001 - New tires - Yokohama Avid H4
6/2001 - New Antennae Mast, New pedal switches (brake and clutch)
7/2001 - New 02 Sensor, New Clutch Master cylinder
7/2001 - Tune-up - NGK plugs, air & fuel filter, new drivebelts
6/2001 - New outer CV boots
10/2000 - PS pump seals replaced
9/2000 - New front brake pads & rotors, Amsoil gear lube in tranny

Here's the bad news - After installing the new VTCs, the front chain, which appeared to be 'ok' at the time, has started to rattle when the car is cold. The car still runs and drives, but is lacking low end power. Cost for new chains and tensioners is ~$300. Labor estimate is 16 hours.

Needless to say, I've become a bit disenchanted with the car and have decided to move on to a low milage 4th gen Maxima. I'll be taking delivery of the 4th gen in 2-3 weeks.

The trade in value with full disclosure is $1500. That's the amount I am guaranteed to get for the car.

If you're interested in buying this car for the trade-in value (or more if there's multiple interested parties) contact me with an offer. I'd rather see it go to a Maxima enthusiast than to a car lot."

I e-mailed him to ask for a better explanation of the problems with it and he responded by stating,

"According to my mechanic, the chain on the front VTC has
stretched since the new VTC was installed. The car make
some rattling sounds until it's warmed up, then the sounds
go away. There is very little power in lower rpms, but
after 3500-4000 it takes off. It still runs fine and is
being driven back and forth to work every day.

New chains and tensioners (might as well do them all while
it's apart), are ~$300. The FSM recommends removing the
head to replace the chains. The estimated labor is 16
hours. My mechanic felt that the job could be done without
removing the chains therefore taking a less time and
costing less."

He also took some pics and they can be found HERE.

I am seriously considering buying this car cause the price is right. But, how difficult or expensive would it be to repair this car? Do you guys think that it is worth it?

C.D.

 

I'm unclear on what he wants for it, but if it's 1500 then hell yeah it's worth it. Even if the VTCs were shot and you put 2000 grand into the VTC's ontop of a 1500 dollars for the car it's still about 2 grand cheaper then what it should be priced at.

I'll sell you my VE for 6500.

 

Yeah, he wants 1500. As you can see from the pics, the car looks fairly nice.