91 SE

Hi all. I am looking to buy my first car (i've had a boring Camry hand-me-down before) and I can only afford a Maxima with high mileage, but I want a Maxima because I know it rocks. I'm thinking about buying a 91 Maxima SE auto with about 100k miles. I want to know whether this is a bad idea. Will it cost me a lot of money to pay for things that will break? I've heard that Maxima transmissions have to be replace d at about 120k miles. Is this true? I'd appreciate it if people will tell me what they thought of buying a Maxima with 100k miles. Is it reliable? Can I expect to not have to shovel money into the car? I don't want a money pit. I'ma starving student. Please advise. Thanks a lot!

Kenny's89SE

whenever you buy a older car with higher miles on it you will have to replace and repair some things unless they were already taken care of....now i have an 89 SE auto with 117,500 miles on it and i have probably put close to $3,000 into it....cv axles, transmission, motor mounts, valve cover caskets, window regulator, rack and pinion assembly, and other little things...over time this **** adds up...maxima's are expensive cars, but fun to have.

davis4005

If you wan reliability get an 89-91 SE with a 5 speed. The VG engine lasts upwards of 200,000 miles

male

Just look it over real good for Motor mounts, ex. man. studs, CV axles, ball joints, tie rods..usual stuff. Also check the state of tune (plugs wires, cap/rotor) and oil condition/level..can tell alot about how well it was maintained.

Tom

Maximas are generally pretty reliable cars. I have a 141K miles on my car now and aside from normal wear and tear, there's only a few items I had to replace - exhaust manifold studs and an oil pressure switch.

My transmission works fine and I expect it will for awhile as it still shifts like it did at 65K miles when I got it (I do flush the transmission about every 20k to be on the safe side).

100K isn't bad actually. Find out about the the car's history. Less owners (1 is ideal) the better. Maintenance history if available - important.

sabotosh

My 89 SE is running strong w/225k miles, I wouldn't worry about these cars too much. Though I do have some problems (window regulators, bose, missing paint in some spots, etc.), there's nothing majorly wrong with the car. I've heard that the auto trans isn't as reliable as the manual but YMMV. If you can drive stick look around for a manual, it's fun Just be sure you have some money put away for repairs if you end up needing them (though this advice applies to any car purchase)

maxdout92se

i got mine with 90k on it and i now have about 145k....i'd have to say my car has been a blessing...only had to replace tires and i put my suspension on myself.....tranny is fairly new cause i had it replaced when i first got tha car free of charge....theres some warranty i bought from tha dealer i got it from and it included tranny replacement....anyhow, like everyone else said, maxima's are pretty danm good cars if they've been taken care of over the years!!