Allright guys I'm conidering buying this used Maxima, and this is what the description looks like in the classifieds

'97 GLE 90k miles, auto, black, alarm, tinted windows, alloys, gold package?? for $8250

According to NADA the tradein value is 10,000 and according to edmumds it's 8,000

The owner hasn't had the timing belt changed yet though.

Do you guys think I should go for it, I haven't test driven it as it's 200miles away from where I live, so I wana be sure that I like it before I go and check it out.

I was also thinking of getting the local Nissan dealer to do an inspection of some sort or another and use that as a bargaining tool.

Any advise or tips would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

when puchasing a used car i like to know how many owners the car had.
since the car is only about 5 years old i'd hope for the original owner. maintenance records would be great. it's a max and as such does not have a timing belt. the 90k miles is on the high side of average.you definitely want to have a mechanic look at this vehicle as 8250 is a good amount of money. my own prejudice is towards a lower mileage car but if it all looks good and has been well maitained
then you should try to pay tradein value or below. no car dealership will give him that amount with the glut of used cars presently available. when you do purchase a used car you should investigate a warranty on the net by warrantygold or warranty bynet. it should protect your used car purchase

 

There has only been one owner, autocheck:

03/13/97 NJ 25 miles MOTOR VEHICLE DEPT. TITLE
03/14/98 NJ 14,759 miles INDEPENDENT INSPECTION/THEFT DETERRENT EQUIP
07/15/02 NJ MOTOR VEHICLE DEPT. REGISTRATION EVENT/RENEWAL

Apparently The woman who owns the car dsoen't know much about it's maintainance and just keeps ranting the same sentece "New brakes and new tires and tune up with platnium plugs"

Can someone give me a link to the mystery of no timing belt? I have been under the assumption that is one of the most important things to check in a used car.

Would calling a dealer in the local area, and giving them the car info let me know what they would pay for the trade in?

 

The VQ engine uses a chain not a belt.

No maintenance is required.

 

Since it's not a belt, it is not subject to the stretching/fraying/wear that a piece of rubber undergoes. The chain is composed of metal - should last forever (roughly speaking).

 

Then is there any thing in particular thing I should be on the lookout for?

Oh yeah, and the auto waranty companies don't provide waranty for cars with >70k miles, any one know of one that does?

 

it doesn't seem like the car has been "meticulously" maintained.
i'd imagine things like the unconventional fluids like atf and coolant haven't been changed. also i'd bet belts and hoses are straight from the factory. i read an article that stated 50% of the cars that get stuck are due to lack of basic maintenance such as belts and hoses. if you did buy this car i'd venture to say you'd have to put a few hundred dollars into catching up on the maintenance.
factor this into the price. i checked www.warrantygold.com and saw that an instant quote was not available but that you should call one of their agents.

 

yeahh, that's because they don't provide a waranty for cars >70k milkes, if you put in a # <70k it gives you a quote

As for belts and hoses, apparently, regardless of what car it is after about 5 all rubber starts to crack dry up etc, as rubber is rubber. Which basically means I'll have to look into replacing them.

 

Alternator. Theres a recall going on because of fires caused by the alternators in 97 Maxes. That's free of charge at a dealer tho.

 

I'd call the local Nissan dealership in that area, and find out how much it would cost to bring it in for an inspection. Have then do diagnostics on it, since the owner won't like you breaking the seal on the ECU I'd recommend having a mechanic do a full inspection on any used car before spending thousands of dollars.

Do you really want an auto? Unless that's what you want, I would hold out for a 5spd. They're worth it!

-Sryth...
__________________________________________________ ____________________________
'98 SE 5spd, Pebble Beige, PRCAI, Stillen Y, Stillen FSTB, ACT clutch.
Pacesetter STS to be installed this week!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sryth
[B]
Do you really want an auto? Unless that's what you want, I would hold out for a 5spd. They're worth it!

-Sryth...
[u]

Care to elaborate on what the ECU seal is? Yeah, I definately intend to get the car inspected before scoffing up $8k. My 5-speed '91 Celica just got totalled, so this time over I want big roomy automatic car, easier on me in traffic.

 

By seal, I mean the tape over the diagnostics switch that you'll have to break to pull any codes. Nissan will just connect their machine to the OBD-II plug.

You had a good idea using Nissan's inspection as a bargaining tool. If Nissan says you need all kinds of stuff, it may lead to some money shaved off of the price. Good luck!

I hear what you're sayin' about traffic. I just installed an ACT clutch, and damn it sucks in traffic. I would never trade my 5spd, though.

-Sryth...
__________________________________________________ ____________________________
'98 SE 5spd, Pebble Beige, PRCAI, Stillen Y, Stillen FSTB, ACT clutch.
Pacesetter STS to be installed this week!