Kolyan

It's a '98 SE, 5-speed, 52K miles, fully loaded (don't know about ABS), great condition, super clean carfax report, for $13,900. dealer said he will not drop the price by much. what do u think such a car worth?

RSA_MAX

good deal

95emeraldgxe

pretty good price, try to deal it down to 12500

Jr'sMaxima

Not bad....$13,000 flat would be good for that car. I just got my 99 SE-L loaded with 30k for $14,000, from a dealer also, so you might be able to go lower but thats not bad.

Just when you get the extended warrenty, make sure you get it from THE DAY YOU GET THE CAR!!!! Not the inservice date of the car, some places will try and screw you like that.

Dev

iTrader: (5)

that deal's not bad.
i got my 99 5spd for $14000 as well.
it was in great condition, only 33k miles on it, but not fully loaded.

so you're car has more miles, but more options too, i think its worth it.

mine doens't have leather, sunroof, or spoiler, but it DOES have VLSD and the cold package

97blackSE

iTrader: (1)

Well, for a reference, i got my maxima for 9000 flat, and it is a 1997 se 5spd, black with tan leather, sunroof, bose, the 16'' alloys and had 68k on the odometer..if that helps you out any...i find that looking on www.autotrader.com and www.cars.com is a good place to start, i got mine off of autotrader...

billy_corgan

I would've bought it. I picked my 99 SE 5-speed with 30k mi. for $15,000 2 weeks ago. My car booked at $16,600. I'd say if you're at least $1500 below book, then you got yourself a good deal.

Dev

iTrader: (5)

me too

billy_corgan

me three

95_SE_5spd

Found mine on yahoo autos and only got price down $400 from B.B. Couldn't find anything wrong :|

But I guess that's good

97blackSE

iTrader: (1)

i got mine for like 1500 or so below b.b.

kratz74

Seems pricey to me. I got my 99 SEL NEW for $20,000. Figure 1500-2000 deprec per year and you should be at no more than $13000. Remember in a month this body style will be 2 models old already and start to REALLY depreciate.

Kolyan

I looked at the car today... Really good condition inside, but: engine needs belts replaced, the car has ugly after-market rear lights, and it also has cheap, ugly after-market wood dashboard kit. I asked dealer to replace everything with stock and possibly drop the price by alittle, the dealer refused to negotiate. The $13,900 is the price from edmunds.com "custom appraisal", excelent condition.

dental stud

Pass. You can do better. My '99 is for sale for $11,490 with lots of performance mods or under $11K if you want it stock. It does have 84K miles, however, but is a year newer and in near-perfect condition.

Kolyan

I am looking for no more then 55K or so...and i don't feel right buying a modded car. I am sure i can find a better deal but WHEN is the question.

Jr'sMaxima

keep looking, youll find it, just adjust the miles up a bit, you might have to drive a tad to get it but you will eventuallly find it.

99Maxima5sp

Yeah keep looking, i think the best place is Autotrader, saw mine on there, went to see it at 11AM and walked outta the dealer at 6pm with the kets in my hand and a very happy man

Eric

slop00

iTrader: (1)

I got my 99 SE 5 speed BLACK ON BLACK with 50K on it, fully loaded with every option available for $12,700 with a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty. Guess I was just lucky, I had to look for like 2 months, but I am so glad I held out until I found exactly the one I wanted. Keep looking and wait until you are satisfied with what you find.

Max-2-GTR

What?!? Are you guys talking about US $$ ?? Here in Canada, the highest price I've seen for a 98 max is like Can$ 16K!! And that's about US $ 10k. I bought my 95 for Can $ 7k = US$ 4375. I know I got a gd on mine but 14 k for a 98 is a bit high in my opinion...

Pearl96Max

iTrader: (151)

I may have one for ya, email me.

--Don

MyPearlTPI@aol.com

Kolyan

Spoke to a dealer again (another guy this time), and he told me that they will negotiate with me...so i am thinking if i get everything back to stock and maybe drop the price to $13,500....i might get it. i just have one qustion to ask: how hard is it to remove after-market wood dashboard kit?

99Maxima5sp

their will be alot of glue residue so ive read, i heard its a b!tch


eric

Kolyan

well, then the dealer better do it for me. they got 3 maximas there to work with.

chris j vurnis

Be prepared to spend a bit more for a 5-speed. If you've already told the seller that you are "really wanting a 5-speed", they know they got you because there just aren't that many Maximas out there with 5-speeds. Less than 10% were made with 5-speeds.

If it is a 5-speed AND is has the colors or features you want, you may be waiting a while to find another like it.

Kolyan

yeah, u are right....but i already told the dealer that i want only 5-speed

MistaPeerez

i feel to shame now with these deals i got my 99 automatic with 16" alloy, bose system, 92,000 on the odometers, everything is stock when we bought it..and got it for 12,000..oh yeah and a sun roof...

99Maxima5sp

wow...paid a pretty penny for that one... 2 grand more than i paid and 26Kmiles more.


Oh yeah, did you get the 5yr/100K warranty??

eric

Big_Ham

iTrader: (1)

Well, there are two factors at work when you are buying a used car. One is how much the dealer paid for it and the other is how many days it has been on the lot.

Let's do the days on lot and how you can use it to your advantage. Once you are VERY interested in a car, ask them how long it has been on the lot. They will tell you 24 hours most likely, but ask them to see the paperwork that states when it came in. Not all dealers will show this to you, but if you are a serious buyer, they should let you see it. If it is more than 30 days, you have the upper hand. It starts to cost them money to keep the car after 30 days and they will be more motivated to sell to you. Not that you can get a huge discount, but it will work in your favor.

Now, for how much they paid for it. Go to Edmunds and do a full customized appraisal on the car. Get a carfax. Take it somewhere to have it inspected for problems. Once you are completely satisfied it is time to talk real numbers. The first number Edmunds spits out is the trade in value. This is likely how much they paid for the vehicle if not less. NO DEALER IS GOING TO PAY MORE THAN THAT FOR ANY CAR. If they say they did, it's because they worked some of the car into the purchase price of the new car it was traded in on. Then look at the private party value. That's about what you should pay from a dealer. The dealer price listed on Edmunds is OUTRAGEOUS and I would never pay that price unless they are giving you something special with it like an extended warranty or it's a certified vehicle.

Anyway, you will probably not be able to get them under the private party value - if at all - but you should be able to come close. Basically you outline it to them like this - "If I buy this car for this number (pointing to private party number, or better yet, pick a number lower than private party value), I know you didn't pay more than this number (pointing at trade-in number) so you will make at least x dollars (probably something close to $1000). So you can sell this car to me now and make x dollars or you can wait another 30 days for some sucker to walk in and pay your outrageous price."

I'm not guaranteeing this will work, but it just might. Car dealers are about volume more than they are about profit. That's not to say profit doesn't work into it at all, but volume is definitely more important.

The most important lessons here: do your research and stick to your guns. Walk out of the dealer as many times as you have to to get your price and be happy with it. Be realistic in your prices and go to as many dealers as you can with similar cars. They are out to screw you as bad as they can, so make sure you stick it to them. I've been WAY too cordial to WAY too many dealers, but now I'm just as straightforward with them as is humanly possible and I dominate conversation. They may not like you as a person, but they'll be fine because they'll be making money in the long run.

Sorry this was so long, and it may not work for everyone, but it's the best way to go about it to get yourself the best deal possible.

Kolyan

I will be seeing the dealer at 8:00AM and will be talking numbers. But as far as getting the price down.......My friend is trying to get GS-R and he went to many Acura dealers and none of them wanna give him a good deal even though he walked away (only $200-$300 below the retail price)

Big_Ham

iTrader: (1)

Like I said, it doesn't work out all the time ... especially when demand is great. However, I don't think dealers see the demand for the 5 speed Maxima like they do for the GSR. I could be wrong, but like I also said - it's always a good place to start and let them meet you in the middle (even if it is a lot more towards their "middle" then yours).