Sup fellas....ive always been a honda guy but my civic was stolen and i want a bigger classier lookin car. I am lookin into a maxima, but unfortunately i dont know too much about this car.

Ok, to the point...i found a '97 SE bose, leather, with 63K for 12,700 ( automatic though . From what i have seen here in the NYC area, this seems to be a great price for this car.

I would like to know if there are any common problems with maxima i should worry about...also what about belts that need to be changed (at what milage and how much does it typically run)

When i started the car the "service-soon" warning light came on, im guessing this is the 60K service. What does this usually consist of aside from a tune-up

Please let me know anything about these questions, also if any of you guys have anything to add as far as what i should look for, i would greatly apreciate it.

Thanks

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Vteckidny
[I]Sup fellas....ive always been a honda guy but my civic was stolen and i want a bigger classier lookin car. I am lookin into a maxima, but unfortunately i dont know too much about this car.

Ok, to the point...i found a '97 SE bose, leather, with 63K for 12,700 ( automatic though . From what i have seen here in the NYC area, this seems to be a great price for this car.

I would like to know if there are any common problems with maxima i should worry about...also what about belts that need to be changed (at what milage and how much does it typically run)

When i started the car the "service-soon" warning light came on, im guessing this is the 60K service. What does this usually consist of aside from a tune-up

Please let me know anything about these questions, also if any of you guys have anything to add as far as what i should look for, i would greatly apreciate it.

$12,700 seems like a pretty good deal.As for problems on the max there usually are not many problems,My 95 Max which has 93K has had very few problems, heres what did brake though,22 sensors and my Clutch and thats about it.The Maxima has a timing chain rather then a belt so you never have to change it.

As for the service soon light, that is not good since it should never come on unless there is something broken on the car {in most cases}.Most comenly the service light comes on when there is a bad o2 sensor which needs replacement.So have it fixed before you buy the car.Good Luck

 

1. Change oil + Oil filter (use OEM filter unless you have a fav.
2. Change tranny fluid
3. Change spark plugs
4. Drain and refill radiator
5. Change Fuel filter (once again, get OEM)
6. If necessary, adjust throttle cable
You don't need to do a timing belt because it is a CHAIN.
If a check engine light is on or turns on sometime around the 60K it could mean that there is an O2 sensor that needs replacement... atleast mine did that at 58K
It sounds like a good price. As far as auto.. that's your personal preference whether you want to get that or 5.sp.
Quite a few people have done a valve body upgrade that speeds/smooths your shifting (on auto) and also increases performance.

 

You will be making a good choice with a max.I had a 92 civic lx before,with rims,aftermarket stereo,and all the bells and whistles...I liked that car very much but I was starting to have problems with it (170,000 miles)so I traded for a 95se (5sp)...Well my gf couldn't drive a 5sp so I decided to trade again,this time I bought my 97se (auto) and I love it. Twice as much room,sporty,fast,and family car with your insurance company....Hope you get...GOOD LUCK....Let me know!!!!!

 

dont take your max to a shop to do the 60thousand mile service, they will rape you. Ask stuff you dont know here and you will save a lot of cash. The only things to watch for are o2 sensors but it depends if you are gonna race a little. Its all good though, the maxima will last you forever.

 

i have a 5-spd 97SE, i love it, i love it, i love it! this is the best car you can get for the money. why pay 14-18g for a used Honda accord, when you can get a maxima for 2-3g less than the accords plus maxima come with 190hp! 15.1@91mph 1/4 mile time with just K$N and cat-back exhaust. here is some picture of my car. hope you make the right choice!

http://www.geocities.com/macdaddydu/Picture.html

 

Forgot to tell you this.Here what I found in my companys classified ads.... http://www.geocities.com/my2sell Kinda hi I think but something for you to compare too...Hope it helps..

 

thanks guys...im starting to feel like this is my second home now haha.

Hmm...now to find a new screen name....


well, i was under the impression that the "service soon" light simply meant that it was time for a basic tune-up and all hoses/belts needed to be changed. Not that the 02 sensor needs changing...if it is the o2 sensor is that an expensive job for this car?

Also..i was lookin into mods (basic bolt-ons).
I dont know what brands are considered to be "the best" in terms of quality and performance...from looking around i see that a lot of you guys have a Place Racing CAI, so im goin along with that....now what about an exhaust.
If it where a honda/acura the choice would be easy as far as brands go, but in my opinion i dont think maximas look nice with a 4 1/2" tip GReddy exhaust. I would like to go with something to keep the the classiness of this car. What would you recomend for a Cat-back that sounds 'nice'.

Thanks again guys

 

The o2 sensor is a manufacture recall and is replaced for free by a dealership, although this maybe only for the 95-96, someone else should reply with a more detailed response on that. I noticed that starters always seem to go at around 50k miles on a maxima, so see if that's been replaced. Also maxima's are notorious for their joltly automatic transmissions so if your price haggling accelerate regulary ( not like a race car driver ) and complain about the joltyness of the trasmission. If you actually get the auto you can counter this jolty transmission to make it run smoother.

The #1 name for maxima mods ( on this board ) seems to be stillen, and I noticed the first basic mods are always k&n air filter followed by a fstb, rstb ( not as much difference with this one), and underdrive pulley. Most on this board don't run rice with greddy, and it makes sense because a huge advantage over a acura/honda is noise. In a honda it's already so loud who cares about a big exhaust. Stillen body kit is about as common as wings west on hondas.

The main disadvantage over a honda is turning, anyone can drive a honda and look like a race car driver, but it takes some time and skill to master a bigger bulkier car like a maxima. Body roll/lean is a big complaint I noticed and many say that the fstb should be manufactor installed and I don't think I've ever heard of anyone be less than satisfied with it. Another advantage over honda is this message board is much more organized and easier to find valuable/useful information. purehonda.com it's like impossible to read and find useful information. Also most people who look into getting a maxima also look at the gs-r (more sportier, less luxury, same price), but bang for your buck a maxima is better, but a lot of people like to keep that as a summer sports car. The thing you'll miss most about your honda is the ease of turning (really fast that is ) and modifications in bulk quantity.

Also maxima's are safer than honda's. My father was in a head on collison at 60mph in his 99 accord and the interior collapsed and battery acid was leaking in the car. I was in a head on collision with my 96 maxima at 50mph and i got out like bruce willis from unbreakable. In the long run Honda's are cheaper to maintain though and in the long run are more realible (not by much) and hold their value better than a maxima.

-Nate