hopefully buying my friend's maxima, few questions
 

ok, so i've been on maxima.org a while, read thru the faq, and so forth - but i've got a few lingering questions:

re: service intervals (the link in the faq was broken) - it's every 60k is major service. how "major" is it, i'm a fairly competant mechanic - but this car has 128k and i don't believe it's had the 120k (it was sold right after 60 to my friend i believe, so it should have had that one done fine).

another question: how long does the vq30 last / run for, if cared for properly. besides your normal stuff like coolant/oil changes, spark plugs, etc, is there anything that is critical to ensure longer engine life?

are there common problems with steering, suspension (his is aftermarket, i'm not talking springs/shocks - i want to know are there problems with the pickup points on the frame, or things like control arms) or any other chassis-related parts that i should look out for?


anything else to know about re: purchasing a new max? it's a 4th gen that you folks have probably seen a good bit of, but i don't want to say anything til it's final (i've got a lot in my life to sort out, this is going to be my daily driver, as my 951 has become a bit more than i'd care to have see a winter)......

thanks!

He's asking about the life of the VQ :laugh:

vq will live forever, iirc someone had a max with 200+ k miles and was still modding it :kiss:

200,000 isn't THAT crazy. I like to see VQ's over 300,000 miles...anyone have one on the board??

200k is just about any well-taken care of import (esp. japaneese) - nothing impressive, but good to hear at least...

I know someone who had an 87-88 max i forget, but it was the older engine (non vq) and they said it was running like it was when they got it from the dealership when they sold it. 415,000 miles!!! They did maintenance @required or before intervals.

Not a VQ but my 1985 Nissan Pickup truck has 210,000 miles on it and just now the oil light is starting to stay on. Not a good sign. I wouldn't worry about the VQ. That's a very well built motor and I'm sure will out live my 10 year older pickem up. That sucker be ultra reliable even with the light on. :D

Oh my. Tell me you're not the one offering his $10k asking price...

120k maintenance is the same as 60k. Check the compression, but IIRC, its fine. Car _should_ be bullet proof...however you know how hard its been driven (raced, autox, etc), I would be real sure that its in good shape first.

My pathfinder (87) went to 245,000 till the starter went out and mom sold it. It was still running strong and looked great.

Anyway, just be careful with the trannies, specially the 5 spd.

A guy posted in the 3rd gen forum with pics of his Max at like 526,000 miles. But I'm wondering the same thing about the VQ engine, I'm thinking about upgrading to a 96 SE.