BiN

Hi,

So far my story is a happy one. I bought my Max new in 1995; I am now at 210k+ miles and, aside from regular maintenance, have only had to change out the starter and the front brake pads (at 196k). The car still has the original clutch, brakes, etc. and runs well (burns no oil, sounds good, only a few foibles) and looks good. I am at a point where I need to replace Max soon, or spend some money on him. I am leaning to the latter, but the problem is that no matter how much money I spend, the car will still not be worth very much (even though it has mainly been driven in the south). When I found this forum with lots of used parts being traded back and forth – it looked worth investigating! I am a reasonably aggressive driver – I will not allow myself to tailgate, but I WILL pass you if you slow me up - so I want to keep Max at or better than he has been.

A couple of questions for the experts:

1) As I get up in mileage, is there anything no-so-obvious (specific to Maximas) that I need to watch for that might suggest that this particular car is not worth fixing up?
2) I think I need to start with the suspension, which is stock (except for FSTB I put in a while ago). What springs/shocks are suggested for someone who thinks Maximas would look better a little lower (not always on their tiptoes) and wants a firmer but not harsh ride (I have a 21 month old in a carseat)? Installation is always another issue, but I am sure I will pick up some hints as I browse this site. Finding some 16" rims (my only complaint when I bought the car was that the SE has 15" rims) is another priority.

Happy Driving!
BiN

nismos14

iTrader: (56)

get h & r's and tokico blues, relatively inexpensive, and a GREAT ride, feels practically like stock

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

welcome to the forums

Wow, 210k miles is quite a lot.. but not really that much for the maxima. The worst/most expensive repairs you can probably have is the transmission and engine. A VQ engine with 40k miles can be found for under 400$. Similar things go as far as transmission is concerned..
so not to worry. Considering you owned it since new and put on so many miles, you know how the car has been treated and everything that has been done to it. I would really keep it as it is totally not worth selling it with that milage. You'll probably get 2-3k for it. Is it really worth that little to you? Very unlikely, as you won't find another car that will even compare to the maxima for that amount. So you are much better off keeping it as a 2nd vehicle or have a little fun with it and make it how you like it just to keep yourself interested in the car. You can do some nice things to it that will make you fall in love with it all over.

Suspension is a great idea..
H&R springs are excellent and near stock like ride quality, Tokico struts or KYB AGX adjustable struts will both work, Tokicos will be more soft but AGXs are adjustable in stiffness, so that can be a plus.


...
and don't let the milage scare you, there is a guy on here who just bought a used 95 max with 360k miles on it and running strong! Milage is just a number, it's how it was treated that matters

mrnock

transmission?