Hello,

I just found a black on black '98 SE w/ a 5-spd manual. It's loaded with leather, bose, heated seats, etc...with 50k miles on it. This is the asking price at a local non-Nissan dealer. I was wondering if I should be worried about this car. This "asking" price seems almost too good to be true. What should I look out for? Any sugguestions on what I can do once I get to look at the car later on? Any insight is greatly appreciated...

Thank You,

PJ

Run a carfax check on it.

The dealer said they will run it for me. Should I trust that?

Can someone here run the Carfax for free? Here is the VIN: JN1CA21A6WT404976

Have it mechanically inspected, that's an aweful low price for that car, especially from a dealership.

Actually, if you run a kelly blue book at kbb.com or a black book, you're probably going to find the dealer is actually pricing it right around where it 'should' be. Not much higher than a private party. It also depends on where you live. They may be firm on price and no room to negotiate. Does loaded include ABS? That would make a difference. Also, remember, just because a lot of people on this forum want 5-spd and they're hard to find doesn't mean they're more expensive, they are going to be about 500-700 less than an equivalent auto trans.

don't buy it...tell me where it's located

j/k
good deals are hard to find but they're out there. inspect the car and run a carfax.

i got my '98 5-speed w/50K w/ every option including side air bags, abs, etc. w/clean title, one owner for $13,500 about half a year ago.

I got my '98 SE 5-spped w/ 82k, I think all options, for 8k. Jealous?

Usually 5-spd transmissions are cheaper than auto, maybe the dealer doesn't know jack and is selling it fearing that nobody would buy it. go fer it!!

where is it located at?

Sometimes 5spds are lower in the cities cause city folk usually dont like to have shift that much, lol.

i got the same thing except mines is white and i paid 9k for it

I bought my 98 5 speed SE with leather and all options for about 9k it had 88k miles and is in extremely nice condition. as long as it has no accidents or anything else wrong with it.

i bought my 97 automatic gxe for 9,000 w/only 32,000 miles on it. The catch was:

Vin number did not show any accidents to it, but after careful inspecting the car, i noticed that the passenger side of the hood did not line up properly to the car (it was a few millimeters off) and therefore realized it was in an accident that was not reported. Also, there was a tokico blue shock on that same side as well.

sometimes, your instincts and findings are the best bet. Checking carfax isnt always going to work. best thing to do is take it to a mechanic you TRUST.

Thanks for all the replies everyone... I just got back from the dealer and I have this to report...

It was too good to be true. This car was in the worst condition I have ever seen in my life. It had body damage, scratches, dents, leather rips, molding coming off, you name it... And the sales manager had the gall to tell me, "You know this car is 6 years old!" "The wear and tear on this car is perfectly normal." What a joke... Oh well, I'll find something eventually.

Thanks again.

Sorry to hear it wasn't the deal you were hoping it was. Keep looking, you'll find one. I had a hell of a time finding the car I wanted... 95-99 5-speed. Nobody seemed to want to understand that I refuse to drive an automatic... just tell me if you have any friggin 5-speeds. No I don't want to hear about this wonderful automatic that you have. No I don't want a 5th gen model. blah blah blah. Went to a dealership to look at a 97 pearl white 5-speed... the car wasn't even there when I got there. They said it had gone out the door that morning before we got there... BS, I doubt it was there when I called. Finally found what I wanted. 98 SE 5-speed with 58k for $10,414.

And having that kind of wear on a 6 y/o car is NOT normal. I also have a 93 SE Altima. Its 10 y/o and the interior is perfect. The paint has some battle scars, but was still pretty until some jerk decided to total it for me. Now it has a salvage title.

definetly smells fishy.

f that, the price of maxima has dropped significantly. Thats a great deal, but i dont think its fishy. Run a carfax, dont believe their sh*t, they'll put some other vin in or something. And test drive it. look for rusts, squeks, leaks, rev up engine, check lighting, ac, all that good stuff. Its a great car, i would sell mine right now for that combo lol.

How to find if paint work was done ? Run your finger on the body panels (hood,fenders ,trunk ,doors ).If the paint work was done,the paint is NOT smooth. You can feel the difference compared with the original paint .Also,under the hood ,check the fender screws. If they were removed ( paint may be off them ) that may be a indication that work was done. Repainted doors : if you run your finger at the point where the windows gasket meets the paint, you can feel where the masking tape was on. Check inside the trunk and look around the tail lights.Paint should not be on the little rubber around the lights , unless work was done. Now remeber that there are cars that were painted to make them look better.You have no way of knowing if under the paint is hiding a car that was hit by a train, or just to be customised. If you find a car that had paint work that doesn t neccesary mean that is a bad car. I ve seen cars that had bad Carfax, and the mechanics could find and previous damage, and seen cars where the cars had damage,with a clear Carfax. To minimize the changes of getting a previously damaged car,get the Carfax,and carefully inspect the car.

check the chassis for stress or repair work. Just because the title is clean doesnt mean it wasnt badly damaged. Look at the panels for newer paint as a clue as to where damage repair areas are. Look at edges and gaps inbetween panels and check for the gap between the wheels and wheel wheels. its pretty much the only way you can tell if a chassis had been twisted. The price is too good to be true... though part of me a bit envious Hope this truly is a steal of a deal. Good Luck

IT DOES SMELL FISHY MAN. DONT RUSH IT

i got my max a month ago.
98 SE sterling mist with black leather 24k miles. fully loaded, new tires. i paid 13k . not a dealer, private party. so be very carefull.

and have u seen the car urself? or found it on the internet, if on internet, then that car probably doesnt even exist. they just wanna grab ur attention and say "HEY WE GOT SUCH HOT DEALS LIKE THIS, COME OVER AND SEE". trust me, i've seen many of those tricks. i just bought a max so i should know about all these things, and no, prices havent dropped that much.

i got mine 98 Se 5spd with 27k, with ABS, sunroof, AM/FM CD cassete for 12k last year.

Usually dealers charge more for a Stick Maxima, Especially around Chicago, Its cause they sell like Hot Cakes!!!