ttusuby

I found a 97 Maxima, white with 87k miles for $5100. I haven't driven it yet, and I haven't been able to give it a really good look. But, that seems like a low price. The bad thing is that it is an auto. Do you thin that it might be worth looking into? Or is the auto tranny a bad idea in getting? Any info would be great.

Thanks

MaximamixaM

It's not a bad price. Around here there aren't many Maximas. The cheapest 4th gens are 95s, with ~130K miles for around 4 grand. The moderate price ones are late nineties with 70K for 7-8 grand. So that price looks reasonable, sort of in the middle. The automatics are quite decent, but any car with 100K could eventually need a rebuild. Most guys are looking for 5 speeds, but they are more rare.

CystumMax

Run a Car Fax on it, and make sure everything else it is good..... IT could be a car that was in a bad accident or etc. just find that out... other then that it is a good price. have mechanic check it out also. Make sure it has no check engine light on.

Street Reeper

Do a compression check, if the motor is fine I would say get it. Also check the tranny fluid (using the dip stick of course) if it is free of any particles I would say it should be fine. A friend of mine has been juicing (nitrous) his Maxima for about 30,000 miles and has 140,000 with a stock transmission and no problems.

Other than that drive it, see how it feels. Don't just take it down the street, take it on the highway and through traffic for a while to make sure it doesn't overheat or stumble.

If you want speed I would say get the five speed, but good luck finding one, they are very rare. If you just want to be quick and beat bolt on civics/integras etc. a few bolt ons on a well cared auto can be quick and surprise a lot of unsuspecting import owners.

ttusuby

sounds good. I am going to check it out closer today and get a mechanic to check it out. Thanks for the responses.

Maciek

I tell you what, there are a lot of Maximas in Texas. I got mine there. They are usually well priced there too.
Yes, CarFax is a good tool, but don't solely rely on it. The best measure to really find out if this car was in a previous wreck is to check the paint thickness. There is a tool out there that does that. It compares the thickness/amounts of paint coats throughout the car. I am not sure if you can purchase it or hire a mechanic that owns one.
But like the other guys said, drive it and don't be afraid to take for more than just around the block and if it's all good, take it.
It is an excellent price for a Maxima in good mechanical/cosmetic condition!

Maciek

I am assuming this is a GXE, since you didn't specify. Cause if it is an SE or GLE price goes from excellent to unbelievable (assuming the car is OK).

Also you were worried about the auto.

1. If you drive a lot, especially in the city - forget the 5-speed
2. What are you trying to do with it? Do you have a budget for a turbo? If so and you are planning to make a serious rocket out of it and you just have to have three pedals - keep looking. Although I would have bought it anyways, cause you can drive it for a year and sell it for the same price you bought it.
3. Keep in mind you can do a lot to an auto too. Nitrous, all the exhaust mods, intake, etc. Jime has an auto and runs 12.1 1/4 mile without investing huge bucks.

If this is your first maxima, you'll be fine with it. For that price it would be a shame to pass it up.