RobUsaf81

Hey guys,

Im in need of another Max and have decided to try out those used car lots. Dont like shopping at those small lots but ive found what appears to be some pretty good deals.

My question is, should i steer clear? what are your experiences?

The one im looking at is a 97 SE 100K mi. green/beige lthr, pwr seats, for 6,475. Good deal? Any other fees i should also factor in?

Thanks for the input -Rob

MaximaTodd

iTrader: (8)

i had a good experience buying from a used car dealer. usually they will do maintanance and other needed things. the dealer i bought mine from did a tune up and put in new wheel bearings, breaks etc. make sure you do a carfax on the car. also, usually used car dealers offer some sort of warranty so that is a plus. i had just a 90 day warranty on mine, which is not long, but long enough to find out if there are any problems. i paid $6,200 for my 97 se w/ 105K and after taxes, registration and dealer fees it was almost $7,000 so be weary of additional costs and read all the fine print. otherwise, if its in good condition i would buy it. but you should try to work em down on the price if you can, you never know.

RobUsaf81

Hmm, yea some kind of warranty would be nice, Autocheck said it was reported at auto auction as a dealer vehicle so that kind of worries me. Everything else looks clear except that it was registered in Nevada up until this June.

Theyve got it listed as a GLE buts its clearly an SE. Probably gonna offer 6,000 cash see if they bite.
Thanks for the input

Anyone else?

Terran

iTrader: (6)

As far as the auction thing goes, I work at a used car dealership and almost all their cars come from auctions...so don't worry about that. Another thing: don't trust a damn thing a salesman tells you...I work at what is known a probably the most honest dealership around, but the salesmen still tell all kinds of crap to the customers. They do stand behind the cars very well (they offer a warrantee though), most of it is just stupid crap. Not to scare you or anything, just make sure you get it checked out someplace else especially if you aren't getting a warrentee.

tomservo291

my title also says GLE but my car is most definitely an SE

RobUsaf81

Thanks for the replys guys,

I know these cars pretty damn well so ill know if they try to feed me BS or something, gonna check it out tomarrow and hopefully they offer some kind of warranty.

Only thing im not diggin is the color, sage green mist i think....

I miss my 99blk/blk SE

OneToughMax

Sagemist Green Metallic. I hated that color when I bought mine, but I couldn't pass up the deal I got. The color grew on me. Most people who see it (especially chicks) dig the color

Kinger402

I bought mine from one of those sketchy used dealers with like an inventory of 15 cars. I was really skeptical at first. But I ended up getting a warranty with the car and the day i brought it home my O2 sensor CEL came on and i got that replaced free of charge so a Warranty is a great thing. Dealers still rely a little on word of mouth and customer service especially at a really small dealer i find. Def. work him down on price and try to get a free DETAIL!! Good luck

RobUsaf81

Yea he said they only got 20 cars or so, and im definetly gonna make sure i get some kind of a warranty.

OneToughMax- Chicks dig it you say? hmm,
it is starting to grow on me. Anybody got any pics or websites with sagemist green Maximas? Hard to find pictures of Maximas in this color.

OneToughMax

here's a couple. these pics are all stock, so OG's don't be too hard on me



here's a close-up. you can get a pretty good idea of what the paint looks like. i took this pic when i was installing my clear corners in the winter - sorry about the road salt on the front bumper

RobUsaf81

Thanks man, appreciate the pics, it doesnt look bad, kind of a dark green, it'll have to grow on me if i do pick it up. We'll see

Thanks for the help guys

aktunka

If you are buying a car from a used car dealer, spend the money and get the complete carfax reports. Is the like $12 too much when you are considering dropping $7 grand? I almost bought a 4runner recently and the free portions of of carfax and those other services just give you a basic info type thing. After getting the full report though, it was pretty obvious that the odometer had been rolled back or changed out on the vehicle, so I skipped it. Also, a warranty from a used car dealer is only as good as the dealer themselves. If they are shady, expect their support of the "warranty" to be shady as well. Another thing, before you buy, tell the dealer that you want to take the vehicle to a mechanic to have it checked out. If they have any sort of a service dept., and even if they dont, they will try to dissuade you from this by telling you that they have had it checked out and etc. etc. etc. Insist on taking it to your own mechanic to get checked out. It is well worth the like half hour diagnostics charge to have them check it over. Would have saved me a ton of hassle on the Celica that I bought way back when that had some sort of foreign stuff in the oil (speculation is sawdust but not sure) to quiet down the bad bearings and knocking. Soon as the oil got changed it was knocking up a storm =/. Anyhow, buyer beware, and exercise all of your rights to protect yourself. A reputable dealer will still try to dissuade you from outside checkups on the vehicle because the quicker they can get you to sign the better for them, but they will never refuse to let you take it to an independant shop. And anything that a salesperson tells you, GET IT IN WRITING! If it isn't in writing, it is practically as if it never was promised. Good luck to you.

RobUsaf81

Good to know, thanks for the tip. Definetly gonna take it to a mechanic.

Thanks guys -Rob

Brudaddy

iTrader: (2)

Use this as your guide: www.edmunds.com
1. go to used cars
2. put in everything that your car has, including your color and zip
3. it will tell you three prices: Wholesale, Private Party, and Retail.
4. Price you pay should be somewhere between the lowest and the highest.....(probably around the private party price)....or whatever you two can become agreeable upon.

Remember, this is just a guide and only a guide. It is not law.

**Edmunds is the average of all the other "guides" out there. Trust me, it is right on. I looked for over 5 months for my max, and used all the guides many times. This one was the most consistent with the actual prices and values of the cars. (I worked at a dealership at the time.)

Hope this helps.