Dennis'Maxima

Hello everyone. You Maxima owners are a very fortunate group. I owned a 93 Prizm for 9 years, and it was a good and reliable, but boring, daily driver. So, I went the other extreme and bought a '97 BMW 540 with 74K on it.

Well, after 18 months, and only 14,000 miles, and $3,400 in repairs and maintenance, I am selling it, and moving on. Now, it was a great car to drive (282 horsepower), and I expected to buy $800 tires, but I've been thru way too many of the common problems associated with that vehicle. I didn't know what I was getting into at the time.

So, I'm shopping for a 4th Gen Maxima, because I've always loved Maximas, I like the 4th better than the 5th, and repairs are fewer and cheaper. I need help, because I'm paranoid after the experience with the BMW.

Do I look for a 1999 "cream puff' from a dealer. One who has gone over the vehicle and it is ready to go. Like one with 60K for around $10,500? Or, do I go with a 1995 with 120K for under $5,000, hoping that most of the common repairs have already been done? Or, should I aim somewhere in between with a 1997 with around 80K?

I just don't want to have another BMW experience where every 3 months, I have another $300 repair,and I'm without a car for a week. Thanks.

Maxima99SE

iTrader: (2)

go with the 1999 but watch out for ignition coils. it also depends on what youre going for with the maxima? Is this just going to be a daily driver or are you going for looks and or performance? Welcome to the .org make sure you read the stickies and FAQ's...

Wills98MaxSE

Go w/ whatever year 4th gen you want .. IMO I would choose a '98 .. however early '98s are plagued w/ an alternator recall, but def. go w/ whatever suits you well

good luck & welcome to the .org

BigLou93SE

iTrader: (10)

You're fooling with two problem-prone vehicles...Lemme explain...
If you're looking for a 5 speed, stay away from '95-'96's, due to the internal bearing probs. Also, the 1995 was the introduction year, things are bound to go wrong.
However, '99's have ignition coil problems among others (can't give examples).
Your best bet would be looking into dealer buys, so that you get a warantee. Without one, I'd be $2000 in the hole due to tranny's.

A Flood99

iTrader: (6)

i paid $9,000 for my black on black 1999 SE that at the time had 67K

MDeezy

iTrader: (27)

I'd recommend get a Max from a private dealer you should save at least 1.5K than getting it from a dealer.

I'd get probably a low milage 97, or a 99 and scoop up some coil packs.

If you looking forward to modding, it you could get a 97 and save some money and put that towards mods, or if you want one that is moded already so you can just enjoy I'd check the classifieds.


good luck let us know what you get.

RockfordMax

iTrader: (2)

well, in all honesty, my dad bought my 95 in 1994, and after replacing the injectors(dont know why i would have to...damn dealer) and unclogging my egr valve once, the car(which has 115K on it) hasnt broken down, still on original auto trans, and neither my dad or i have had a single problem. it seems to go through front tires fast, but that may just be me

Dennis'Maxima

Thanks everyone. My wife will only drive an automatic, so that's the only option for me. I'm mostly looking for a daily driver, but not a dog like a Taurus. I want something with style and some speed when I need it. What I really want to avoid is buying a used car at a time when everything starts to go wrong. I like the changes they made with the ;97's. It may be a month or two, but I'll let you guys know what I get. Fortunately, there are a lot of good Maximas out there to choose from. -Dennis

99 SE-L

Well this august i purchased my 1999 SE Limited wiht 68 k for 8500$ Pearl white /Black leather deff go for a 97-99

Maximasevspec

iTrader: (4)

Theres something called a lemon law that if you buy a car from the dealer i think they are required to give you a month warranty. So first test drive it then if it runs fine and you like it buy it and take advantage of the warrantee.

CystumMax

get the 96,97 you still can do the ECU upgrade on those. I wish JWT would make it for the 99.

chuckie311

iTrader: (1)

i would go with a 98 or older only because you can modify the ecu

CystumMax

Yeah are you sure about that? I did not know I can get a ECU upgrade for my 99 GLE?? Please tell me where I can order it......

chuckie311

iTrader: (1)

well i guess you didnt read it very well. i didnt say 98 and newer i said 98 and older.. meaning. get a 98 97 96 95..

nick

iTrader: (10)

Pretty much any year of maxima will suit your needs - just shop around. The resale value is a joke so you could find great deal out there. Now, how much of your own maintenance are you willing to perform yourself? Because if you don’t get your hands dirty from time to time - repairs can add up. The VQ has plenty to room to work around, it and that’s was the reason i bought it.

On the other hand, was the 540 so hard to maintain? Did it break a lot (German electrical problems?) Did you do any work on it yourself?
I'm asking those questions because 540i is the next car I will own.


Nick.

ohh, btw my wife's 93 Geo prism lsi still looks/drives and handles amazingly with 130K.

Dennis'Maxima

Nick,

My Prizm had 123,000 when I sold it. I can change oil, put in a new battery, and change plugs, but that's about all I have the desire to do. The 540 has a big engine in it, so there's not much extra room in there. If you're doing maintenance yourself, with some special tools, you can probably figure out because there is a lot of tips on the web.

I'd suggest reading the 5 Series messaage boards at Roadfly.com. There's a list of common repairs. With the 540's, all of the radiators crack, and expect to replace the water pump, thermostat, and resovoir tank sometime after 70K. The camshaft sensor will fail, leaving the car to chug all the way home. The final stage resistor will cause to heater fan to have a mind of its own. The stock speakers sound like your father's Oldsmobile. Rear and possibly front wheel bearings need replaced, cup holders and door handles break easily.

It's a high end, complicated, fast machine, which makes for a great ride, but all of the parts are 2X as expensive, and you have watch your labor costs. I made the mistake of taking it to the dealer for a few repairs earlier, then shopped around. My last repair, at an independent shop, was $582 for a water pump, thermostat, 2 belts and 2 hoses. Not many people work on those BMW's around here. One guy on that board said the dealer was going to charge him $124 for a battery plus another $100+ for diagnostics and installation. The soft, grippy tires last 20-25K. Front and rear brakes at the dealer were $514.

It's quite a car, the acceleration, cornering, braking, and steering are incredible, but its not nearly as reliable as what you're used to. Maybe you can find one that has already had some of the common repairs done (unlike me...) -
Dennis

ThunderMaxi

If it is just going to be a daily driver I would get a 99 SE-L like mine since you will get lots of goodies like side airbage, traction control, heated seats...am I leaving something out? The wife will like those, and then you can do minor cosmetic stuff to personalize it to your liking. The coil packs will go out considering the mileage you may run into. If you by closer to the end of the month, you may be able to steal one from a dealer. Start visting dealers now and tell them your timeline. With Christmas around the corner, lots of folks trade up for the holidays especially with a year under the belt of the 6th gen max. Good luck! In the deal you may get the dealer to change the coil packs, so they will do it at cost... just insist that they use the Mitsubishi packs, since the hanshi chop-suey (spelling??) ones are the ones that mess up. Then you get a new car, and never know that it had work done on it...

myke321

you could probaly get the best deal with a 96-97, I have no problems with my 96 and its @ 153,000 and still going. Good luck!

Dennis'Maxima

Nick,

here's a link:

http://www.540i6.com/probsfixes.html

Great to see all of these satisfied Maxima owners with great cars, deals, and mileage. I'm soon to be one!

Dennis

PLUMMAXSE

iTrader: (2)

If I were you I would get a used car from an individual with supporting records on the maintanence. You will save sales tax and also the records will give you a clue on the cars upkeep. When you go to look at the car, check out the other cars he has at home. If those cars look like a winner, chances are your Maxima is a good car.

mansurxk

iTrader: (14)

get a 99, i take it your not one to car about modifications. as others have suggested, watch for coil pack problems, just buy them ahead of time, buy the mitsubishi brand coil packs, theyll be located right on top of your spark plugs. since you said you could change the plugs, itll be nothign knew to you. i think they added traction control in 99. but personally, i own a 95, and if i were to do it again, id get a 98 probably if i were getting a 5speed, and 99 if i was getting an automatic. good luck, youll enjoy the car!

nick

iTrader: (10)

Thanks a lot !!! i will look into those when time comes.

Good luck with your next car purchase !!! Maximas are some of the most reliable cars avialable now , with minimal investment it should serve you for long time. Use this site as a reference and don't be affraid to turn few wrenches - because thats all she'll ever need - basic stuff like starters/fuel filters/knock and O2 sensors. You'll save lots of money and self satisfaction will be priceless.

Are you going to sell your BNW to private person or she will be traded in ?
Have you considered Inffinity's certifed program? You should look into 00-02 line of I35. Remember that Inffinity dealer customer service is light years above Nissan's.

Nick.

VIP Maxima

my suggestions :

go for a 97-99 since its the redesigned version

stay away from 99 cuz of coil problems
some 98's have alternator recall
97's are the cheapest redesigned ones

id get me a 98

Umass021

I would get a 95-96 because they have the fewest problems.

lilaclucymaxima

iTrader: (16)

i would go with the newest year you can get... because if u look at it, if you were to purchase a '95, thats already 9 years old. its bound to have problems sooner or later. if i could have gone back in time i would have gotten a '97-'99 instead of a '95

VGinMIA

Dennis,

I happen to visit Roadfly quite a bit because I own an E30. I decided to visit the E39 board just because I love the design. Needless to say I was amazed at the amount of repair threads dedicated to the 540i's. It is too bad these cars have so many flaws because like you said, they handle extremely well and are very fun to drive. Fortunately, the 525i and 530i variants fare much better.

I think in general any 4th gen will provide you with far better reliability than your BMW. As you've read, each model year may have its own minor issue. The good things is that by now most 98's have had their alternators replaced and 99's their coils replaced. It is for this reason that I prefer to always purchase from private sellers only because all maintanence and repair records are usually available. Purchasing from a private seller will also save you some money and this makes it a win-win situation for me. Regardless, I think you should buy a 97+ just because they look better.

My '96 has 150k on the clock and is still very solid. Like BMW engines, the VQ engine found in the Maxima is nearly bulletproof. Google "Nissan VQ" and you'll see its prases year after year. Other members can testify these cars have seen 300k or more on their odometers.

Welcome and good luck in your search!

BlackCat

iTrader: (6)

I would at least check to see if the alternator was replaced after the recall, otherwise I don't think you should worry about '98's at all.