i'm looking at buying a 99 maxima se, it has all the options (dual power seats, heated seats, climate control, side airbags, black leather, manual, 6disc). the thing is that its been dropped but the camber was never done so the tires arent straight, its also got a fstb and a rear sway bar. so im worried that it was probably some retard who bought all the stuff ebay because its "cool" and then drove the **** out of the car, because he obviously didn't know to fix the camber, what if he forgot other more important things. and some how the muffler has been rotted all out, how could that happen after only 6 years?
i dont want to get stuck with a money pit because im going to school, i cant afford constant repairs if its screwed up, so what should i do?

 

Is it from a dealership? If so they should fix anything that is wrong, if you dont know much about cars, get someone to come with you that does.

 

what is the milage on the car? have you had a chance to drive it?

You can examine and find out wha type of struts/shocks and springs were put on the car (hopefully its labeled on the parts). There are camber plats you can get so that your camber can be within spec, i dont know a price off my head but it would involve installing them (taking off the strut and putting it back on) then get new alignment.

Whats the condition of the tires? depending on how long he drove around with the camber off could tell you the life of the tires.Also find out if the coil packs have been changed (thats a notorious failure on the 99s).

Aside from that a 99 5speed with 6disc changer and just about all options sounds good (as long as the performance and maintinance has been kept up.


how much are they asking?

 

sorry forgot that, its got 76000 miles, they want 8900 and my mechanic says the tires are about 50% but that they need replaced. i drove it and but it's not crisp at all, its all mushy because the camber. it's coming from some little second hand dealer no mechanic, just buy them then sell 'em. i just dont want to get screwed. how can you tell what springs its got?

 

Hey, I have a 99 SE with 107k and the factory muffler was rotted, factory mufflers suck. Not uncommon. As far as the other stuff, that's beyond my level of expertise.
Good luck with it if you decide to go with it.

 

springs I think they put their name on them or embossed in them not too sure dont have aftermarket springs, strut/shocks you should see on it itself, you'd have to take off the wheel for that, not sure if they'd allow you but thats how you'd find out. Hopefully since they were into aftermarket parts hopefully they were more **** than the average car driver and took good care of the car. sincey ou got work the tires will need replacing if you can talk them down about about $1K ( I know tires are 1K but ) and that should help cover new tires (**** that could cover new rims and tires but thats another thread )

 

camber makes it mushy? I dont understand. I have my car lowered (eibach) with no camber kit and its better than stock.

You get a little negative camber which is good for handling. It shouldnt be so bad that the wheels look like theyre demented.

Bottom line is that maximas are expensive cars. Even if its in good condition now, you will most likely need something done that will cost you $500 in the very near future. Unless you learn to fix things yourself.

If you want a cheap ride go for a civic. Maximas are bang for your buck but theyre not perfect