I live in NJ and I'm planning to purchase an SE or GLE. The max I'm willing to spend is $5k. What can I expect to get in terms of model year, mileage and options for this amount? What's my options when previous owners DO NOT have service records? What are the pros and cons of purchasing from a dealer vs. private? Thanks in advance for your replies!

 

You cant expect much for 5000. Your options when owners do not have service records are to bite the big one. Sometimes dealers keep records for warranty repairs. My infiniti dealer gave me a list.

Dealer: Pro- you get raped but you might find a better car with some sort of a warranty Con- you get raped
Private: Pro- you might get raped but it will cost you less. Con- anything goes wrong with the car... you guessed it. Bend over

Looks like you've never bought a car before. Go to www.edmunds.com and do some research.

 

ummm, you're asking a pretty broad question

but trim levels between maxs shouldn't raise the price more than 500-700 dollars; i got a 99 SE w/ 67K for 9K a year ago if that helps at all

ummm, but for 5K a newer max 97-99 will definitely have 100K+ on the ODO....best bet would be a '95-97,5-speed, 90-100K, SE/GXE, and don't buy a modded car

no matter what, the main goal is find a maxima b/c they will last longer than most pets you own

 

if i were you, i would focus on gettin at least a 97. the nose and tail lights are much nicer in my opinion, and at least will hold a little more value. i mean what these guys said basicaly sums it up.. if you goto a dealer, your gonna pay more, but u might at least get some kind of waranty. if you choose to do a private party sale, you might get more for your money, but no warranty.. its basically a toss up.. if you decide private party, im sure you can find a 97 gle, or se with leather within your price range. id also recomend you try and buy one thats bone stock, from an older owner and not a kid that put a hole bunch of stuff in it. no need to inherit somebody else's failed project ya know. if your planning on doing stuff to it later on, its always best to start off with the best platform first, and eliminate the possiblitily that someone else's work created some kind of unknown problem. one other good thing about private party sales, is you actually get to see whos been driving the car, and how its kept. dealers are all gonna tell you "its been well maintained", meanwhile they just had some guy steam wash the motor and dump a gallon of silicone on it. the warranty's do come in handy for big problems like a transmission, but typically, these cars dont have any major problems like that, and anything that goes wrong will probably cost as much as your deductible would be for the waranty anyway.

 

A Flood99 is right....maximas do last forever....my step Dad had one-1986 4 speed-went 385,000 plus but hit a deer and just got a new car....the question is too broad....youll have to read on edmunds.com and other car buying websites....but after you find a max you like....spend about 75 bucks and take it to ANY nissan dealership and get a used car check....theyll check the car from bumper to bumper for any problems....fluid levels, sensors, everything....and theyll do a write up for you....then theyll recommend whether you should buy it or not

 

Thanks for the info. I think I'm on the right track based upon your responses. I've been coming up with 95/96, with mileage of 95k to 140k; $2,200 to $3,995; this includes a couple of SE's and GLE's. The offers come from Autotrader and Cars.com. Where else might I look?

 

As I've mentioned to someone before who posted a similar question: I bought my '97 GLE (117,000 miles) for $5,000. It came loaded, and I was lucky enough to find an old man who kept an itemized list of anything and everything he did to the car, including dates, prices, and even the locations he took the car to get worked on. Of course, this is Florida, and you're in Jersey, but that's just to give you an idea. I'd personally NOT go the dealer route. Find a Max, drive the Max, and be sure to pay attention to the major things. Just because a car might be cosmetically "unkept" does not mean it is not mechanically sound. When I popped the hood of my car while checking it out, I was disgusted. The intake manifold was black as hell, and you could barely read the "Nissan V6 3000". A day after the car was in my possesion I could've eaten the eggs I might have potentially fried on it. You've made a great choice in choosing a Maxima - you will thank yourself later. Good luck..

 

no offense to the se guys here but ya might want to go the GLE route. 1 reason is that older folk (that would buy a gle with an auto tranny and leather int.) would not , let us just say gun it every chance they had..... and 2nd are more prone to taking care of the cars than some one that would....i am opening a bad door here but your chances of getting a good gle are better than a SE .....reason is simple...no offence SE guys but i have seen to many vid's of 5sp's burning out on the org....and yes i am 36 you got a prob!!!!lol

 

BTW i bought my max as a present when i got back from the war... and yes i am 36 and enjoy not shifting every 5 sec.'s in traffic.....