97 SE, auto climate, bose, heated seats 72xxx $6500

ok guys, i've been around the city and burbs looking for a 4th gen to my likings. i think i found one. just wanted you guys to look over the pictures and let me know if anything looked odd or anything that i didn't notice.

he stated 7250$ obo. i got him to $6500. orginally i offered him $6000 cash. but he said some guy offered the same and he said no. he wanted to let it go for $6500.

Car looks overall clean, a couple or minor dings. But very minor. Car was women driven from brand new. 1 owner. I saw about 20+ oil change papers, 1 trans drain and refill. 2 sets of tires and they just put on a new set as well, replaced a cv axle and got new pads. haven't done a carfax because i cant find a person with it. but if you are kind enough to run it for me here is the vin.

JN1CA21D6VT822141 peter.turtle@gmail.com

here are the pictures tell me if you think its worth $6500. i personally think so.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0640.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0641.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0642.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0643.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0644.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0645.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0646.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0647.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...e/100_0648.jpg

edit/// oh yea was there any key points to check out the car. I looked car over twice.
-AC worked
-all 4 windows work
-sunroof worked didn't try the tilt.
-radio worked
-antenna works
-engine bay was cleaned but he pressure washed it so not much help there.
-tires are new.
-door locks function.

anything else to take a peek at?

 

I would go for it. Low miles, nice condition.

 

I would try and get him down some. I bought the same car about three months ago with 78,000, except it was a 98 for $6400 in excellent condition.

 

Does the car have a sunroof? Will he provide the maintenance history? The car looks pretty clean to me. The only problem I can see is that the leather seats could be in better shape, particularly the driver's seat. I have the same color leather. I got mine leather protected before I bought it new and apply the leather protector once a year (was twice a year for the first 3 years ut I got lazy). If you buy the car, I suggest you get a good quality leather protector and apply that and then do it again 6 months later to get the leather more supple.

Other than that the car looks pretty clean to me. Is there any rust underneath the car? What is the condition of the exhaust system?

If there is no obvious rust problem and the CarFax is clean, I say go for it! Although I wouldn't buy an automatic.

Edit - will he budge to $6,250?

 

Yea, look at the exhaust and brake system. If those are fine, then I would give him $6500. Like rmurdoch said, push him down to $6250 or even $6300 if you can though.

 

I would take that deal. I payed 6 grand cash for my car with 73xxx miles a year ago, and mine's a '95.

 

not a bad find.

 

i'd take it too. if that was a cali car, you'd be paying more prolly. and definetly get a records history. carfax never hurt anyone either...

 

+1 on the leather condition. Looks really worn for only 70k. I use conditioner once a month. Some other things to check: spark plugs changed, belts, (basically 60k serivce stuff), alignment, leaks, look at the colors of the radiator, power steering and transmission fluid. ATF should be bright red, not dark or burnt (same for PS). Coolant should be bright green not rusty or watery. Oil should be light brown if fresh. But otherwise, the car looks good, go for it.

 

2 things...
IT AINT STICK
and IT AINT BLACK

 

I would definately go for it if that is what you're looking for (color/transmission combo). Looks to be in immaculate condition for an 8 year old car. Kind of like how mine looked when I got it 6 months ago.

 

you might as well spend the rest of your life looking if you want a stick black maxima.

But as far as this car it looks nice. Check the airbags lol... i almost bought a white maxima with blown airbags I wouldnt worry that much about exhaust system... aint ya gonne mod it anyway? If not then yeah i guess it matters to check it. service engine soon light on?
And women driven? Musta been one BIG woman to do that to the drivers seat...

 

Took me over 2 months to find it...but i did

 

Hey guys, this is a little off topic so hope you don't mind. I want to get a present for a maxima lover I know. He has a 1997 Maxima. He seems to have everything he needs but I'm hoping y'all might have some suggestions...a car cover or dvd system...what brands..where to shop on line... I'm a newbie so I can't get post my own or pm yet. Thanks. -J

 

Sounds pretty good IMO. As for the leather, it seems to be in better condition than the leather on my old 98 GLE. Check underneath for rust, make sure its been in no accidents, and listen closely for any funny noises when you drive it. If you can, take it in to a mechanic and get a professional opinion on its mechanical condition.

 

I would definatly go for it if I haven't had BLACK SE 5 SPEED . But the car looks really great and the inside also. Just try to get it a little below the $6500 which is not a bad deal also considering the condition! Good luck!

 

service history wise. i mentioned above. the lady did all her oil changes on time at jiffy lube. did 1 drain and refill on the tranny. and 2 sets of tires. she doesn't have the rest of it. They guy told me he just recently put pads, replaced a cracked tail light, did a tune up on it. and new tires and a new catback exhaust. The exhaust on it is pretty low toned. And to answer your question about me modding the car yes i want to mod it but i'm never really a fan of exhaust systems.

I agree with you guys on the leather seats and the price. He said $6000 won't cut it at all. I was thinking of offering him $6200 and like walk away from othe car and see if he calls me back.

White with black leather was what i was targeting but. THis will do. I love silver but i think its a rare color. Black/white/silver was the cars i was looking into. Tranny wise. it really doesn't matter. But a 5 spd is hard to come by. The car is at a friend of the owner's auto shop. I'll ask to put the car on the lift to check for rust on the bottom. Any spots in particular to check out? I do plan on getting a Y and high flowing cat as well.

I dont have a trusted mechanic because normally when something goes wrong on my cars, i research and fix it. I really need a carfax for the car. He told me car never was in a accident. And the lady lived in chicago/ near by burb. 1 owner. but its his words.

 

I'd definitely take any car I was going to buy to a body shop and ask them to look for any body repair that was possibly done. I've got a friend who's been in the body business for years so I have someone I can trust. I think that's the easiest way to tell if anything major has happened to the car. A regular mechanic might not notice the body repair which always accompanies a big accident.

 

dude nice find...but be sure to take care of the roughness the leather is in..it looks like it might crack any minute

 

like i said i have no one to take the car to. Don't know any body guys nor mechanics. But i will check the underbody for rust and what not.

EDIT/// Oh yea what does the gold emblems mean? all the maxima's i drove were silver emblems. but never gold

 

my emblems are gold..seems like a nice find

 

The gold emblems were just an extra cosmetic option. I had them on my 98. I would check for rust on the rim that is just underneath the bottom of the doors (I didn't notice mine was all rusted out and chipping until last month!) and the exhaust system too. That's where mine is rusting anyway...I'm assuming they use salt on the roads down there in the winter too. If you want a carfax done, go to the general forum and there is a sticky you can post in and somebody with a current carfax password can look it up for you.

 

the general forums doesn't have too many ppl doing carfaxs at the moment but i pulled some strings and got me a carfax.

Car shows up clean and 1 owner. never in a accident or anything remotely close. only think i found slightly diffrent from all the other car faxes is that the mileage check on it was..

2/3/97 10 miles brought the car
3/16/00 20,000 title issued/updated
3/19/01 36,000 pass emisson
3/26/03 55,000 pass emisons.

Carfax stated it was 1 owner. what up with the title updated?

 

The owner could have moved, transferred within family or gotten custom plates.

 

gold wasnt extra cosmetic options, it means gold edition. gold editions are fully loaded

 

.....To bad its Auto.............Otherwise

 

what sucks is i just called the person and he gots a buyer for $6500. I'm not really in the mood to spend $6500. But i'll think about it. I mean it could be a trick to make me buy the car faster or not.

 

$6500 is still a reasonable deal. Phone him back and tell him you've got cash in hand. **** or get off the pot! This guy isn't going to wait for you forever.

 

Man, the difference between 6200 and 6500 really isn't very much. We're talking about nickels and dimes here, relative to the prices in mind. If the car is gone, will you be happy someone else got it for a measly couple hundred more? All I'm sayin is if you want it, just get it.

 

i dont have $6500 thats the problem. i know its a great deal. But i just dont have the refunds. My budget was right at $6000 literally. I have $4500 cash and i'm getting the rest of the money from the bums who i call friends that borrow money and never return it untill you seriously ask him. All in all i end up with $6000 roughly. Thats included my whole paycheck on friday.

I hate being in this position but right now i'm calling a couple of people to see if i can borrow some money or something. Just trying to make it happen. I know i cant get a advance on my paycheck or anything so blah!

 

Might as well start looking for another ride... Most maximas in IL i saw lookin at sold days after i saw them... I almost bought a 99. All possible options, silver w/ black leather. It had a small dent by gas cap so i hesitated. Next day car was gone... i ended up paying more money for a 98 cause i was in a rush to get a max.

 

Well if you're that strapped for cash then how the hell are you going to pay any tax on the transaction (if there is any), transfer fees, licence and insurance, let alone fill up the gas tank. Do yourself a favor - do not lend money to friends!

I suggest you lower your sights and settle on a 95 Maxima or some other vehicle that you can, in fact, afford.

This has been an utter waste of time and bandwidth!

 

6.5 sounds good

 

No, my parents told me if i paid for the car on my own, they would cover tax, title, insurance and all the other stuff.

 

Then convince them that this is a good deal (before its gone) and get them to lend the difference to you. If you hesitate any longer its gone, if not already!

 

looks solid, try to get him down a lil bit, but if he doesn't budge, then grab it, I think its a great find, I'd personally go for a manual though...

 

Do what I did, go to a bank with your credit card and tell them you need a 2000 dollar cash advance, and charge it. It will be worth it for a couple of grand. By the way you have a really nice and rare find fully loaded 97 with low miles, I just bought my 97max se missing heated seats and climate but I have everyhting else, Its an awesome and reare color though so i jumed on it, It was a deal that took me about a month and half to find.

If I found your deal, I would have jumed on it...good luck dont let this one go, and get the cash advance... peace