borybaby

i have a 1996 maxima GLE. it has a little less than 122500 miles on it. i purchased it @ 99,936 miles. so far i've changed the downstream )o2 sensor and front and rear brake jobs. i also changed the starter and i still am having problems. i haven't really felt it going bad or anything similar like some guys have on the ORG, but i'm worried. i've gotten sucked into this moding fever and have looked at almost any possbile performance mod. i'm really not into body kits or rims (i hate getting attention) but i like the clear lights and red/clear tailights. i like things that make the max looks clean. anyways, i was wondering few things.

1- how much more time would you estimate i have with my max. i drive about 415 miles a week, truthfully about 65-75 mph on the highway. i live in tampa, florida and 90% of my driving is highway. i try not to abuse the car (i've only once raced against a sunfire that was trying to show off with a friend. trust me, complete ricer. car was **** and after i blew him away, he caught me at a red light and said "is that a 4 or 6 cylinder." am a smart a** so i said" you should've asked yourself that before you raced.) but i'm just worried i invest hundreds of dollars and the car dump on me.

3- is anyone in tampa/orlando/anywhere in central florida selling a maxima with low miles.

4- i owe about 5000 on my car, is that a lot???

5-is there anything i can do to prevent death. i have changed the airfilter (plan on doing poorman cai) and fuel filter. anything else????

thanks alot guys.

Bobo

You should focus on replacing all your fluids if they need it: radiator flush & antifreeze replacement (get pH test done on radiator), power steering flush, tranny flush or drain and fill depending on when last done.

You should check the condition of the spark plugs.

Given the amount of highway miles you are putting on, your Maxima should last a long, long time. There are 4th Gens on the .org with over 265,000 miles on them and they are going strong.

Since you are only 19 and owe $5K on the car, I suggest you hold off on the modding until you get the loan paid off or to a manageable level. There is no need to find a lower mileage Maxima. I'm not sure how much you paid for the Maxima and how much you have paid off, but it seems you may have put very little down on it and should focus on reducing debt first.

borybaby

i bought the max for 5600 and put 500 down. the rest is interest, license plate and anyother kinda fee which totalled somewhere in the 6300 range. i pay 113.75 a month for almost a year now, but i try to send 150 or 200 when i can. i am worried about the debt, but i like to keep busy also. but i really appreciate your advice. all probably wait off on the mods. thanks alot.

Chief Brody

iTrader: (2)

I think Bobo answered things very well. That is quite a bit to owe on a car that old and barely worth the balance you have on it. How long it willl last may depend a lot onhow well it had been taken care of for the first 99k of its life.

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

You're being paranoid (ie worry too much) .. IMO ...

My story ---> 230.5k Miles, 7k RPM daily ... etc

Bobo

What you could do, if you haven't already, is buy a Haynes manual and an assortment of tools, ramps, etc. and focus on learning how to maintain the vehicle to the extent you feel comfortable with. That will help reduce operating costs going forward. Continue with the balloon payments on the loan. You're on the right track.

Just don't get carried away with the modding. You might want to ask for a y-pipe for Xmas, however, lol!

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Hmm diy huh? Didn't you take your car to a mechanic to get the tranny seal replaced? j/k

Wisky97SE

iTrader: (1)

As long as you take care of your Maxima and maintain it, I dont see why it wouldnt go past 300k. If you're worried about the $5000, then try paying more than 200 / month when you can, stop modding the car and use your extra cash towards the loan.

Bobo

I live in a townhouse complex and its against our bylaws to do car repairs on site.

However, as I mentioned in another post I am going to get a couple of friends to give me a hand next month (aka do it for me). They are mechanically adept and out of projects. My goal in life, for as long as I can remember, is to do as little as possible, and I have it down to a science. It's less stressful that way, lol!

borybaby

well, my father (first and still hates my car cuz its a V6 and the ratio of how much i paid for it to how much work its had done so far) he is a mechanic. has all the tools and basically watches over me during alot of my work on it such as the starter and my rear brake job. i bought the haynes manual, seriously, a day before i signed the papers for the car. the repair manual states various things to do, but what i want to know is whats the most important things to do. i know some parts,such as the starter or the alternator or radiator, don't need to be changed until it shows symptoms of upcoming failure. i just like my max, i busted my *** to find one cheap and i want to take care of it. nmexmax...am a full timer college student earning 9.5/hour. this car is my everything aka so far my lifes work. if i seem over worried, you gotta understand i can't just get another car so easily. but thanks guys. i'ma look into getting the tranny and radiator flushed. i know how to flush the radiator and can do that myself, but do you guys recommend me to go to a mechanic or can i get this done myself. also, what fluid do you recommend. i know there are various types of coolant, how about tranny fluid. is there a certain type you guys only put in the max???

and one more thing. whats the difference between synthetic oil and regular motor oil. i'm sure that synthetic prolongs the engine, but is there really a big difference and can i change to synthetic that easily?? or is there a process or simply is it too late???

NmexMAX

iTrader: (22)

I was the same way at your age with my 4th gen ... And I'm talking from experience ... so take it as you may, but Iw as there and worried as much as you, hence the Max is very reliable, spend 20$ to donate and search everything you're curious about ... the answers are there, but you have to look ... Get udner the hood, screw up a few times, spend too much moeny a few times, it's called experience, taht;s why I'm calling you a worry wart, because I was the same, and b/c of this palce, I've saved literally thousands.... don;t be, it's not necassary . . . don;t make the same mistakes I did ... **edit** I see you already donated .... Good for you.

I was the same age, making ~ the same $$ .

Bobo

I will let some others weigh in on some of your questions.

You have an ideal situation, given your dad is a mechanic. He can oversee what you are doing, but make an effort to do as much as you can yourself.

Read up on the differences between synthetic and dino oil in the Fluids and Lubricants forum. Given how many highway miles you drive, you might be a good candidate for switching to synthetic oil. However, since you know very little about the first 99K of your car's life, I would be inclined to run AutoRX through it. To learn more about AutoRX, see www.auto-rx.com and visit bobistheoilguy.com

I am presenty running AutoRX in my 95Maxima. After another 375 miles I complete the clean phase, change the oil and filter and run it for 2,000 miles. I am then switching from dino oil to synthetic oil and don't believe I will have any leaks. AutoRX will help clean your engine and rejuvenate your seals. It may take two applications, however.

borybaby

thanks alot. i going ahead and doing the auto rx. your a life saver-literally!

sonicrunch

Jesus kid....how mant threads are you gonna start?

borybaby

its funny cuz i register almost a year ago and i've only started posting a few days ago. i don't know, i go to school now3 days a week and work 5 shifts a week. that leaves me with a lot of free time and my gf is still in HS and has a PT job. my maxima has become my hobby and family life.sad but true,.

tomservo291

I owe 9k on my '97!

That's because I'm a poor college student who used a weird school/personal loan which doesnt accure interest until after i graduate.. and doesnt need to be paid until then.

Which is cool, but I have to take really good care of my car so that I pay it off before I have to get rid of the car.

The reason for this was that I commute to college and didn't/couldn't deal with buying beaters for 2-3k and having to constantly fix them or replace them to make sure I can get to school and work every day; so my friend the reliable max came into play.

I bought mine with '97 SE with 49k three years ago, now I'm at 83k.

This is my last year of school, so my car should have < 100k after I'm done... and still runs beautiful, so I should be in the clear, and my first initiative after is to work as much as possible to pay off all my debt (from school and car.)

Debt sucks, you're lucky you're only 5k in the hole... with all my school and car I will owe ~ 40k when I'm done (which isn't too bad considering the cost of most colleges now-a-days.)