...is there anything I should know about it mechanically?? I used to own a 99 and loved it but how much different is the 95 from the 99? Carfax says it was a 1 owner car so I'm assuming its been well taken care of. I'm getting it for a pretty decent price so I'm concerned it may need a bunch of work. I'm willing to put in $500-750 for possible repairs but not much more than that. Is it worth it?? How much does it usually cost to fix a clutch, AC, Timing belt, or any other big ticket items. I know these motors last up to 250K with proper care but I will be getting pretty close to that at 184K. Anyway, any input would be appreciated.

Oh yeah, the car has all options except for heated seats.

 

One other thing...the check engine light is currently on. I know this could be a number of things but could it be anything major...like needs new engine???

 

CEL could mean anything, you can pull the codes or have autozone do it for you if you aren't sure. But i dont think it means "Replace the engine please."
Slight differences between 95-99... front bumper and rear tail lights, different SE wheel sizes, slight interior changes including cup holders, radio, steering wheel, guages, bose tweeter location. 99s also came w/ side airbags and tcs (as an option i think???) Either way 184k is a lot of miles, but like you said, not for a properly mantained maxima.

 

take to the dealership or to midas(meinike or one of those kinda places) and get a complete check up before buying it.

 

thats what i did with my 99. Take it to nissan and pay them for the hour they know the car best. get friendly with the guys there it will pay off BIG time. Im buddies with a car parts guy at my dealership and the service advisor. i get to hang out in the dealership garage while they are workin on my car trust me it pays off.....

 

Since its a 95 you can pull the codes yourself see whats wrong then decide if it needs to go to the shop or if you can fix it yourself.

 

You might end up spending a lot more than that to get all the worn/torn out parts replaced. If its still on original clutch, then you are looking at around $450 alone to replace that because it will go out soon. Have you driven the car yet? Also, the check engine light can mean anything from knock sensor or O2 sensor(s). That also can be costly which will probably put you close to $1k in repairs including the clutch if that is needing replacement. My suggestion...check the maintenance records. I can think of a half a dozen more problems that this car can have due to age and mileage.

 

Def check for CELs your self and post back what u get on the org. if the guy lets you. Then Definatly check the coolant level, check the oil level, and the transmission fluid. Dont forget to get under the car and check for leaks. Believe me you dont want to have a bad water pump or a leak from the timing cover.

 

that's a hell of a lot of miles, for any car. I wouldn't even consider it (for a daily driver) unless it has extremely thorough maintenance records (clutch, suspension, or other big-ticket repairs already replaced) or could be bought for less than a thousand.

 

Thanks for all the feedback! I checked with the seller (a Nissan Dealer) and he said he'd do a full diagnostic and service check for $100. That seems kind of high to me but I guess it is a dealership. The only thing is that he will do that AFTER I buy the car...so its kind of a crap shoot. I'm not sure now. I'm in a different city so I won't be able to see or drive the car before I buy it. I think I'm gonna see it he will run the codes and fax/email them to me just so I have some security. The most I'd be willing to spend on it is about $2500...so we'll see. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again for the input.

 

1. tell him you want it for free.
2. tell him you want it done before you buy the car.

Or see if you can take the car to a near by garage of your choice for a complete checkup if he won't do it.

 

Certainly you are not going to buy this car sight unseen!

Go over the maintenance records thoroughly. There must be an independent shop that can do an assessment on the vehicle.

Take it for a decent test drive.

 

It sounds suspicious that they will only do it after you buy the car and you still have to pay. Are they trying to hide something? I don't think I'd trust them personally and with that mileage, who knows what could be wrong at this point. If it was a good dealer they would fix the engine light before putting the car up for sale. If you're patient another Max will come up hopefully with lower mileage.

Definitely take a decent test drive too. When I bought my Maxima, I had to go 1000 miles to get to the dealership it was at and I only took it for a quick drive around the block once I got there. That wasn't adequate enough so don't do the same thing!

 

Easy/cheap DIY stuff:

Knock sensor
O2 sensors
EGR solenoid
Hoses
Coil packs
Spark plugs
Fuel filter (tricky to get in there though)
Air filter
PCV valve
Brake fluid
Brake pads
Brake rotors


Not so easy/cheap stuff:

Motor mounts
EGR valve
Carbon buildup in intake manifold and EGR guide tubes
Belts and tensioners
Shocks/Struts
Gaskets and seals
Clutch
Flywheel
Axles
Tie rods
Balljoints
Bushings
Exhaust
Coolant pump
Oil pump
Starter
Alternator
Clutch hydraulics (master cylinder, slave cylinder, fluid)


Tough/expensive stuff:

Power steering pump
Power steering pressure hoses
Transmission bearings
Transmission seals
Transmission synchros



Surely not an exhaustive list, but that should give you some idea. But to be honest, even if most of that stuff needed to be done, I could see doing it with $2500 if you find a good garage with good prices.

Incidentally, if it turns out anything is wrong with your transmission, I know a place that is really good with rebuilt gearboxes: ManTrans in Florida. They have no Internet presence; I found them through a search on www.car-part.com. I got mine for just under $1k shipped and had it installed for under $350. That'd be a great time to do a clutch, flywheel, and axles too, if those are needed. It might even be possible to replace everything related to your transmission -- gearbox, clutch, flywheel, master cylinder, slave cylinder, and axles -- with good quality parts for about $1700.

 

Personally, if you are averse to a bunch of costly repairs, I would forgo bying this car. On a 1995, there could be a LOT to fix it it hasn't been done so already. On my 1995, I've had to replace a ton of stuff...

 

That is a pretty long list...but when I said $2500, I meant to buy the car...not for repairs necessarily. I would probably only want to spend about $750-1000 on fixing anything...netting the total cost for the car to ~$3500. I will be needing this for my everyday driver for the next 3 years while I'm in school...so it needs to be reliable.

Anyway, now I'm kind of suspicious too even though I've seen thourough pics of the inside and outside. I will give them a call tomorrow since they are closed today and see if they will do the check for free and maybe give me some sort of powertrain warranty or something.

 

Wait a second, the seller offered to do a diagnostic check after you've bought the car. And he wants to charge you for it? I would stay far, far away from this one. Especially if they want 2.5k for it.

 

Thanks for the input. After all the feedback, I think I will just hold off on this one. That's just too many miles for my taste...and I may end up spending about enough in repairs to just buy a newer model with fewer miles. I'll keep you posted...

 

Alot of people dont want to get into doing repairs on a car theyre selling..
I do it alot..Ill fix anything you want if you buy it.After you pay for it..
And I wont charge for my labor.
Its cause I dont want to put time and money into something that IM not keeping.
180k is nothing if the car was maintained and serviced routinely.
check for compression and listen for knocks/taps/screetching
rev gas in nuetral...listen for knocks or taps while idling down.
rev in gear with foot on brake,listen for knockin,tapping
theres alot of ways to test a cars integrity..if your not qualified and paying more than a few hndred...I would bringioa shop,or have a friend look also

 

go find another maxima.. and its timing chain we dont drive hondas and toyotas.

 

Thanks again for all the input guys!! The search will continue for my 4th Gen Black Max...

BTW, here is a link to that 184K Max I was talking about if you want to see pics...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...RK%3AMEWA%3AIT

 

I wouldn't touch it, lets realize somethings its a 95 with 185k most likely it's going to need a lot of work. Im pretty sure if that trans never got rebuilt or replaced you will do so soon enough. Nissan messed up on the bearings preload, everyone goes through Diff bearing problems. I went through it and got a new trans. That also has a clutch, was it replaced recently? Knock sensors, 02 sensors, water pump, belts, shifter bushing, engine mounts, radiator hoses and radiator unit with cap, thermostat, alternater, fluid up keeps? There is a lot to play around with, if the previous owner didnt do jack **** to it then I wouldn't touch it. I would ask for all the repair records to that car. The car is getting near 4k, I wouldnt spend a dime more on that car. The most I would pay is 2k. Its nearing 200k obviously they are trying to get as much possible for a car not worth the amount.

 

Yeah, my max bid on it was gonna be $2500...but its all moot now since they ended the auction early. I'm glad I didn't bid on it now...I have about 1 more month to find what I'm looking for.

 

Dont let the mileage fool you. I got 300k out of my 3rd gen. I have dumped $2.5k into it for a new motor. I am about to get another 300k out of it.

 

honestly maximas a great but its much better to get one thats followed scheduled maintenance. The parts arent cheap and total up quickly, its the little things on high mileage maxes that kill you like electrical interior stuff and odds and ends.