What should I look for when looking for a maxima? What tends to go wrong at about 100,000 miles? Do maximas generally last to 150,000 miles witout trouble? I could either way auto or manual, is one significantly more reliable than the other? I have looked at other cars in the same price and segment such as the volvo s70 but they tend to have expensive problems i.e. abs module or the evaportor or the electronic throttle. Are they any common big component failures for this generation maxima? Thanks

 

maximas have the following problems:

knock sensor, ignition switch, rear sagging on 97's, valve cover leaks, 98's have an alternator recall, rear main seals always leak, rear brake calipers are crap, automagic transmissions suck, bose system breaks...

anywho it will last to 150k no problem, the motor is pretty much bullet proof. Get one with a 5 speed trans if u can...

check out www.chicagomaximaclub.net its out local forum...

 

just to let you know how tough these engines are
mine has 222158 and STILL counting, just take care of her and she will take care of you

 

So far after 100k miles I have replaced the following:

Axles, o2 sensors, knock sensor, TPS, rusted through cat-back, and auto trans. I would say keep an eye out for these things.
I also have this valve cover leak that I need to address.
Maximas also are common to rust around the front crossmember (under the radiator.)

Aside from that the car runs like a dream.

 

this is all good to hear, does the rear seat fold completely down, i30 and mxima? Also do all trim levels come with lumbar adjustment

 

rust... look at the fenders... particular is the front ones... you'll notice they all rust (atleast here in canada)...

 

I have never seen a 4th Gen with rust on it in Greater Vancouver.

Buy one in a region that isn't prone to salt on the roads.

 

true.... that's entirely possible... you don't get as much snow as we do... less salt and crap on the roads.... Makes sense.

 

make sure it comes with 4 wheels and 4 doors this is KEY for the maxima as someone may have taken em off man !!!!!!!!

no but check the lower rad support for rust. listen to the engine on cold start to heard any abnormal sounds, drive the car at different speeds to feel the transmission shifting. make a full circle left and right pulling the steering wheel all the way tyll the stopper, listen is the PS pump makes noises it should not struggle to turn, press down on the hood and trunk to hear the shocks and struts squaking, use that to ur advantage to argue the price down say that the shocks and struts need to be replaced... there is more, the maxima is not perfect, but its a great car !!!

 

wow thank you so much

 

I found one but the cv joints are on there way out, is this typically expensive/ or difficult to do myself? What about the A/C compressor

 

Got mine at 60k it now has 123k. Only replaced alternator under recall (free), some electronic device which deals with emissions (under purchased warranty), cv boots and that's it. If it has 100k only you should be good for a few years provided you check under the hood every once in awhile and check your codes if you get any. CV axles are easily replaced by a shop, if you want to do it yourself make sure you have the right tools.

 

the odometer sometimes stop working

 

the automatic trannsmission does not suck, I mean yeah it sucks, but it is SO much more reliable than the 5mt's.

haha, you should be asking if they are good for 250k, because they are. As for common problems, there are a few that tend to creap up in the 150-170k range, since you live in a salt state expect the y-pipe to rot out, along with the lower core-support, o2's will most likely need replacing, waterpump to start weeping antifreeze, the upper intake manifold gasket to leak, and of course the knock sensor. All generally easy and cheap fixes for the most part, it's def one of the most reliable cars out there. But if it's a 5-speed add in a bearing rebuild with proper shimming and a rear-main seal that requires dropping the upper oil pan. Research the core-support problem, it's something that is very easy to point out and use as leverage in buying.

 

This probably the first car I have heard of with an automatic being the more reliable of the two

 

140k miles...replaced so far
-front wheel bearings
-both rear brake calipers
-alternator
-starter
-both axles
..the MTs on the 95-97s IIRC have issues with an improperly shimmed whatever
...i change my fluids religiously and so far no major issues w/ drive train.

 

^^^^^^^ at 138K basically what he said!!! I love this car. But at these miles you have to expect alot of wear and tear. Esp. sensors and valves and such.

 

What do you mean by "valves"?

 

Make sure she has a good personality, sometimes a nice behind and a nice rack can be deceiving.

 

Like all cars there are lemons and winners. Generally take care of a car by being up on regular maintenance and if you dont absolutely beat the **** out of the car it will last until the chassis rusts from underneath it. Im at 196k and very minor things have gone wrong... just the knock sensor and my exhaust is nearly shot. Transmission shifts hard into 2nd (common). Do your job as a car owner and she will treat ya right.

 

my car is 112k miles, the only thing that sucks is the Blower Motor resistor, ignition switch, and the Bose plastic peices are falling apart.

 

Rear seats fold-down - no, only a pass through hole

Lumbar adjustment - from my experience, 95 se cloth seats - yes, 96 gle leather - yes, I don't know about the others, but I would assume so.

 

Manual trannys on these cars are cheaper to replace than autos, if they go bad. 98 and 99 manual trannys are fine. Mine is pushing 140k. I use syn tranny fluid. Bulletproof engine and bulletproof tranny I expect to last a long time.

 

The engine will probably outlast the tranny. I redline mine daily at 185k or so, original engine and 5 speed tranny. I double-clutch on downshifts though as my synchros are pretty worn.

 

Did I say valves?? I meant usual wear and tear stuff....lol....I must have been thinking of my EGR valves that I have to clean

 

nissan's vq is an awesome durable engine. 200k and no oil burning, no leaks on gaskets.
im even on the ORIGINAL clutch and tranny.

only problems like most ppl mention:
knock sensors, rear brakes stuck, rear oil seal.

paint is easy to scratch ... grr..

parts are a plenty these days and cheap, yet honda parts are still cheaper..

 

not mine!! plenty o wax and tlc baby, i wash and wax mine 2 to 3 times a week in the summer. cant let her get dirty before i mod her out.

 

What problems should be deal breakers and how do you diagnose them? What is a list of small things that can be pointed out to lower the price and are any of these things serious enough to be worried about/fixed?

 

Rusted lower radiator support
Dirty fluids/air filter
Dirty Engine Bay
Tire Wear
Rusted out catback
Frame damage
Funny odor/smell
Some scratch or dent that makes you unhappy


After driving the car...

Brakes
Clutch
Etc........

I can keep going but I think that is a pretty good list for starters

 

How can you check for dirty fluids (besides oil)? Why would a dirty engine bay be so horrible, maybe it was just never cleaned... I think a rusted out catback would be a price helper rather than a deal breaker cuz it's a potential mod .

 

get the vin number of any car you're looking at and pm it to me with your email address and i'll send you the full carfax report for it. i can run vins until june 11th or something.

 

Thanks for the offer, I'll keep it in mind!

 

I'm looking at a 1997 Maxima SE with 163k miles on it. The car seems very well maintained and is in great shape but the seller seems pretty firm on his price of $4100. What do you guys think?

 

thats what KBB says.....

i would NOT pay more than 3k

 

lol, a car in great shape does not have airbag and check-engine lights

 

True, but with Ptatohed's back seat foldup mod, found on Vqpower.com, you can have seats that go up and out of the way when need be.

 

Sorry I was being unclear. I'm currently looking at 2 different maximas:

1997 Maxima SE ($4100)
http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/car/332951988.html

1998 Maxima SE ($3500)
http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/car/331802847.html

The 1998 (2nd one) is the one with the check engine and airbag lights on. Price-wise, it's cheaper and has less miles than the 1997 one, but the cost to fix the lights (namely the check engine) might make it more expensive than the well-taken care of 1997 in the long run.

 

not to mention that the second one is an se, yet on top of those 2 nasty lights it also has a chrome grille (which a '98 se will not have stock)... did that owner happen to mention accidents and body work at all?

 

I also might add that the first one has a 99 Bose HU and 99.5 MAXIMA lettering on the trunk....probably just the seller modifying it.

IMO, get the 97 down to 3500 and call it a deal.

 

Well I just had the 1998 checked out and the SES code was a 110 for Air Intake Temperature Sensor. I'm assuming it's a relatively cheap fix compared to replacing o2 sensors or other possible codes?

As for the grill on the 98, the seller said a truck backed up into him while parked and he had to replace the grill.

P.S. The seller with the 97 won't budge from $4k