A dealership notified me that they just got a one-owner 95 Maxi SE 5-speed in as a trade. It has 84,000 miles on it.

Before, my spending cap was about 13-14k, so I was looking at 96-97s with like, ~60k on them. Due to financial circumstances, my cap is probably 12k now. I was looking at 95-96 Prelude Si's with ~60k on them, those run for about 11k around here.

I'm not sure how I'd feel about a Maxi with 84,000 miles. I want this next car to last hopefully somewhere around 3 years without many problems at all. I'd like to have the advantage of the low-end on the Maxi when compared to the Prelude, but it's hard for me to tell which would be a smarter buy (A prelude with 60k would last quite a bit, I think).

Common maintenence items from 100-120k on the 95 Maxis? I'm guessing possibly distributor cap, maybe some suspension components (CV joints/boots, shocks/struts, bushings)...what about water/fuel pump? Another thing is, I think it might be difficult to find an independent Nissan shop around, and I already know of a good Honda/Acura shop that I go to.

What do you guys think of the two possibilities?

Too bad my spending cap dipped, a 95 Legend GS 6-speed sedan just got posted on Autotrader with 75k miles :/

 

by the way...
apparently they claim the maxi is very clean and well taken care of. They didn't list a price, but I'm thinking right around 10k probably.

 

Check around online to see what the book values for the car would be.

As for maintenance. You dont have a dist. cap or timing belt to worry about. The only major issues for 95's are rear O2 sensor and starter failure. The struts and clutch may need replacing soon, a good chance to upgrade .

It wouldnt be a bad car at all as long an experienced Nissan tech looks it over and gives it a thumbs up (obviously not one fromt he dealer trying to sell the car).

 

I just looked a little. Dont pay more than $10K for it. Use the other $2K in your budget to start modding


Another perk, the 95s are generally the fastest Maximas around.

 

Check out kbb.com to get an idea of a fair price for this car and mileage. If it has been maintained (and they should be able to pull up service records if the one-owner had it maintained there) and the price is fair, I don't think I'd worry too much about the mileage. As a master Nissan tech. I personally know has told me, the VQ engine is "bulletproof"! Let us know if you buy it!

 

yea, the book is right around 10k depending on options.

heh...yea, I think the first thing would be a little stereo work. I'm waiting to get this new car before I buy a $500 class D mmats amp for my sub...would have a well-trusted professional shop run wires and probably install my alpine CDA-7863.
AFA performance mods go, if I would do anything, I think it'd be maybe a short intake, maybe a short shifter, and a FSB. I'm not big on modding out cars...I'm not even that big on driving hard (on an open road in the daytime, every now and then...). Really just want a reliable car that rides and is in general a little nicer than my 91 integra, and that has more low-end than hondas, while still being fun to drive (manual tranny, SE suspension over say, GLE suspension, etc).

 

I think this is a pretty good find...the Maxi was owned by an older couple, and was always serviced at the dealership. I looked at/test drove the car right when they got it, and they still had all the paperwork in there. Saw they had gotten the O2 sensor and starter replaced, and all other detailed records. When I went back up today they were out of the glovebox, but the saleswoman is going to get them back for me. Seemed like a pretty mechanically-picky old guy though

The body isn't perfect...there are a few scratches, and two small door dings up in the front passenger panel. Also, the guy left on the door trim shipping pieces they put when shipping a new car, and it left a vertical rut in the front passenger side (the other side just left some adhesive). They're going to spray that and one or two other scratches on the hood, and get a dent place to take out the dings. The car has wood trim, bun warmers, gold package, OEM-fitted fogs. Interior is very clean.

The other good news is the guy that wants to buy my car got his sold. He went out of town today for a week, when he gets back he'll buy my integra. Knowing this and the above, I made a deal with the dealership and proceeded with the paperwork. The price was a little over what I expected, but neither kelly's nor edmunds even has all the options available that it has. Unless something unexpected happens, I'll be rolling in said Maxi. BTW, it's beige w/tan. I'll keep you guys posted. Wish me luck!

 

A much as I love Maximas, you should get it checked out by your local Nissan mechanic. There are some out there that are in sh*tty *ss conditions and are in need of major repair. The car should last you 140k miles with no problems, unless it is a lemon or has been salvaged. Also, look at the undebody of the car. See if it has been scraped of banged up from the underside (especially the front where old people drive over curbs). There should still be a little paint on the muffler. While you're at it you should of course open up the hood and look deep down in there. The lower part of thr Maxima's engine gets very dirty very quickly...you might want to see how clean it is. Just trying to help .

 

Vyrus - I'm glad to see someone present that side of the looking glass...it's usually me doing that to try to make sure other people consider a few things

But yea...I'm fairly picky when it comes to car shopping. Ran the VIN (literally nothing...one title issue, so the old people did drive it the whole way)...muffler + piping looks good, wheels are in surprisingly good condition for old people having it (there's a weight mark on one, no curb scratches really). The immediate front shields look good to me. The engine compartment looks nice - there's a smidgen of sealant material on the valve cover, and on one hose nearly below it, but they replaced a lot of hoses recently, new tires, etc, etc.

I usually require myself to take a prospective car to an independent mechanic for inspection, but for some reason I feel like letting this one slip by. It could be a bad move, but after talking to the previous owners, and the maintenence of the car beforehand (with records and all done at that same dealership), I'm pretty confident in the mechanical shape of the vehicle. But of course, like I said, it could prove to be a bad move. I just don't know if I'd have time, and haven't even started searching for recommendations on a good Nissan-servicing shop.

The only bad thing is the passenger side seems to have been the "bad side" in the previous owners garage - there's a few rub marks on the rear side, and the dings that they're fixing. I should be able to use some compound to get out the other marks.

I'm really hoping this is the car - looks nice, and this shopping is wearing thin. We'll see by a week from Monday.