I'm lookin to pick up a 4th gen maxipad for a daily and I found a 98 SE with almost 200k on the clock for 2 grand. How long before the VQ pops or the trans ****s the bed? If maintained anyone know the life expentency?

 

2k is fair for a 98 maxima private party or retail with 2k on the odo, what i would do is go and test the car........first things first, check the oil, see if its missing any..........then check to see if there is coolant in the car. If its an auto which i assume it is, i would find out if it shifts( that means the tranny is good) Also listen for any noises regarding engine, suspension, etc.......also check the c-v joints. they arnt that expensive to fix but if they are bad i would try and get the price knocked down...If all this checks out and you like the car, go ahead and purchase it.

 

i picked up a fully loaded 98 se for the wife for 2500 213k on the odo. you can do a good cleaning of the internals and fuel system. up the oil to 10-30 or synth. and youll be good to go .

 

$2000 for a 98 SE is a steal if it's in good condition. Even if you have to put a $1000 into it your still getting it for well below book value.

 

actually it has 200,000 miles on it, get it for as cheap as you can...........like i said 2000 is pretty fair for the car if its in good condition.

 

Sad... is that all that my car is worth? I'm not sure what to look for. When something breaks, it's so darn obvious in our cars. Can't say there are many warning signs. It's broke, or it's not. 205k on my 97. Not selling mine for less than $4k tho.

Jae

 

i picked up my 95 gxe for $1000, my g/f's dad owns a carlot and he was about to take it to a auction cuz it sat on the lot for over as year and it had 191k on it so he sold it to me for 500 buxks less than he was asking lol and no it wasn't a piece i am still driving it, here is a pic of what it looked like after a week when i got some wheels and some aftermarket h/d's
this was the first pic of my car but it was taken with a camera phone so its not that good of a pic lol


when a deer hit my front fender doin 120 (not the deer i was doing 120 lol) notice the drivers wheel is turned left and the pass is turned right, whole suspension everything was gone



and here it is about a month ago, i have done alot more to it since then

 

Check it ... if it's not horible, pick it up. The VQ is one of the BEST engines out there. The trans ... if it's a 5spd, listen very close for spinning noises. PM me if it's a 5spd ... but I would also think it's more likely an auto. Make sure it doesn't slam into gear on shifting and again, listen. Also ... check the coolant level prior to test driving the car!

200k on a VQ is broke in, but not past her prime for sure. I sold my 91' Maxima with 213 on the clock for $1,200 ... so a 98' ... ahhhh YEA!

 

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...eadExists=true


I lied its a GLE.

 

Still .... good deal and deff worth looking at! Go check it out, can't hurt. I still think 2k is a steal ... FTMFW!!!!!

 

SE's are better than GLEs?!

 

depends if u like fogs and if u want to drive a manual or auto???!!

 

which are autos and which are manuals?.

 

gxe/se were only available with a manual option.

 

OK, I spoke to my guy at the local Nissan dealer and he had a Granny come in with her 95 SE for a P/M which had over 400,000 original miles on it. Said she make regular trips out west and wouldn't think of getting rid of her ride. The moral is, if the car is cared for its should last awhile. Take it to your local grease monkey have him do a compression check and crack the tranny for a look. If everything looks OK, I'd buy it in a NY minute.

 

Its about 200 miles from my house, not worth the drive to look at a potential car lol.

 

GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
if it ever does break down do something different, try a RB motor in in

 

Dude doing a compression check and cracking the tranny is gonna run him about half of what the car is worth....

Just find one with a **** load more miles, get it for chump change and swap a 3.5 in the bish and be happy that you can rape 5th gens and perhaps 5.5 gens if you know how to drive.

 

just check iy ouy properly.

 

It has fogs, and its a 5 speed, white face gauges, and the se wheels and the white se grille. I'd say its a SE

 

bump, it doesnt have leather, white gauges, spoiler...................smells like an se.

 

hnmmm, automatic in mines... this is weird. I have SE trim and package too!.

 

spend another 2k and u can find one with half the miles on it....

 

Trying to figure out this statement. As far as I know, SE and GXE models come with 5sp, and the automatic was like $900 option. I could be wrong tho, and I don't really care cuz I have a 5sp and the only option my car had was floormats. Big woop.

Jae

 

meaning the se/gxe gave you a choice of trannys

 

I don't want to spend more then that I just need a decent daily. I would perfer somethnig that runs solid, looks somewhat decent and has no more then 160k and no more then 2 grand.

 

For 2k i would jump on it, i bought my 97 SE from my parents for that much with 121k. But thats totally different, and i haven't had any issues. Im at almost 140k now so i would consider those miles to be high but even still it's a good deal. When the engine does go just do a 3.5 swap and it'll last another 100,000. Then get a 2006 maxima, by then it should be year 2015 so they'll be cheap. And no im actually not joking, this is what i plan to do.

 

Basically you want something with a high resale value. Cuz you could easily get a newer korean car for that price, but you won't be happy with it right? And those korean cars don't exactly resale very well. I wouldn't say nissans have high resale value. Maybe try looking elsewhere. Toyota, Honda... they're good enuf for daily driver; pick the right one and you'll be trouble-free.

Jae

 

i got 230,ooo on my 97 i30,, hope to get at least 200,000 more,, still runs and looks great with normal maintenance and wear items (alternatorx2, starter, batteryx2, brakesx10 (worst part of car imo),,i dont think id sell mine for 2,000... go for it.

 

I have a 2002 RSX Type S that will be Supercharged and Aftercooled @ 11lbs as of next month. Lowered, stiff *** ride, flashy, 350whp supercharged car=bad for CT winters.

I don't care if I buy it for 2 grand and tomorrow I can't get it 10 cents for it. I want a max because I know they will last, to 200k at least but I'm hesitant about buying this one since it has such high milage. I have been looking at everything bro, I checked out a 91 LS400 with 188k on the clock, those motors are known to last to the high 300k range. A 97 2.2 Impreza 5spd with 170k, those too are known to last till mid 250's but I don't think I will be content with any of them. If I get another Honda I will most likely end up swapping a B18 in it and going all motor, because modding is an addiction.

 

My Gray 1996 Maxima GLE already hit 170,000 miles, still drives like new. The only problem with this car is emission control. I hear all 4th gen maximas have a similar problem with all the sensors and codes (knock sensor, oxigen sensor etc..). Just had an oxygen sensor and a solenoid replaced. The scanner was also picking up a EGR valve sensor code. EGR valve was clogged. Cost me $500 to get all the codes cleared. Already drove over 100 miles after the oxygen sensor was replaced and it's still not ready for inspection (my mechanic says its going to take a while for it to go through a cycle) Thank god after 100 miles the check engine light did not go back on. Hope it stays like that for at least another 20-30 K miles. Oh yeah, and I'm pretty sure my maxima will last way over 200K miles. 250k at least

 

My point was, cars with higher resale value tend to be better cars in general. All cars don't depreciate at the same rate. Why would 1 car model depreciate faster than another?

Jae

 

i picked up my 97 i30t for $4500 with 145k on it. Money well spent in my opinion... but the ONLY reason i spent that was because it had ALL maintenance records, was 1 owner, and ABSOLUTELY MINT interior. After a year of ownership its up to 184k and it runs great.

for maintenance sake i put in new sway bar links, starter, plugs & wires, all brakes, and front axles. Struts/mounts are next month along with some cosmetic things.

bottom line $2k is great, BUT know what you are buying!! if its beat on and has had 35 owners, you DONT WANT IT!

 

too bad it was the deer and not you that got hit. retard.

 

There was a guy about 3 months ago who said he had 380k on the clock (4th Gen) and the car had no issues and was running strong.

200k is nothing on a 4th Gen provided it has been maintained properly.

The most important thing is routine fluid changes - oil, radiator coolant, transmission fluid, even power steering fluid.

I would take the car to a radiator shop and get them to test the pH of the antifreeze.

If I bought the car I would order 2 bottles of AutoRX from www.autorx.com and run that through the crankcase following the exact instructions.

It will clean the crankcase, engine internals, ring packs and minimize the risk of oil leaks by rejuvenating the seals.

 

I've got 180,000 trouble free miles on my 96 se. It still feels like new & is ready for another 180,000

 

i just picked up a 96 GLE with 141k on the engine for 3500. this thing is flawless. runs totally silent. not any kind of hesitation in either the start or the acceleration. smooth and sleek. an amazing deal in my mind (just had a problematic accord before this). my car previous to the accord was a 93 maxima SE that i put over 220k on without ever taking it to a mechanic.
one question though, should the timing chain be replaced at 141? should it be replaced ever? i know thats a serious issue on honda/acura, but what about maximas? in my 93 i never had an issue.

 

no. dont worry about the chain

 

In 9k, you will be left with 1 warranty: seatbelts and airbag. Enjoy your car, u got a long way to catch up to some of the 200k-ers!

Jae

 

new here. Whats a VQ?