im gonna buy. it has 118,000 miles which doesnt really scare me but just wondering is there anything visually i check for b4 i buy it or anything needing replacement after i buy it. thanks

96 Max SE 5spd - hopefully

 

Take it to your local Nissan dealer for a full engine inspection. And look closely at the exterior for cracks, scratches, ect. as well as the interior. After you do those three, you should be set.

 

make sure the gauges are working. for some reason, my gas gauge doesn't wimp out after i turn the car off, it just stays where it is.

also, very important. for a car with over 100k miles on it, see if you can get the history of all the service done to it. this will give you a good idea of what kind of shape the car is in. when i bought mine, the guy showed me the history of it and it turns out he went some 23k miles without getting an oil change. i wanted to punch him in his face for that. but the car ran fine, it still runs fine, and i'm glad i took it away from him so he won't do anymore damage to it.

oh yea, check the seats too, cuase mine had a few very small burnholes in it. that's another tick mark on the punch list for the guy.

 

another thing u should check... with so many miles u should ask what kinda oil he uses

down here in florida... and myself... i perfer to use Castrol 20w50 ... casue its so thick and it protects alot more then anyother in my opinion

check it out

-RiCk

 

Its supposed to.

Most Nissans do this.

Damn

 

Things I wish I checked better on my Max, bought at 105K:
I did a carfax and it came up clean. I took it to somewhere else about rear doors not sliging well, and he spotted mismatched paint. Hard to detect, but he and another place felt it was in a (minor) accident.

Mine hadn't had it's 60K work done. Also make sure that any recalls or TSBs were addressed. Mine hadn't had an evap canister repalcement.

The starter is a known weak area. Check for grinding sound on start.
If you can do without it for a few days before purchase, a rebuild is cheap (< $100). A new starter is $200+. I also happen to need a starter switch. Not only is it expensive, but it's a 2hr (?!?!) job to install according to the dealer. I may live with it.

The Bose stereo is a known weak area. Bring a CD, and make sure to turn the bass up and single out each corner. My guy anticipated the stereo test and turned the bass down. Sure enough, I didn't turn it up and 1 speaker was blown. Fortunately I knew where to get it replaced relatively cheap.

Also, you may want to change your brake and transmission fluids. I also had an engine flush (in retorspect, maybe wasted $$). IMHO, most owners never change them unless necessary.

Good luck!

 

Unless you have a rather bad oil leak, DO NOT use 20W50.

 

Thanks for the info philpoe, it was very helpful.

 

Btw philpoe if you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for your car. the one im looking at is a 96 se 5spd with 118k and they are ASKING $6950, do you think that is reasonable, thanks again

 

Where did you find this maxima so I can buy it before you do

- matt

 

why dont shouldent u use 20w50... is the best u can do for a high millage car

from what i have learned and read

-RiCk

 

Condition of paint and interior. Mine looked great because it was detailed. The interior was very nice, but the pain is kind of faded.
I paid more than that for my car. < $7k sounds like a good deal, IMHO.

You could always check autotrader.com to see what cars go for in your area.