Ever since i rolled my 95 gxe 5spd maxima in july, i have been looking for a new 4th gen and now recently I found one that is pretty much exactly what i want (as far as options and color)

specs:
99 black/black SE 5spd
leather
moonroof
fogs
bose
heated seats

seller says "Sometimes the "service engine light" comes on, its no big issue though. Its a very very common Nissan thing."

one of sellers emails:
> > > Its a 1999 with 146,000 miles. Car is excellent
> to
> > > mint condition in and out. Looks like it has 80k
> > on
> > > it. Recent work includes:
> > > - routine oil changes
> > > -rear brakes ( pads and rotors)
> > > -clutch and flywheel
> > > -master cylinder/ slave cylinder
> > > Drives great
> > > No oil leaks.
> > > Interior is in excellent condition
> > > Tires have a lot of tread remaining
> > > Paint is orig. and very glossy

heres a pic:


he was asking 5500 but i talked him down to 4800. Do you guys think this is a deal and what should i watch out for.

Thanks, Brent

edit: i also asked him if he ever changed the coils since ive heard it was a common thing on 99s to go bad and he said hes never had problems with them.

 

Offer 4K. tops

 

i did, but hes pretty stubborn going less than 4800 since he keeps saying its real nice and he just put 700 into it. Im pretty tempted to get this even for 4800 since its hard to find the exact style i want thats somewhat near me. i would still have to drive about 2 hours to see this. I requested better pics and he says he'll get them to me.

 

Keep reminding him how expensive the engine light issue could be to resolve!!
He will come down.

 

4800 is OK. I agree, the SES light is a fairly benign problem. Maybe you should check the codes on the car first. The SES light could be covered under a Nissan TSB regarding water in the EVAP system. Or it could be a lazy/dead O2 sensor. I mean it is probably a simple prob.

I'd def buy a SE 5MT w/146K if in near mint condition and never ever in any accident for 4800. We paid 4000 for our minty 97 SE AT (Base SE, not even as nice at what you are looking at) w/187K miles a few years ago (2) and I never felt bad about dropping $4K.

You could always walk up to him with $4K cash in hand and see what happens. He may take it! But make sure you have cash in hand, nothing makes me more frustrated when selling a car than when potential buyers try to whiddle the price down without showing some cold hard cash. I pretty much tell people to take a hike in those cases.

 

if it's as clean as you say it is i'd say that's a pretty good deal. just as a reference, i bought my '99 about 6 months ago, for $7200 w/?120k. and i flew to california from utah to get it, it was the closest one i could find with the options and good condition. but prices in wisconsin (eastern) could be much different.

 

its as clean as he says it is, ive yet to see some decent pics, just that small one. but ya i think its a good deal. and like made in china said, i dont think the ses is a big deal either, i dealt with ses's on my 95 for a long time and it was never anything too serious that i couldnt do myself.

 

I think that's a decent deal if it's exactly what you are looking for. I just paid $5,300 for a 1999 SE 5 speed with 127K on it. Leather, moonroof, bose (Not a huge fan of), blah, blah. Interior was almost flawless, and the outside only had a few small dents/scrapes.

Two days after having it, the SES light came on. I replaced all the coils and everything has been gravy since. So, I would pick it up if you really want it, but keep in mind the $300 or so to change all the coils.

 

4800 DEAL

 

ya it pretty much is what im looking for and they are definitely hard to find in the midwest. i think this weekend im gonna go look at it with cash in hand...i might be updating this in a few days with a new car.

 

have you asked for pictures? when i asked he emailed over 100 high res photos, even pointed out the ones that showed damage, i guess i did get a pretty good seller to deal with though.

 

yea i dunno how it is up there but 48 seems high for a car with 146k. i paid 3700 for my MINT 96 gle with 142k. it had beat tires, but other than that everything was perfect. leather, sunroof, etc. i would start with 4000 or 4100 and see what you meet at. i think you should be happy paying 44 or 45 tops. remind him about the CEL and also remind him that at 150k things like suspension and window motors start to go. those are $300+ jobs.

 

i did ask for some larger photos and he said hed email them to me shortly (hopefully by tomorrow!)

well i did start at 4200 and he originally was asking 5500 so we met at 4800 i guess. i tried getting him to get to 4600 but no deal, but after all its only 200 which isnt much after spending over 4k.

 

Hey, that sounds to me like a good find! Do a Carfax on the car to make sure it hasn't been in any accidents or anything questionable, and thoroughly inspect it in person. Look up the blue book private seller value, print it out to show him, and offer that much (unless it happens to be above $4800 but I doubt it).

A few things to look for:
- Check to see whether the foglights are cracked. Quite likely they are but that's a point you could use to bargain.
- Make sure the A/C works...this was the one thing I forgot when I bought mine and lo and behold, the A/C was broken.
- Check the engine bay...a clean engine bay is a sign of an owner who really takes care of his car...but don't be surprised if it's filthy, having lived through many winters.
- Might want to ask him if you can check the codes to see what is causing the CEL. You might be able to borrow a code checker from AutoZone, which is a lot simpler to use than the ECU screw method. If this request makes him nervous, it's a bad sign.
- You can test the clutch by flooring the gas pedal while driving in 5th gear. Any lag suggests the clutch is worn, although it sounds like he's got a fairly new one in there. Just hope he didn't have a Nissan "Key Value" aka cheapo clutch put in...

Otherwise I'd say see the car ASAP and bring a bank draft/cash so you can pay on the spot. If you decided it was a good car you wouldn't want to let it slip away. Black on black loaded SE 5-speeds are hard to come by, so I hope it works out! If so we'll have to meet up so I can see it!

 

Where is it located? Rust could be a very serious issue underneath even if the body is asthetically flawless. With that many miles theres no doubt it was driven through every bit of the 7 or 8 winters since production.

 

Check the oil seals anyways. It's VERY rare for a car to have that many miles on it and not have an oil leak. It sounds like it's worth it but I'd try to talk him down some more. I got my max from a dealership for $3900 for the car and with taxes it totaled to $4885.50 out the door.

 

near chicago

 

I would check for rust, too.

If it were me, I would avoid a 99 and find a 97/98 with lower mileage, if possible.

They exist. I have 70,500 one-owner miles on my 95SE, 5-speed.

 

CHECK THE CORE SUPPORT...That would make my decision, other then that I'd say its a very nice ride..I'd agree and say $4800 is worth it. And they should flex that much since the mileage. You are the Max enthusiast, not them..just don't let them know that or seem too excited about it and you should be able to bargain.

 

check the exhaust you dont want it rusting through or hanging

 

If you live in a salt state, simply point out the core support rust and tell him it's $800 at any body shop, than fix it yourself for $150. I would NEVER look at a 5-speed max without bringing a jack with me, differential bearing failure is just way to common on these cars in that mileage.

 

I agree with everyone's comments and the core support/SES light/underbody rust will help you drive down the price. Wave $4400 green in his face, Im sure he won't put it down. Even though a blk/blk 5spd loaded will not last on the market for more than a day or two and he might have other potential buyers lined up.

P.S. I paid $5500 for a 99 blk/blk with all options and 107K in January. I would try to get it for $4400 because there was a similar 99 SE loaded with 144K that was sold for $4200 right before I bought mine. Good luck.

 

Thats a deal i had the same problem with the engine light when i bought mine a month ago, it was the 02 sensor seems they do go bad on nissans. it looks like a good deal.

 

97se 5speed 120 on the clock 4150 inspected 1yr ago

 

If I were in the market for a new maxima, I would get an I30. Its just a fancy maxima.

 

I30s aren't as good looking as Maximas and your insurance premium will be higher.

KRRZ350, how do you tell if the diffy bearings are shot from the outside? Is it evident where the axle goes into the tranny?

 

yea vquick is right. insurance does go up with an infiniti vs a maxima. i have no idea why but geico quoted me 1199 for my 96 maxima and was gonna go 1289 for a 96 infiniti with the same miles (both have ABS, dual airbags, etc).

 

HAHA, that's personal preference, I think maxima's are one of the most fugliest cars from the back, if only the I30 had the 97+ front end.

When they are bad, yes, there will be considerable up/down play in the axle where it goes into the trannsmission, also a leaking seal is a good indicator as well. There is play in the axle anyways but when the dif bearings are shot it's alot more, if you have the oppurtunity to take the axle out it becomes even more evident. Dgeesaman added some good info in the maintenance sticky.

 

$4,800 is a deal. It's the one you want, and it's relatively local. Just check if there are any major issues.

I spend from $2000 - 3000 year on upgrades & maintenance. It's not a new car so I expect repairs. If the muffler has a hole in it, get an upgraded one.

New Car (5000 yr payments) no issues
Used Car (2,000 - 3000 yr repairs) some issues

 

damn that sounds like a deal, im from calgary(canada) and i've been searching for a few months for one but everyone here wants upwards of $7, 000 USD for relatively highmileage 4th gens. I might have to swing down to the US next summer and pick one up.

 

That is a good deal. Back in 2001 I bought my 1995 with 59,000 miles for 5,200. In mint condition. I still have it, still running strong with 163,000 miles now. Just keep up with scheduled work

 

in 2001 your car was newer than a 99 is now, plus this 99 has 156k. i think im deciding against this. if it had less miles or a lower price....

 

I'd love to see that done and it wouldn't be that hard to do.

 

I don't think you have any idea just how close I came to doing this when I destroyed my fenders, bumper cover, hood, core supports, and headlights, lol. The only reason I didn't was because I already had some I30 parts laying around. Oh well, maybe next time.

 

S4800 thats pretty good, i would go there with $4000/$4500 cash and see what he says

 

Yes the max is great

 

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last one sorry about this I need to ask a question