shadyonedeath

iTrader: (10)

I've been searching for about 6 months for the perfect 4th gen, a 99 Sterling mist 5 spd. I found a few....across the country, but they all slip away from me from other buyers. Apparently im not the only one looking at maximas..

Anyways, whats some advice you can give me? Im definitely willing to fly across the country and drive it back. I just need to know whats worth it or not.

Is it better to get a mint condition 1 owner 165k 5spd or some (-100k) automatic, from some small town dealership etc. Because thats all i been finding.


And tips, advice, stories, much appreciated.

The Russian

iTrader: (4)

maxima's are selling really cheap lately....but it all depends what your looking for and what you arent....becuase im sure if your looking for a perfect sterling mist with every option available youll have a hard time finding it....however, i wouldnt go with an auto one...and if i were you i would keep in mind that a 99 is a 10 year old car so you cant expect it to be int he condition it was when it came off the lot.....Tips and advice wise...check the car's carfax, drive it, make sure when u press the clutch the car rolls, check everything you can check and whatever is wrong with the car, make sure they lower the price for that.....tires, brake pads/rotors, scratches, dents, etc. The worst case is if you buy a modified maxima, because everything tends to rattle after u start putting aftermarket parts on maxima's....anyway...thats my input otherwise just use common sense, if you see a car has an aftermarket steering wheel, blinking airbag light, and has a completely different front end, you can suspect its been in an accident...and i wouldnt recomend buying a vehicle thats been in a wreck..goodluck

t65k3

iTrader: (3)

No accident....
Check those vin stickers under the hood, on the doors, etc.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

on the carfax.

Before I bought my 98, I almost bought two other maximas. I thought I found the perfect Maxima, the owner answered all my questions perfectly; only to find out that the owner lied about not being in any accidents when I checked the carfax! And the accident happened while it was in their possession!! When I call them on it, all the excuses coming rushing out.

Carfax isn't perfect, and it doesn't give lots of detail, or reflect all accidents, but it's a good place to start when checking out a car. I feel it saved me from buying two problem cars.

Look at all the seams to see if they are even. Uneven seems is a dead giveaway the car was in an accident.

Bring ramps with you and get under the car and check for major leaks.

Check the fluid levels. Check the oil! See the level and color of it. This will tell you a lot about how it was maintained if the owner has no records. Ask for maintenance records etc.

Everything else is just common sense, like turn on and play with everything, turn the AC on make sure it blows cold, try the heat etc etc. The list of things to check is endless, just use your head and check EVERYTHING out thoroughly.

Maybe bring a friend or mechanic with you that knows a lot about cars or Maximas in general.

JBrodyA

yeah i didnt do that, i live in florida so now its hotter in my car than outside cuz my ac only blows cool-ish...

amtrucker22

iTrader: (1)

When I was looking I always checked the radiator support for rust. From what I gather this is about a $900 repair and is very common from cars that came from up north.

curiosul

knock sensor codes, exhaust state (how rusted is it and how many holes it has in it)

shilov

If it is manual ask someone to press and release the clutch while in neutral and idling. Listen for noise difference at the engine bay. If the transmission is noisy it might be on the way out.

papo020

BINGO!!I was going to suggest the exact same thing. I have the noise but luckily no problems with mine yet. I wish I would have investigated that before! All the other suggestions are good too. Obviously check for body rust, oil leaks, check the oil level and make sure there isn't any coolant there. Check that it fires right up, check all power accessories, check for wet carpet/trunk. Make sure all lights work that the tranny shifts fine. Make sure you can get into all gears easily but w/o slipping. If I can think of anything else I'll update.

QNO_A32

iTrader: (7)

make sure the check engine light comes on in accessory and goes off once running. check for vin number on both front fenders and you can pop the passenger side bumper light out to check for teh vin on the bumper. also check the lower rad support. check everything and listen for tranny noises if 5 speed. they day after i got my 4th gen i realized the right rear window didnt work or power lock....

vilmaxima

Im suprised no one said to check the tranny fluid. Thats one of the first things I would check. Would not want that biting me in the a$$, a couple weeks down the road. Ask him when he last had an oil change(km or mile wise)after seeing the k's on it, thatll tell you if he/she been changing the oil when it should be changed.

nyc96max

iTrader: (5)

Wouldnd a bad throw out bearing or pilot bearing cause a noise from the tranny also? Mines have some noises when i dont step on the clutch pedal and once i step on it it gone . The noise is not always there . I went to a mechanic and they said it possible that my bearings are done cause my clutch is almost done also.

tcaughey

iTrader: (6)

Hell yeah! I give mad props to you on willing to go anywhere for your perfect Maxima. I was in the SAME exact postion a month ago. I looked and searched for 6 months, and let deals pass me by. Some were too good to be true, and others were waay overpriced for the condition. One drawback of my entire experience of car searching is you'll always have to compete with the average consumer willing to pay more than the car is actually worth. It sux, seeing an awesome car go for more than you are willing to pay and more than it is worth. Set the amount you are willing to spend, and stick to it! Be reasonable, and again, take note that you will be paying more for the Maxima due to competition among buyers, If you havn't noticed this already.

I flew from Iowa to North Carolina to pick up and drive back my 98 Blk/Blk 5 Speed. I went out on a limb, and bought the car using pictures and the buyers word. All in all, a total of 10 people within 2 days checked out the car, and I made the jump and bought it without looking at it. I ended up getting a pretty good deal too, considering after the seller and I agreed on a price, others offered WAY MORE in CASH than we agreed. Lucky for me, I found a seller willing to stick to his word, and not let greed ruin the deal. After I bought the car, he literally had 10+ more calls in the next day wanted to purchase the Maxima. Even though i came to find out the car had some previous damage (i.e. front/roop repaint), I am still very happy about my purchase. CHECK FOR ANY SORT OF DAMAGE! If you are willing to go anywhere for a car, it's hard to trust anyone you do not know. And try your best to buy from a private owner. They know the car better than any dealer ever would. Of course, it's hard to tell if an owner lies about the car, but you can tell how well they took care of it based on the way they talk about it and treat you, especially if you're across the country. A seller who loves his car would rather deal with someone from out of state and sell it to someone who will truely love the car as much as they did, instead of letting it go to just anyone.
Finding an owner like that is a HUGE plus. There is nothing better than dealing with someone who treats you well and knows what they are talking about. Walk away if a seller starts to talk bull****. Stay away from anything that is not exactly what you are looking for. Your car is out there, it just takes time.

Yes, CARFAX THE CAR. It helps out a lot. Do everything everyone else has said, and you'll be good to go. I cannot stress enough, but you will know you found the perfect car when you found the perfect seller. You'll get this good vibe about the seller, even if they are from across the country. They won't pressure you, but they let you know there are other buyers on the line. Don't be too trusting though, and again, MAKE SURE IT IS WHAT YOU WANT! DON'T SETTLE FOR JUST ANYTHING! Also, as the saying goes, a deal too good to be true is probably just that. Pass it up and keep on looking. Good luck!

black_maxed95

iTrader: (41)

all great suggestions, but I wouldnt leave out buying from the Org. You can usually get it for cheap here with a few mod bonuses. On the org you can search the sellers history with the car, and plus people on the org usually take more care of their care than the average person. After I wrecked my maxima I searched all over and all the classifieds websites but couldnt find what I wanted...ended up getting exactly what I wanted on the org.

tcaughey

iTrader: (6)

^^^ This suggestion is great. Too bad everyone here loves their car, and it's like waiting for the lottery for your perfect car to go on sale. You might have to wait longer, but it would be worth it. I also did this, found a car close to me, and found out the seller lied about the car based on previous ORG threads and problems he tried resolving. The ORG is a very good buying tool.

black_maxed95

iTrader: (41)

theres quite a few people with nice cars that are moving on to better things...you never know.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

carfax isnt the end all research...

i carfaxed a POS honda accord a couple of years back - turned out it had been in an UNREPORTED accident

werwt22

Make sure to turn the steering wheel in both directions while moving at about 10 mph and listen for any creeks or thumping. Very common problem.

blackout2

always check lower radiator support for rust, when you drive the car make sure you drive at least 3 times and turn on and off, the last one i bought i drove it once and then on the way home the engine light came on. i brought it to my boy at the dealership, he told me when you reset light if problem was not fixed something about it takes 2 or 3 trips before light would come on. also may be too much but try taking a look at the antenna inside the trunk, theres a draintube there that caused rust around the rear fenderwell on a few maxs ive seen including mine.

95arcticpearl

iTrader: (3)

It might not be a bad idea if you have a code reader to take it with you to check out if there are any codes that aren't tripping the cel. Or maybe the cel is just burnt out so you would never know if there were codes or not.

Blueraven

ok folks im new to maximas how do you check the vin im about to purchase a 96 for about 3000 but i am tryin to check its history first o an ps this will be my first car 16 years old here an thnx in advance

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Get the VIN# from the seller. It will be 17 digits.
Go to www.carfax.com, pay via credit card, then enter the VIN#. Then Carfax will show you the history of the car you're interested in. It's that easy!

Being that you're 16 years old, I sure hope you have a mechanic or your Dad go with you to check it out thoroughly...

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Don't need a code reader for that. The CEL light shows itself when you turn the key to the 'ON' position.....

Blueraven

thnx already checked it out with my brother he said it was good but hes going to check the vin an thanks

Hellspawn

CEL doesn't show for everything -- silent codes too, KS being one.

t65k3

iTrader: (3)

If I am not mistaken, bad KS would trigger the CEL also.

ROCKART

iTrader: (23)

then you are mistaken.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

I know that. Read what I wrote again. I was addressing the fact that the CEL light comes on when the ignition is in the 'ON' position therefore discrediting the idea that you need a code reader because of the possibility of not knowing if the CEL bulb is burnt out or not. There is no possibility. It's either burnt out or it isn't and is easy to check. Get it now?




Bzzzzzzzzzzzz. You are mistaken.

t65k3

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for clearifying that, Rockart and Wizard~ Learned something today again~
Looks like it was oxygen sensor then......
http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...ecu-reset.html

Hope this following question doesn't bother you much....
So when KS goes bad, we can get the error code from ECU but CEL won't come on?

Thanks for your patience.....

shadyonedeath

iTrader: (10)

Do you guys follow the Kelly blue book value for our cars? To me it seems way over priced. The people i tried to buy from in the past SWORE there car was worth so much more because it had "leather" (cough* vinyl) and "fully loaded'.

...is like please, the Fully loaded options then are stock today..

Dooley

Buy mine

shadyonedeath

iTrader: (10)

dont like white...sorry :P

nismo97se

make sure the milage isnt rolled back, if the steering wheel and pedals have a ton of wear and the odo reads 45k you know somethings up..

flynlr

iTrader: (2)

not always true. my 95 Max has less then 60K , 55235 or something close to that.

the pedals are worn to nubs, steering wheel has some spots with 13 years of caked on crap. yet I know the Mileage is dead on .

because I bought the car new in 95 and have driven it darn near every day since.

just happens the first 9 years my commute was less the .5 miles a day

in the last 3 years I jumped from 36k to the 55k mark.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Exactly.

Camfantasy

iTrader: (2)

so no point in replacing a KS if u dont get the code on an obd2 reader right?

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Right.