i found this craigslist posting for a 96 maxima. i called the guy. it has 138xxx miles. he said it has a new clutch, but the guy put it in wrong and so when you are at a stop sign while in gear, it will stall out sometimes. but when you drive down the road/highway, it is fine. the body is in great shape.

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/2339727269.html

what would you guys say the problem is?

the guy wants $1900, but i would offer him $1500 for it. or maybe $1300. anyways, i was just thinking of buying an exedy clutch kit and changing it out myself. it sounds to me like the throwout bearing.

the other downside is no AC. my parents advise me not to buy this car, but i fairly know my way around a max.

suggestions?

 

idk about clutch but..
you need to know more what wrong about ac, could just be out of refrigerant or
bad compressor, ( new compressor 150-250$, + replace labor, recharge ,vacuum ,leak test, maybe new hose... you can end up 600$

 

Realizing that you may be spending up to $1000 for the A/C and clutch, you want to get the price down. If you can do the work, or at least most of it, I say go ahead.

 

well, just called the guy again. i could barely understand him. but from what i heard, he said something about the speed sensor. he also said the ac just stopped working, he hasnt looked into it. im supposed to give him a call tomorrow afternoon about going to look at it. and then we will discuss the price from there.

 

i would say 1300 is a fair price lets say u have to put in another $700 bucks now u have spent 2k now u have a car that will last u atleast another 3 to 5 years with proper care

 

Bring a code reader and the amount of cash you want to pay. The code reader you can use to check for anything else wrong; the cash you can use to get your price. If you have $1000 or $1200 cash on you and no more, you have a good bargaining chip.

I'd buy it, because it looks like it's in good shape, but I wouldn't bet on ever having air-con working. It's not necessary for me, as I rarely use it, but you might feel differently.

 

If you lived in Texas, I bet you would most definitely feel differently!

 

^^^truth

http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/2343626827.html

some more pics.

and thanks for the advice guys. ill try and get a code reader tomorrow before i go.

 

T/0 bearing or clutch disk backwards. Bleed the system.

 

Looking at the pictures, the body seems to be in reasonable condition, but I see 2 other things that raise some flags.

The car has a trailer hitch, which could contribute to driveline problems.

The interior is overly trashed for the mileage. The driver's seat, back of driver's headrest, the passenger seat, the left rear seat. Now I'm thinking that my earlier advice of going ahead and buying the car is bad advice.

added:
The tread on the right front tire seems like it doesn't have an even distribution of dirt on it, meaning possible alignment problems. The trunk lid has 2 dents, one on top front right corner and another on rear facing flat surface by the passenger tail light. I hope you don't buy that car.

 

dont worry. i didnt. im going to buy a 99 max tomorrow. ill get pics up asap. and a link to my build thread posted in here.

 

NO AC in TX = FAIL!!!!!!!!

 

Wow for 138000 mi IF the leather was in good shape id say got for it if u could get it for 1500. But this is almost the worst shape leather ive seen in a 4th gen. The leather is usually pretty solid, i mean ive seen them in salvage yards exposed to the elements better than this. That being said i also live in texas and understand that having a DD w AC is a necessity. However im suprised he doesnt want more....for some reason people command lots of $$$ for maximas down here and with that being relatively low mileage you could even invest a little in parts and even flip it for a profit....ive seen cars with almost 200,000 mi sell for upwards of 5000. its crazy.

 

i didnt. heres the thread- http://forums.maxima.org/members-rid...ml#post8028402

 

I looked at Kelly Blue Book to see what they thought it would be worth. A 96 maxima, manual trans, no a/c, in "good" condition, listed at around $1875. It would be around $800 more if it had a/c. To sell a car like that for more than $1000, you need to find some star-struck kid looking for a cheap car or some other equally non-knowledgeable person.

 

exactly what i thought...i know maximas tend to hold their value better than other cars....but there have been plenty of times ive seen 4th gens sell for far more than they're worth. Im originally from the north (iowa) and in general cars are cheaper up there from more wear and tear, winters, road salt etc. but i was suprised the difference in prices down here....