I'm looking to pick up a 97-99 Maxima SE with manual transmission, and saw this on craigslist: http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/4372526595.html

It's got a bumper and grill from a 95 or 96, but it is definitely a 99--I verified the VIN.

Here are some additional pictures that he sent me:











Thoughts?

 

Yea, but when you buy it, buy a radiator support and not the ebay one because they are imitation thin metal but a oem one which are cheap and spend a weekend replacing it. It's easy just takes a little time.

 

i think the 96 front with fog lights looks great with only the license plate on the front. It does take out that big "mouth" looking front.

 

Well the tailights and cluster lead me to believe it is a 99.

The bumper/grille could have been changed for many reasons. I had to change the bumper on my old 97 maxima to one from a 96 because the paint on mine was horrible. A body shop quoted me 300 to repaint the front bumper. But I found a clean bumper from a 96 for $25 and threw that one on.

Just have a look to see if the car wasn't in a major accident. And also talk him down on the price. Its a couple hundred to high for the miles/options it has.

 

He's right about the accident, look under the hood at the frame rails and stuff just to see if it's kosher. I didn't want to scare you off a good max. And the price could be negotiable for example I bought a 97 se 5spd daily beater for $850. Threw a set of performance snow tires (studable hehe) on there from craigslist and replace all the fluids. Trans was low 1.6qts so I'm glad I did. My rad support looks new and shiny but I can tell it was ebay because it's rotted out on the bottom and someone "welded" on pieces of scrap metal to cover and hold it together. No complaints, it's a beater. Nothing better than a vq... it's like a tank.

 

looks like the front end is out of whack..... how did the car fax come back?? may have been some backyard repair job if it doesn't show any front end wrecks on it

 

I had an old '95 impreza L coupe 2.2l with frame rails that looked twisted, bent, tweaked, buggered, etc. Was going to wrx turbo swap it meaning the exhaust manifolds and turbo untill I realized the crossmember was different too and it put me off, too much work. Sold it to a friend and he drifted it around a bend, through a guard rail and into the woods. Pretty impressive little beast.

 

Hmmmmm.
Headlights are also 95/96.
Trunk lid is a different color.
Rear spoiler from this SE is gone.
Antenna gone.

Clean title?
Step away. Very very far away.

 

I think the car was in a front end accident. The gap of the hood over the grill is not even and the passenger headlight looks to be recessed more than the other side.

 

Agreed ... front end crash victim.

 

Might be a good beater still if it was a cosmetic fix.

 

Yep, I was thinking front end accident as well. It certainly had me curious, if nothing more than for the oddity of it. I've seen 95-96 with 97-99 front end swaps, but not the other way around. I think I'll just let this one be...

 

Someones looking for a freshy max eh? There's plenty out there.

 

Vehicles with very obvious parts from other years of the same generation is a huge RED FLAG.

 

Hey if the price is right... Got my '97 5spd se for $750 but he threw in parts and 5spoke alloys on top so I gave 'em $850. Depends what you plan on doing with the car. I just wanted something to romp on.

 

Fixed that for ya

 

 

Let's just say that if I had gone to look at it it would have gotten a VERY detailed inspection...

Yep! I've got a 98 GXE auto w/ 239k, and I'm really wanting to get a 97-99 SE manual.

 

I agree with the above posts. The only reason the guy will put that front end on is if he crashed the car and then bought the parts cheap from a junk yard and put them on. If the car is in good shape otherwise with only cosmetic damage and he will let it go cheap, go for it.

 

Look at the body panel gaps. First sign of a crash. I'd buy it as a beater. Those pics are not very detailed though. Depends what you need the car for. Getting dinged up in parking lots, traffic, pot holes, etc. Yea.....