Hello people of Maxima.org. My name is Sin, and I am the proud owner of a heavily modified Volvo 850 Turbo wagon. Because of my love for my car, automobiles in general, and modifying cars, I have become a common figure, and a source for information on modern Volvos on a board similar to this. That board is named The Brickboard, and can be found at www.brickboard.com. My tag at that site is also Sin. Please feel free to drop in if you ever have any Volvo questions.

However, recent events in my life have led me to search for another car. I have always liked 4th generation Maximas, especially the later 4th generation (98-99) SE's with 5 speed manual transmissions. As such, I am currently shopping for said car.

In my searches for a well maintained 98' Maxima SE with a manual transmission, about the only thing I have learned is that they are rather rare. In the Greater Toronto Area, I have only been able to find five. I guess it is true, manual transmissions, especially on non-coupe/sporty cars, are an endangered species in North America. Of the five I have been able to find, prices range from around $13,000 (all prices in Canadian dollars), up to around $24,000. Yes the $13,000 cars have ridiculously high miles for a 98' and are in poor condition for such a new car, and the $24,000 prices can easily be bargained down $2-3000, but I found this huge price "window" of model, trim, accessories, year, etc, to be peculiar.

The only other Nissan in my immediate family was a VERY old Sentra, that was older then I, and was owned by my father. It was definetly not a head turner, didn't have any real performance to speak of, but never ever let my family down. It was a faithful car, that gave its all. I have always liked Nissans, especially their engines, in particular the 3.0L V6 that is found in the 4th gen Maxima, Infiniti derivatives, and the new variant 3.5L V6 found in the Altima, 5th gen Maxima and I35.

As I am not very familiar with Nissans, in particular Maximas, I would greatly appreciate any help regarding things to look for in a used 4th gen Maxima. So far, the one that appeared to be in the best condition both mechanically and aesthetically was one that came off of a lease from a local Nissan canada recognized dealership recently, and is not up for sale. It has approximately 67,000 km, is blue with some green in the paint (not sure as I only inspected it at night), and is fully loaded to the best of my knowledge. Being a 98', off lease, its drivetrain is still convered under warranty from Nissan Canada till sometime in 2003 or until 100,000km, which should take me about one-two years to cover. It is going for about $21,000, which I hope to be able to bargain down some more. The mileage is good, the engine is smooth, all fluids appear relatively fresh (I am a licensed distributor for AMSOIL, a synthetic lubricant manufacturer, and I have done quite a bit of car maintenance in my few years), and there are no tell-tail signs of abuse, or neglect. However, I did not have time to test drive the car, which I will try to do this Friday. The paint appeared to be in very good condition. The only blemish I could find was a small tic tac sized scratch on the rear bumper, which has been touched up rather well. The interior was also in very good condition. The leather appeared to be well taken care of, and interior in general, did not appear to have ever gotten really dirty at any time in its life.

Being a newbie to Maximas, are there any particular concerns to be aware of before making a final decision? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

My appologies, (I am rather embarrased with making such a silly, yet misleading error in my first post ever on this board), as I have made a typoe

"from a local Nissan canada recognized dealership recently, and is not up for sale."

Should read, NOW up for sale.

Once again, any and all help will be appreciated.

 

Hey man so what college do you teach english at? ..lol j/k. But you might want to change your post's subject to something like "looking for 5-speed 4th gen in Toronto" so the right people look at it, just a suggestion. Good luck.

 

The first thing I should caution you about is asking ANYTHING on this board. Most people here refuse to answer any questions and will only tell you to use the search function. Not the greatest board in the world, but you can occasionaly get some decent info.

As far as anything to watch for.....
As with any car you want to be sure of the vehicles condition. Has the clutch ever been replaced? If so at what mileage? Does the tranmission shift smoothly and acuratly? Just things that you would normaly llok at when purchasing a car of any type. There's nothing to really "watch for" in a 4th gen Max that I am aware of. Hope this helps a little.

 

One good thing about Maximas is their reliability. One of few cars to never have any kind of even small recall on it.

It may be wise to purchase an extended warranty anyway. You could do what I did, which was find an online place that sells warranties, then ask the dealer to match the price on that warranty with an actual Nissan Warranty.

I got a 3 year bumper-bumper warranty for $1100. Normally it is $2100.

Otherwise, I can't think of anything to look for. Except YES! get a stick. I'm regretting giving up and not looking harder for a manual now.

 

Kind of..... No actual recalls but there have been "Volentary Service Campaigns" issued. For example: The power steering pump lines were not tightened correctly from the factory. This was discovered on some 1996 and some 1997 models with specific VINs, and can be fixed at any dealer free of charge. But there have been no actula "Recalls", which deal with safety issues only.