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I just sold my 99 Maxima and am already missing it. It just ticked over 400k miles, ran great, and was powerful and fun to drive (except around corners with that stupid solid beam rear suspension)
Anyways, in perusing the locals I came across another 99 Maxima, but with the 5 speed manual. Seller says it needs a new clutch slave cylinder, so I am wondering who made (or makes) the best replacement ones? What was the OEM brand for these?
Also it has been hit in the right rear doing extensive damage to the fender but doesn't seem to affect the drivability of the car (although it looks like it got hit hard enough where I'd be surprised if it didn't do something to the frame or suspension back there...)
Here's a couple pics. Seller now wants $700 (down from $1000) and I could probably talk him down to $600. Thoughts?
It's got the wrong trunk lid and tail-lights as well.
Yes you're right I noticed the wrong trunk lid... I think the corner light lenses are correct but the trunk mounted ones seem upside down
The 5 speed tranny is calling to me but you guys are right it's probably hiding more surprises. I'll keep looking... never thought I'd miss the car this much until i started daily driving this 4 cyl Accord I replaced it with, no guts at all!!!
But what about ALL the things that need to be replaced over the miles? Have they been done?
You do understand the risk you take when buying ANY used car right?? I'm not naive enough to expect extensive service records from most individual sellers. Of course I suppose you could go to a dealer and buy a car with all the service records and pay 3-4 times what you'd get the same car for from a private seller-- whatever floats your boat.
You can get a better one, even at that price. The best 4th gen to get is the I30t 5-speed.
Also, the SE has its third brake light integrated into the wing/spoiler on the trunk. It doesn't have one against the rear window like in the GXE/GLE/I30
Most importantly, open the hood and check the radiator support! These cars are VERY prone to rust
If your 4-cyl Accord is too slow, they did make them with the V6. And if you're lucky, you can find an 06-07 Accord sedan with the 6-speed The manual was available on the TL for quite a few years, too. Even a 5th gem Maxima might be better, especially if you can get a 3.5 manual. And it will be newer, so less of a chance to rust.
You do understand the risk you take when buying ANY used car right?? I'm not naive enough to expect extensive service records from most individual sellers. Of course I suppose you could go to a dealer and buy a car with all the service records and pay 3-4 times what you'd get the same car for from a private seller-- whatever floats your boat.
All I'm suggesting is that you ASK! You might be pleasantly surprised and find out he took care of the car. As far as the rear hit, If everything else turns out to be solid, pay to check if the body/chassis isn't racked.
And YES I do understand the risks all too well and the "As Is" laws........Years ago I bought a used 76 Olds Starfire. I found out after buying it, it was a reconditioned wreck. Unibody like our Maximas. When my friends were following behind, they saw my back wheels were a foot to the right and didn't track inline. There was also body putty on the roof where the hinges for the hatchback were ripped off. Some sellers really SUCK!
Eyes WIDE open!
And my 99 SE-L came loaded with every option except wood grain dash trim and gold badging. And I didn't want them anyway. Sterling Mist paint with black interior.
And a JY trunk lid with a spoiler for a 97 to 99 will be what the doctor ordered. Color match might be a challenge.
You can get a better one, even at that price. The best 4th gen to get is the I30t 5-speed.
Also, the SE has its third brake light integrated into the wing/spoiler on the trunk. It doesn't have one against the rear window like in the GXE/GLE/I30
Most importantly, open the hood and check the radiator support! These cars are VERY prone to rust
If your 4-cyl Accord is too slow, they did make them with the V6. And if you're lucky, you can find an 06-07 Accord sedan with the 6-speed The manual was available on the TL for quite a few years, too. Even a 5th gem Maxima might be better, especially if you can get a 3.5 manual. And it will be newer, so less of a chance to rust.
Believe it or not, I actually had an 07 Accord sedan with the V6 and the 6-speed manual! In fact, this is the VERY car I ended up buying from Randy Kuehl Honda in Cedar Rapids IA:
It was an absolute blast to drive, until you discover your gas mileage-- it was HORRIBLE. That's one thing I loved about my Maxima, good power + decent gas mileage- they got the balance totally right on that one.
The problem with the 6th gen V6 Accord sedans you mention is (as you apparently know) they were only available with the automatic transmission, and those are known to have a high failure rate. They were designed in a closed-loop system meaning no drain pan access AND 2nd gear clutch pack did not get the ATF cooling flow it needed thereby overheating the clutch pack.
As for the 3.5 V6's in the later 5th gen Maximas--they are overall good engines but not as reliable as the 3.0-- they have timing chain issues (not saying all of them would have problems but it's enough of a concern for me to stick with the earlier 3.0 models.) Check out 9:15 mark in this video:
All I'm suggesting is that you ASK! You might be pleasantly surprised and find out he took care of the car. As far as the rear hit, If everything else turns out to be solid, pay to check if the body/chassis isn't racked.
And YES I do understand the risks all too well and the "As Is" laws........Years ago I bought a used 76 Olds Starfire. I found out after buying it, it was a reconditioned wreck. Unibody like our Maximas. When my friends were following behind, they saw my back wheels were a foot to the right and didn't track inline. There was also body putty on the roof where the hinges for the hatchback were ripped off. Some sellers really SUCK!
Eyes WIDE open!
And my 99 SE-L came loaded with every option except wood grain dash trim and gold badging. And I didn't want them anyway. Sterling Mist paint with black interior.
And a JY trunk lid with a spoiler for a 97 to 99 will be what the doctor ordered. Color match might be a challenge.
Fair enough on all points-
I do always ask for maintenance records, what the seller knows about the car, how long they've owned it etc. But 9 times out of 10 they have no clue, it's pretty frustrating but finding that diamond in the rough is part of the fun I suppose!
I just don't see myself coming across a car that has extensive service records, in great condition, for that price. If you all have examples you can link (craigslist, facebook marketplace etc) I'd love to see them!
I did find one 99 Maxima just like mine (GLE in gold) but with half the mileage for $1200 on facebook marketplace that looked to be in fantastic condition that I would have jumped on-- but when I messaged them about it they replied they had decided to keep it. Flaky *** sellers....
A clutch slave cyl is not hard to install. IF one also installs the one-piece stainless steel line.
My concern would be that it's a 1999.
They come with the immobilizer issues.
Looks like you might as well keep looking.
Is it ONLY the 99's that have the immobilizer issue?
Because I had it on the 99 I just sold, I don't know if you read my other thread or not but I discussed it there:
Believe it or not, I actually had an 07 Accord sedan with the V6 and the 6-speed manual! In fact, this is the VERY car I ended up buying from Randy Kuehl Honda in Cedar Rapids IA:
It was an absolute blast to drive, until you discover your gas mileage-- it was HORRIBLE. That's one thing I loved about my Maxima, good power + decent gas mileage- they got the balance totally right on that one.
The problem with the 6th gen V6 Accord sedans you mention is (as you apparently know) they were only available with the automatic transmission, and those are known to have a high failure rate. They were designed in a closed-loop system meaning no drain pan access AND 2nd gear clutch pack did not get the ATF cooling flow it needed thereby overheating the clutch pack.
As for the 3.5 V6's in the later 5th gen Maximas--they are overall good engines but not as reliable as the 3.0-- they have timing chain issues (not saying all of them would have problems but it's enough of a concern for me to stick with the earlier 3.0 models.) Check out 9:15 mark in this video:
I always knew about the Honda V6 automatic trans issues, but I never knew what caused them! Thank you for that info on the 2nd gear clutch pack!
That info came straight from a certified Honda master technician who serviced my Accord. He said that there was a sort of "secretive" recall where Honda would replace the tranny for free but only if you knew about the issue and asked about it. The replacement transmissions apparently fixed the 2nd gear clutch pack cooling issue but still had some issues due to remaining a closed system. Ridiculous-- only reason to design it like that was to force you to take it to the dealer for service. They didn't really get the issue resolved until sometime later in the 7th gen.
Originally Posted by maximaxi
What kind of mileage did you get with your 6-speed Accord? And what kind of mileage did you get with your Maxima?
The Accord V6 sedan with the 6 speed manual was officially rated at 18 city/ 27 hwy & 22 combined, which is terrible in itself for a Honda, but I think I didn't even get that. It literally became a financial burden.Now to be fair I almost always just used regular E10 87 octane so maybe my mileage would have been better using premium- but the car didn't require it.
By comparison I continually got around 23-24 city and close to 30 highway with the Maxima.
Originally Posted by maximaxi
How much snow, salt, and rust do you get in Iowa? Is there a Krown location near you?
Actually I live in Arkansas- I was visiting some friends in Des Moines when I saw that 07 on autotrader. They had family over in Cedar Rapids they wanted to see anyway- so we took a trip over there and they visited relatives while I bought a car
Originally Posted by maximaxi
Correct, only the 99 has the immobilizer issue because only the 99 has the immobilizer.
Are you sure? I have seen the blinking security light on the dash of other 4th gen models, why I asked. I didn't know if that was only on the cars with the immobilizer or not. I know it's the warning light for when the ignition fails to recognize a key being put in it, and came on solid when my immobilizer failed.
You know that is REALLY weird-
I just looked up the specs for the 99 Maxima GLE with automatic and it's rated at 18/26 and 21 combined!!
I can GUARANTEE you I got better gas mileage in that thing than I ever did in the Accord!!
Could be I was younger and drove way more aggressively in the Accord back then... who knows.
Strange....
That info came straight from a certified Honda master technician who serviced my Accord. He said that there was a sort of "secretive" recall where Honda would replace the tranny for free but only if you knew about the issue and asked about it. The replacement transmissions apparently fixed the 2nd gear clutch pack cooling issue but still had some issues due to remaining a closed system. Ridiculous-- only reason to design it like that was to force you to take it to the dealer for service. They didn't really get the issue resolved until sometime later in the 7th gen.
The Accord V6 sedan with the 6 speed manual was officially rated at 18 city/ 27 hwy & 22 combined, which is terrible in itself for a Honda, but I think I didn't even get that. It literally became a financial burden.Now to be fair I almost always just used regular E10 87 octane so maybe my mileage would have been better using premium- but the car didn't require it.
By comparison I continually got around 23-24 city and close to 30 highway with the Maxima.
Actually I live in Arkansas- I was visiting some friends in Des Moines when I saw that 07 on autotrader. They had family over in Cedar Rapids they wanted to see anyway- so we took a trip over there and they visited relatives while I bought a car
Are you sure? I have seen the blinking security light on the dash of other 4th gen models, why I asked. I didn't know if that was only on the cars with the immobilizer or not. I know it's the warning light for when the ignition fails to recognize a key being put in it, and came on solid when my immobilizer failed.
I have been following this forum for years.
the only 4th Gen people have immobilizer issues with is the 1999.
the only 4th Gen people have immobilizer issues with is the 1999.
That may be, but that is not the same thing as saying only the 99 model year had it. Which then begs the question, if they all have it why is it only an issue on the 99s?
That may be, but that is not the same thing as saying only the 99 model year had it. Which then begs the question, if they all have it why is it only an issue on the 99s?
Only 99's have NATS ie Immobilizer
Last edited by The Wizard; 10-24-2018 at 04:49 PM.
Interesting- so the 99 is the first year (and the only 4th gen year) with the NATS. That sucks, I am looking at another 99 right now that looked to be in fantastic shape!! :
Maybe if it didn't have that damage, the correct trunk lid, and not a 99..sure i'd give it a shot. Thing is that color doesn't make the 4th gen look that great imo. I'd keep looking for a better one.
What are your thoughts on this one Its a 97 so no NATS problem, and its a 5 speed manual. And it's only $975. But... the clutch is out Not sure what the deal is with that black bumper (bumper cover maybe?) or the beige driver's side mirror either.
Maybe its just me, Beige color cars don't grab my attention. It's hard to make them stand out.
That ain't beige, Sterling Mist is silver/grey. Maybe you're thinking of Grandma Gold (Pebble beige metallic/Sunlit Sand) ...now that color is hideous IMO! LOL
Sb001: You have your colors wrong. That Maxima you're showing is Sterling Mist, not Pebble Beige. Pebble Beige = Grandma Gold!
1999 Nissan Maxima
Lakeshore Blue Prl - BT4
Mahogany Prl - CP2
Deep Evergreen Prl - DP0
Sherwood Green Met - DR2
Sunlit Sand Met - EV0
Sage Mist Green Met - FS0
Super Black - KH3
Sterling Mist Met - KT3
Icelandic Prl - QT1
1998 Nissan Maxima
Neptune Blue Met - BS3
Pebble Beige Met - CG2
Deep Evergreen Prl - DP0
Sage Mist Green Met - FS0
Super Black - KH3
Sterling Mist Met - KT3
Rosewood Met - LS5
Arctic White Prl - QN0
1997 Nissan Maxima
Neptune Blue Met - BS3
Pebble Beige Met - CG2
Deep Evergreen Prl - DP0
Sage Mist Green Met - FS0
Super Black - KH3
Rosewood Met - LS5
Concord Mist Met - LS6
Arctic White Prl - QN0
1996 Nissan Maxima
Ruby Prl - AL0
Starfire Blue Prl - BN6
Pebble Beige Met - CG2
Deep Evergreen Prl - DP0
Super Black - KH3
Granite Prl - KN6
Platinum Iris Met - LP0
Arctic White Prl - QN0
1995 Nissan Maxima
Ruby Prl - AL0
Dk Blue Prl - BM1
Pebble Beige Met - CG2
Black Emerald Prl - DJ2
Super Black - KH3
Granite Prl - KN6
Platinum Iris Met - LP0
Arctic White Prl - QN0
What are your thoughts on this one Its a 97 so no NATS problem, and its a 5 speed manual. And it's only $975. But... the clutch is out Not sure what the deal is with that black bumper (bumper cover maybe?) or the beige driver's side mirror either.
The mileage isn't bad. The car generally looks good.
it should probably sell for 500. Not much demand for a car that old with a bad clutch.
So my question to you.......
are you capable of replacing that clutch by your self, or with a friend?
if not, 1500 for the clutch job. But then it will begood for a very long time.
the struts ate a known issue. Again, can you do the work, or will you pay a mechanic.
I see costs of 1000-1500 if you do your own work. So 2k for that car.
while if you have the work done, 1500 for the clutch, perhaps 1000 for struts? 2500 for the work, 500 for the car, it's a 3k car. If that is what you would be onto this car, perhaps another car might work out better for you.
Overall that car looks great, the SE model, that paint color is nice, maybe have a shop repaint the front bumper and the beige mirror if u can. Make the headlights look nice again. If you can get it for $500 and invest a couple thousand to make it reliable again. I'd say go for it if you can afford it. There's not much body damage as I can only see on the drivers fender...which is much easier to repair than a quarter panel. But do the mechanic's first before fixing up the body...
That ain't beige, Sterling Mist is silver/grey. Maybe you're thinking of Grandma Gold (Pebble beige metallic/Sunlit Sand) ...now that color is hideous IMO! LOL
Sb001: You have your colors wrong. That Maxima you're showing is Sterling Mist, not Pebble Beige. Pebble Beige = Grandma Gold!
Hmm-- I guess it's just the way the light was hitting the car in the photos, I thought it was more of a gold (Sunlit Sand) color but I pulled up some Sterling Mist photos and did a side by side comparison and it does look that color.
However I am just about 100% positive my former one was Sunlit Sand, it was definitely more of a gold color and not silver/ gray. Here's a photo from my ad:
Funny, the sunlight hitting it also makes it look more like Sterling Mist but it was DEFINITELY a gold color. Either way I have zero problems with its color, I thought it looked very sharp.
So is the other one I posted a photo of above Sterling Mist also? (The decked out one with the spoiler etc) I can just about guarantee that one is the same color as my old one.
are you capable of replacing that clutch by your self, or with a friend?
if not, 1500 for the clutch job. But then it will begood for a very long time.
the struts ate a known issue. Again, can you do the work, or will you pay a mechanic.
I see costs of 1000-1500 if you do your own work. So 2k for that car.
while if you have the work done, 1500 for the clutch, perhaps 1000 for struts? 2500 for the work, 500 for the car, it's a 3k car. If that is what you would be onto this car, perhaps another car might work out better for you.
I can definitely handle the struts myself- I did those on my old one.
The clutch is another story. That would be quite the task with the limited resources I have. Plus that car is about 3 hours away. I can certainly drive stick but I've never tried to do it with no clutch! I'm up for the challenge of getting it back here with no clutch but then I'd probably have my mechanic do that job. Not positive but I bet he could squeeze it in for under $1000 though.
I don’t have the title in the house but have a 95 that in some light looks silver/grey and in some lights kinda light sandy gold.In the listing post for colors for 95 don’t see anything that really fits it is a metallic mix.I would offer the guy 400 as said the clutch cylinder is relatively an easy fix.A clutch not so much.Replaced many in older rear wheel drive cars piece of cake FWD not so easy.They body damage is an easy fix if you can find a donor car need the trunk lid anyway.We wouldn’t be on here if these weren’t amazing cars for the money but the rust god has taken so many they are getting harder to find.
Just sunk enough in my car welding in sheet metal to drive me underwater on the car but It only has 115k.At our age it’ll last longer than us.(wife and I)
Sb001: You have your colors wrong. That Maxima you're showing is Sterling Mist, not Pebble Beige. Pebble Beige = Grandma Gold!
Sorry Wizard but after doing some more comparisons online I do believe you are mistaken about that first car I posted. I believe it is in fact Sunlit Sand.
Compare:
Sterling Mist (from an online photo):
Sunlit Sand (from the photo of the 1st car I posted):
No way that's the same color. Its's just the way the sunlight is hitting it in the photo- same as my ad photo above.
Now that we have that cleared up, I have ZERO problem with the Sunlit Sand color- I think it looks awfully good especially on a decked out Maxima like that one from the facebook ad above. That one is looking more tempting to me by the second. Nothing wrong with it (as opposed to the green one) and I can probably talk the guy down to $1500, whereas the price of the green one + the work needing to be done on it would probably have me closer to $2k.
I know my colors and have seen them all in person. I can't help it if you post pictures with crappy lighting. LOL You may be right that it's Grandma Gold based on the crappy picture. If so, then Sterling Mist FTW.
You couldn't pay me to take a Grandma Gold Maxima....worst.....color.......ever.
Last edited by The Wizard; 10-24-2018 at 10:55 PM.
I know my colors and have seen them all in person. I can't help it if you post pictures with crappy lighting. LOL You may be right that it's Grandma Gold based on the crappy picture. If so, then Sterling Mist FTW.
You couldn't pay me to take a Grandma Gold Maxima....worst.....color.......ever.
You're wrong about this too That Sterling Mist should be called "Drab Gray" or "storm Cloud" or some ****. It's awful. The sunlit sand actually makes you want to go out and drive the car, not hole up in a corner pondering your life like that sterling mist
10-24-2018, 09:57 AM
The manual was available on the TL for quite a few years, too. Even a 5th gem Maxima might be better, especially if you can get a 3.5 manual. And it will be newer, so less of a chance to rust.
:
here's the only color you want sb ( other than crimson red )
