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So I'm looking for my first car and I came across a 1998 Nissan Maxima with 103K for only $1500. I know these older Maxima are better than the new ones since they're built in Japan and are less complex. Especially new ones are all CVT tranny and this one has the regular 4 speed automatic. I would like advice one reliability, defects, or just generally any advice on these cars. Since it has 103K what are some things that needs to be done as far as 100K service? Any advice is appreciated.
I literally have one that overheated until it shut off and I still drive it daily lmao Wouldn’t hesitate to take it on a long trip either
I would look for rust around the front strut towers, lower radiator support, rockers, rear quarters, floors and sunroof glass frame. At 100K you really just have to worry about general maintenance and fresh fluids.
If the car is in good condition with little rust, It's a great car with very strong engines. These engines won top 10 best engines during 96-01. They're cheap to maintain, fun to drive and have fun little mods if you enjoy doing that.
However, they're not worth much these days because most of your money is going to most likely be spent to keep the car running, maintaining it and if you want to do fun little mods to it. It's a trade-off to have no car payments and cheap insurance so that you can afford to continue maintaining it/do anything you wish to do to the car while you have it.
Just depends on what's already been maintained on the car. Drive it, make sure the steering is tight and rides quiet n smooth. Spark plugs are supposed to be changed every 30k, coil packs every 60k. If these things aren't maintained on time and with the recommended brands then you are going to unnecessarily lose your hair. Fuel filter, knock sensor, keep an eye on valve cover gaskets for leaks as well as making sure there are no other leaks. 100k miles isnt much, but the car is still 20yrs old, parts age. If you do your own work you'll save a fortune and learn a lot in the process. If it's driving good and up to date on it's maintenance then you're good until something like the MAF sensor, fuel injectors, or fuel regulator need cleaned/fixed/replaced
These engines last forever. EGR tube will clog up and need cleaned out after a while(hurts mpg won't stall the car), parts will go bad but I think the car is fairly easy to troubleshoot and fix
As long as you keep up on basic maintenance (like any car), and as long as the previous owner(s) did the same - these cars are rock solid. You would be hard pressed to find a car as reliable as these for that price and that "low" of miles.
Unless the car is pristine and has been maintained at an above average level and provable, I'd play with the seller until he went $1K or so.
If you're somewhere salt never gets used, even better, but you didn't bother to fill out your location so we are clueless. Salt can do some nasty things underneath.
Book values are lower than what people ask. Use that to your advantage. Remember, you won't be making a payment, but you will be replacing things. It's over 20 years old regardless of miles.
Check the exhaust end to end. Take it on deliberately rough roads and see how quickly the suspension recovers. Acceleration and stopping surety. Heat and A/C. Check to see if the engine/Transmission or Power Steering (Including the rack) are leaking. Smell the transmission fluid. It should smell sweet and not burnt or smoked. Power everything needs checking, including all functions on both Key Fobs. Do a CarFax and make sure it wasn't hit hard or hopefully not at all. Rims should be round and no flat spots, and so on. Common sense.
Thanks for the response so far. I notice many of you mentioned rust. I'm in California and I've ran the carfax. It shows that it is a California car since new, so I shouldn't have to worry about rust too much. Although on Carfax there isn't much maintenance record and it shows that it failed emission test two times although it was a few years back.
I am in SoCal. These cars are great. Should get to 300K easily if its maintained. If you run TCW-3 outboard oil in your gas, with premium gas, your emissions will be greatly reduced.... especially the NOX. Use 1 ounce for every 5 gallons of gas. Everyone on here will verify this. Our cars love this stuff in the gas. Cali emission laws suck and this helps get by them. My 98 has 168K on it and I have driven from LA to San Francisco 4 times in the past 2 years with no problems at all. Going through the Grapevine was a cinch.
Mark217 - re: "first car" - may we assume that you are a young person ?
do you own any tools ? do you own a code reader ? do you have the space, inclination, and time to work on your own daily driver ? do you have alternative transportation in mind for when your 4th gen is torn to pieces @ 1am and you still have to do <whatever> the next morning ? do you have covered parking ?
if you answered "no" to any of the above (except "young") then I would seriously check your expectations before buying a 20 year old 4th gen no matter how many miles are on it
this forum is a _terrible_ place to get unvarnished advice about "good/bad" as everybody here is either a) already a homer for Nissan or b) so sick in the head and/or cheap that they think piling a bunch of maintenance / $ into a daily driver is anything like a "normal" car owning experience. I personally fall into the latter category - "sick" and "cheap" both.
Semi-Pro Tip re: the numbers shown in the post above - know your fuel pressure (rent/borrow a fuel pressure gauge, and know how to use it) and replace your fuel pump/FuelPressureRegulator (if it needs it) before spending money on coils etc.
despite all of that the above referenced i30 STILL leaks oil from the UpperOilPan like a _sum-b*tch_. Can you accept oil/power steering/trans leaks all over your parking spot (and stomach continually buying/adding replacement fluids) ? If not - either break out the $$ for hoses/parts/service - or prepare to wrench your little heart out.
I hope you'll receive this advice in the helpful manner in which it was intended.
this forum is a _terrible_ place to get unvarnished advice about "good/bad" as everybody here is either a) already a homer for Nissan or b) so sick in the head and/or cheap that they think piling a bunch of maintenance / $ into a daily driver is anything like a "normal" car owning experience. I personally fall into the latter category - "sick" and "cheap" both.
LAWL yeah I've had an awful time with mine and I love it. I've posted this mess before:
New radiator - Failed / leaking (Approx 160k)
New power steering pump - Failed / leaking (Approx 160k)
New alternator - Failed / no charge (Approx 165k)
New main crank pulley (replaced serpentine belt too) - Failed / rubber fell apart (Approx 165k)
New fuel pump - Failed / non-start (Approx 175k)
New water pump - Because I was in there (Approx 182k - wasn't failing)
New knock sensor - Failing (lots of codes) (Approx 182k)
New front camshaft position sensor - Failed (seeping oil) (Approx 160k)
New crankshaft position sensor - Failed (non-start condition) (Approx 175k)
New blend door motor - Failed (no heat / ac control) (Approx 165k)
New rear brake calipers (and a full brake job) - Failed (Frozen shut - Approx 175k)
Replaced rear main oil seal - Failing (slight oil leak - Approx 182k)
New clutch / pressure plate / throwout bearing - Clutch needed replacing - Car uses a clutch approx every 90k miles depending on terrain / driver
I have had just the opposite experience on my I30. I have owned the car 7 years now. I haven't even had to do one repair a year yet. I do have a small UOP leak, but otherwise just a radiator replacement, knock sensor, an o2 sensor, alternator and junkyard coil packs. No rust. I guess I have been exceptionally lucky. I will probably have to do the cv axles soon.
I would buy that car in a heartbeat. I have owned a '98 since new, and have 118K miles, and the only thing that failed is the overhead light. Yes, I have replaced tires, brakes, both half-axles, but that is all I can recall. It has been a gem. I wouldn't hesitate to drive from NY to California tomorrow. Zero rust, and I live in upstate NY.
You have to consider that the car is over 20 years old. Rubber parts need to be replaced, even on low mileage cars. You need to plan on replacing some fuel injectors. Also coolant hoses and the radiator sooner or later.
All in all, the car can be very dependable once deferred maintainence ha's been done.
I've driven mine 120k mile's and 13 years without much trouble. I have 220,000 miles on mine. They can last over 300,000 miles.
The Maxima was intended as a fairly powerful 4 door family car at the time. One with decent handling and good brakes.
The Toyota Camry and the Ford Taurus were it's competion. Almost all the Fords are gone.
The Camrys live on. Most are 4 cylinders. As much fun as driving grandmother's sofa.
The Maxima is not really a sports car.
Most of us don't have much performance equipment on our rides.
What the old Maximas are at this point is a very good family car at a bargain basement price.
You could drive yours for 10 years.
Last edited by JvG; 02-21-2019 at 11:27 AM.
Reason: Spell check
I threw $10,000 into my salvaged title (lol) 96 Maxima when it was at 227k miles. Now it's at 240k miles and still having small problems with evap leaks. It's still running and I'm still going to fix it regardless of how much I don't want to. lol.
I threw $10,000 into my salvaged title (lol) 96 Maxima when it was at 227k miles. Now it's at 240k miles and still having small problems with evap leaks. It's still running and I'm still going to fix it regardless of how much I don't want to. lol.
Our cars are very affordable if we are able to do most of the work our selves. Defferred maintenance requires a fair amount of time and the cost of parts. Don't be afraid of hanging out in wrecking yards.
Many perfectly useable parts cab be found there .
Some members prefer to pay a mechanic instead.
Unfortunately the cost of that labor can be steep. .
Some of us do the easy stuff our selves. We pay a mechanic to do unpleasant things such as replacing the water pump.
I bought an 95 se 5spd, for 2k with 67k miles no rust and straight, little over two years ago. I have replaced vc (gaskets due to leak), pcv valve,fuel filter, spark plugs, knock sensor & sub harness, vac lines(due to cracks,leaks),injector rail rubber fuel lines(due to bad leaks)mt90 in trans and reverse light switch (went bad)...so far. Things I need to replace due to either maint or being bad soon are..evap core,lca's,diff bearings in trans are whining,trans seal leaking,rear main leaking,oil sender leaking, lower oil pan leaking,timing chain tensioner(s),front struts,rear shocks. All which seem alot but to me are minor,and normal wear and tear for a 24 year old car. Daily drive it,doesn't leak enough to add oil, have a stillen short ram,cattman y pipe,random tech cat,and greddy sp2 catback. I love the crap out of this car tho. Do not let my post deter your purchase.
I bought an 95 se 5spd, for 2k with 67k miles no rust and straight, little over two years ago. I have replaced vc (gaskets due to leak), pcv valve,fuel filter, spark plugs, knock sensor & sub harness, vac lines(due to cracks,leaks),injector rail rubber fuel lines(due to bad leaks)mt90 in trans and reverse light switch (went bad)...so far. Things I need to replace due to either maint or being bad soon are..evap core,lca's,diff bearings in trans are whining,trans seal leaking,rear main leaking,oil sender leaking, lower oil pan leaking,timing chain tensioner(s),front struts,rear shocks. All which seem alot but to me are minor,and normal wear and tear for a 24 year old car. Daily drive it,doesn't leak enough to add oil, have a stillen short ram,cattman y pipe,random tech cat,and greddy sp2 catback. I love the crap out of this car tho. Do not let my post deter your purchase.
Looks like what I do to my 4th gens during a mid-life refresh except for any engine mods and refurbishing or replacing the injectors. The rubber o-rings and plastic pintle caps on injectors deteriorate over time just like hoses.
I make it a practice to replace O2 sensors when they get over 120,000 miles. They get lazy over time. I have a thread about replacing the timing tensioner on a 95-96 model engine. Just search on my user ID and keyword transplant.
Im just saying that maybe that young persons’ time would maybe be better spent being Young and doing Young-person things, while they are still Young...not learning how to be a mechanic.
There will be lots of time for learning how to be a mechanic by Choice later in life. Midnight Auto Repair sucks. Maybe use Uber and make more love instead.
Basically the opposite of what I did - and I guess what a lot of others did too. I guess Im feeling old.
Im just saying that maybe that young persons’ time would maybe be better spent being Young and doing Young-person things, while they are still Young...not learning how to be a mechanic.
There will be lots of time for learning how to be a mechanic by Choice later in life. Midnight Auto Repair sucks. Maybe use Uber and make more love instead.
Basically the opposite of what I did - and I guess what a lot of others did too. I guess Im feeling old.
I can see your point.
learning car repair takes a lot of time and effort at first. Lots of frustration and wasted time.
it's slow at first, then becomes easier later.
The experiences I had 45 years ago developed into a very useful hobby. Of course the cars were less complicated than our Maximas.
I bought my 99 October 2017 with 194K. It has 205K now and i have only had to replace the coil packs. I replaced the fuel pump, and Mass Air Flow Sensor but that was only when trying to pin point the Coil pack issue.
Besides a cracked radiator hose 2 weeks ago i am impressed with the 4th gen on how good they hold up all these years. You will be good with yours. If a issue arise fix it then and keep it moving.
Some people enjoy working on their cars. As I get older, I pick and choose what I want to fix or pay for. The only thing I have paid getting done on this car was an AC recharge. I am going to pay to have the cv axles done. I don't have anywhere to do it right now and my mechanic friend is doing it for inexpensive.
Some people enjoy working on their cars. As I get older, I pick and choose what I want to fix or pay for. The only thing I have paid getting done on this car was an AC recharge. I am going to pay to have the cv axles done. I don't have anywhere to do it right now and my mechanic friend is doing it for inexpensive.
Nothing wrong with picking ones battles.
If some won charges a reasonable hourly rate, one could pay to have difficult or unpleasant things done.
A young person should consider taking a car they might want to buy to a mechanic for inspection.
it will either confirm that it is in good condition, or it might disclose expensive repair's it might need.
That information is well worth paying for.
I got hosed by buying a worn out car when I was 17. I bought the next one when I was 19. I took that one to a mechanic.
4th Gen's are reliable as hell....I've put up to 1000 miles in a day on mine several times. I use mine as an aircraft maintenance car, I go from city to city quite alot with enough tools to perform all levels of maintenance. I got about 30 mpg and unlike my truck the tools are hidden from plain site. So I don't have to unload/load my tools everytime I stop at a motel/hotel, or my work apartment. The car was given to me about 8 yrs ago and it now has 320K, doesn't burn oil, comfortable, fast, sexy, and does it's job with ease. These are great cars...durable as hell, I'll say alot more power than the 3rd Gen VG, without that timing belt scenario.
Love the advice and comments from everyone. Well I have been bitten by the Max bug... drove an older 2003 a co-worker owned and love the power and comfort. Co-worker has had issues with the immobilzer and ECU died.. so I am weary of that model. Saw a deal on a 1999 and wondered if it has the same issues.
I will have a mechanic check out the other things- shocks, leaks engine , trans and test drive. I saw a few ECU'S AND immobilizers key set- figure I could get a spare just in case and drive the MAX for a while- no car payments and save a few $$- will be running carfax as soo as I get the VIN also.. any issues with coil or eletrical from experience to watch for?
Thanks for all te great info... Mid-Life MAX soon to be owner- age 50 :-)
Pic of te potential new vehicle... Needs a spoiler!!
1999 4th gen have issues with that immobilizer.
1998 and earlier do .
That said, some members have been happy with their 1999 model.
There are certain no-no 's which one learns to live with. As I recall, reaching through the drivers window to start the car rather than sit in it is one of the no no s.
For a 99 model, get a spare key ASAP. Use the spare and keep your OEM in a safe place. Copies should only be made from the OEM key. Keep the door closed and stay in the car while while trying to start the engine. I believe the rule is after 5 unsuccessful starting attempts with the drivers door open, it trips the immobilizer. I learned that one the hard way,
Go to a junkyard and get extra coil packs for the front and back. They are different sizes but easy to change. Sometimes an upper oil pan leak (common) looks like a rear main seal leak. You might need a new radiator soon ( cheap, plastic ****). My 1998 has been relatively reliable. 168K on the clock.
I'm looking forward to hearing more form the OP mark217. Did you buy the car?
Since this thread's inception I've kept up with the the new posts on the 4th Gen forum re: broken cars, and with an eye towards discerning "how could anybody call one of these 'reliable'". After review:
I think this is an issue of semantics. I think everybody who Testified previously re: "reliable" really meant "predictable" instead. Sure, _your_ example is reliable _now_ - but that's only because the problems are/were _predictable_. And, eventually you run out of things to fix. It then becomes "reliable".
But that's almost 100% certain to NOT be the case for a car retailed by a non-enthusiast for less than $2k - and an enthusiast wouldn't sell you theirs' at that price anyways, unless it was wrecked. The probability is high that the car is for sale at that price because it needs "all kinds of things".
Perhaps another word to apply to these cars is "resilient" (they will still mostly run OK with one or even several things going wrong) however that's still different from what I would consider "reliable".
I don't think any car that retains a 20-year old wear- or use-related service part can ever be called "reliable". Yes, the engines and transmissions are usually good for "a whole lotta miles" - but there's a lot more involved in getting one to 300k miles than just the reciprocating assembly/planets/suns/diff parts of the drive line.
PS I will cop to recently driving this car every day. BUT I had to replace the horns only last week - see what I'm talking about ? Not a great 1st car - at least not what I would call a great first car.
I'm looking forward to hearing more form the OP mark217. Did you buy the car?
Since this thread's inception I've kept up with the the new posts on the 4th Gen forum re: broken cars, and with an eye towards discerning "how could anybody call one of these 'reliable'". After review:
I think this is an issue of semantics. I think everybody who Testified previously re: "reliable" really meant "predictable" instead. Sure, _your_ example is reliable _now_ - but that's only because the problems are/were _predictable_. And, eventually you run out of things to fix. It then becomes "reliable".
But that's almost 100% certain to NOT be the case for a car retailed by a non-enthusiast for less than $2k - and an enthusiast wouldn't sell you theirs' at that price anyways, unless it was wrecked. The probability is high that the car is for sale at that price because it needs "all kinds of things".
Perhaps another word to apply to these cars is "resilient" (they will still mostly run OK with one or even several things going wrong) however that's still different from what I would consider "reliable".
I don't think any car that retains a 20-year old wear- or use-related service part can ever be called "reliable". Yes, the engines and transmissions are usually good for "a whole lotta miles" - but there's a lot more involved in getting one to 300k miles than just the reciprocating assembly/planets/suns/diff parts of the drive line.
PS I will cop to recently driving this car every day. BUT I had to replace the horns only last week - see what I'm talking about ? Not a great 1st car - at least not what I would call a great first car.
All old cars have their problems, and you need to look through that lens. These aren't even recent cars anymore. And not 100% of any production line will turn out every single car to the same quality as all the others, there are better and worse among them. I've had my fair share of cars over the years, and these maxima's are reliable.
The car you've got is not representative of most of them. Second, people aren't usually making a post on the forums to say "Everythings working all good here", posts are made to solve problems.
The '96 I30 i bought last june for $500CAD never let me down. It had a shoddy rusty body as many japenese cars do, but mechanically, with being driven constantly in day, it was solid. Never broke down, never stopped working, never had a grave issue that stopped the car from being used. That's what i'd consider reliable. Something you can count on everyday. which these cars have done with flying colours.
And for the 300k miles (around 480k km's), mine has made it there without frequent repairs. One owner, so the service history is completely known, and it has been greatly neglected throughout the years, mainly from 2009-2012. Sat for a couple years, lots of sand in the intake which i didn't get around to removing until 2014, lack of changes of all types of fluids, complete general neglect. But still consistently and reliably works, and now it's passing the 570k km's (around 350k miles).
I know all of our experiences with these cars and our opinions of them are anectotal (like you've just replaced the horns.....i've never had to do that nor had any problems of the sort) , but i've now had 3 VQ30 Maximas, and they've all been very dependable. Cars are cars, and stuff will always go wrong with cars, New, old, stuff happens, it's the frequency and severity of the problems that determine a car's reliability.
The '96 I30 i bought last june for $500CAD never let me down.
Oh man, give it time! Give it time!
Originally Posted by reallywildstuff
...a car retailed by a non-enthusiast for less than $2k - and an enthusiast wouldn't sell you theirs' at that price anyways, unless it was wrecked. The probability is high that the car is for sale at that price because it needs "all kinds of things".
I agree with on your points; I bought mine for $2k and it's needed a lot of love. To me, our Toyota Matrix was reliable. At 230k miles the only non-oem part under the hood was the A/C compressor and that went at 225k. It needed brakes and suspension work from time to time, but with that kind of hard driving any car would. The original calipers finally seized at about 215k. Sadly, the pinch frame on the windshield is rusted through and we're going to be getting rid of it next weekend. It seems that imports don't have the same kind of corrosion resistance as some of the domestic manufacturers.
In *my* personal experience I don't see Nissan as a brand known for its high levels of reliability, but I don't think that Nissan's cars are any worse than your average domestic manufacturer. As said elsewhere in this thread, not every car that rolls off the assembly line is of the same quality as the others coming off that same line.
All that being said, I still love this car because it has lots of room, an awesome 5 speed transmission and I enjoy driving it. I rebuilt the front end a couple years ago and it still handles great. So I'll keep turning a wrench on this thing until something major finally goes. Considering the fact that I live in Alabama, that could even be the air conditioning...
not an option, car was backed into by a moving truck and totaled.
Originally Posted by Shrout1
I agree with on your points; I bought mine for $2k and it's needed a lot of love. To me, our Toyota Matrix was reliable. At 230k miles the only non-oem part under the hood was the A/C compressor and that went at 225k. It needed brakes and suspension work from time to time, but with that kind of hard driving any car would. The original calipers finally seized at about 215k. Sadly, the pinch frame on the windshield is rusted through and we're going to be getting rid of it next weekend. It seems that imports don't have the same kind of corrosion resistance as some of the domestic manufacturers.
In *my* personal experience I don't see Nissan as a brand known for its high levels of reliability, but I don't think that Nissan's cars are any worse than your average domestic manufacturer. As said elsewhere in this thread, not every car that rolls off the assembly line is of the same quality as the others coming off that same line.
All that being said, I still love this car because it has lots of room, an awesome 5 speed transmission and I enjoy driving it. I rebuilt the front end a couple years ago and it still handles great. So I'll keep turning a wrench on this thing until something major finally goes. Considering the fact that I live in Alabama, that could even be the air conditioning...
I think today I wouldn't buy a Nissan, I don't see them as the same company with exceptional reliablity they were before (Almost 20 years now). I'd be much more inclined to go with a Honda, Toyota, or Mazda.
yes, the car is overall a joy to drive, and with the numbness of new cars and all the gadgets (practically an multimedia entertainment machine.) I'll be sticking with these cars until they're totaled or the rust gets them.
Last edited by flames101sully; 03-08-2019 at 12:08 PM.
The car you've got is not representative of most of them. Second, people aren't usually making a post on the forums to say "Everythings working all good here", posts are made to solve problems.
I don't know what about my 98 i30 is un-representative. Previously owned by my parents, and driven nearly exclusively in-town by my mother, I've a stack of receipts from new that pre-date the spreadsheet I supplied to the forum re: our own repairs. It's always leaked oil, apparently - and quality replacement alternators, as we know, have been difficult to locate in the past, so that repair was done more than once.
130k miles is "lower than many" - but the electrical fuel pump was still weak, the plastic evap canister had burped all its charcoal into the intake plumbing, and the injectors gave it up all due to _age_, not mileage.
I am the third owner of my 98 I30. I just haven't experienced all the problems most on here have. I have all the receipts of the previous owners and they do not amount to much cost. The UOP just started leaking a few years ago. I was told its the rear main seal, but it is the UOP. I am in the process of having my wheel bearings and cv axles done now, but I have had to do that on all the cars I have owned. I run TCW-3 in my gas religiously and have had no emission problems or smog check failures. All I have replaced emissions wise were the O2 sensors, but that is common on all older cars. My secretary at work, just had her O2 sensors fail on her 2015 Hyundai Tucson. I drove this car from Los Angeles to San Francisco, round trip 3 times, 2 years ago. I got 30 mpg and no problems and no worries. The car has 168K on it. I will hate to part with this car when I have to.
02-19-2019, 05:57 PM
(Approx 182k - wasn't failing)
