this maxima is listed in autotrader, and i was wondering because the grill looks like it's off a '97+. it also looks like it might have the chrome door handles, but i can't tell for sure.

'96 max

 

well...it certainly isn't a stock 96...b/c of the grill...
Call the dealer, and knowing its not a stock 96, see what they say...

-FLO_BOY

 

Grille is suspect definately.
besides, it is listed as an "SE" model. It doesn't look like it has a spoiler from here, which was standard on all SEs.

 

sometimes the seller doesnt have an actual picture of the product, he/she may have just put that there for show purposes(its a picture of a 97+ GXE or GLE)

 

There are lots and lots of things you can check to test whether a car's been repainted/wrecked/repaired, etc. In most cases they do not *absolutely* indicate a problem. However if things don't look right for some reason, they probably aren't. Generally, one would walk (run?) away from a car that has any of the following:

Body panels missing the factory VIN stickers
"R" title
No PO maint records
Several recent auction sale(s)
Several recent title transfers (odometer rollback)
Mismatched paint - this includes paint that looks different or too "good" for the car's mileage. I pay special attention to the front of the car (is there about the right # of paint chips for the mileage?) and from side to side (does LH side match the RH side).
Tape stripes on door jambs/hood/trunk from masking tape
Misfit body panels
Two different colors under new paint. For example, if, under new paint, the front of the car is black and the rear of the car is silver, you're probably dealing with a "clip", or two wrecked cars that have been put together to form one car. One way to check is remove the trunk carpet and look, and take a flashlight and look in the engine compartment. Different colors = bad. BTW, this happens to corners of cars too.
Primer overspray on any rubber trim parts or in the wheel wells or anywhere on the underside (there is NO overspray installed at the factory). Personally, I pride myself on finding this one. Last time I went used car shopping, I found bodywork on something like 4/5ths of the cars I looked at. Lots of wrecked stuff out there. Amazing!
Poor tracking F to R (dog walking)