I'm looking at an 01AE with all possible options, moonroof, spoiler. leather, heated seats, dual power seats, single cd with 40k miles on it. what do i need to watch out for before purchasing? Any problems or details i should pay attention to? What would be a reasonable price to pay? Asking is $14k. Thanks Appreciate all your help

 

CARFAX it.

And check edmunds.com for pricing...
it all depends on whos selling...
dealer or private owner...

I prefer private owner. you have room o negotiate, but it all depends

Good Luck,
Anrthony

 

That's a good price for the car. I bought mine with a little more miles than yours for about a grand more. Just make sure that it has a clean history. You'll love the car.

 

thats a good price. Carfax the VIN number if possible and also check sites for the usual TSBs that relate to 2001 maximas. I got mine at 20k miles for 16,500. Good luck. Oh btw, all AE's are just fully loaded SE's (meridian and SE leather package).

 

Ya, I recently picked mine up at a dealer in Dallas for 15K with 47k miles in absolutely mint condition. I was very pleased with the deal they gave me for the trade in of my Tahoe for the Max.

 

I got mine back in March in Austin with about 70K miles on it for $11250. There was some minor body damage that is not noticeable and the front bumper was chipped up but other than that it was in perfect condition, it had been owned by a Catholic High School Teacher before and was babied. Since I don't care about having a few unnoticeable dents in it and will have the front repainted for like $250 I think I got an awesome deal, oh and it was at a tiny dealership in north Austin. Let me know if you need any more help. Good Luck!

 

i agree with everyone. carfax it. mine was 40k for $14,600. very please. only problems were back bose deck rattled a bit and my driver window squeeked. fixed the window no problem... other than that the car functions perfectly. i love AEs

 

take it up to highway speeds and brake with moderate to heavy pressure to check for warped rotors. check coils for a grey dot to indicate the newer part number. if they have original tires then be prepared to replace them if you want any kind of wet traction. check for any unusual paint chips as our paint tends to be rather weak. make sure to ask about previous maintenance, check condition of brake fluid, is it original tranny fluid?, also check the psi on the tires as many dealers will lower them to soften the ride even though thats not what many of us are after.

 

You can take it by a Nissan Dealership for a "Buyer's Check" in which they put the car on a lift and check everything out and also road test it for $99 and give you a good idea of the condition of the car. I thought this was good since they look at Nissan's all day long and would know if something didn't look right.

 

Definitely check out the alternator and the battery. The alernators in 2001 Maximas regardless of trim are know to have gone bad. My alternator crapped out late last year right before my 3 year was up. Also, if the AE you're purchasing still had the original battery, i would think about getting a new one or switching to an Optima.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for all your help. After taking a look at the car..... the back has gotten into an accident. What should I watch out for because the back has gotten into an accident? The interior leather was not really taken well cared of because this dentist owns 3 cars so the leather is not as tight as it would be if it was new. What should I do about the leather issue? Thanks a lot for all your help.

 

Well, if there has been damage to the rear, you will want to make sure that the suspension has not been damaged. Like someone said earlier, sounds like this car could use the Nissan service dealer lookover before you make any decision. For the leather, Meguiar's has a nice two step cleaner/conditioner system that has been well reviewed -- you could try that.

 

Any More inputs? Thanks for the ones i've received so far.