my 2000 maxima has 120,000 miles, has been very loyal to me and the warranty for the rebuilt tranny is about to run out. i want to sell the car and buy an 03 SE 6spd. What do I look for and what do I watch out for in these cars? I am def getting the extended warranty. anyone know ballark price for warrantys? i am looking to get a car under $20,000

 

Keep your current, you should save $ @ your age.

 

True. Drive it till the wheels fall off and save your $$$...

 

I paid 16,500 @ 5.9 APR plus tax. This included a 6 year up to 126,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. Car had 47,000 miles on it and was in great condition!

 

agreed, and the 6 speeed hard to find...check autotrader for a idea of asking price. probably about 17.5k, and you can talk them down from there.

 

i cant keep the car i need to get to work and school every day.....i cant afford any more problems with it. if i have a problem with it "the wheels fall off" i cant sell it than. at least now i can get $9000 for it and use as a down payment. My parents are the ones wanting me to do this. ill be taking out a loan so i have no other choice...i cant keep the car and keep paying for damages.

 

oh also the car is starting to have a small prob with the tranny grinding into reverse...waiting to hear from aamco trannys to see of theyll cover it under the 12,000 miles trany warranty they gave me.

 

i'm driving my car till the wheels fall off

 

I have a 6spd 03 for sale but I am in LA. I guess too far for you. Good luck though.

 

Get the tranny checked out. Your parents are giving you bad advice. The sales tax and incremental car insurance costs on the newer Maxima will go a long ways to paying for any potential maintenance problems on your 2000 Maxima.

If you could pay cash for the newer Max, I would say go for it, but you can't and are digging yourself into a hole. 120K on a 2000 Maxima is nothing.

 

keep your car, 120k miles on a max isnt a lot as long as you take care of it. take it to a mechanic, maxima problems can be fixed pretty fast.

the used 03 maximas are pretty cheap IMHO. 16500 can get you a good one.

 

I ended up doing a very similar thing this week. Couldn't find a 6spd so I ended up with another automatic. My 2000 had 95k miles and was primed for another round of sensor/instrument problems. Got a 03SE - insurance went down $50 a year - not great, but at least it didn't go up!

 

second NmexMAX

 

my mom's 2k auto has 204k on it now and has been nearly problem-less...anything can happen with any car...my car has only 40k on it and it's in the shop right now getting a new 6-speed tranny....keep the car you have or else you will be financially broken in the future...trust me...my insurance is $390/month and i have a perfect record and i'm your age....it will most likely be more up in NJ as well because of the infamous HID theft that is oh so common up in the NE....keep the 2k...

 

what insurance do you have? my mom has NJM insurance, cheapest rates, and her record is perfect. so is mine. i have no choice. if something DOES happen i have no money to fix it. but i need advice on what to look for on the car. i need to do this soon.

 

Look for accident damage. Rub your fingers along the inside edge of all the doors, trunk, and hood. An autobody person told me it should be smooth/painted because only orginal doors will be that way. Replacement doors will be rough unpainted. Check for clutch travel and just inspect the exterior and interior for unusually wear and tear......Other than that the max is a pretty solid trouble free car...

 

Also during the test drive if you notice any hesitation during excelleration it may have either a MAF issue or CAT issue coming up.

 

I wouldn't expect to get near $9000 for that car. Even fully loaded.

 

well im in the autobody field so i know what to look for accident wise....but like does things like maf sensor, coils, things ike that. HOW do the 5.5 gen auto trannys hold up?? if i buy a car with around 35,000-40,000 miles and get a 100,000 warranty is that good?? i will go 60,000 in 2 years though...

 

My auto tranny held up well granted i only put like 40,000 miles on it before it was totalled but no problems at all......02-03 don't have coil problems and i've been pretty lucky not to have any maf problems on either car....