So I am looking into getting a 5.5 Gen Max. There is one not to far from me so I went to go look at it. I have been talking to the guy for like 2 weeks and waiting for decent weather so I can go look at it.
http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ca...=en&cardist=11
There is the car
Well it was in really bad condition to say the least. One of the tailights was cracked, both the fog lights were cracked, the back of the drivers seat was like falling off and the alignment was WAY off, I litterally had to have the wheel turned 20 degrees to go straight. The shifter was also like all scratched up and rattling. I am just wondering if these are common problems or whether this was just a completly abused car. I am not buying this particular car OR any car from this dealer now. I seriously had trouble not when i saw what they are trying to sell for 16g

 

the only common problem out of those you listed are the cracked foglights, and it's because they're glass....tail lights just don't go and crack, however; they are plastic and it has to take some force....also i've never seen the back of the seat falling off like that (i can see it in the pics) and you would probably have to hit something really big in order to throw the alignment off that much....

overall, the maxima is a GREAT car if taken care of...i wouldn't really go for that particular one, but if i were you, i would keep looking...i got mine in sept. '04 with 29k miles on it for 16.7k in PRISTINE condition...not one scratch and VERY few rock chips....good luck with finding one, though!

 

Gezz, that really sucks. I guess looks can be decieving. It looks really hott, but I wouldn't pick it up in that condition.

 

Too much in asking price for the problems that you indicated

 

Yep. To bad its not in good shape, cause that blue combined with a 6 speed is to die for.

 

Wow, that's pretty sad. The only issue that is common is cracked fogs. Other than that, the car was clearly abused.

 

Too bad cause it looked good in the pictures. Good luck with your search

 

i agree, those pics are surely deceiving to the eye...oh well taco bell!!!

 

that blue is my favorite color of any maxima. too bad about that one, there will always be another

 

I just held a moment of silence for that poor Maxima. Some people don't deserve their cars, and that car certainly didn't deserve that kind of treatment from its owner.

 

problems like that are indicative of an owner who didn't take care of the car - there are most certainly other problems that you can't see.....he probably never changed the oil or other fluids, for example, if he let the rest of the car get so beat up.

plus, that price is way high, IMO.

 

In that condition that car is about 8k-9k. Also the car was probably a repo that the bank wrote off and sent to auction......People beat the crap outta cars they know are gonna be repo soon.....

 

yea i knew that price was to high even before i went to look at it. My main goal was to go and actually look at a maxima and test drive it. After looking at it I Knew that price was WAY to high. The main thing that I thought was wierd how did they not notice these if they have had the car for 2 weeks? Well I liked the car although I didn't really do to much like handling wise because I didn't trust the car. My friend who came with me said it has alot of power though and I through him into the seat

 

a good level of how well you will like the maxima can be determined by you telling us what you're driving now....

 

The rear taillights don't just crack, i was rear-ended pretty bad and the lights held up just fine (although my rear trunk, bumper, frame, exhaust, etc... was another story).

 

right now I am driving an Auto 97 Accord LX. It is lowered with Neuspeed Sport Springs and koni yellow struts. It has an AEM cool air intake, DC Sports catback and headers, Hella HID kit, and 17 inch Einki(sp?) rims wrapped in kuhmo escta supra tires. I got the car like this, my brother was the one who modded it. It is a fun car but I am really looking for something a little more civilized a suitable for things like interstate driving and not having to worry about scraping everywhere i go.
I am really looking probably between a lude or a max. Here is the thread i started a while ago. Another i guess "compromise" of cars I am considering is a wrx

 

Considering what you want, I'd pick the Maxima over the Prelude. I drove my friend's Prelude on a two hour trip to Alabama where he was meeting the buyer for his S13 240SX. Compared to the Maima, the Prelude felt like it had no guts when I tried to accelerate. In his Prelude, I was even having trouble catching and keeping up with his aging stock S13. He regrets selling the 240 to this day, but he had no time for a project car anymore.

 

i raced a prelude today, with my dominos topper on. the prelude had the full cosmetic goin on (full body kit, spoiler, underglow lights, nice rims) and thought it would at least have something under the hood. i spanked it, and realized how much power the maxima has....oh, did i mention that prelude was the Type-SH trim with the VTEC motor?......muahhahahaa..Maximas rule

 

i was going to go look at that car also, its he only 6spd ive found in nc, glad i havent looked at it yet. damm these cars are HIGH im still thinking about getting the one 5 miles from me for 9g its 02 auto with 160,000


there are a few more in nc thats are nice, all ive seen are around 12-18g

 

I talked to a dealership for 2 weeks about a car before putting a deposit and driving from albany to boston to get it (2k max 5 speed black on black). They said it was perfect and gorgeous and I ran a car fax and it was alright. They knew I was coming 3 hours. I got there and it had grinding brakes, a bad muffler, and best of all, the steering wheel was missing the airbag and the airbag light was on. Plus a ripped armrest, and buttons missing off the steering wheel etc... This was a dealership, I filed a complaint with the better business bureau.

Heres the ad, by the way, no one go there

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=194422736

Doesn't it look nice?

Maybe its a good thing though because I found my 02 6 speed after!

 

I just bought my 02 SE Max last month with 71K from a private party (original owner) for $10,800. $15,900 is ridiculous with 65K... keep looking. The dealers in Charlotte were the same way...arrogant about the price. Personally I enjoyed buying a car from a private party, but it is more of a pain to register, and title the vehicle that way (typically depending on state).

Good Luck

 

Totally agree with that. It can be a huge pain to register a vehicle when purchased from a private party.

 

walk away.. that means someone abuse the car....