phong

That's high. I paid $15k for my '03 with 53k miles last November. Every option except navi.

Porkepik

Excuse me but what is a kickplate thx

Narrator

That's a kickplate

Succinct

Door sill covers. They say "Maxima" on them on my car and are chrome.

00MaxSE

iTrader: (25)

Wow, nice find! That's exactly what i would want in an upgrade. I might start looking in the spring, who knows.

Porkepik

Thanks for all your answers, i guess mine is a TE as it has the chrome kickplates, compass and seems to have all the rest. Anyway it does not matter , i like this car a lot especially the passing power and the feel inside, I test drove altimas with the 3.5 but the inside felt a lot less refined. And the stereo is a bonus for me as I don't do stereo mod so the bose unit is a great factory radio coming from the Subaru stock radio

Narrator

Just got the final Deal on the table: They're waiting my call back:

17K out the door (includes Payoff to my poor condition 99 max w/ 175k on it..i estimate it's worth maybe $1500 and i owe $3300...so i figure i got the car for 15.5-16k)

So, i scheduled the mechanic to look at it tomorrow morning ($72 for a pre-sale inspection...is that a good price? (i dont have a "local guy" so...i'll pay the $72 to have them go through it...what choice do i have?)

I think i did "OK"... i basically told them my financing company wouldnt finance me for more than 17K so they had to get to that price out the door or no deal... somehow...they...found a way.....

Any last advice on what to tell the mechanic to look for? Thanks for all your help everyone. I actually got the Model # from the dealer too so i'm gunna go look this puppy up.. SWEET!

Narrator

Crap. I got the Model # and Trim # but it looks like i need the Tranny # to figure out if i have HLSD. But i guess i should be 95% sure it does.

I can't find the "Decoder" forum page ANYWHERE. I had it last night but now i can't find it. Can anyone direct me to where i can decode these #'s i got from the dealer?

Model: BLJULVYA33EUA-F--E
Trim: WV2W

Thanks!

rmd0311

iTrader: (4)

I find the mechanic thing a waste of time... Specially when buying from a Nissan Dealership of almost any reputable dealership for the matter. I think mechanic is important when buying private seller but from a dealer. You will be ok, $72 can get you something else, maybe a nice mod or something.

A mechanic will go and just a perform a visual inspection. But they won't be able to tell you if its gonna burn oil or something like that. Worthless in my opinion.

00MaxSE

iTrader: (25)

Just make sure you go through the whole car very thoroughly before signing anything. I made that mistake by not noticing all the paint chips that were on the front of my car. But then again, this was my first car purchase.

† ErV †

expensive. don't let them feed you the 6spd bs line. manuals are always, no matter what, valued LESS by at least 2 grand below exact same autos.

then again, if you want it and he has it, you will buy it. not many of those around

but the price ftl.

Narrator

Well, my financing company told me they'd only finance me 90% of the total LTV (Loan to Value) of the car. We had her pull it up in KBB and it came out to $18,000, 90% of that is around 16k. So, we were at 17k out the door (after my car was paid off). I told him we needed to get to 16k and there was just no way he said...we ended up meeting in the middle and i got the car for 16.5.

Now, 16.5 - the $1300 negative equity in my car. (i owe $3300 and i figure it's worth 2k tops). So i figure i got the car for about $15,200. Give or take a few hundos.

I gotta think that's a pretty dang good deal. I had them bring it to the mechanic cuz, at the very least, it's peace of mind for me even if it checks out, that i'm driving a good car..... and if something ain't right, they're gunna fix it.

I don't know based on that model # or Trim # which car i actually got, but it's one hell of a machine....and i can't f'in WAIT to drive her home!

Thanks everyone for your help... much appreciated...looking forward to checkin out some of these mod threads first order of business... a new Intake... (i hate that ugly *** MAF)

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

For future reference:

Vin decoder: http://www.courtesyparts.com/specs/vin.html

To tell if you have HLSD, look under the hood at the plate on the firewall back right of the engine bay, locate the transaxle code, if it ends in "H" you have HLSD, if it ends in "A" you do not. Basically, the transaxle code is "RS6F51H" for HLSD equipped 5.5 Gens.

rmd0311

iTrader: (4)

Great deal in my eyes and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Enjoy your car.

Maxfli

iTrader: (2)

Not sure where you are getting the $2K difference in manual vs auto values but according to the major online car sites, the difference in price between a 6spd and automatic for a '03 SE (using default options and 53k miles) is:

NADA - $600
KBB - $0
Edmunds - $0

Maybe when you purchase new you pay $1-2k *more* for an auto but I'm not seeing that a 6spd is valued $2k less, especially with supply and demand coming into play with a nice 6 spd.

Anyway, Narrator enjoy your new ride...it will definitely be a step up from your old car!

Narrator

Thanks guys, and maxfli, you're right. When we were doing the Loan To Value w/ my Credit Union there was no difference between Auto and Man. Actually, they were using NADA first and i told them to use KBB so we could get a higher Value so i could get more money..lol..

I asked them to throw the "rarity" factor in too...they didn't think i was funny but it's MUCH harder to find a 6spd...as we all know..

Anyways, the mechanic called back and BOY AM I GLAD I PAID THE $75 to have it checked out! Here's the breakdown:

1. CRACKED WINDSHIELD! - they're replacing that
2. Due for Oil Change - they're doing that
3. Oil Drain Plug Leak (bad gaskit) - they'll take a look at it
4. Rear Breaks are REAL low but will pass - i'm pushing for new pads
5. Front Tires good/Rear Tires inside Tread is low - Car Drifts to Right and shakes at speeds above 50 so he said it needs a wheel balance/alignment - they'll do these...i dont think i can squeeze new tires out of them at this point....
6. Smoke Smell in car - i didn't really notice it so it's nothing a nice air freshener and a good once over can't take care of...although it is leather, but i'm not worried about it.
7. Preset Seats didnt work - or at least he couldnt GET them to work - is he just an idiot?
8. Paint chip on rear right - sucks but...what'r u gunna do?
9. Left Rear 1/4 Panel has been repainted - probably from a small fender bender not reported. no structural damage found by mechanic

no ECU codes, everything else is solid. For all future purchasers of used cars, SPEND THE $$$ on the PrePurchase Inspection... good god.

Succinct

I couldn't get my seat memory to work at first, then figured out it only works when the parking brake is engaged. Stupid Nissan. Every other car I've had with memory seats simply stops moving the seat when you let go of the memory button, unless the key is not "on". Seems that would've been simpler, but noooooooooo, Nisasn had to be frickin' unique on this one.

Oh, and good luck getting your seat position "cancel" function to work (it's supposed to move your seat all the way back when you turn off the ignition, to make it easier to exit/enter the car). I haven't yet figured out THAT bit of rocket science...

707SE

iTrader: (2)

Wow, thats a kick *** mechanic. sounds like you got an awesome deal. You never want to get raped by a dealership in either a purchase or service but I can tell you that even if you slightly overpaid this is a car worth overpaying on. It is really fun. you're gonna love driving to work.

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

According to the owner's manual, that only works on ATs and not on MTs.

rmd0311

iTrader: (4)

Nothing hear sounds like anything that I would have paid $75 to see. But if you feel more comfortable paying then by all means.

1. You should have seen that.
2. You usually change anyway. If not, $20 change, again something an inspection by you would have clearly noticed.
3. Change drain plug, Nissan dealership would have done this as part of their check up before they hand you the keys anyway.
4. Usually dealers puts new pads anyway.
5. Should have been noticed on your test drive. No mechanic needed for that.
6,8,9... If it was not in carfax for accident, 95% some minor fender bender.
7. You shoud have noticed that.


Mechanic, did nothing you should have not done when test driving your car. Just 2cents. If you feel better because of it then its worth it.

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

6. That's probably the worst thing that'll stick with you for years, maybe leather is better than cloth. Anyhow, I bought a used car previously owned by a smoker, huge mistake, I HATE the smell of smoke, but I got tired of waiting, took me 3 months to find that car, so I settled. I used many methods to get the smoke out, but none worked, so in the end, I had to use an air freshner, or multiples of every few weeks. Most of the smell was masked and tolerable, but on a hot sunny day, once you open the door, sure enough, the smell haunts ya.

burnurass

iTrader: (21)

Some people don't RTFM.

I'll confirm puppetmaster on this ground breaking find.

ONLY WORKS ON AT's...
cancel on MT cars will only cancel the use of the memory seats completely.

slowstang

I ended up paying 14,900 for an 2002 6 speed Maxima SE with 60k on the clock about 6 months ago.

djbonsu

nice buy and find....i wouldve talked him down some b/c when i bought my max, i used the 6spd to my advantage...meaning noone in the area wanted to buy it b/c it was manual..plus it had been sitting there forever..anywho...i would get a bumper to bumper warranty(i did..plus mine is CERTIFIED) if i were you as when problems on this car occur, its very expensive to fix normally. just my $.02....get a k & N drop-in and some MT-90 manual tanny oil and ur good to go if you dont want to mod it....enjoy ur max dude!!

Porkepik

Congrats on the buy, I'm sure you'll like it, my new (used 03 6spd) is great for me i would want to drive it all day long instead of going to work and controlling airplanes.

Narrator

Well..

it's a done deal. My new Max is sitting in the space where my old baby used ta. I drove around for an hour just to love it. Wow, i am completely and 100% satisfied with this gorgeous toy.

I hear ya on the mechanic thing, only reason i paid the mechanic really is because it was night time, and i needed/wanted to get the deal done today and i couldnt very well go get a $16,000 check w/o having it professionally checked out. Turns out it was just a chip in the windshield which they had filled. They balanced the wheels (fixed the front end shakes), the oil WAS Changed the day before(Mechanic's an idiot), they replaced the oil plug gasket, the paint chip was TINY, memory seats worked... and the repainted 1/2 panel was no big deal. Yeah, back tires were a bit beat, but they were DEFINITELY not going to throw in new kicks.....

The ONLY thing i was really bummed out about was they would NOT throw on new pads. They mechanic said both fronts and rears were 50%... they feel "fine" to me, but i'm sure i'll be replacing those in the next 10-15k. All-in-All, you're right, the $75 was basically a waste of cash, BUT...you gotta figure that all the stuff they did fix, they wouldnt have if the mechanic didn't find it...and it would have cost me a lot more than $75 to do it..

OH, and i did find out it does have HLSD. SWEET. It's so damn SHINY i'm in friggin love. Can't wait to throw a K&N in it...

So, i got my dream car...and now i'm going to go to sleep to dream about it...and my long 12 minute drive to work tomorrow... i need to move further away..heh

Thanks again everyone for all your help, look forward to rappin w/ ya in the 5th Gen forums now.. goodbye 4th Gens!!! I love ya, but it's time to move on!

Peace!

rmd0311

iTrader: (4)

Congratulations and ENJOY...

Succinct

Sorry, but I've READ the F'in Manual and it does NOT clearly state how to use the seat cancel function except via the parking brake.

burnurass

iTrader: (21)

IT does say only for automatic transmission cars though....

ANYWAYS..congrats to the opening poster for the BEST COLOR MAX!! Polished Titanium is a siick color...you're going to love it.

Mints33

iTrader: (5)

Congrats on the great find and congrats on ownership. I used to drive 20 miles each way to work, and loved to be behind the wheel, however coming home from work was a b**ch, darn traffic. But congrats again, she's a keeper.

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

ya'll are confusing me with the seat memory discussion!!

with a M/T, the memory buttons work. the only thing that doesnt work is when the seat moves back when you open the door. thats only on the A/T

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

That's exactly it.

Succinct

Then why do I have a button for the seat cancel function on the dash? It seems highly unusual for a mass-produced car to have a feature that's inoperative with certain equipment. Why not a blank plate instead of the switch? The frickin feature should work, because it is replacing/competing with an electrical tilt/tele wheel function that automatically gets the wheel out of the way when the key is removed (as on my erstwhile 540 and Legend GS, both of which had 6-speed manuals BTW).

Sorry about the attitude - it's not at you guys - my beef is with Nissan.

Oh, and the seat position memory WILL work on the 6MT cars, but the parking brake must be 'on' as I pointed out previously. That one had me RTFM-ing a couple of times over. It's just another silly Nissan-way of doing something non-intuitively.

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

the cancel button does work...it stops the memory buttons from working.
is it that hard for you to get in your car? do you really need to seat to move for you?
why is it funny that the e-brake has to be up? when you park your car, it should be up anyway. its a safety thing so the seat wont move by itself when you are driving

Succinct

Why would you want to stop the seat memory buttons from working? They don't do anything unless you press them.

Also, on both of my previous cars with seat memory (mentioned above), pressing the memory button and letting it go with the engine off would make the seat go to its position. If the engine was running, then the seat would stop moving toward its pre-selected destination if you let go of the seat memory button. To me that was a much better safety approach than having it inoperative except with the hand-brake engaged. Such approaches seem dumb to me coming from a company smart enough to give us 255HP, HLSD, and a 6-speed in a "family sedan". Maybe its personal preference, but I prefer Honda/Acura's and BMW's way over Nissan's.

burnurass

iTrader: (21)

you answered your own question. On the maxima you press and let go and it will continue going to the memory position. If it worked the same as your other cars then it wouldn't have a cancel button.

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

then please go buy a honda, acura, or BMW since the seat memory is such an important thing to you

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

This discussion has reached the end of its usefulness...