I would love to get a few opinions on whether it's time to sell my 2003 SE. It's at 140k miles, so I'm concerned I might have to start dealing with more repairs such as clutch, water pump, injectors, etc. With a new house, dog, and promotion I just don't have time to do work myself so repairs will be more expensive. I'll be using it for work, and need to trust it in rural Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, etc.

It runs fantastic, with no vibrations and a smooth idle, but I just got a P0430 code and am anticipating a new pre-cat. I'm taking it to my mechanic shortly, but this has me thinking about trading it in to get something newer.

Does anyone think I can get a few more low maintenance years out of it or is it time to trade up? Any experience on problems I'm likely to start seeing?

 

as long as there isnt a huge list of parts that need replacing theres no need to swap it.

The only bad thing with these cars are the engine oil burning issues. And yes they begin to appear around 90k+ miles

Is yours burning lots? Id say keep it until it gives you a real reason to wanna get rid of it (burning over 1L of oil a month)

 

Inevitably something will happen while on the road. The alternator, starter, battery, radiator, water pump, etc. really other than those things there isn't much that will put your max on the side of the road.

You have to evaluate what is the cost of any downtime while on the road in ur maxima for the job? Put this up against the cost of a new car and evaluate.

 

It does use a lot of oil. I've done a few things to reduce the consumption but it was at 1 qt every 1000-2000 miles when it was at its worst. No smoke at start up, though.

 

If the exterior is not awesome move on

 

in case you decide to sell...got pics?

 

Since your car's 12 yrs old, components are starting to get tired. If they haven't already, things like a leaky radiator, busted high press PS hose, ignition coils, rusted rad support, seized calipers and other common failures on our cars will soon rear their ugly heads. These things will cost a small fortune if you pay a mechanic to fix them. Not to mention other wear-and-tear items simply due to age/mileage.

 

Here's a few photos. My local Infiniti dealer reset the light and it's stayed off for the past 70 miles. Car still drives fine.

 

rusty wheel well