Hey guys...

Back from the dead.....

Been owning the SE for little over 6 years now. It has been the best $ for the car so far. When I got it I did a ton of upkeep and upgrades and it was awesome. Now 65k later at 198XXX miles, things are looking not so perfect again. Suspensions are clunking, RMS oil leaks, Oil burns (not sure how much since some come out the seal), engine mounts are clunking, wiper failing, body paint started to fade, interior is falling apart, clutch is dying, weather seals deteriorating, and more. Basically this rig needs a refresh! This rig has been awesome for me, family/kids friendly, handles awesome ( especially with braces I built for it), enough power, and can tow go kart, trailer full of bark dust, etc.

I do my own repair and it would cost me roughly around $1500 to get parts with majority being clutch kit (hopefully without flywheel), new suspension all around, bushings, ball joints, seals, wiper motor, brakes, weather seals, etc).Not too mention taking care of the engine oil consumption.

The only thing that is working flawlessly is headlight retrofit, yep still rocking the same and the last one I built years ago.

1. Sell it as is (hmmm wonder how much it is worth with this condition) and get another Maxima with much better condition and lower miles.
2. Fix it! but then I don't think I can do it in a couple of days while this is my daily. I probably pull the engine out and put a newer lower miles on it..maybe time to do 3.7 Swap
3. Don't fix it and run it till it dies.
4. Get a Hybrid....
5. Really want a truck, older F-150 97-03 but then this would have its own problem I'm sure.


I'm leaning toward running to the ground. If I fix it, it would scope creep and I would end up upgrading too much and spent unnecessary $

What should I do...

 

1) Log on to rockauto.com
2) order everything you need
3) wait 3-4 days
4) get the hands dirty
5) Enjoy!

buying an older used vehicle is more than likely going to result in having to spend some dough to rehabilitate it. Its a gamble as to how much extra youll have to spend. But with your current car, you know whatcha need and whatcha don't. Fixing it will be cheapest and least risky option.
and as far as the interior bits go. The junkyard has got plenty of solutions for you!

 

Very true.

 

Let her pass in pease or pieces it really depends on you man If it was my car I would fix it but that’s cause I love my car. I like 3.7 swap! Sounds like a Unique rideand that’s what it’s all about is having something that’s yours and to your likings along with looking good and going fast!

 

I recently went through the same thing with my 02 at about the same miles. RMS, clutch, suspension and a few other things. Fortunately, the paint and interior are in near perfect shape and there are zero rust issues. It's a nice climate here and I keep it in the garage. I've had it since 04 so I've done some of it multiple times.

Anyway, mine is at 235,000 now and the rest of it is holding together fine.

Almost the same story with my stock 00 GLE. She's at 300,000 now with no issues.

If the body's in good shape with no rust it's probably worth fixing if you're doing the work. If there are rust issues it may be better to find a clean southern car and start over.

 

Think about how much longer you intend to keep it and then the decision becomes much easier.

Fixing it up seems like a reasonable plan if you want to still own and drive it around for a few more years. Although if you're ready for an upgrade or something else you have to think about whether or not those funds would be better spent on a newer vehicle. Because your not really adding much value to your current Max with the repairs, just extending your time owning it.

 

the longer you sit on your hands letting $hit break, the more it's going to cost you. fix the most important stuff first, do a wizard and buy tons o parts so you can fix the rest later. my max has 288,000 and being a 95 it runs great but still needs work. i know what it needs, and fix what breaks as i go along hoping nothing major breaks. rock auto is a great place for quality name brand parts and they're a wholesale parts place that buys out company's old stock and sells it for dirt cheap, can't go wrong with them.

 

[QUOTE=MaxMaximus;9164744]Think about how much longer you intend to keep it and then the decision becomes much easier.
[QUOTE]

I thought about this and it all comes down to the cheapest and most effective way to daily driving option. I don't need to get fancy daily driver, as long as it runs, stops, and safe.


So far, the Maxima is the cheapest and most value for the $ in term of transportation. I probably won't fix and upgrade any more than fixing the current problems. The clutch and the RMS are the most immediate need. If I go in there, I would take the engine out of the car and work on it. This would take me at least 2 days (small garage, no help, and its somewhat cold and wet here).


So, I found a 99 with 110K miles for decent price, 2 owner, stick, clean title, and all pacific northwest car. I'm seriously contemplating about getting this car and dump mine as is.

 

I say keep it and run it until it dies, my car has over 150k on her now and the body is very dinged up but she still runs like a champ. Oh and btw, if you do end up selling the max.. can I have dibs on the headlights?

 

I say keep it, and fix it its much cheaper especially doing the work yourself, the longer you keep putting off the repairs the more your going to spend because things are going to wear out ect. At 193,000 miles i had to replace my exhaust for around $600 the car is paid for so i didnt mind, water pump went out shortly afterwards. Now currently at 275,000 in 02 i35 engine mounts are worn again. Its just a matter of keeping up with the repairs and fix things when they break or else something else will break and seem like its too much stuff to fix.

 

Im almost at 240k and my max starts with the flick of a key, its my favorite car ive owned so far. im replacing all the problem parts aswell to keep her running. 300k is only a few years away!

 

I'm fixing it, I just need to figure out how I can get these done in in a several days (I tend to go slow) since this is my daily.

I'll do the compression test before diving in. Engine burns oil but not sure how much since it leaks oils. Depending on the compression test, I'll decide if I need to refresh the internal (or getting low mileage one). I'm tempted to just pull the engine on the side and work on it on the side, but then I would be down for at least a week.

Here is what I plan to do.
Type Brand From $
Clutch Exedy OE Import RP $165.00
Clutch Master Cylinder Exedy OE Rockauto $30
Clutch Slave Cylinder Exedy OE Rockauto $10
Tranny mount Left Anchor Rockauto $24
Front Engine mount Anchor Rockauto $23
Right Engine mount Anchor Rockauto $24
Rear Engine mount Anchor Rockauto $20
PCV FRAM Rockauto $5
Valve Cover Gasket Feltpro Rockauto $40.00
Rear Main Seals OEM Nissan $20.00
Front Crankshaft seal Timken Rockauto $10.00
Input Shaft Bearing Timken Rockauto $30.00
Input Shaft Seal Timken Rockauto $6.00
Output Shaft Bearing RH Timken Rockauto $20.00
Output Shaft Bearing LH Timken Rockauto $20.00
Output Shaft Seal RH Timken Rockauto $9.00
Output Shaft Seal LH Timken Rockauto $9.00
Water pump Aisin Rockauto $40.00
Water temp sensor Delphi Rockauto $18.00
Thermostat Aisin Rockauto $11.00
6 Spark Plugs NGK Plat Import RP $18
Brake master cylinder Beck Arnley Rockauto $65.00

Control Arm assy LH MOOG MOOG $75.00
Control Arm assy RH MOOG MOOG $75.00

Brake pads front Stop Tech ImportRP $51.00
Brake pads rear Stop Tech ImportRP $50.00

Tranny fluid Red lilne MT90 REDline $108.00
Brake Fluid Valvoline Synpower Autozone $30.00
Power Steering Fluid OEM Autozone $30.00


Total $1,036.00

Cooling system pressure test
Engine Compression Test
Clutch bleed
Brake bleed
Tranny flush
Power Steering Flush
Retorque all braces.

What do you guys think?