DeusExMaxima

iTrader: (1)

Im posting this thread for a new org member:


I posted a thread regarding a getting a new used car a while back, and I thought
I had settled on this 2004 maxima. So far, I have put down a deposit check for
$1000 and I'm going to pick it up in a week or so.

Today, I went for my highway test drive and I snapped these pictures. The rear
light housing had a crack on the left side before, which the dealer has fixed.
Looking closely at the bumper, there are a few scrapes and scratches. There is
also two little lumps in the middle of the rear bumper. Inside the car, I found
a sepc sheet for the car, and it says rear bumper was damaged. So I'm wondering
if you guys can spot if this car was rear ended. The paint on the rear bumper
was origional, and if the car was in a rear accident, I think the dealer
would've replaced the rear bumper and repainted it. So the scratches and scrapes
shouldn't be there if the car was in fact in a serious rear end accident. I
looked at the exhaust pipe underneath the car, it seems perfectly straight and
has slight surface rust, so I'm assuming it has been on the car for a few years.
Also, carfax.com shows the car has a clean title. So I think the owner swiped
something while backing in, which cracked a small part of the light housing and
scraped that bumper.

In the trunk, Then I found a service reciept showing this car had a new
transmission installed the first year with 3000 KM. The reason of replacement
was the transmission was always stuck in neutral, and it turns out the 5th and
6th gear hub was damaged, and metal shaving was found inside the transmission.
I'm thinking it's due to either the owner does not how to drive a standard, or
the car has been raced and tracked. During the first year of service, the car
only had about 5000KM in total. I have a little over 2 years of warranty left on
the power/drive train, so even if I need a new tranimission, I should be
covered. However, what kind of symptoms should I look for in a faulty
transmission?

So this is all the information I know, and it is a big purchase because I'm just
getting out of university. The car was put on the road May 22nd, 2003, and
current has 33,600 KM (21,000 Miles). We agreed on $25,000 CAD for
it.

chernmax

iTrader: (15)

Sounds like a pretty good resale value... Good luck

macming

Thank you, DeusExMaxima, for posting this message for me, because I'm not getting any quality feedback on Supraforms.

Well, $25,000 CAD works out to be around $21,000 US, and with only 33,000 KM (21,000 Miles) on the car, it should be a descent deal since the car has the Elite package, and is overall in descent condition.

I'm pretty sure this car didn't have a major accident since carfax.com and the Ontario used car info says it has a clean title. Underneath, the frame looks good and straight. Also, there is a slight coat of rust on the exhaust system, and the exhaust seems to be straight. From all this, I gather this car has not had a big accident. Even if it had a little fender bender, it definitely did not effect the ride quality. During my test drive, the car did not want to pull sideways, the alignment was perfect, and it was perfectly smooth and quiet at 160 km/h (100 M/H).

Now, the transmission issue. Since the car had a new transmission put in when it only had 3000 KM on the car, and the problem was with the 5th and 6th gear hub, I think it was a manufacturing problem. What are your thoughts on this?

Here are a few pics showing the overall condition of the car:

What could have caused the broken plastic in the wheel well?? The front bumper looks to be origional.

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

I'm thinking that (and I'm no mechanic here) the broken liner...maybe blown tire? Tranny? Not sure although that stuff tends to scare me off. A little bump in the rear? Maybe someone admiring the car a little too closely? I'm sorry I can't be more helpful! Maybe get an extended warranty in writing? Maybe even as part of your deal?!? Say 7 year 70,000miles? (Sorry, I don't know the translation from miles to km). Take it to a mechanic and pick his brain a little? Not sure! Beautiful color though.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

I'd have the dealer fix the bumper and detail that salty bay. I would also look into extending atleast the warranty of the new tranny from the day it was installed.

greg hazlett

iTrader: (2)

Do not under any circumstance trust carfax or the fact that the title is clean!!!!!!
I just got out from under a bad situation with an 04 SL that had a clean carfax and title and the only thing that had not been wrecked on the care was the two driver side doors. After having Nissan and a body shop look at it there was $3k in mechanical stuff that needef fixed and est between $5-$6k in body work that had been done and not done right. Be careful....

chernmax

iTrader: (15)

That cars exterior looks in great shape, the rear bumper ding looks minimum. The damage to the front wheel well is odd. The engine is New Orleans scary, looks like it use to be underwater. Anyway, let's see you turn it around, good luck...

As a follow up, I would take off the passanger side engine cover (far left side cover) and conduct a detailed inspection of that area, based on your wheel well damage, the crack on the plastic air scoop (left side corner) directly behind front grill and the dirt inside the engine bay (Body shop dust/dirt) I would say the vehicle may have had a front passenger side impact. Car fax will not list the damage if the former owner fixed the car out of pocket and never reported it to his insurance company. Again, just a guess, but really suspect IMO.

macming

Thank you all for the useful comments. Here is a link to a bigger version of the picture showing the engine bay. From what I remember, I thought it was road salt, but it seems strange to have so much salt in there.

http://i1.tinypic.com/ndlzj4.jpg

The car was in a body shop recently (after I first saw it) to get its rear brake light housing replaced. But why would they leave the hood open to replace to brake housing?

The car drives perfect straight and is very stable right now. Is it really bad idea to purchase a car invovled in an accident previously? What if the work has been done right?

Thanks,

Ming

lobewiper

I would say, if the work has been done correctly, there is nothing to worry about. It is only structural damage that has not been fixed properly that is of concern. I agreed with the person(s) who suggested getting a Nissan extended warranty, just to be safe.

lobewiper

You could probably still back out of the deal if you want to--many U.S. dealers have to give your deposit back within three days no questions asked. I don't know the Canadian scene, but I would think they wouldn't want an unhappy camper talking trash about them if they made you go ahead with the deal if you decided that didn't want to. I wouldn't necessarily count on the truthfulness of what might have caused some of your problems, but they seem fairly minor to me. Finally, in the U. S., if the car was under water, they could be sued for not telling you and selling it.

macming

I could back out of the deal for sure, but I think the car is a fairly good buy because it has the Elite package, very very low mileage (33,000KM or 21,000 Miles). Compared to other 2004s without the Elite package, most other ones are going for 28K - 33K with 60,000 KM.

If I get this car, I will have until May 22nd, 2006 for the bumper to bumper warranty, and the power train warranty is on for another 2 years. So mechanically, I think I am pretty safe.

Also, in Canada, if the dealer intentionally lie about the title of the car, they could lose their dealer's license. So to sell a car for a customer on consignment, I really don't think they will risk it.

lobewiper

Why don't you see if they'll throw in the bumper-to-bumper warranty for free?

lobewiper

Hey Nismo,

I just posted to this thread about 7:15 PM Central time. My posting's stated time is 12:AM!! What gives??

9Nails

You can extend the warranty through Nissan by calling dealerships and asking their price for the Security+
Plus plan that fits your needs. So you have lots of life left in that car if it's in good shape.

The motor also looks suspicious to me. I can't really spot anything wrong. It just has that "I've been living in a body shop for a long time" dusty look to it. Which makes me wonder. Combined with the tore up fender liner, I'm very suspicious of the front end of that car.

CanadianMoFo

How about getting the last owners name and calling them to ask about the history of the vehicle. I believe a used vehicle information package in Ontario has all the owners listed in it.

CM

chernmax

iTrader: (15)

Sorry for the grainy picture, things I feel are suspect include:

1. Some cars in front end accidents will be brought to outside tow yards and left with their hoods open because they cannot close, thus the extreme amount of dirt and rain drops spots that is evident in the whole engine bay except:

2. The front "red ellipse" area seems worked on, thus all the whipped down areas from parts that may have been removed, whipped down and replaced.

3. The "green circled" area on the air intake duct looks cracked in the corner, like the car took a passenger corner shot to cause this.

4. The left "green ellipse" is the cover I recommend removing and get a good look in this area for spray paint, bent brackets, cracked paint, bondo or things that have any indication of body damage.

5. For the money you’re going to invest, bring someone with some level of car body expertise to exam it.

6. Now with that said, well-repaired exterior structural damage isn't bad if fixed correctly, we just want to ensure you are well aware of this prior to purchase, get the best price and are happy with your decision.

7. Carfax is OK, but it's NOT the holy grail of a cars history.

greg hazlett

iTrader: (2)

Please, please, please listen to him! I don't wish what I went through on anyone and I will tell you right now that Nissan WILL NOT cover any future repairs under warranty if they even think it was wrecked/repaired. Once the 04 I had went on the lift it was very obvious is it had been wrecked/re-painted.

Majestic303

I agree with Chern on his items above, as well as all the others. For a car with low miles and this year, there's *alot* of items being looked at. The scratches and what not are somewhat trivial, the engine bay issues would be my biggest concern. See if the Dealer/Nissan will extend the the warranty as part of the deal, as I believe NismoMax suggested. I'm no mechanic or body specialist but there are too many things being pointed out to feel comfortable (atleast for me).

And if you get all this squared away, feel good about the car, and make the purchase, check for the "Infamous SHIMMY"... The topic on the Shimmy has been beat down to death on the Org, but coming from experience, if you can catch the problem before it's too late, you've just saved yourself additional pain and suffering with the dealer and not to mention, much wasted time and maybe money!

Just my two cents

bigmixx

I'm no expert but by looking at the picture of the engine bay and the stuff that's broken, I'd say the car has been in a front end collision of some sort. Maybe nothing major but stuff in the engine bay shouldn't get broken due to normal wear and tear.

04BlackMaxx

Hey, my car has never been in a collision or under water and my engine bay is as salty as that at times...I also have had plenty of broken and missing pushpins caused by me replacing the pass. side bulbs (you all know how you have to rip off the plastic cover) I had to remove all those pushpins for the trenz install....broke a few, and never replaced the top plastic cover. Now my car would render itself just as suspect as this car...even though its never been in any accidents, gotta make sure not to jump to conclusions in your assessment.

The corner of the air intake circled in green is exactly what mine looks like. That is simply the glued foam seperating from the plastic snorkel, due to rain/salt/snow/wind.

macming

Thanks for the careful analysis, and I will definitely go to the seller and take off the plastic panel.

I spoke to the origional owner last night, he seems like he is in his early 50s or late 40s. Fairly educated gentlemen, and according to him, he babied the car So he said he did not get into accident with it, and he sincerely wished me to enjoy the car. I'm going to take his comment with a grain of salt, but it is a little bit reassuring after speaking with him.

The rear end scratches really does not bother me, because my girlfriend have not driven for very long, and she will most likely scratch some of the paint anyways. Even though I will love this car, but I'm obligated to love her more. After all, she will be paying for half of it

From my experience driving the car, everything seems very solid. The transmission shifts effortlessly, the engine revs silky smooth. I carefully checked the front structs, they do not make any noise or make extend oscillations. So I think the structs are fine. During my drive on the highway, the car did not want to pull sideways, and even at 160 KM/H (100 Miles/H), the car rides very quiet, and was perfectly stable. The brakes feel pretty powerful, and the steering is setup pretty well. So besides the notorious torque steer, the car was in fairly good shape mechanically. So from this sounds of this, does this car have the shimmy problem??

Also, inspecting the exterior of the car, I am almost convinced that it is origional paint. So I think if I take off the plastic panel in the engine bay, and there isn't any re-paint evidence, and all the brackets are straight from the inside of the engine bay, I think I may have found myself an excellent deal. After all, the car has very low miles, the Elite package alone with a factory Navigation system. I will try to bring my friend that does body work with me when I go back.

Just to be safe, I'm going to test drive another 04 with manual transmission in the area, and I will keep you guys posted on my findings.

Cheers,

Ming

Majestic303

To not Hijack this thread or get torn apart by Nismo, take a look at this thread for more info (There's also a TSB for the Fix)

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=348639

You can also do a Google "site search" for "shimmy" and find tons of others. But in a nutshell, you'd FEEL and SEE the shimmy over 55mph, but between that and 85 mph (speed varies), by taking your foot off the gas, resting your fingers on the top of the steering wheel (don't grip the wheel) and letting the car COAST. From my experience, as well as others that have (had it), it doesn't happen on ALL roads.

CanadianMoFo

Dude it goes like this: Car > Women

Your priorities are out of wack.

I always loved the burnt orange colour. Not bold enough to get it myself. The price seems pretty fair too. Especially if it has the bucket seats in the back too...not sure if you said or not. And its certainly good news talking the previous owner and finding out it hadn't been in an accident. Good luck with the purchase!

chernmax

iTrader: (15)

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, tell me it isn't so...

Anyway, offline I looked at some more detailed pictures and sent him a private email telling him the same thing. Former owner just took bad care of it cleanliness wise. Still recommended a good visual, just in case...

95bluse

iTrader: (1)

Hey Macming, fellow GTA person, I've been combing through trader.ca looking for a 6spd Majestic blue max, but they are hard to find. I know that it's so great that you've found a car that you like, but don't let that cloud your decision. The folks here have given you excellent advice and it looks like you've followed it. I remember when I bought my current '95 (in '97), it was only after quite sometime that I noticed the passenger fender was a slightly different colour! Too late to go back to the dealer, and I had to accept blame for the oversight. In retrospect, the car had about 75,000km which was on the high side so I got a good deal (I thought) + it was a 5spd which I really wanted (hence my clouded judgement).

All said, the deal sounds good, but I noticed a few of those orange Maxes out there for sale,,,most are elite & manual. I think they are harder to sell because:

1. Colour is subjective
2. Manual
3. 4 seater
4. Almost all of them have 2-tone orange/blk interior

BTW, let me know if you see a 6 spd Majestic blue with blk interior...

macming

Here are some close up pictures to the "problem areas", and I think the "cracks" are supposed to be there.

macming

I saw those Orange Maxes on Autotrader as well, but they all have more mileage, and less option, and are generally more expensive as well.

I didn't think I'd like the colour at first, but it grew on me. I've always driven a manual car, and the 6 speed is just sexy. Also, the cars I've had in the past (Supra, and MX6) could really carry 2 people in comfort, so be able to carry two full sized adults in the back is really all I want.

I will get pictures after I clean the car, and probably get the extended warranty from Nissan. The place I'm buying my car from is a big leasing company, so they are offically not a car dealer. I figured if I had to get my car serviced once or two, it will be worth it.

Ming

macming

Usually that is soo true, but in this case, she's paying for half of my car

This max is a 4 seater, xenons, navigation, and the whole works. So I'm pretty sure I'm getting a good deal if the car checks out.

Ming

95bluse

iTrader: (1)

Good luck & take a close look at the engine dust, to me it seems too "light" in colour to be salty which is darker, sandier so to speak. take a close look at the fenders, front bumper & hodd. I'd be concerned that a low mileage (which means not much highway km's), babied car like that would have such a dirty engine bay...

04BlackMaxx

I just cant justify cleaning the car this time of year only to be sprayed on the highway with saltwater....it gets everywhere in the bay when it enters the grille...and dries, ends up looking like that. Especially in this up and down winter here, it goes from snowing to raining, freezing to melting weekly here, cleaning the car or engine bay during this is a horrible waste of money....I know people do it even when its 20 out, but its not worth it for one dry day..it usually costs $5 to get a good powerwash here...Id ratehr spend it on other things.

NVRSATISFYD

Hey Guys! My first post! I wish I coulda found one of those burnt ember maxes in the WICKED 6SPEED! Only ones I could find on cars.com in the manual tranny were black so thats what I got! As far as that dirty engine bay, nothing a good cleaning couldnt fix? Ive heard of some sort of steam cleaning for that?

NVRSATISFYD

You gotta sneak in a quick wash now and then to get that nasty salt crap off, but with the engine bay, I agree, it can wait for the better weather!