I,m going tomorrow to look at a burnt orange 04 6spd with 140,000 miles. I know the miles are high but it's the only 6spd i've found close that's clean and the car is immaculate inside and out but i havent driven it yet. Is there any thing i should look out for? Ive had a 3rd gen and 4th gen with manuals and way past 200k when i sold them will this car be similary reliable? I did do a search but all i come up with is people saying to stay away from 04's with autos. Thanks guys I just cant get burned on this ive been saving this cash up forever

 

Give it a good inspection and drive.

The auto is the bear in the 04 model, but since you're looking at 6spd you are ok with that. Ask owner about oil consumption...not sure if the 04s do it as well, but the 3.5L on the 02-03s can be oil burners. Just something to pay attention to.

 

I don't know where you're at, but there is a guy here selling an 04 Blk/blk Elite w/ nav 6-spd which is so uber-rare it's crazy. You should buy that one if you can. I have read though that from 04-06 or so the build quality was pretty much crap on the inside. Reliable cars otherwise except for the typical oil-burning issue with the earlier VQ35's. Not sure which year this becomes a non-issue. Maybe 2006 or 2007?

 

Do i need to worry about tensioners or anything else i'm reading on here. I"m getting nervous with all the talk of oil burning and tensioners. lol.

 

look for 3rd gear grinding, look for any clutch wear who knows it if was ever replaced.
oil
and motor mounts...

 

02-03 had the majority of the oil issues, I think it had something to do with the valve cover design of all things.

 

So if the motor doesnt whine the tensioners should be ok? would there be any oil residue in the breathers or intakes like turbos cars if it's burning oil? Ive done clutches in quite a few cars including my 4th gen so i'd be ok with that i'm mostly worried about the motor issues. I'm on the west and it's super hard to find 6 speed max's around here so i'm hoping its legit and she'll be mine tomorrow.

 

This was my first maxima that started my love.89 se 5 spd She had 223k on her when i sold her and she was still going strong last i heard.

 

Check out this thread and look for the symptoms. I would still purchase but if it has this problem low ball them lol...
http://forums.maxima.org/6th-generat...ine-noise.html

The a/c compressor and alternator also tend to fail on these (had to replace comp twice in one year). Besides that just keep up with maintenance to prevent future issues.

 

Check with them to see what parts they ever replaced. ie. tensioners. If they didn't maybe work down price low enough to get replacement parts for anything wearing down and still be happy about your purchase.

Nice more 6spds getting in other owners hands.