Hi All,

I do not currently own a Maxima. I've always been a fan but I am in the dark. I participate in TDI forums and therefore know the value of the knowledge that stems from these discussions. I am asking for help.

My 18yo son wants to purchase a 2017 with 125K which is stealership listed @ $11K. Outside of the fact that the 300hp CVT engine in his hands is scary AF, from what I can tell the price seems somewhat reasonable even if the car has been ridden a bit harder than average. However what I'd like to know is what's going to break or need replacing in the next 20-30K. How is the overall reliability of the engine(what's the life expectancy). Are there any mods that will boost gas milage as I see some getting 33/34mpg while the factory average is 25mpg? How easy/difficult is it to diagnose and self-repair?

Really appreciate anyone taking the time to respond and if there is anything you can think of that I have missed feel free to add.

 

This is going to be a gamble. Drive it and romp on it a little bit. Any slippage or surging during acceleration and you should run away. Check the oil and CVT fluid. CVT has no dipstick so you will have to suck an ounce or two out with a vacuum pump to actually see it. If the fluids are black and dirty run away. Oil should be clean and golden hopefully. CVT fluid should be light blue for best case scenario. If the CVT fluid is black with 125K run away. If I was given this car at 18 I would beat the crap out of it and so will your son. I'm not too confident if it will handle it well at 125K especially if the former owner rode it hard. However, if former owner kept fluids clean and had a light foot it could last for much longer. Good luck. This is a tough call. A warranty would be a good idea but will probably cost several thousand bucks more....ugh.

 

Thank you that is excellent insight. Would never have known or thought to check the CVT fluid. Really appreciate it!

 

I think the Maxima would be a good choice for your son. Yes, it has 300 horsepower, but that is very manageable compared to, say, a Corvette. If this were my choice, I would hire an independent to do a multi-point inspection of any used car before I bought it, including this, Maxima. Regarding the CVT, I have owned two Nissans with them, back-to-back. The first was a '07 Altima that I put 175,000 miles on with absolutely no problems. The young lady across the street bought that from me and put an additional 50,000 trouble-free miles on her. My next CVT was in the Maxima I own now. It has 60,000 trouble-free miles. The thing is, I respect the iron and take very good care of my cars, including not running the snot out of them. You don't know what you're getting with the used car, any used car. In your multi-point inspection, I would ask them to check the CVT fluid and test drive the car. If they can't do the CVT fluid, then they don't know that transmission, so take it somewhere that does. 0h, I almost forgot, These Nissan engines are pretty much bulletproof. My brother will testify to this. He has his own shop and is an ASE certified mechanic. His current 2015 Maxima is heading for 250,000 trouble-free miles. I hope this helps. Good luck with your selection.

 

unfortunately the kid/valet mode no longer works on cars <2019 (when they introduced the LTE modem; 3G is gone).
That aside, the VQ35DE engine has been around for over 20 years, and before that, the VQ30DE. It's pretty reliable.

The CVT will get mixed reviews. I don't have any problems; I'm on my second current-gen Maxima, but both are low-mileage (25k in 3 years and 28k in 4.5 years). Others can speak to it better.

Lower-end cars w/o leather will probably look better inside, but so will cars produced 2019+ with the semianiline leather.

Be careful with the infotainment, sunroof, and rear shock towers - they all suck.

 

Parts of the suspension will probably been to be done soon. The VQ is bulletproof. See how the CVT feels and see if you can get the service records for the car and look for transmission flushes.

 

Thanks lindros2. Each nugget helps. Seems reliability isn't a major issue. I like that a lot being a TDI person and driving my cars 300K+.

 

@ Goldpanda94 - Exactly what I am looking for. Again not being a Nissan guy I hope they are less expensive than VWs to fix. The parts prices on dubs is robbery. Will definitely will ask for service records.