I have an '03 Titanium edition Maxima SE 6 speed, I love driving it but have honestly not had many cars as I'm still young and thus I'm not sure what else is out there really. Recently, my Max is having an issue with the transmission where it doesn't really want to shift into 6th gear. Tried replacing slave cylinder, wasn't that. Drained the fluid out and put in MT-90 Redline as well as all new ES shifter bushings (Installed all of them, not just the easy to get to ones), it's better but still much more difficult shifting into/out of 6th gear.

My synchros grind a bit in 3rd, 5th, and 6th, mostly 3rd and 6th though. Since the issue though, 6th doesn't grind but it's just hard to go into. I think the next step at the transmission shop is taking it apart and inspecting the internals. Knowing the general lifespan of these cars and only having 149k I'd normally say go ahead and fix it up proper, but of course it has the oil consumption issue that is common. It's in pretty good shape, but has scuffs and scratches from the previous owner, and I have some ugly wheel well rust on both sides which I absolutely despise. Transmission has always been notchy and not super smooth, I drove a 350z and the clutch felt so much smoother and I keep doing something stupid with my Max that makes it kind of clunk when shifting. It's definitely how I'm driving it, but I didn't have the problem with the 350z or other sticks I've drove so I don't know what it is but it ticks me off that I've owned this for some time now and still keep doing this when others who drive my car don't (And yet when I drive other cars, I don't do it there).

All that said, is it worth the likely $1000+ to fix the transmission? I can probably keep driving it as is, 1st through 5th is fine and I can still go into 6th but I tend not to if I'm in traffic so I don't have to fight it when I have to come back out of 6th. I tend to go into 6th asap, so not sure if that helped cause the issue or not as I didn't slam it into 6th or anything. Don't have the funds for another vehicle yet, but I drove an '05 350z Enthusiast I think, was a great looking yellow with 110k miles for a little over $10k which seemed fair. I still like Nissans and the VQ motors (sound is the best for any six cylinder I've ever heard, much better than even anything Euro), so maybe an Infinti G or something?

I'm not a fan of most American cars, but I would really like to own a Corvette like a C5 coupe. To me, that would be the kind of car I'd just drive forever if I found a good one. No worries about spending money on it if it needed work sometimes. They seem to be one of the few American things that is fun and lasts reasonably well. But their prices are too high usually I find. I've also thought about a CTS-V and to a lesser extent the newer GTO. I doubt I'd ever actually do it myself since I'm not especially mechanically inclined (nor have a garage), but I'd love to own an aggressively cammed V8 some day...

TL;DR: I'm not sure if putting $1k+ into the tranny on an '03 5.5 gen with 149k, annoying grinding synchros in 3rd and 6th, with rust on the rear wheel wells, multiple scratches and scuffs, and pretty bad oil consumption is worth it even if I do really like the car (I do). Am I better off to just deal with my transmission as is with difficulty going into 6th for 1-2 years until I can buy something nicer in the $10k-$20k used price range and then just sell my Max? Alternatively, should I sell my Max now and just buy some kind of cheap beater car for sub-$3k until said time that I can buy something nicer and newer? I live in the midwest and it does get cold and snow here, though snow is not like an all winter affair, maybe half a dozen snows or more per winter.

Keep in mind I drive maybe 3-5k miles a year, so I barely rack up miles. At my current rate I'm even less than that, so in 1-2 years it might have 153-154k on it. I just put nice Continental tires on it too, so those have very low wear as well. Car has no issues other than what I've said (well, the back windows roll up and down real slow so I never roll them down now for fear of them getting stuck down).

 

honestly man, cars break all the time. you either fix them up or move on.

I just spent 2000 reparing my suspension components, if you're under 25 like me...theres no point getting yourself tied up in expensive cars. you buy a 350z and even if you buy the 2007 or 8....its still a 6 year old sports car at best which will start to catch up with 6 year old problems.

if the max is honestly just a dd for you then if you think your repairs will cost over 3000 then id just get another car, if its something you would like to build overtime then fix it up if its low kms or whatever. I drive my car 4 months out of the year...it has its issues but IM sure you know this ...coming home and knowing that you dont have a ton of bills to face is the best feeling.

if you like the max...then you will be pissed when you buy some old saturn sedan. if anything id say spend about 500$ cleaning it up and giving it some TLC before this winter hits...try to survive the winter and when you look at your funds next year make your decision.

there isnt much on the market now thats even worth chasing..... if lexus made their cars in manual Id hop over there asap. because that new nismo 370z is a joke

 

I've actually driven a manual Lexus IS250, it was quite nice and I was incredibly surprised when I got in it! Didn't think Lexus made manuals but they did at some point, at least on some older model IS250's.

+1 for the keeping an older car with no huge payments, and re-assessing the situation when the winter passes.

 

Move on

 

I know about the older ones... manual awd, but I mean with this redesign that they have been marketing heavily lately the cars are amazing but Im sure an manual option would make some people happy. Not knocking Lexus though, they know why they didnt make them

 

The new designs from Lexus are amazing, love the look of them. I've driven pretty well all of them except the LFA. The Lexus ISF/250/350 is a car I would buy over an Audi/ BMW/ etc... they have the design, power, and are more reliable than the German equivalents!

 

Thanks for the advice. I am financially well off (well, reasonably so - I could afford to move up to a more expensive car straight up), could always sell the Max and combine what I've got and get something real decent. But again part of me just wants something I care even less about in a sense. I just saw a '99 Max posted locally with a 5 speed and 140k miles for $1,800. Doesn't have any rust and really don't look too bad. That's quite a downgrade in performance, but I wonder about selling my '03 and going with something like that for awhile.

I def. wouldn't just buy some cheap crap car, it would be something still reasonably fun or luxurious in some way. Drove a relative's Buick though, going around corners on the expressway felt so awful like it was going to flip over and the brakes do not inspire the confidence my Max does. I'm weird though, saw a great looking early '90 something Cadillac Brougham and thought "Yeah, I'd drive that". No idea what specifically seems desirable about it, maybe the old school looks (and I do like big cushy riding cars, gotta have fun driving those differently than a sporty car for sure though).

Is the rust I've got really that hard to fix like I've read? Also, as long as I keep putting oil in the engine when it burns it out it will keep lasting well past 200k right? There's an '07 350z near me with 109k and the HR motor for $12.5k which seems like an even better deal than the '05 I looked at some time ago.

Funny you guys bring up Lexus, I've actually thought about buying like an older one or something and just cruising around in that for awhile. They seem to have few issues, but excitement wise probably not too great. I saw good prices on an '02 GS300 and an '02 ES300, both really low miles (especially for Lexus) and in excellent shape, but I dunno. I could drive something auto if it was really luxury like a Lexus or that old Caddy (I had a Northstar Deville for a bit, that's a very healthy motor but handling was understandably crap and I sold it before it developed the typical issues), but otherwise gotta stick to the manuals. I can't go to an auto Max for example lol, I've seen the way the 4-speed shifts on the older ones and even the newer 5-speed auto isn't the greatest (And not to even get started on the CVT...).

 

I always buy cheaper used cars, why not? I see no point in my situation to take payments or any of that. You could get a used 240sx for cheap, I've heard those are fun! There are so many options out there for older fun to drive cars, you'll find one if that's what you've decided!

 

Seems like it's hard to find a good car that fits in that though. The '99 Max doesn't have much book value, so it seems potentially decent. I know it would handle well, just not be as quick - but at least it's not an autotragic. For me, the big thing is that the car looks very clean and sharp. You can have an old, kind of plain car like a '92 Civic that most of them by now are riced out or just look like garbage from clearcoat coming off and rust. That's why when you see one that has shiny paint, no rust, and is just incredibly clean I think that's awesome. My dad owned a '94 Cutlass that was like this, the cleanest looking car that always got compliments despite being just a lowly Cutlass.

I'd go for a 240, other than the import community seems to have jacked their value up way too high to be a good deal anymore. That, and many I've seen have some half-baked attempt at tuning the car that the owner is giving up on. Are there really still any clean relatively stock examples of those? I'd go for an old clean 300ZX ('90+) even NA, but the few I've seen are usually automatic or just look beat on. You know it's funny you mentioned 240SX, my parents owned a '90 or '91 and it was gonna be my car and then it blew the engine and they sold it . That was such a cool looking car. I love cars with a pointed nose and pop up headlamps, just seems real nostalgic to me.

I was tempted a few months ago by Ferrari red Volvo 240 wagon with a stick, something about the squareness is kinda cool to me and it looked so clean. It had maybe 180k miles on it, but it was $1,500 and owner said it had no issues. Still, seems like I'd need to be careful not to buy someone else's problems. My Max has no issues other than the transmission, oil consumption, and the rust. AC is cold, heated seat + steering wheel, Bose 6-disc changer works well. I feel like many of these cars are just some garbage that needs a ton of work that only DIY would make them a good deal.

Now I'm reminiscing on the neat cars my dad has owned over the years (he goes through cars quick, not because they fall apart - he just gets bored of them lol). Used to have one just like this, white with white wheels, 5-speed, very sharp and clean. Would love to find one of these.

 

You could go to a 99 maxima, it's pretty solid car, and the 3.0 has been around for a long time and no oil consumption issues there. It all depends on how you feel about it, Love it or Hate it feeling. It is hard to go step backward going to an older car since it's not "new" or exciting since I have been seriously considering to buy a second car as a 1988 Maxima SE but they were either need in serious repairs or interior pretty beat up. So I just keep moving forward, hopefully Nissan will offer up something like I have been eyeing on the IDx concept car hopefully if they do build it but with a manual since the dreaded CVT isn't really winning me over.