Hi y'all,

I'm selling my 1998 Nissan Maxima GXE. It comes with a stock 5 speed manual transmission. I've maintained it and daily'd it for 2 years since the purchase (see service history section, below). It has been driven approximately 145K miles in its life. There is some wheel well rust around the rear wheels. A/C does not work. It has been sitting for one year.

I'd like this car to go to someone who will keep it alive. It's got a lot of life left!!
If you're not going to crush this 4th gen 5speed for metal, hit me up with an offer!

I purchased this vehicle through Craigslist in December 2016 in Linden, NJ, to commute to and from college. It was at 139K miles. It had interesting rims.
It wasn't a perfect car, but I wanted something with a manual transmission, and I wanted to learn how to work on cars. I didn't care for the bells and whistles of modern vehicles. I have learned so much more than I ever expected to, and the community around this car, especially this forum, has been extremely helpful on this journey.

Some things I've learned:
- How to push start a car
- How to use a multimeter to track down electrical issues
- How important contact points for ground wires are
- How to bleed brakes and clutch lines
- How to effectively use Harbor Freight Tools
- How you get what you pay for when it comes to tools
- How to use a blow torch on rusted fasteners
- How to use an angle grinder to cut out rusted sway bar links
- How important extensions, U-joints, wobble sockets, and racheting wrenches are
- How to keep shrink wrap away the soldering iron when soldering

"Remember, if you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail." - H.K. Williams

The car is a total joy to drive. The new y-pipe and muffler combination doesn't let you hear much from the exhaust. The intake is stock, so no gulping intake sounds, either. You hear the VQ, and the y-pipe grumble - it's subtle, yet satisfying. The struts aren't the sportiest - the car isn't lowered - but they are new, so the drive feels solid and planted. The car doesn't lean during non-emergency braking, and it doesn't bounce around when you go over bumps. The tires are grippy, and probably more tire than the car can handle - they gave me zero problems in the snow. The car has new sway bar links and an eBay front strut bar, so the drive feels more agile, as opposed to the relative boaty-ness of the stock experience. It drives straight, too.

Why am I selling this car? Well, I don't really want to, and had lots of plans for it. Last summer, I moved from NJ to TX, and the car has been sitting in Jersey since. I'm taking up space on someone else's property. Due to the direction my career is going in, and living in a city instead of a suburb, I cannot own two vehicles and also maintain both. I currently drive a 1996 318ti, which is a project of its own.

The bad:

- No A/C (Relevant note from previous owner: "i replaced the radiator support and had to disconnect the ac condenser so you would need to vacuum and charge ac but it does work once charged.")
+ Once charged, the A/C worked for a few days. Upon investigation, the system slowly lost a vacuum over 3-4 hours, but I wasn't able to identify the leak's source, since I hadn't added UV die during the charge.
- Car intermittently does not turn on; One click, no starter engagement. Sometimes prefers to work via remote start instead. Push starts still work. I suspect an electrical issue related to the Viper Alarm/Remote Start system.
- Clutch needs to be lightly feathered when shifting. Still drives like a champ.
- Transmission whine in 1st; I searched the forums far and wide when I first purchased the vehicle, and couldn't come up with a fiscally reasonable repair. It hasn't caused any issues.
- Rear main seal leaked when purchased - after switching to Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil, the leak went from 3-4 drops per night to 1 drop every two weeks to a frequency that isn't memorable.
- Oxygen sensor (IIRC B1S1) code: All sensors replaced, new y-pipe with new bung - haven't resolved the cause of the code, yet.
- Driver headlight ground wire is hacked together.
- Rear wheel well rust
+ Previous owner attempted a fiberglass repair on the rust - the repair was not finished with paint


Service History:

Winter 2016:
- Calipers (rear)
- All Brakes, All Rotors
- CV Axles, Sway Bar Links, Tie Rod Ends (outer)
- Serpentine Belt

NEW TIRES installed 1/23/2017 (BFGoodrich 215/55ZR17 G-FORCE COMP-2 A/S (94W)x 4)

Spring 2017:
- Monroe Struts all around
- Windshield Wipers
- Spark Plugs
- Air Filter
- Mobil1 Oil (engine)
- Amsoil Oil (transmission)
- Interior seats & carpets vacuumed and washed
- Tan interior door panels and assorted trim replaced with black panels/trim

Summer 2017:
- Cabin Blower Motor Resistor
- Fuel Filter
- O2 sensors
- Starter replaced with a used starter - Original starter still works, but needs to be regreased
- Replaced tan armrest with black leather armrest
- Shifter ****, shifter & e-brake boots replaced with eBay units
- Radiator, thermostat, hoses

Winter 2017:
- VQ MANDREL BENT ALUMINIZED STEEL Y PIPE 1995-2000 FED NISSAN MAXIMA (via mandrelexhaustsystems)
- Walker 21182 Quiet-Flow Muffler
- Remanufactured Alternator

Spring 2018:
- Clutch slave cylinder
- SS master-to-slave clutch line (bypasses hard metal lines)
- MAF, Throttle body, Intake boot cleaned
- Air Filter
- Mobil1 oil (engine)


Pictures:




















I'll be adding information and more photographs over the next few days.
Ask any questions you have and I'll communicate that over to my brain!

PMs welcome, Thread replies welcome.

Thanks for looking,
- uFluidics

 

VIN: JN1CA21D3WT533607

Moar Pictures:

 

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