Well, I'm supposed to buy this 96 Maxima but I have a little hesitation. This car has about 53K miles which is awesome, but the owner just confessed he never used 91 (he used 89 instead) since years because he said there's no difference in performance and it would cost him more $$ That is plain stupid but at least he is honest about it.

What worries me is detonation over the years. Correct me if I'm wrong but detonation can cause premature worn out on the engine right ?
If you were me would you buy this car still ?



=dRe=

 

i dont think that would affect anything, i use 87 in my altima and it runs fine.

 

have a diagnostic check ran on it, also a compression check.

 

I would not worry about it. That would be the least of my worries. If you can get all the repair records and he changed the oil every 3000 miles you should be OK. We have knock sensors that for the people who refuse to use 91 octane.

 

if it only has 53k miles on it, it shouldn't be a problem I bet a lot of people used regular not even plus in our maximas before we got them go for it man

 

an altima isn't a maxima. what are the octane recommendations for altima's??? i bet it's 87 or, tops, 89

 

My owner's manual clearly states that it does not matter what grade fuel you use; you may notice slight differences in improvement, but 89 is fine.

 

My owner's manual says specifically to only use Premium Gasoline (91+).

Says the same on my gas cap.

But nonetheless, I bet the car is fine.

 

The Maxima says, "For Maximum Performance use Premium Fuel." There's nothing wrong with using a lower grade though. In fact after a few tanks you will flush out all the lower grade octane and your car will run just as if you had run 93-octane the whole time. Don't worry about it just jump on that car with suck low miles!
-Cyrus

 

shouldnt be any problems at all. like others said after a few tanks of the good stuff itll be all good. but i guess ya could always try to knock him on the proce cuz of it.

 

Damn..Ive used 87 once when I was short on $ lol and have been using 89 lately..but I guess I will go to 91 or higher just to be safe

Mike

 

My manual says to use 89 if premium fuel is unavailable. With 89, the car should adequately retard timing if knock is detected. My dad uses 89 on his maxima exclusively and says he never hears knock.

 

Yea, our good old friend the knock sensor will stop this from happening when people use lower grade gas. Premium fuel is recommended for maximum performance, but not required by any means.

Have him buy you a new knock sensor as part of the deal