a dealer is selling a "super clean" pearl white 97 GLE with 119k miles for $4950. besides the usual tire/brake/oil/coolant checks, what else do should i be weary of? thanks for any input.

 

Make sure the transmission is doing ok.

You can tell if its smooth through the gears if its automatic, i dont know about manual though.

 

i dunno... but the price of the car seems a bit high. i suppose it's because you're getting it from a dealer and not a private seller. make sure they give you a warranty of some sort... and be prepared to walk away. i'd also try to talk to price down as much as possible.

 

no warranty, "as is", price is "firm" because it is what the previous owner owes the dealer right now. BTW, its not a major dealer, just some small time car lots. i personally think the price is pretty good because here in northern CA, a car that year, even with the high miles, still goes for around $7-7500 for the GLE trim.

the trans is auto, i will make sure to see if it shifts smoothly. what else should i be looking for?

 

Of course the tranny is auto, its a GLE. Anyway, do all those things and then look underneath to inspect for rust or structural repair. If it really is a Cali car then you've got a steal on your hands if its mechanically sound. My 95 GLE was quoted at $6500 a year ago during my accident. Also check around in the engine bay and trunk edges for welding. If it was in a severe accident after-facotry welding is usually evident.

 

Check for oil leaks, tranny leaks, and etc...also. Make sure all the electrical components are working!!!

 

i checked carfax as well, clean title with no accidents reported. thanks guys for all the help

 

Oh I love going car shopping, the best thing is you get to floor it at every light (you need to see if it still has it). And the look on the salesman's face "Please don't do that, puh leaseeeee".

Best advice I give you is to really drive the car, and listen for weird noises under hard acceleration. Sometimes you don't know what you got on your hands untill you push it.

 

Go w/ 4 grand in cash, and tell him that's your offer. Always works when you put cash in their face.

 

I think thats a great price - at least it would be around here.

 

I also concur......

 

the price seems alright..........but is the mileage really that big of a deal on the max or is it pretty much made to last????

 

bummer, the dealer just called earlier, around 10:30 at night, that the car is most likely sold. some people are driving 3.5 hours to go look at it right now and said they're ready to buy. good thing he called otherwise i would have wasted almost one hour of driving tomorrow morning. the dealer must have gotten my number from his caller id log. he said he'll call and let me know either way so i'm still waiting. also told me they'll have another GLE on friday but doesn't not have the price yet...

oh well, dealer called and said it's sold... thanks for all the help. i'll report back when i find out about the price on friday's GLE.

 

Dude, tell them to get a GXE or an SE in with a manual shifter.
YOU DON'T WANT AN AUTO!

Just get a 5spd, and you will thank me later. It will last longer on stock parts too, if you take care of it.

 

Really...

How do you know what this guy wants or needs. The automatics are pretty reliable it seems. I have an auto in both of mine and love it.

Show me how and where manuals last longer. The inverse is true. People with manuals tend to over-rev much more and in general drive harder than those with automatics have which decrease life of a vehicle. Manuals are also a mechanical link to the engine so if something happens to the tranny, its directly coupled to the engine which is not a good thing.

Automatics while being bolted by the TC, are fluid driven which is more of a buffer.

 

+ 1 on the stick I love it. they're so much nicer than an auto. I have a couple friends wishing that they had a 5spd and are thinking about the conversion. as far as that car went a 97 for less than 5k is a steal.

 

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.............Newbie! ha ha

All I am saying is that most people that I have seen on here for a while that have an auto, end up either wanting a stick or switching to one. They either sell and get a 5spd, or do a swap which is expensive.

Reliable? I know tons more clutches that last past when the stock auto tranny does. I mean, a lot of auto trannies go out before 125k miles. I don't see a lot of clutches on the .org that go out before then. So you tell me how the auto is more reliable? If I remember correctly, I said the 5spd will last longer on stock parts, if you take care of it.

Unless you are redlining it(and if you are, you are an idiot) with a 5spd, how can you over-rev it much more? It is meant to be revved, not granny driven. Most of the times I do see anything go wrong with a clutch, it does not do anything to the tranny, let alone the engine.

And a Torque Converter.....well.....if you want to lose another 15% of power through that thing, you go right ahead.

Not to mention the better gas mileage, which is pretty darn important right about now.

 

Two words that were said that imho means absolutely, positively, steer clear. "AS IS."

Do you ever buy anything from Amazon.com "as is?" eBay? What if someone said E55 AMG 2k4 with 3100 miles, $60k firm "as is." I wouldn't even bother looking at it. Think about it, is there really any car deal out there that is "too good to be true?"

What is bizarre is that in our grandpa's day they used to say a "little old lady" drove it to and from church every Sun. And people fell for it. Today we have 3 ghz P4's running Linux and record our tv shows on dvd's, yet we are still in search of that too good to be true deal. That's ok. It's just that on a purchase as large as a motor vehicle, we should not subject ourselves to the "all sales final" mentality. Things can go wrong on something 7 years old, and the seller should take responsibility for a reasonable time period, say 30 days. my .02--AS IS = NO DICE (caveat emptor)

 

when you buy from private owners, its also "as is". what is the difference?

also, regarding the 5sp...the sad truth is i don't know how to drive a stick. i'm sure i can learn, but i'm not sure if its worth it because i have to sit thru bumper to bumper stop and go traffic from time to time.

 

Mileage isnt that much better--its really a non issue. I'm approaching 200k with my stock auto tranny. Lets see a clutch go that far.

The main reason younger people own sticks is not fuel economy. Its because they get their rocks off feeling in control and "pushing it to the max". Its all a farce. I'm 29 and dont have anything to prove. In my opinion, automatics are simply better all around in a sedan, especially one that I will be driving my family around in. If I wanted economy, I'd drive a stick civic.

I've seen a few of your posts now on different topics and its pretty clear that you are opinionated and you think your way is the only way. Thats fine, but just because people have different opinions doesn't make them wrong. Clutches typically need changed around 100k miles. Most automatic transmissions will easily do 100k miles.

 

i really like my auto tranny. personally, i browse the forums all day long and see a lot more people having problems with their manual trannys than the autos. i cant say that one is better than the other though. i think they both have their perks. sometimes i wish i had a manual when im in a sporty mood, but most of the time in stop and go traffic im glad i went with the auto. its just a matter of opinion.

 

Are you only looking through a dealer? Have you looked online through Yahoo and eBay just to get some idea of price? How about the the newspapers online? I found my Max in P.A. through a Long Island, N.Y. paper. The car was mint. I got a great deal on it because the seller had been stood up 4 times already by potential buyers. Not only that, but the dealer is making good money on the car. Dealers make the most money from their used car inventory. That's where the senior sales guys work. What you're paying him could be used to buy more car.

 

buy a gle and a upgraded vb and a y pipe. those things in that order.

i like my gle...leather is pimp.

 

i've been looking at cars.com in my area and craigslist.org which is a classified site for my area. both dealers and private owners list thru those sites. i find that the prices on cars.com are less than the other sites like yahoo auto.

for $4950 i thought it was a great price for a 97 GLE. i'm not intested in cloth seats, i test drove a used gxe, the interior felt very cheap. i was used to leather in my old G20 and now am looking for leather in a maxima. i drove my friends 96 I30, but i like the maxima body better.

so what are the rules about dealers and "as is" warranties? the way i see it, it is also "as is" when you buy from a private seller. why walk away from the dealer but not from a private seller? is it because dealers are more prone to scam people? if the vehicle is inspected carefully i don't see what the big deal is.

 

dont worry too much. theres this thing called a lemon law. meaning a dealer cant sell you a piece of sh*t and get away with it.

 

yeah dude go with a manual 96 sleeper was an auto and when he did his 5spd swap he gained 23 wheel horses more power and more fun to drive

 

Dude, it's called the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act. 18 months or 18k on the ODO applies to new motor vehicles. WTF do you mean don't worry too much on a '97 sold "AS IS?" Anybody who requires clarification, don't ask for it on a forum like this one, you may be getting responses from people who really don't know the answer, but post replies anyway. Do your due diligence and call up your states attorney general's office, or at minimum go to their website. AS IS clearly is NOT an express written warranty. Quite the contrary. Then there was that rhetorical question are dealers prone to scam people. Hmmm....all I can say is a fool and his money are easily parted.

 

i understand what "as is" means and that it implies the dealer assumes absolutely no responsiblity once you sign the papers. but my question is, how is that different from purchasing a used vehicle from a private seller?

i'm not trying to sound rude or be a d!ck. i really do want to know what the difference between the two are. i have never purchased a car by myself before. my entire concept of the car buying process is base off of what i gathered from my friends. what does it mean when the dealer say they take care of everything there? does he send the title to DMV and get me a registration right there on the spot? do i then get a title from DMV later? please clarify for me.

and again i apoligize if i came off sounding rude.

 

Believe me, the dealer knows down to the last dollar what the car wholesales for and what he can get for it and what he's willing to take for it if it sits too long etc. They know what cars are moving. That car is carefully priced according to the mileage, desirability, condtion, options, color etc.

As far as rules go, IMO, they sell their cars for the most money that's humanly possible. They're Used Car Salesmen!

A private seller doesn't necessarily have the same motivation as a dealer.
They certainly aren't in the used car business but some will have a story to tell and you can bet they've called a few dealers and looked online to see how much they can fetch for it. You need to factor in everything to make a determination. My favorite line from the guy's in the gas stations who are selling cars from the corner of the lot is that they are selling the cars on consignment and have no say in anything. Sure.
How many people will take a car off the lot and have it checked out at another dealer or garage? Do you know if the car has been messed with at the dealer to make it sellable. Do you get the car's real history at the dealer?

You will have to be patient and run down more than one opportunity for the right car.
You may have to go further than you want for the right car.
You can get a sense of the seller on the phone just by their answers. Are they cooperative or evasive? Are there Title and registration issues?
Is the car in someone elses name? These are but a few. I don't mean to sound patronizing but I've had multiple successes because of the proper due diligence.

Dealers offer title and registration services for a fee. They usually have a guy go down to the local DMV once a day for them.

 

Yep, I agree with what you say. Two misconceptions I'd like to point out:

1) airlines don't like empty seats on their flights, so right before the flight you can get an available seat any any price, esp. through a consolidator

2) car dealers would rather lose money on a car than carry it over until the next month, so if you buy at the 11th hour you NECESSARILY get a good deal

You're so right--car dealers make mega bucks. If you do your homework, you simply cut into what they woulda made off an easier sale. You will never drive off the lot with a car where the dealership is losing, or where you got a once in a lifetime deal. Heck, those of us who bought 98s and 99s coulda got around 6500+ off list back then, and it sounded good. Turns out it was pretty bad factoring in depreciation.

As far as a private sale, I'd say the private guy is trying to get a little more than he/she would trading-in, so the price will be lower than retail. If you get ripped-off in such a deal, there is little recourse. Civil court is too expensive and small claims is tough to enforce. Still, a smart seller will say the price is firm and car is "as is." The only time a private seller wont do that is when he can't, meaning nobody will agree to such terms. On a German, those terms aren't that uncommon. My cousing bought a 2 yr. old E36 M3 for 26 grand under those terms. Turns out he's had the car 7 years now. He thought 26 was a great price, and things worked out. But it doesn't always happen that way.

Just think, what is the most efficient market in the world, where things change hands at a totally fair and agreed to price? The stock market. Automobiles is far from that. So it does pay to shop around.

 

Dude get that car but watch out the things like a bad knock sensor and other crap like that if i was u take a flat screw driver take the car keys go under the streering wheel and take the ecu cover off and check codes for the ecu or if u have money get the ODB2 reader but thats just me other then that get it , its a heal of a good deal if u dont want it ill get it

 

um...the car is already sold...like i said earlier.

 

Once again, I said if you take care of it, the manual should outlast the auto tranny. I mean, you are comparing apples to oranges. You are comparing how you drive to someone that drives WOT all the time. If you were to drive like you do with you family(nothing wrong with it) and I were to drive my manual the same way with some family in it(I know how to take care of my car), I am saying that the manual should outlast the auto on the stock parts before repairs are needed to the major parts.

Is it my opinion that the 5MT is better........YES! That is what all these posts are from people....opinions. That is why you will get 200 suggestions of what lowering springs to get or what intake to use. You are supposed to be opinionated.

You are doing really well to get 200k on the stock auto tranny. I mean, more power to you, because I know that there are a lot of guys on here that are jealous. I was just saying that in my experience with auto trannies, they don't last long as the 5spd manual trannies I have had.

**Side NOTE: Most people are on these boards to talk about performance and how to get the most of just that out of their Maximas. For the most part, people don't come on here to talk about how they don't rev their maximas past 3k rpms and how they don't use the power the Maxima has because it is a family sedan. They are here to learn how to make it more than just a "4-door-family-sedan."**

***I am not saying that you are wrong for driving like this or for talking about those things, because that is your opinion, and that is what we are all here giving. I am just defending my statements about the 5spd Manual trannies, and why they are more "performance" geared.***

The gas mileage was just a little thing, but even just at 3 mpg better(a reasonable number) it would be as follows:
1. 15,000 per year avg.
2. 20mpg=750 gallons @ $2.10 (avg. for the nation right now) per gallon= $1575 in a year.
3. 23mpg=652 gallons @ $2.10 (avg. for the nation right now) per gallon= $1369 in a year.
4. =$206 savings just in gas.........I know it is minor, but that is a y-pipe right there.