Hey All,
Last week I had a run in with some local wildlife in my '94 Alty (sorry all you peta ecoterrorists). Today, I came across a fully loaded '93 Max in emaculate condition. Took it for a ride and it felt great. Seller was asking $2900 and I talked him down so far to $2600. Only thing is, 190K miles. I know that these are known to go 300K+, but is it wise to buy one at this mileage? What warning signs should I look for? Owner tells me to feel free and take it out again tomorrow for as long as I wish and even swing it by another mechanic (he is a transmission mech himself). Newer boots and struts, and appears to be well taken care of.

Thanks,
Jared

 

is the car an SE or a GXE? You also didn't mention if it is an automatic or manual transmission.

the SE will have a DOHC engine and things like white gauges, black mirrors and a spoiler. It is the only one available from the factory with a manual tranny.

the GXE will have a SOHC engine, black face gauges, body colored mirrors and usually no spoiler (sometimes added, though).

Both types of Maximas have trouble with trannies, especially the ATs. If the guy is a tranny mechanic, ask him specifically what he has done, if he rebuilt it, etc.

The SE (DOHC) has issues with VTC sprockets, which sound like a pinging or knocking. The VTCs usually go for a while without much problem, but it's annoying. Over time, they can fail and then you are in trouble.

Other than that, the usual stuff. Look for colored smoke, leaks, excessive play in the steering or problems with the car pulling.

 

A/T GXE, All Stock.
Thanks Again.

 

The steering and suspension was smooth, none of the clanks and squeeks that my Alty had. Tranny performed excellent, and has not had past issues (owner has thorough maintenance records). Big question is, can I reasonably expect to get at least 50K miles more out of the engine? Runs clean and idles steady.

 

how recent is the timing belt?

 

replaced about half year ago

 

I personally like and will pay more for a car with excellent records, that show maintence done correctly.

 

You should definitely get 50k out of the engine, as long as you keep up with the timing belt. You said it was replaced 6 months ago, so I am assuming it has <10k on it. There are lots of examples of these engines reaching 200k, 250k, even 300k with good maintenance.

The transmission might be another (and more expensive) problem. If it was maintained like you said, I think 50k is very reasonable to expect. Nothing is guaranteed, though.

Buying any used car is a crap shoot. Buying one with good maintenance records just betters the odds of it lasting longer.

 

"the GXE will have a SOHC engine, black face gauges, body colored mirrors and usually no spoiler (sometimes added, though)."



Uhhh.... your wrong. My '90 GXE has white guages,black mirrors.Also mine
does have a spoiler as well as fog lights.
I don't why every place I've seen says these things

 

for comparison, i got my 91 with 87,000 mi. 5 months ago for 2800. there may be better deals out there. they are pretty rare cars though so you might want to pick it up. that's pretty high milage though.

 

You could do better on the price with that mileage. Mine, 120000km $2500
with a few mods...

 

I just drove it up to another mechanic for a full inspection. I'll post the results around 7:30.

 

BTW... I've appreciated your guy's input. Thanks Again.

 

...I'm from a small town in Montana, this was the best deal available. Next best listings in my price range were a '98 4D Cavalier for $3500 and a '93 2D Civic for $3000. I'd prefer the Maxima with higher miles over both of these. Oh yeah, and eBay's out of the question. I won't buy anything that I haven't driven first.

 

Bozeman, my wife has a relative that lives there.

and on the ebay deal

 

Do you have keypads on your doors?
are you the original owner?

 

Just because it's the VG doesn't mean its a GXE.

I think that's what you're assuming judging by your car descrition in your info

 

Just got back from the mechanic... He seemed impressed with the Max's condition(probably sad that he couldn't find anything major to charge me for). Says tranny has been recently rebuilt and is in good condition. Engine is running clean. Here's his chart (check means inspection passed):

Lights -- (check)
Belts -- "Fair" - "change all belts before summer"
Fluid Levels -- (check)
Wipers -- (check)
Gauges -- (check)
Coolant -- (check)
Oil Leaks -- (check)
Trans Leaks -- (check)
Brakes -- (check) - "40% left on front / 70% on rear"
Steering -- "Fair" - "needs alignment to center wheel & pulls slightly"
Suspension -- (check)
Shocks -- "New"
Tires -- "Fair" - "L.R. is newish / possibly find 3 to match"
Drive Line -- (check)
Running Condition -- (check)

... owner and I settled on $2500... mine tomorrow!
I'll be on eBay looking for upgrades.
Thanks All.

 

well. you just bought a very nice car for the price. btw, i got my 90 gxe with 118000 miles for 900 dollars...but was not maintained, so i have been having a few problems. one thing that you may have problems with are the injectors. if they have not been changed already, it is only a matter of time before they go. i am surprised no one else said anything about those. good luck with your car, and no more altercations with the wildebeest, ok?

 

good thing you went with the max i won't say anything more, although i could say some pretty harsh things about the chevy cavalier..

 

No key pads .Not first owner,but second. The orginal
owner is an older lady. My boss is good friends with
her son.The car was garage kept in NJ. Has only
75,000+ mi.

 

Dude, you have an SE, it's a 90, so it doesn't have the VE engine. McDonald said it was a 93, therefore if it were and SE, it would have the VE engine.

 

what Red92MaxSE said. Your car is an SE. The 89-91 SE had the VG30e. Only the 92-94 SEs had the VE30DE.

So you have owned this car how long? You should be ashamed for calling an SE a GXE lol j/k but seriously you have an SE.

 

Jared:

The average mileage for a 12-year old car is around 180K, so 190K is not bad for the 1993 Max...provided it was kept up.

I just sold my Maxima -- which had over 302,000 miles -- for $2,800. My tranny lasted for more than 300,000 miles. The engine still runs strong and has never needed any overhauling.

I put in over $3,000 in replacement parts over the past year, and that is one of the main reasons why I got $2,800 for it.

Now, I kept my Max running in tip-top shape by changing fluids and filters, brakes, rotors and drums, and all of the long-term things in that car when they eventually wore out, such as the power steering rack, power steering pump, radiator, AC components, shocks/struts, wheel bearings, control arms, timing belts and water pumps. So, essentially, when I sold my Max, it was fairly well reconditioned.

Likewise, what you need to determine if you got a good deal or not is what the seller has done to the car to keep his Max up to speed.

With proper upkeep, these cars will run forever...and that is no exaggeration!