Im seriously considering buying a '97 SE Auto, for a really nice price.

The only thing that worries me is that it has 178k. I could swear myself they must be highway, because the car looks flawless.

Now, I know 5 spd's can pretty much last forever. Does anybody have any warnings about when the Auto trans dies?

Any tranny internals I should replace?

I know on carsw like the 3kgt, the trans will go at around 165k. But those whole cars would never last as long as a Max.

 

Whats funny is autos and manuals for 4th gens are pretty dependable. On early 95/96's 5 speeds were ALOT more prone to failure. Theres a ton of autos here with higher mileage than your car. As far as early warning sings other than slipping or harsh shifts theres not many. Check the fluid and see what color it is. It should be pinkish when new and dark reddish after its used for a while. Brown is burnt which is a no no. If worse comes to worse you can always drop the transmission oil pan and look at the 2 small magnets there. When the clutches wear out over time they release magnetic fragments which get picked up by these 2 small magnets. If theres a large build up of sludge and metal residue, you know to stay away.

 

the problem with that is the seller probably won't let you drop the transmission pan to look at the magnets.

 

he seller is stand up on the forum, but having the facilities to drop the pan in would be the setback

 

Unless he is practically giving the car away, I would be inclined to look for another 97 or 98 with lower mileage. Can't you get the maintenance history on the car? I suspect the car must have predominately highway miles on it or the owner would have never gotten any sleep, lol! Can you confirm that?

 

my advice for buying an auto max- buy a 5spd. honestly if you have even a bit of driving enthuisiast in your blood you will regret getting an auto. if you still want one though dont worry to much about it, maximas are hard to break. 178k is no sweat for a great price.

 

How nice is the price?

 

easy advice, dont get one, lol you really want to buy an auto used? especially if its someone like me who blew it like 4 times? go stick its faster and well worth it

 

$3800

Id LOVE to find a 5 spd for my price, But its got to be in great shape, and the autos are cheaper on the forum since nobody really wants them.

 

auto =
manual =

 

by the way that isnt a bad price....

 

My thoughts exactly. The best advice is to get the 5spd.

 

You can only buy autos in Australia and they dont seem to have any particular problems even with high milage.