hello fellow orgers, i am really curious what a noobie like me should look for when buying a 4th gen Maxima. Are there any specific guidlines are things too look for during inspecting and driving a 4th gen at a dealership? Thanks in advance and i am sorry if there is a thread like this one already

 

Make sure the motor is quiet. Make sure the tranny shifts smooth and make sure there is minimal to no rust. hope that everything else needs to be fixed (brakes, struts, oil change etc) so that you can get the lowest price possible and repair it yourself properly. That way you get the right pads, know that your fluids are flushed and have the struts that you want. I would avoid a dealership and go private, but maybe that is because I do the work myself.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=517019 ...especially the last post
also, look for a car with a complete & documented service history (tough to find, I know), and make sure the proper fluids & lubricants were used.

 

Definately check the vehicles carfax report,and have a mechanic of your choice check it out.

 

If it's a 99, do a u turn and walk away*



*well not really, but go through it with a microscope.

 

Check radiator support for rust. Check gas/fuel lines for rust running under the car along the drivers side. Check rear calipers and make sure they aren't seized, and the E-brake.

 

Knock on wood but I have had my 99 for 3 months spending $0.00 on maintenance. It started right up in 0 degree weather.

I plan on doing regular maintainence once the weather gets warmer (KS, fuel filter, clean TB/IACV, PCV valve, spark plugs (if needed))

 

Make sure the check engine (or service engine soon) light works. It should come on during start up and hopefully go off after the car is running. Or you could put the key in and turn it to the on position. Also, ABS (if it has it) and air bag

 

:bow:

My car was fine for 3 months too... and then.... :O

 

hmmm... now i have second thoughts. whats so bad that would make me walk away from it and a complete u-turn so to say?

 

nothing is wrong with the 99. the only thing they are known for is the ignition coils tend to fail, but that by itself is not a reason to avoid them. and some things are better. I think the 99 is the only 4th gen with the electronic EGR. and it has an updated TC tensioner vs. the 95/96. plus they fixed a lot of interior refinement issues (squeaks and such) that earlier models had TSBs for. I also believe the AC compressor on the 99 is an upgrade from the other years (it is a variable displacement unit), etc etc.

 

ok. thanks for all the help guys, and what about the 97-98 models? is it true that the 97 models are less prone to having toubles compared to a 99 because i just recently found a 98 GXE model that fits with my budget.

 

i have a 97 its a nice car, 98+ they have electronic odometers which i wish i had, other than that its not a bad car

u will have problems with any car u buy, cmon man u r talking about 10 year old cars here. definitely choose from 97-99 not 95-96 thats for sure, also decide if u want a SE or GLE (bose is a biatch), i have a GXE but its a canadian special, i have cloth heated seats with ABS, sunroof, heated mirrors, and that low washer fluid sensor that comes with the winter package.

 

thanks for the input man i appreciate it. i do know that cars have to be taken cared of meticulously inorder to not have problems but thats impossible because cars can get problems like my nissan pathfinder im now stuck with two options now a GXE with low miles or an SE with decent milage.

 

My list:
Maintainance Records
No CEL
Manual tranny
Low miles(I got my 97 at 80K)
Nice paint condition(no hughe gashes in bumper, etc...)
No noticable under-thehood-or-car rust
Running smoothly

Thats my opinion.

 

Go for the decent mileage SE. In my opinion, I would rather take a car with 105K over a car with 85K because within that 20K mileage span, most things start going wrong with cars.

Things such as the exhaust, coils, starter, battery, ect. usually begin to go around 75-85K miles. Regular maintainence will come with any car (oil change, air filter, fuel filter, knock sensor, ect.) but if you know some new parts were recently invested into the car, it makes sense to surrender those 20K miles for newer parts. Especially if you are buying a car with no records, I would buy the car with a higher mileage.

A benifit of buying an SE over a GXE, in my opinion, is also that the SE has a better looking body (body color grille, body color door handles, trunk spoiler, 16" alloys over 15" hubcaps). Also, you are guaranteed a sunroof. The SE also has a firmer suspension than the GXE. The steering wheel in the SE is way nicer and much sportier than the ones in the GXE/GLE. If you dont care about any of those features, then get the GXE but I think that for the extra $ its def worth it for the SE.

 

well the thing is that the gxe i found has a clean carfax with spoiler, sunroof, and has about 55k miles on the clock while on the other hand the se i found has about 85k miles on it and the dealership only gave a partial vin number so i cant get a carfax report on it. the reason why i dont care if its an SE, GXE, GLE is that performance wise its all going to be the same and i can live with not having some options available, but thats just me because of customization.

 

If it's a 5 speed, you can look for basic tranny wear.
1) look for any oil leaking from the drivers side of the tranny where the axle enters.
2) wiggle the driver side axle where it enters the tranny. should be NO wiggle at all. If anything is moving inside the tranny when you do that, that's bad.
3) drain a little bit of fluid and see if it has any metal flakes.

 

to checking out the radiator core for rust, it will have it no doubt, and it's an expensive repair you can use for bargaining. Also, look very closely around the oil pan/front of engine from the bottom on the passanger side, kinda near the oil filter, for any signs of coolant indicating a bad waterpump, not an expensive or incredibly difficult repair by any means, but you can point out where it is and pretend that it is

private party>dealership

 

Based on my 97 SE w/133k - keep an eye on the radiator support (look at the lower intake of the bumper and look for any signs of rust), oxygen sensors, exhaust (especially if you live in colder climates where salt is used), clock, brakes (rear calipers), sway bar bushings, shocks, idle, etc. Like everyone else has stated - take your time and inspect everything as much as possible. Best of luck.

 

If it's a manual you can test the clutch by trying to floor the car in a high gear. If the revs raise a lot faster than the speed of the car, the clutch is probably on its way out.

 

What do you mean by this?

 

THANK YOU!! Always the voice of reason.


I love my '99...

 

Not true.
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.
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.
.

 

u should make sure its completely riced out INCLUDING fart cans with custom paint jobs with two colors and decals!

 

Make sure you get ABS. My son rear ended someone with our 95 last year. We really liked it but looking for a replacement had to pass many nice ones to find a 97 with ABS. We feel he hit the SUV (other than going to fast and not paying attention) because the right front wheel locked up first and he slid into the rear end. Last night I was on my way home in the rain and some one pulled out in front of me. Very rapid stopping and I was able to turn into the other lane while braking and stopping. I was very impressed. I"m pretty sure I would have rear ended him had it not been for ABS. I know all the blather about how you can stop qiucker in a non ABS vehicle but I'm a believer.

 

Nobody ever said, "damn i wish i didn't have ABS".

 

That stuff only applies to a straight line. For street driving, ABS is overwhelmingly worthwhile. It's just not common on 4th gens.

Of course, the quality and tread depth of your tires is vitally important as well in wet conditions.

Dave

 

In addition to what the others have said I would also check the oil pressure switch. I've replaced mine twice with OEM's and the 3rd time with an aftermarket in less than a year and the car only had 107K. The ENTIRE radiator support was replaced along with O2 sensors, ECTS, MAF, plugs, belts etc.

Maximas are powerful cars and the VQ series motors is one of the 10 best production v6 engines in the world.They would outlast the cars and even some owners. MOST seem to give less than desirable gas mileage even with proper maintenance. Barring that and the fact they have more code's than Da Vinci, I would recommend it over MOST imports.

 

I didnt see a post for a driving recommendation, when I purchased my car I told the sales rep. I wanted to take it on the highway and floor it, if he didnt let me there was no point for me to continue. It should drive pretty strong, use that in your decision making along with what everyone here suggested.

+1 on checking for minor faults you can do yourself they hate when your a smart shopper, use them for bringing down the price....hint I got my 96 GLE with 75000 miles on it at a dealer for $3800 3 years ago, list price today is still above $4700 here in Cleveland.