i finally got my insurance check last friday for my accident the previous week. got 5100 dollars for a 96 GLE with 140k...

since then ive driven about 400 miles and 20+ hours looking at more or less every single Maxima in southeastern florida (from miami to palm beach gardens). im looking at all automatics with sunroofs, mostly in the 3-6k range. out of around 25, ive found 3 worthy of attention.

97 SE with 120k, black/black with 02 SE alloys. leather, sunroof, all the options, CEL is off, car runs and drives smooth. brakes are new. ac is good. two tires are brand new, two are like 60%. the tint on the back window is poorly done though the rest of the car is pristine.
guy wants $6000, i said i wont pay a penny more than $5000. he said hed let me know.

96 GLE with 110k (the exact same car i just wrecked but with 30k less miles, same color even).
this is owned by a polish family that really couldnt give two ****s about their car. thing is dinged up, rotors are warped, one of the doors was stuck shut cuz there was no lube on the hinge ! ! ! the radio and cd player work, but the display is on and off. sometimes it shows up, sometimes it doesnt, probably a loose connection. other small things. CEL light is on, but no codes are thrown (ghost code, wtf could it be?). but AC works and the car drives smooth. has new tires, sunroof, AC works well, leather is in good condition. cvs are good. suspension is good. the reason im even considering this is the price.!! ! 3100 DOLLLARS >>>>> ! ! !! 3100 dollars for a maxima with 110k...man thats too good.

and then theres my dream,
since about 2003 ive always wanted a 5th gen but couldnt afford one. well now i can BARELY (and i fcking emphasize barely) afford one. the one i saw was 6000 BUT it was being sold by one of those "poor people car dealerships". you know, -pretty much just a house with like 15 cars jampacked into the yard with a fence around it. those places are bs in my experience. they usually do things like cut the CEL to make it not showup, swap OEM parts with used parts, steal the airbags, etc.
anyway this is a sick looking black/black 00 with about 124k. leather, sunroof, etc. theres a weird knocking sound coming from the right side (the passenger side) of the engine block. sounds like its coming from a belt, but its not an AC or power steering belt. car drives good tho, carfax checks out, susp is good and tires are pretty new. everything seems to be fine except for that noise. so i talked the guy down to $5250. but these cars bluebook for like 6500 starting..,. so i dunno, something isnt right.....

give me ur feedback please

i know this sucks without pictures.

 

heres the 97SE
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...000&cardist=33

 

sounds like the 97 SE is your safest bet, it has clearly been taken care of while the other 2 either havent been or are very questionable.

 

yea i know but 5k for a 10 year old car with 120k?? granted he just bought the alloys and a set of tires, but still. i feel like im gettin ripped off.

 

I'd say go with the 97, but that IS a bit steep. The other two just scream trouble. Even though, I've always wanted a 5th gen too, 4th gen's are sweet.

good luck!

 

The 97 is probably your best bet. However that price is pretty steep. I got my 99 Maxima for 3900 and 4885 out the door. Has 150k miles on it. It needs some cosmetic work though. Have you checked out the org classified? There are some good rides over there.

 

yea man. im obsessive about this. my mom rented me a car for two weeks so i could check out various options, so i have a time limit. i hit craigslist about 15 times a day, autotrader about 5 and cars.com about 5. the regional forums here and the for sale only have two, one is a super modded stick for 6500 and the other is beat to hell. im leaning toward the 97 as well, but A) thats a lot of money - what if something goes wrong 40 miles down the road and B) the guy still hasnt agreed to 5k. he just put the car on the market, so i assume hes gonna wait for a while before he settles.

 

The 97 looks like a very nice car. I'm with you, I would not pay more than 5k or so. We can't see the other two, but they don't sound as nice.

 

bring a mechanic to look at the 2000, if that's the one that you really want. the knocking noise might be the timing chain tensioner, which isn't that bad to replace.

 

Well, if you're willing to take a bit of a trip... http://baltimore.craigslist.org/car/429371367.html

I want this car so bad...blk/blk SE 5MT, basically fully loaded, 90k miles, original owner...$4500

 

yea thats a sick deal . makes me question the credibility of the car. soemone who takes that good care of a 10 year old car DEFINETLY knows what its worth.

 

i need to find a rich woman who has like three cars (like how i got my loaded 96 GLE for 3650) and doesnt care enough to find out what her max is worth.

 

The 97 SE looks really nice...

 

pvb a G35