Hi guys

Hopefully purchasing a 2000 SE tomorrow! Car is black on grey cloth with only 97k on it, apparently its in great condition but we will know for sure tomorrow. . My commute just got upped to about 70-75mi a day so I have no choice but to pick up something other than my current car that barely eeks out 17mpg highway. Ive had friends with maximas and theyve been nothing but great in terms of reliability...Im hoping this maxima will treat me the same way

Anyways Ive been doing some reading on here for a while and just figured I should ask if there is anything I should really be aware of/look for when inspecting the car tomorrow? Car is an auto so I will be checking for slipping tranny etc. but just want to make sure I have all my bases covered before I go take a look at it.

Thanks in advance guys

 

Depending where you located, I would say a rusted radiator support. Check the high pressure power steering hose. Other than that just check around the car. Make sure everything lines up so you know it wasn't in a big accident.

 

CT...so I will be definitely giving it a good look over for rust etc. owner vows its in good condition but Ive heard that plenty of times ...we will see

Just out of curiosity is it easy to roll the mileage back? 99k seems pretty low...

 

lower radiator support, PS hose, ignition coils, front struts, tie rod ends, ball joints, make sure you check the door hinges on the driver side door, check for leaks on the radiator, check tranny fluid, check cv axles/joint boots (both outer and inner) check to see the gaps on the hood, trunk, doors to see if they match (if it was in an accident before) pull the hand brake and release to see if the rear calipers are locked up... check all electric switches/buttons... to see if everything works... check for uneven tire wear.

there is so much more to a car to check but those are usually the main on the list for me...

 

Buying a 12 year old car, unless proven with maintenance records I will just expect all the things people list here to be on the "need to repair" list.

 

Well not necessarily, I bout my 2001 Maxima SE back this past May and the only thing that needed work was new tires, changing the fluids, and the lower radiator support being rusted. The rust was fairly bad, but if you don't get into an accident it'll hold up. I got into an accident with my car (front fender on driver side was hit) and where the rust was, the hood latch support bar and lug nut just came out lol. Either going to get an entirely new rad support assembly or just weld a new piece of metal where the rust is.

 

Check for rust, any accidents, check the codes on the ECU if you have OBD2 scanner and that's it. Many things were mentioned already.