Have the opportunity to purchase a 1996 Maxima with 102k miles on it. Only experience I have with Nissan's was my '05 Xterra. Maintenance records indicate that in the last 6 months the rear struts, AC compressor, and radiator have all been replaced. The other part of the AC system was replaced in 2015.


The owner is a friend of my wife, 3 years now, and has never complained about the vehicle. Work done has been due to age, and what the dealer told her was "preventive." Other than a dent in trunk from some sleaze bag at work backing into her and taking off, the car is amazing condition and appear to run well.

The grand total is going to be $650. I am looking to pick it up as a daily driver with better MPG than the beast I am currently driving.

Opinions? Anything specific to watch out for?

 

I also have a 96. Purchased with the a similar amount of mIles in 2006. I have put 110,000 additional miles on it.

The cars are built quite well. They do have certain well known weak points.

Igntion switch, fuel injectors that leak because they are old, water pump is difficult to repair. The radiator does go out due to age.

Do a search on thus forum. Our member CS_AR has several 4th gen maximas for his family. He does what he calls a "mid-life refresh. He does preventative maintenance on certain key areas so that the cars stay very reliable. Most of his repairs are due to the cars age.

These cars are fun to drive, and quite reliable once any deferred maintenence has been done.

For 650 dollars, you can't go wrong.

 

For $650, buy it. I have a 98 I bought with 103K on the clock five years ago. In 5 years, I have spent less than $200 in maintenance costs.... but that is doing some repairs myself.

 

IMO, it all depends on if you are capable of doing repairs yourself or capable of paying someone to do the repairs.

For example the water pump mentioned above. If you are ok with paying close to what you paid for the car to replace the water pump then buying a 20 some year old car for $650 I would say buy it.

The engine if it has seen regular oil changes will last a long time well worth spending $650 dollars.

I am not being negative or bashing a Maxima. I am just making the point that the amount to repair a 20 year old car is about the same as a newer car. Some people will have a bad reaction to pay for repairs that any car would need given the age that cost more than the car is worth.

I choice to drive my 95 Maxima because it is one of the best used cars you can buy. It is fun to drive. Gets good MPG for a car it's size. There are a lot of them on the road and usually several in junk yards to find parts for like your trunk lid.

 

To better answer your question, what to look out for....?

Your profile does not indicate where you live. If you live in a snowy region of the country or if the car has lived there check for a rusted out radiator support.

https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...rt-thread.html

https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...ment-pics.html

 

Thanks for the info. With the exception of the radiator support, I think everything mentioned has been replaced in the last two years. This is a little ole lady who does whatever the dealership says to do when they say to do it. She has years of oil change records as well. I will be getting underneath it though, and checking for rust.