Hello all, I'm a couple days away from finalizing a deal on a 1997 I30 that has 140k miles for $3900.
First, if everything checks out and the car is in good shape do you think this is a decent deal? The high miles are kind of worrying me a little bit. I did do a carfax report and nothing out of the ordinary showed up except that it was a lease vehicle for the first two years which is another worry I have.
Second, are there things that are I30/Maxima specific that I should pay special attention to when I look the car over?
Lastly, if there's anything else you would like to share please do so.
Thanks.
Buying an I30, could use some advise..
Re: (maxhopper97)
Thanks for the welcome.
Yeah I'm thinking as long as everything looks ok then it should be a good deal. I'm coming from the Honda side, I'm selling my Prelude and picking up this car in order to eliminate my car payments and have a care with more room. I'm 6'4" and the prelude is awfully cramped, I don't know why I bought it in the first place but it is fun to drive so I guess thats why.
There should be plenty for room for me in the i30 right?
Oh btw, is the VLSD an option on the i30 or was it just part of the touring package? Either way I doubt a lease/automatic car had it but it would be neat if it did. Is there a way for me to find out?
Yeah I'm thinking as long as everything looks ok then it should be a good deal. I'm coming from the Honda side, I'm selling my Prelude and picking up this car in order to eliminate my car payments and have a care with more room. I'm 6'4" and the prelude is awfully cramped, I don't know why I bought it in the first place but it is fun to drive so I guess thats why.
There should be plenty for room for me in the i30 right?
Oh btw, is the VLSD an option on the i30 or was it just part of the touring package? Either way I doubt a lease/automatic car had it but it would be neat if it did. Is there a way for me to find out?
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MaximA32
Re:
So I went and checked it out today and told the guy I'd have a final decision by tonight so any quick input would be greatly appreciated.
After driving it I think it is mechanically in good condition, I didn't hear any oddball sounds or anything and everything seemed to work well. The electric motors in all the accessories did seem old and tired though.
The radio volume knob doesn't work well, I thought it was a minor thing when he described it to me but when you adjust the volume you never know what it's going to do. He said he just gets it to a comfortable volume and leaves it, I don't really think this is an option for me so it needs to be fixed/replaced and from what i've read this is either expensive or a pain or both.
Now the paint is in worse condition than I thought as well, I'm beginning to think that $3900 isn't such a good deal. There are a lot more scratches and nicks than there should be I think. For example on the side view mirrors the paint is actually worn off in areas:
And there's scratches all over the trunk and in other areas. Not deep gouges or anything but still. Also there some other things that bug me, like nicks in 2 or 3 door panels (on the inside in the vinyl), and the black plastic surrounding the drivers side inner door knob lever has a chunk missing.
Also, is there a reason there'd be a build up of junk on the IM? Here's what I mean:
What do you guys think?
Btw, would this be more appropriate in the general forum? I guess it's not really model specific, it's just help on buying a car and the more input the better.Thanks.
After driving it I think it is mechanically in good condition, I didn't hear any oddball sounds or anything and everything seemed to work well. The electric motors in all the accessories did seem old and tired though.
The radio volume knob doesn't work well, I thought it was a minor thing when he described it to me but when you adjust the volume you never know what it's going to do. He said he just gets it to a comfortable volume and leaves it, I don't really think this is an option for me so it needs to be fixed/replaced and from what i've read this is either expensive or a pain or both.
Now the paint is in worse condition than I thought as well, I'm beginning to think that $3900 isn't such a good deal. There are a lot more scratches and nicks than there should be I think. For example on the side view mirrors the paint is actually worn off in areas:
And there's scratches all over the trunk and in other areas. Not deep gouges or anything but still. Also there some other things that bug me, like nicks in 2 or 3 door panels (on the inside in the vinyl), and the black plastic surrounding the drivers side inner door knob lever has a chunk missing.
Also, is there a reason there'd be a build up of junk on the IM? Here's what I mean:
What do you guys think?
Btw, would this be more appropriate in the general forum? I guess it's not really model specific, it's just help on buying a car and the more input the better.Thanks.
You've posted right where you need to.
If you are that unhappy with the condition, I would wait for something better to come around. Looking at the engine bay, that car does not look to be "well maintained."
In a car ~10 yrs old, you should expect some paint chips on the front end; and some blemmishes on the interior.
It's just a matter of what you're willing to deal with at what price.
I happened to run across a 95 with 77k miles for $4300 that looked pretty cherry from posted pictures about a month ago on auto trader. You just have to hold out for what you want.
If you are that unhappy with the condition, I would wait for something better to come around. Looking at the engine bay, that car does not look to be "well maintained."
In a car ~10 yrs old, you should expect some paint chips on the front end; and some blemmishes on the interior.
It's just a matter of what you're willing to deal with at what price.
I happened to run across a 95 with 77k miles for $4300 that looked pretty cherry from posted pictures about a month ago on auto trader. You just have to hold out for what you want.
Re: (maxhopper97)
I don't know, I could live with it if I felt I got a good deal. I had been going off a "good" condition KBB value and thought that it was a good deal but now that I've seen it I'd say the condition is "fair" which drops the value to $4000. So $3900 doesn't seem so hot.
How about the radio issue? If I replace it w/ an aftermarket radio is it a huge expense because they'll have to deal with the Bose peculiarities?
How about the radio issue? If I replace it w/ an aftermarket radio is it a huge expense because they'll have to deal with the Bose peculiarities?
Re: (maxhopper97)
I called up my local car audio shop and it's not a big deal I guess. For some reason I thought it would be really expensive to change out.
I got the price down to $3600 now, so I think I might go for it. I just wish there was a way for me to know if anything is about to go bad, but I guess that's impossible.
I got the price down to $3600 now, so I think I might go for it. I just wish there was a way for me to know if anything is about to go bad, but I guess that's impossible.
Re: (-Rob-)
Have it looked over by a Nissan or Infiniti dealer before you buy it.
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Sentientbydesign
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Re: (-Rob-)
I'm sorry that none of our season pros answered your questions. Here are the details I can give you.
I have a 96 I30. It's maintenance has been fair. The previous owner did not take good care of it. Oil changes were sporadic and cheap gas was fed to it for 4 years. I currently have 248,xxx miles on it and it still runs. Not well, but it moves from point A to point B without any break downs.
The VLSD came in the I30 5 speed only. One or two of the Maxs had it as well. The auto I30 does not have any sort of an LSD.
With regards to the radio. They don't know what their talking about. I've been to half a dozen or more audio stores that think they can direct swap and aftermarket head unit without any problems. After research and a coming across a few knowledgeable shops, I've come to the conclusion that the adapter alone is $160 a piece. One for the stereo speakers and another if you plan to add a sub. The bose speakers run off a different impedence than regular stereos do. You hook them together and you get lousy sound then blown speakers.
My suggestions: 1) Send it in for repairs. It's $225 to get it taken out, repaired and reinstalled by the dealer.2) Go find another bose head unit to install in there. The removal isn't easy, but just about every car manufacturer has used a bose unit in their cars that I've seen. Even finding another working unit would do the trick.
As far as the paint is concerned. I'd say it was a little worse than it should be by comparison to mine a year ago. I just had mine painted when someone gave me a fender bender.
If you can, drop the oil pan and transmission pan and look for metal. Run the A/C on high and let the car idle for a while. See if both cooling fans work. Verify that all tires, struts, and brakes have been recently maintained.
The car should give you another 60k+ miles depending on how you treat it. I got mine at 200K and raced it for the next 40k. It took a toll.
Hope that helps.
I have a 96 I30. It's maintenance has been fair. The previous owner did not take good care of it. Oil changes were sporadic and cheap gas was fed to it for 4 years. I currently have 248,xxx miles on it and it still runs. Not well, but it moves from point A to point B without any break downs.
The VLSD came in the I30 5 speed only. One or two of the Maxs had it as well. The auto I30 does not have any sort of an LSD.
With regards to the radio. They don't know what their talking about. I've been to half a dozen or more audio stores that think they can direct swap and aftermarket head unit without any problems. After research and a coming across a few knowledgeable shops, I've come to the conclusion that the adapter alone is $160 a piece. One for the stereo speakers and another if you plan to add a sub. The bose speakers run off a different impedence than regular stereos do. You hook them together and you get lousy sound then blown speakers.
My suggestions: 1) Send it in for repairs. It's $225 to get it taken out, repaired and reinstalled by the dealer.2) Go find another bose head unit to install in there. The removal isn't easy, but just about every car manufacturer has used a bose unit in their cars that I've seen. Even finding another working unit would do the trick.
As far as the paint is concerned. I'd say it was a little worse than it should be by comparison to mine a year ago. I just had mine painted when someone gave me a fender bender.
If you can, drop the oil pan and transmission pan and look for metal. Run the A/C on high and let the car idle for a while. See if both cooling fans work. Verify that all tires, struts, and brakes have been recently maintained.
The car should give you another 60k+ miles depending on how you treat it. I got mine at 200K and raced it for the next 40k. It took a toll.
Hope that helps.
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Beancooker
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Re: (Sentientbydesign)
Not 100% sure about the I30, but the Maxima AE's had a VLSD. So I would assume that some of the I30's would too.Sentientbydesign wrote:The VLSD came in the I30 5 speed only. One or two of the Maxs had it as well. The auto I30 does not have any sort of an LSD.
I think audtatious (Matt) would beg to differ with you on this subject.When they sold you a $160. plug, did you get the offer for Ocean-front property in Arizona too?Sentientbydesign wrote:With regards to the radio. They don't know what their talking about. I've been to half a dozen or more audio stores that think they can direct swap and aftermarket head unit without any problems. After research and a coming across a few knowledgeable shops, I've come to the conclusion that the adapter alone is $160 a piece. One for the stereo speakers and another if you plan to add a sub. The bose speakers run off a different impedence than regular stereos do. You hook them together and you get lousy sound then blown speakers.
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audtatious
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Re: (Sentientbydesign)
You can easily replace the factory Bose head unit with a new one by utilizing a product like the PAC ROEM-NIS2. It's easy to use and simply plugs into the factory radio harness connector. All you have to do is connect the new headunit wiring to the PAC unit. The cost of this particular part is $49 online (use the PAC website to find an authorized dealer: http://www.pac-audio.com).
The standard I30 did not have VLSD, but the I30t did.
The standard I30 did not have VLSD, but the I30t did.