help the new kid out

[mrazmandi]

i just got my brothers old maxima..its a GLE year 2000 and i wanted to upgrade it and make it faster and more powerful but the body of the car has some rash from previous owners...is it worth putting money into the car's engine or should i try to fix the body first?

[DJButton]

Maintenance is good! Fixing whatever damage there is and a tune-up would be first proirity for me.

[mrazmandi]

ya i was goin 110 down beltway 8 in houston yesterday and popped the hood when i got home and found antifreeze dripping off the hood and all over the engine block! i went to the dealor and they found over 2500 in damage so im fixing that first and then we'll see what happens...thanks for the reply

[SeVa-S13]

Poor, poor A33 Maxima...

[Beancooker]

You got a good car. If it is paid for, and all you have to do is body work and mods, then you're all set. There is a lot of info in the Maxima Forum. Look in the FAQ section, and feel free to post any questions you have in there.

I'll be moving this thread to the Maxima Forum shortly.

[nametakennow]

ya i was goin 110 down beltway 8 in houston yesterday and popped the hood when i got home and found antifreeze dripping off the hood and all over the engine block! i went to the dealor and they found over 2500 in damage so im fixing that first and then we'll see what happens...thanks for the reply

Not a good idea to be doing stuff like that, much less in a car that needs work.

Fix it, keep the speeding reasonable, then head to the Maxima section to figure out how to get the most out of your Max.

Welcome to NICO!

[mrazmandi]

ok ill be sure to watch my speeding and thanks for all the help....my the reason the antifreeze was everywhere was cause there was a crak in the radiator....also one more question.....is it worth fixing the body when i have 109k miles on it?

[Beancooker]

Yes, with 109k miles, the car still has half of it's life left, maybe more, depending on how you drive it!

[mrazmandi]

when you say "depending on how you drive it" what do you exactly mean?

[SeVa-S13]

He's trying to be nice about saying that you might, like most 16 year olds, destroy your first car out of stupidity/neglect/newbness.

You've already mentioned doing 110 on a public road, and your first thread is about how to make your car go faster, and you don't even know to drive. (no one does at 16)

Hence my last post; I feel bad for that car, owning a similar model myself.

[mrazmandi]

oh......im not really sure how to respond to that...

[Exilefntman]

he means that it will probably go beyond 200k safely but if you beat the crap out of it it may not get to 110k as long as you take care of it as much as you beat on it it will probably get to 150k just fine.

[mrazmandi]

i definately take care of it when it comes to the basics.....but what i was confused about was if going "fast" or "punching it" often was included in abuse of the car

[SeVa-S13]

Focus on maintenance and learning the car/driving in general before modding/going fast.

Wrecking/breaking a car is a crappy way to learn... not that I'd know

100k is nothing for cars these days, take care of it and it'll take care of you.

[mrazmandi]

Wrecking/breaking a car is a crappy way to learn... not that I'd know

hahah

your funny and thanks for all the help ill drive "better" from now on

[mrazmandi]

one more question...

how often should i condition the leather?

[Beancooker]

Okay, "punching it" won't destroy the car. Second, I could run my Maxima (3.0l engine) against a lot of newer Maximas (3.5l engine) in a road race, and blow their doors off. Not that my car is faster, because it is not. Simply, because I have a ton of $$$ in suspension and brakes, and can drive the crap out of it, and use the suspension to it's fullest. Being able to move a car around corners and slow down in less time for corners will advance you in a race, faster than HP. Unless it's a drag race.

Best advice, learn to drive the car. Take a driving class, not that crap that is offered at school, but find a place like Bondurant Racing School, invest the $$$ and it will be something you can use in any car, and for the rest of your life. Look at it as if you're modding yourself, and your abilities, and not the car.

[mrazmandi]

thanks alot man i really appreciate all the help