I need help in buying a 4th gen maxima ...

[ctguitarguy]

My altima's transmission has lost its third gear,and im tired of sinking money into it. But i do love nissan's despite this altima giving me nothing but problems. so having said that im looking to get a 4th gen used maxima, ive been looking locally on my craigslist locations and in nearby towns/states.

I'm going to be looking at one car on wed. he was asking 2400, but he is willing to take 2000$ and i just wanted everyone's thoughts, im not a mechanic, and although i will be bringing a friend who is, i want some thoughts ahead of time. i can only spend 2000$ which is pretty much all i have, and ive seen a number of maximas around this price range from the 95-99 years, i was shooting for model years 97-99 (although ive heard horror stories about coil packs and such).


and ill type the stats out for ya and post the pics he has.... so what do you think?
1997 Nissan Maxima- GLE
Black on Black

155,??? miles
Automatic
All Power including seats
Heated Leather Seats
Moon roof
Bose AM/FM CD
Alarm
ICE COLD A/C
Runs good, needs nothing
Currently Inspected
Clean Car fax

[tigersharkdude]

well the coilpack problem is more of a 99 problem. It looks clean, but that all i can say by pictures. Let your mechanic look at it

[ctguitarguy]

Thanks, ya i just wanted peoples thoughts, my friend who is a mechanic will be driving me to look at the car so he should be able to check it out. I just wanted to get an idea from you guys based on this information and set of pics if it looked like a worthy purchase. one of my concerns was the leather, it looks a tad beat up..the owner said the drivers seat center seam stitching is loose, is that complicated/expensive to repair?

[loystock]

For as long as the car checked out Ok and there are no cracks on the leather, it's a good buy at $2000.It could have passed inspection but double check the CEL - must be ON with Ignition ON and must go OFF once engine is running. Some people tamper with the CEL to hide problems. Since your friend is a mechanic, it would be better if he could bring a portable scanner as some trouble codes (e.g. Knock Sensor) may not turn on the CEL.

Check the condition of the body/paint and look for signs of repair. Check the engine compartment for signs of neglect and each fluid level and color. Make sure all the accessories - aircon, stereo, door locks, power windows, sunroof. Watch out for signs of flood damage.

Test drive the car on city streets and highway and listen for unusual noise, alignment issues, vibration, etc. Shifting must be smooth and high-speed braking (>45 MPH) should should not cause vibration (warped rotor) or swerving (faulty brakes).

Goo luck