Maxima buyin tips

[thomasjamal]

Hey guys, I'm a 240 owner looking to get a 96-99 Maxima for my wife and I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

I know I have a lot of reading to do about Maximas and I will. But I'm not very familiar with Maximas and I'm hoping you guys can help me get started by pointing me in the right direction.

So if there are any tips you can share as far as what you would look for/check out when buying a Maxima please let me know. I know they are great cars so what I'm really looking for are common problems to watch out for and things like common problems that are easy to fix but could be good negotiating tools for somebody willing to do some work.

Also if you know of any for sale let me know. I've checked out the classifieds here and didn't find much. I'm looking for something less than $4000.

Thanks.
Modified by thomasjamal at 2:57 PM 10/15/2007

[SVTCOBRA]

I probably can't help too much.I assume you've check cars.com, autotrader.com and craigslist? For $4000 I'm thinking it would be a high mileage car that won't be found at a big dealer. So, I would be checking the smaller dealers on Independence, South Blvd, and Tryon. Also, might want to check in Kannapolis since there are a bunch of dealers on the main drag there. I would also invest in a subscription to carfax.You might want to ask some of the local Nissan dealers if they could contact you if a high mileage Max gets traded in, before they wholesale it.Good luck!!!

[thomasjamal]

Thanks for the local tips. I've looked on autotrader some but I've got to sell our buick before I'm ready to buy. I've seen several 97-99 Maximas with between 100k-120k around $3000, so that's what I'm hoping to find. But honestly I'm reluctant to buy at those small dealers and would rather buy from and individual. If you see anything, though, let me know. You around university area? I'm down in NoDa (where somebody tried to break in my 240 last night).

[SVTCOBRA]

We are just a few miles from Lake Norman Nissan (my home away from home )I'll look up this way. I have to go there today to get some new tires. I'll see what they have and ask them to call if they get something in. They're great to work with.Post if you get something

[MaxGig]

Some ppl may disagree with me but I recommend you buy her a 97. I recently sold mine with 147k miles on it. Over the 8+ yrs I owned it I only changed the starter, alternator, O2 sensors and a few other things that were common problems on the car.

The 98 and 99 model yrs have ignition coil problems. But don't be afraid of the high miles, the 4th Gen Maximas have an excellent engine that will run forever if you just change the oil and water on a regular basis.

Being retired military; I took mine to Germany and drove it hard on the autobahn constantly at speeds way north of 120 mph.
Modified by MaxGig at 7:52 PM 11/13/2007