Should I buy this 1995 J30T?

[chrisfro]

I am new and would like some advice on buying a 1995 J30T which doesn't go in reverse. Selling price is $1500 and the car is in excellent shape with 115k with the exception of the reverse issue. What could it be and is it relatively inexpensive to repair?Thanks

[driverdriver]

The reverse issue could be that the reverse clip is out of place on the shifter or something more serious.

Does the car come with full service history? Has the timing belt been changed? Timing belt changes are very important and have to be done at the proper interval. The engine is an interference design and when the belt breaks the engine is toast.

Has the transmission been maintained? What colour is the fluid and what does it smell like? Transmission failure in warm climates is quite common and expensive to fix.

If you are not averse to working on the car, this is a good car to get into. There is tons of DIY info on his forum. If you require a mechanic, this is not a good car to get into.

Parts are still expensive, a lot of parts on J's where not shared with other Nissans and are dealer only (so if you're on a budget-look elsewhere) and the VG30DE engine requires some specialized knowledge to work on.