Soon to join the Maxima world

[aymaeid]

Hi everyone. Ive currently sold every car i own in hopes to buy one reliable daily driver that wont put a hole in my pocket. Im looking to buy a Nissan Maxima and have found one at a local used car lot owned by a family friend. The vehicle is a 96 with 110k. The owner is asking 4200 but i have yet to negotiate the price. Im new to the Maxima world and was wondering how reliable the 3.0 really is and how many miles would an average driver get per tank? Is there anything i should keep my eye out for while inspecting the car, such as a common problem or anything of the sort? Any advice on the purchase would be great.

[PBfrEAk]

You won't be disappointed!!

Is it an SE or GXE??

What are the options on it??

[aymaeid]

It is an automatic SE... a little beat up is all, i just dont want it to spend every other weekend at a mechanic is all. It is black with tan leather interior and the bose system is still stock.

[MinisterofDOOM]

The VQ30DE is extremely reliabile. Very stout, doesn't require much effort to keep it running for a long, long time.

[PBfrEAk]

You shouldn't have to with a Maxima.

I'm in the same situation you are. Broke *** college student lol!!

As for beat up...how bad is beat up?? Cause you shouldn't pay 4500 if its "beat up" lol.

I bought my Maxima for a grand with 160K on it. And I'm looking at another with 160K 5spd for another grand lol

[aymaeid]

Well it has scratches all over and some small dents here and there. the interior is worn too and the leather seats look like theyre taken some *** too many.

[PBfrEAk]

Ya I'd try to go way lower than 4500...like...2500. lol

The VQ30DE is extremely reliabile. Very stout, doesn't require much effort to keep it running for a long, long time.

Agreed

[aymaeid]

thanks alot guys. i was just wondering if theres anything i should keep a close eye on during the test drive or before i buy the car. for example with 240s, rust is the first thing i would look for, then chain guide knocks, and so on. do these cars have any common problems?

[MinisterofDOOM]

There really aren't any major common mechanical issues.There are some little electronic glitches with sensors and the like, but nothing "big."

The VQ didn't have any of the major chain guide issues that other Nissan motors did.

As long as it runs smooth and shifts clean you're probably good.

The 4th gen Maxima is probably one of the most problem-free cars Nissan has ever made. I can't think of anything major to look out for off the top of my head.

[sicivic89]

Yeah, maxima's are extremely reliable. I have a buddy with a 96 GLE with ~245,000 on it and hasn't had too many repairs. I just sold my brother's 95 GLE with ~212,000 on it.

One thing I would check is look for any coolant leaks when the car is cold. The o-ring on the waterpump can go bad and only leak when the engine is cold. Thats what happened when I bought my 95 SE. Since I checked out the car when it was already warm, I didn't notice the leak and a few days after I bought it is when I saw it.

$4200 is definitely too much for that car! I paid $3500 for my 95 SE 5-spd in good shape a few months ago.