used maxima (used cars in general)

[ElFenix]

test drove a couple of used maximas today. one a '98 GLE with about 60-some K miles (i think he tried to tell me it was low mileage... hehehe 12k is low). pretty nice interior. didn't drive real well though. pulled to the left and felt like the brakes engaged any time you let up off the gas. like a little bit of a jolt. didn't see anything wrong with the body, dents, dings, whatever.

the other is a 2000 GXE with just under 30K miles. a bit louder than the other, felt like it may have needed a brake job. other than that and some odd vibration at about 80 (tested passing power ) the car seemed to work really well. not much wear on the interior at all. one paint chip right near the handle on the driver's door, and it looks like they may have backed into a couple of things. of course it still has some factory warranty left on it.

they said i could take it for a day to have it looked over.

the plan:
find a mechanic
get carfax
take contestant number 2 in for a looksee
assuming nothing wrong offer 2.5K under what NADA decided to offer cars at this year (2K is standard amount off, the extra 500 for the paint)

whatcha think?

 

[johnjbruin]

get the 4th generation.
has abt 30hp less but the looks are much better IMO

 

[johnjbruin]

OTOH, try to get a stick(whichever one)
Nissan automatics arent that great.
They arent bad but manual is just better.

 

[goodoptics]

Vehicles have less than 100K mi are usually/generally considered low mileage.

 

[SuperTool]

care to share the prices with us for 98 and 2k2?

find a stickshift if you can.

 

[crawford]

yea auto really does suck. i didnt realize just how bad it sucks until i had to drive one while my car was (is still actually...) in the shop. So boring and I feel like im not in control.

 

[BenRosey]

I and a friend had 90 Maximas. Mine was manual, his was automatic. The automatic seemed to lack the power that mine had as the years rolled by...

Anyway, get a mechanic (and yourself) to thoroughly look over contestant number two. Very important to be thorough...

 

[NutBucket]

A friend of mine at work leased a Maxima years ago, don't know which gen. Anyway, he disconected the odo on the thing so he wouldn't go over his mileage allotment. He told me that he must have put on at least another 20K beyond what he "could".

 

[Thegonagle]

Just so you know, NADA doesn't "offer" cars, and NADA doesn't decide a thing about prices. NADA just reports what people paid (emphasis on the past tense) on average for a car. Since the data is months old, always expect to pay less than book, since cars tend to depreciate in those months.