Advice on purchase ($) - '02 Maxima

[WylieCoyote]

Hey guys,

Looking for something to serve as a commuter car. Budgeted around $4,000 and have been looking at older Honda Accords and Preludes. The potential issues with timing belts has pushed me off that train of thought, and I've landed on something that stands less of a chance of needing an immediate trip to the shop after I buy it.

The car below is listed at $5400. High KBB is $3300. The seller has put a new clutch in it, and obviously cleaned it within an inch of its life. 154,000 miles.

What would your opening bid be? There are several more of these around, but none quite in this condition, and none with 5-speeds, which is what I want for reliability's sake.

I can negotiate the heck out of a new car, but shopping used, I have less experience.

What say you?

 

[CT8]

No more that the high KBB preferably less.It is a 17 year old car.

 

[CharBaby]

It sure looks well maintained. Check the carFAX & maintenance records from the owner...is it a private owner?
Those were quite reliable vehicles but it is 17 yrs old.

This year is near the beginning of the Renault takeover but, I don't think that Renault messed the car up yet.
Go and give the car a look & test drive if you can. Just because the car is in nice shape only make it worth a little more money, not a couple of thousand dollars more.

They're only worth what they're worth and you don't want to overpay for the car. Your insurance company will tell you if you did. It's only worth what you can insure it for!

 

[WylieCoyote]

It's a small car lot in Arlington, TX. He says it's always been a Texas car, but he didn't mention where he got it. VinCheckPro comes back clean, but I put very little credence in that, since all sorts of things can be fixed without involving insurance. For now, I'm going with "no damage", until I can give it a close look for telltale signs of paint work. I am going to try to drive it tonight if I can get there before they close. I'm expecting a wallowy ride if the struts are original.

 

[demarpaint]

It looks good, that doesn't mean it is mechanically sound. At 154K miles a lot can be wrong with it, or go wrong shortly after you buy it. If you don't know how to check out a car take it to a shop you trust, or if you know someone who knows how to check a car take him/her with you. Making an offer not knowing the mechanical condition of the car can end up being a very costly venture.

 

[millerbl00]

That's a lot of work on the engine bay! I would be concerned the cleaning might have damaged some sensors.

 

[WylieCoyote]

Not as much work as you think. What you're seeing is the result of a light cleaning, followed by an application of a shine product. All the dealerships around here do it. It's a common trick to make it look "factory fresh". Well, they say "factory fresh", I say "greasy".

 

[PimTac]

Trust but verify.

Check the usual places for signs that it was in a flood.

 

[diyjake]

That Maxima is from the days when Nissan built reliable cars. The drivetrain that is in that car can and many have gone close to 300K miles.

Sure looks like it was very well taken care off.

 

[FordBroncoVWJeta]

No way would I pay 5K for that. More like 3K.

 

[diyjake]

Is this a 5 speed or 6 speed? I thought 2002+ they came in 6 speeds.

 

[WylieCoyote]

They do....I've got multiple vehicles' information swirling in my head at the moment. I've been looking at old Hondas for the last week, and they were all 5-speeds.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Good car if it's not rusty

But my choice would be the 4-cylinder Camry or Accord. The 02+ Camry has a timing chain, and the Accord from 03-on also uses a chain.

 

[DzoG20]

The car looks clean and was probably garaged. How much you value this is very subjective.

I would definitely get this one to a mechanic to check out - to have a extra pair of trained eyes. All this cleaning could make it a bit more difficult to properly evaluate the degradation of the materials at this age.
I would also be concerned about leaky main seal and other pending expensive repairs.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Beautiful car! Print out the KBB page and throw $3000 cash on the desk in front of him. I'm guessing it was probably traded in at a local dealership,and dealerships always auction off cars that age mileage to those small lots (unless they're classics or collectibles).

 

[NO2]

Best bet would be an Accord with the K24 4cyl and a manual trans. I'd only trust Toyota Camry with an automatic. My Mom had a '93 Camry that she sold last year for $5K, it was immaculate.

 

[csandste]

Kelly is asking price not selling price, so a good price for this but still not in the great range would be two grand. My experience has been that the dealer waives the Kelly in front of me, I counter with the Edmunds which is low and we settle on something near the low end of the NADA. I usually make offers and walk away from several cars for each purchase and am very happy with my recent Hertz purchase cause that Kelly pointer is pegged way to the left and I didn't have to haggle. That Maxima is WAY over priced. That's not a car to fall in love with if they don't come way down.

Also if I was looking at a used car lot in Texas I'd be thinking flood. Probably Missouri too, come to think of it.

 

[mclasser]

I used to have an 02 I35 (Infiniti sister of the Maxima). I love these cars but that price is too high for a 17 yr old car. Check out the Maxima forums before you pull the trigger on one but here are some common issues:

- Oil burning
- Rattle under acceleration from the pre-cats disintegrating. Serious issue that causes the material to be sucked into the engine and score up the cylinder walls.
- Seized rear calipers
- Blown struts
- Leaking HP power steering hose
- Leaking radiator
- Leaking valve cover gaskets; rear one is kind of a pain to get to.

 

[csandste]

Originally Posted by mclasser
I used to have an 02 I35 (Infiniti sister of the Maxima). I love these cars but that price is too high for a 17 yr old car. Check out the Maxima forums before you pull the trigger on one but here are some common issues:

- Oil burning
- Rattle under acceleration from the pre-cats disintegrating. Serious issue that causes the material to be sucked into the engine and score up the cylinder walls.
- Seized rear calipers
- Blown struts
- Leaking HP power steering hose
- Leaking radiator
- Leaking valve cover gaskets; rear one is kind of a pain to get to.

That problem check list should be invaluable. Good thing about a car that old is that everything should be out on the table. Sad that Nissan quality has come down post Renault.

 

[SirTanon]

If it's on a used car lot, they paid, at MOST, high trade-in value, although I'd wager they came in lower than that. Based off of KBB trade-in value listed for that car (I'm assuming it's a GLE - the highest trim level) with standard options, that means they most likely paid somewhere between $800 and $1250 for it.. At $5400, that's a HUGE mark-up.

(prices are for "Very Good" condition. "Excellent" adds roughly $200 to all values.)

If you really want it, I suggest you go in with either a check or cash for $2800 and tell him you want it for that, out the door. He'll still be making a profit at that price. Take a printout of the KBB trade value to show him if he balks at your offer.