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Any opinions or suggestions of what to look out for? My son wants to buy a
1991 Max with 151,000 miles.

Thanks.

"Bubby" <yeruchem18 (AT) bestweb (DOT) net> wrote

If it has auto windows give them a real good checking they have a habit of
failing and nissan gets a bunch of money for the parts to fix them. Also at
that milage the timing belt should have been changed. Also it should drive
smooth and Xmission should shift smoothly with no slipping. If it has
anti-lock brakes give the unit a real good checking they also cost a mass of
money to replace. With that many miles I sure would be checking it close.
Good Luck.

The typical things that go wrong with the 3rd gens:
The oem window regulators break. The one he's looking at probably has had
most replaced by now.
Coolant temp sensor deteriorates and gives a bad signal. Very easy to fix.
When changing the timing belt, the water pump and thermostat should be
changed.
Lower control arm bushings are probably ready to replace. Buy the entire
control arm instead of trying to extract and replace the original ones.
Front struts and mounting hardware.
Fuel injectors might start going bad. Usually they are intermittant for a
while and then go bad for good. A somewhat difficult job for a DIY but saves
a lot of money.
The transmissions in these start to go out around 120k to 150k. Sometimes
sooner, sometimes later. I've had both my 90 & 94 rebuilt and they run
great.
The digital clocks go dim and then sometimes just quit. You can get these on
Ebay for around $25.
Sometimes the exhaust Y pipe corrodes where the 2 pipes come together. You
may see a bunch of rust on the muffler casing. Don't be alarmed! This is
just the outside shell that rusts. The muffler is usually still good and
will last several years. Both mine are rusted through the outside shell and
they work just fine.
Sometimes the shift lock controller goes out and you can't get it out of
Park without releasing the button.
The Bose and Clarion stereos' amplifiers usually are toast by now. Remove
all speakers and in-dash unit and replace with aftermarket stereo and
speakers.
The hi pressure power steering hose will start leaking at the upper banjo
bolt connection.
The exhaust manifold studs break due to heat corrosion and expansion. Mine
haven't but I've heard of others that have. A bitch of a job to fix.
The little plastic/rubber shift linkage grommet deteriorates and makes
shifting into gear real sloppy (automatics only). It's a $2.00 part and you
have to get up under the car to replace it. Not too hard if you have hi-lift
jack and jack stands.
My cruise control computer is out in my 90 and I can't seem to get a
replacement unit that works. New one's are ~$400 so I've tried using Ebay
parts but I can't get one that works so I gave up. My 94 cruise control
works just fine.
The rear lights tend to get bad connections where the bulb meets the
connector. They need to be cleaned and check every few months.
All the small vacuum hoses are probably brittle and will need replacing
eventually if you have to replace any fuel injectors.
The alternators and radiators are known to go bad at this age.

If you live near Dallas, your son could buy my '90 GXE!!!! See my ad:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/fsbo_s...liate=da llas


Good luck!

Chris
90 & 94 GXE's
06 SE

Almost forgot:
Motor mounts: If one is bad, replace them all. Even though they might not be
torn, at this age they can be stretched and will allow the motor and tranny
to move around too much. You might even hear a popping sound.

C.

Thanks for the "plug", BillG!!!
Actually, almost all of the items I listed have happened to my 90 Max and a
few to my 94!! But, hey, these are almost normal maintenance items for these
old cars, right?!! But I don't have a problem doing those kind of repairs
because when you fix 'em, your car will again run great, and it serves to
preserve it's value. That's why I'm asking $2500 for mine and I don't feel
that is too much when you consider the car will probably run another 50,000
miles or more. That's some cheap driving if you figure your cost per mile.
I agree, these cars just keep going and going!!
Oh, and another thing, I NOW HAVE 3, COUNT 'EM 3, MAXIMAS!! The 06 SE is
friggin' awesome to drive!! That car has BALLS!!! I know I'm gonna get
busted driving it like a bat outta hell some day here in Plano, Tx!!!

Good luck

Chris H
90 & 94 GXE's
06 SE..............whoooosh!!

What does that '500$ work' include? I guess that could mean great learning
DIY experience and 400savings... (minus invested tools)

Issues on my -93 are listed here:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/1