nyclio

A 1995 Nissan Maxima with 104K miles on the clock, for $1200 or a 1998 Nissan Altima with 81K miles on it for $2500?

I am confused...

ediit - i should mention that the maxima has a crack in the front bumper, and a dent in the rear one, and will also need new brakes but it is otherwise mechanically sound.

the altima just has the normal wear and tear of a 10 yr old car.

If you pick none of the above, then please recommend one in the same price range.

Costco

crack in the front bumper.... dent in the rear..... that Maxima is a PERFECT beater. No lame timing belt to worry about, and a great price. And even if you don't do it yourself a brake job isn't much. Just my opinion but a 95 Maxima is a better car than that year Altima.

sr4dt

If mechanically both are equally sound then I would go with the Maxima.. Dents and cracks in the bumper plastic should not be withholding factor for a car at the price point that you are looking at.

Crazy Bimmer

Why cant you find a newer maxima for $2500

FiftyFive

I was thinking the exact thing.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

Altima, Not much to go wrong. My mom has a 95 & it's a tank.
Go to the Nissan forums & see which would be better.

nyclio

Do a nationwide search on autotrader and find me a cheaper one (or any place for that matter) (not from Linden AutoSales) - they are a scam.

Crazy Bimmer

^ you win.

Get the Maxima. My mom had both a 95 maxima and a 98 altima. Maxima held up better for her.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Maxima. I had a 95 Maxima SE and my sister just gave away her 00 Altima SE. Both of them were near 200K. The Maxima cost less than the Altima as they got older.

ChrisQ1980

Altima for gas mileage purposes. Also 95 was the first year for that body style maxima. May have some quirks, or common problems. Altima is just as nice.

stright-(paint)balling

I Voted Altima

JediMindTricks

i voted maxima.

my first car was my mom's 96 maxima, and that car was in great condition when i sold it in 05.

Skaii

I chose the 98 altima. Just because its newer, chances are more reliable. If you chose the 95 it might cost more in the end to fix than to just get the 98.

nyclio

I ended up buying the Maxima. It had more miles on the clock than I anticipated (135K), and it has this issue of where when the car is cold and I put on the heat, there is a gas smell. I was told it's because of the rubber hose from the fuel injector contracts in the cold and it should be a cheap fix (or so I hope). It also has more body damage than I first realized, but I don't really care about that since it's a beater. Other than that, the car seems fine. The engine purrs. It has an aftermarket Pioneer stereo, it just passed inspection yesterday (at the seller's expense - good for 1 year), and I got it for $1250 cash.

As I mentioned above; I couldn't find a cheaper one on a nationwide autotrader/cars.com search for a similar vehicle.

JediMindTricks

135k is nothing on that car.

and that car's a fun one to drive around. pretty good power too for what it is.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

Not a bad deal. Hell, I sold my 95 Maxima with close to 200K for $3000. When I sold it, the CEL was on because of a bad Knock Sensor, a dead starter and battery, dented fender and it needed brakes and tires.

$1250 is nothing for that car.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

I voted either...both are good cars.

My parents have had Altima's since 1994 and never had a problem with any of them. Of course they are leased, so they both get new ones every three years (about a year apart b/c of the timing), but never had a problem with any of them over the last 14 years...

vas25tl

I voted Maxima; that is a solid car. I've seen many with well over 200K miles on them. That is a very good price for it. My friend just sold a 97 with 140K in pretty rough shape for 3200..