Thinking Of Buying A J31 Nissan Maxima

[funkymonkey]

nothing... its a family car. they don't sell for much.

its not a 350GT

its not a cvt8

its silver (most common colour... ever)

edit: oh and it doesn't have any dealer markups

[gel]

here's another one

http://www.j-spec.com.au/list/index.php?ID=7793

Man, that is cheap but it's a 300GT. Not trying to be picky but proves my earlier point about imports:

2001 model with 25,000Kms on the clock....

[ctjet]

This thing is sweet, 2004 Honda accord Euro

i kow you said you looked at it... but really... how hard did you look?

[funkymonkey]

Man, that is cheap but it's a 300GT. Not trying to be picky but proves my earlier point about imports:

2001 model with 25,000Kms on the clock....

when you're dealing with imports you never go by the kms it shows on the odo... that's why we recommend a thorough imspection prior to purchase.

350GT V35 sedan's come up at auction everyday... if you bid on em at auction you can generally get em cheaper than from export agents and used car dealers in japan. You're looking at mid 20's landed and complied for the base model (non Premium edition etc) with average km's, early model, in a common colour and stock standard.

[funkymonkey]

what about the Mazda 6 MPS? or a toyota chaser? they're both in the 20's... or oddly enough an R34 sedan? Even a 2JZ Toyota Aristo (Lexus GS300) is in the 20's.

[ctjet]

isnt like $40k+ for the Mazda 6?

[funkymonkey]

is it? I thought it was high 20's? so not in touch with the domestic market

[ctjet]

come on funkeh...

[funkymonkey]

ouch... all I can say in my defence is that the last locally sold car I owned was in 1997.

anyways, I got the idea for them being high 20K's from the fact that regular mazda 6's seem to sell for low 20's. But I guess they only released them recently... plus the drivetrain difference.

[gel]

Oh, and I guess another thing about owning another import is that I've had it with filling up with 98 RON fuel only, esp with petrol prices.

Also, had it with the cop attention and vandals who get jealous of imports.

Maybe I'm getting old.... but I guess I want to return to the "norm". Not to the extent of being a cardigan Camry or taxi Falcadore driver tho...

Let hear it from some of the gals on the forum... not in technical sense but in terms of style or type of "youngish" guy driving a car like the Maxima. Will I be seen as an "old fart" or driving "Daddy's car"?

[Ska]

I have had absolutly NO issues from the police, even out cruising, because it is a wagon, I mean who makes a performance wagon........... Plus it looks like a volvo with mags and a big 4 inch tip, bah it is not a performce import, no not at all..

I even forgot that I have my Stealth BOV (adjustable from atmo to plumbback) anyway I had that on full atmo one night and had a police pull up beside and as we drove the bloody bov vented with a mighty roar, PPSSHHHTTT .... I thought FARK I AM SO FARKED! But he just sort of looked over wierdly, slowed down a bit and then turned off, so guess I was either lucky or he was in a good mood. BUT I bet you $1 that if i was in my old R33 he wouldve pulled me over and defected the crap out of me faster than a horny male gunie pig put into the female cage!

[nickcorr]

Absolutely top car. I have driven heaps of these as rentals and loan cars. It is a fantastically relaxing car to drive, and looks good with the standard 17s. Slap on a bit of chrome from the Nissan accessories if you want to be different.

There are some out there for low 20K if you look. If you can find an ST with leather and power seats, it will be excellent. No need to pay for an autochanger in the glovebox and sunroof if you ask me.

If want to be really different, there should be some Japanese Nismo gear for it (sold as the Teana) especially in the area of the rear bar, to show off the twin exhausts.

Now if I sell my R33 GTS-T, the A32 Maxima and the K11 Micra I might yet buy one of these....

Actually used two J31 Max's as our wedding cars last year.....

[predator]

They get pretty good reviews all around as being one of the best in class. As the demand is a little lower, and not being anything in the 'hot' basket, you should be able to get a good deal on one I would say.

While the V35 would be that step above (even though to me there isn't a massive looks difference on the 4door), you'd have to consider the expense of getting parts above a local Maxima, or say a new front end if in an accident, etc. The newer the import, and the less of them around, the harder getting parts.

[scathing]

Maximas are a great used car to own, since they've got an absolutely rubbish resale value. As for driving, its like a sofa on wheels. Great car if you don't feel like attacking a corner, but being comfortable, though.

Another car to consider would be a top-spec Magna. Like the Maxima it gets mauled in resale, so you can get a 2-3 year old one with all the fruit (leather interior, climate control, cruise, etc) for a pittance.

[EvilINGT]

http://www.autowholesale.com.au high 20k for a V35 sedan.

[NISMO]

Bought one for my wife, a little while ago, and she and I absolutely love it. Very comfy seats, minimal noise inside and very very nice motor. It's funny how little torque steer you get when you put your foot down on take off, I was expecting much more.

Heaps of luggage space (actually has more litres of luggage space than an x-trail). And the clincher......

Absolutely awesome engine note above 5000rpm :-)

I was weighing up a V35 sedan when buying, but with two kids the extra space you get from the Maxima is what sold me.

The only down side, suspension is a little soft for the twisty bits.

[Risking]

I have owned a J31 for a few years now.

Suspension was a little on the soft side so pedders springs and struts solved that.

A little underpowered but a Z33 ECM and cams also solved that.

Id recommend the maxima over the magna etc any day.

On a side note my J31 is for sale for a very reasonable price if your seriously interested with remaining factory warranty.

[gel]

Thanks for all your input guys. I went to a few dealers on the weekend and one Honda dealer offerred a brand new 2006 upgrade Accord VTI (not the Euro) for $30K driveaway. It's no sports car but it is a brand new car (as opposed to 2 - 3 years old cars).

It has a 2.4 i-VTEC which has been retuned from 118kW to 125kW.

I'm seriously considering this. Obviously there is still room for more haggling...

Here are some shots of the Accord VTI.

Edited September 26, 2006 by gel

[ctjet]

dont like the ass but the interior is pretty swank...

[ctjet]

although... this looks nice

2007 one i think... hold off for this one