Hey Scotty,
Online I see a 1 owner 2003 Maxima w/72k original miles sold a dealership for $4400. Is it a good buy for along time daily driver, cheap maintenance and repairs? Or is it too old? I know you say your wife's Lexus 300 is over 20 years old and runs like a clock. So please help with your input
I'm not handy at all.
If you cannot work on it yourself I wouldn't recommend something that old. Being at a dealership I would not trust anything that they claim about it, including the mileage. (Dealers in general, to be kind, are not very scrupulous. Those selling 20-year-old cars tend to be the worst. Maybe a BHPH lot?)
If you're not handy, then stay away. At nearly 20 yrs. old repairs won't be cheap, and there will be a lot of maintenance items that will need to be addressed which will add up quickly. If you're set on it, have it checked out by a mechanic and if they refuse, then don't just walk away, run.
How handy are you working on cars? Scotty can keep his wife's decades-old Lexus humming without having to run to a mechanic for every little thing. My daily driver is even older (1997) but I work on it myself.
Nissans were not as problematical back then as they are today (no CVT) but still not Lexus-level quality or reliability.
I'm not handy at all. Yes I've seen several 2003's and 2002's with over 200k miles on them still running like a clock? Would you say stay way from it? Is it too old to buy? And is is cheap or expensive to maintenance and for parts?