IMR: Things: 1984 Nissan

1984 Nissan Maxima Purchased April 10, 1998 — 91,000 Miles Currently — 131,000 Miles

This silver 1984 Nissan Maxima, named "3Jane" after a William Gibson cyberpunk character, was my fourth car. She was the first car I ever bought on my own, a sensible four-door family sedan purchased in April 1998. I traded in a 1991 Ford Escort to get her, but I still think I got the better end of the deal. The reason "3Jane" had a name at all is because she talks. A cheesy sci-fi sounding female voice that tells me when the "fuel level is low" or "right door is open." This modest box represents Datsun's earliest forays into the mid-range to high-end auto market (in fact she sports both "Datsun" and "Nissan" badges), so in addition to the voice, she sports power everything, buttons and switches of every persuasion, and a moonroof to boot. I was unreasonably attached to "3Jane." Over the three years I had her, I poured no less than $4,000 into overhauls and upgrades — remarkable, considering the car's Blue Book value was about $1,100. She started acting up again in early 2001, and I went overboard again fixing her up — new exhaust system, new tires, new battery, tune up, lube and flush... but finally she developed a condition (three broken injectors that were literally spraying liquid gas under the hood) that I just couldn't afford to repair. So in May I shopped around and picked up a 1995 Dodge Caravan, and with a very heavy heart donated "3Jane" to charity. At least I know when the volunteer mechanics patch her up, she'll be helping someone else out there.

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