Wow a 3 year + post with no reply .......it's 2012 now!

 

Just recently, i've seen a super clean black 2nd gen driving around near where my mom works. As far as 1st gen's go, I haven't seen one of those in I couldn't say how long. I've seen a few Cressida's driving around, and from a distance they look like 1st gen Maxima's.

 

i saw a 1st gen here a few months ago, a kid has hit and its got racing seats in it lol. ive seen quite a few 2nd gens recently for some reason though

 

There is a 1987 with only 28k miles on ebay right now. It looks like it is only a couple of years old - quite a time warp.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1987-...item4ab3dabda7

thats crazy clean

 

wow... some little old lady must have owned it since it has such low mileage!

 

I just noticed in those pics from the ebay listing that 2nd gens have volt and oil pressure gauges. I did not know that! Too bad Nissan didn't carry that on with the further generations of the Maxima.

 

Thats why I added Volt, Water Temp and Oil PSI gauges to my 3rd gen like Aaron92SE originally had before he did the VQ swap.

 

Man that thing reminds me of my dads's old ride. Only his was silver and all I remember about that car was falling asleep on that couch of a backseat at 3 yrs old.

 

lots of late 70's and early 80's cars had tach, volts, and oil pressure standard. Supra, Z, Celica, you name it. thats the way it should be, starting in the late 80's they even cut out using tachs which is stupid.

 

I've entered my two -- an 83 with 160K on it and an 84 with 400K.

As the only Maxima you could ever drift and the only Maxima that used old-school Datsun/Nissan parts, it's a pity the 1st gens have all but disappeared. As a sub-3000 lb. (with the 5 speed) straight-six rear-wheel drive sports sedan which can have good power if the 280ZX turbo motor is swapped in, nothing in Nissan's current stable compares to it. They are all either much heavier or front-wheel drive. I can't think of a single manufacturer besides BMW which still makes that concept, and even its 128 exceeds 3000 lbs. And unlike your typical 510 or Z-car, it's a reasonable family car, which means us married guys don't face so much pressure to get rid of them.

There were ZERO Maximas of any kind in the JCCS show last year, and only one 1st gen (with Bluebird nameplates) visible in the parking lot. In previous years there were like two.

So who else has these cars in So. Cal? If you've got one, take it to the show this year, whatever its condition. I'm taking mine, and while they are both quite clean, they are hardly show winners. I believe registration will be full by mid-August, so time is running out. Most people don't know there was a rear-wheel drive Maxima. It will suck if it dies out completely with almost no one being aware of their existence.

 

My '87 is my DD. Owned a new one in '87, SE Charcoal Gray. My other little girl just turned 190K. 2nd gen Max's...the original 4DSC!!!

 

I'd drive my '84 down from Calgary, except that I'm in the process of replacing all four corners springs and shocks after 160k miles. Edmonton had the worlds worst potholes this April, hence the suspension work.

It's a biotch finding replacement parts here in Canada, everything is at least double the US list price for lower quality parts.

Does anyone have a line on where I could pick up a couple of rear coil springs?.

 

I just purchase a pair of Moog CC233 rear springs for my '84 Max. I'll let you know how they work when I install them.

 

Ive never seen a 1st gen Maxima

 

Yeah, I'll be clearing my stables this year getting rid of a few things making room for a perhaps 1st Gen Maxima....I've built L-Series Motors b4 and love them to death....a stroked L28 turbo /intercooled motor would be awesome and wicked as hell! A "Sinister Black" paint scheme would really be get a lot of attention!

 

Buy one, its probably the most reliable Maxima ever built. The interiors are the biggest thing at this point, they all need restored.

I truly cannot express how much I love my first gen, or 910, as we normally call them. It has nothing to do just with being RWD, as I LOVE FWD cars. It just has the most character of any Maxima, they are really timeless cars once you get to know them.

 

1st gens are Datsun 810 not 910 lol

 

I know whenever I go home to the LA area (car capital) I see lots of 2nd gens, primarily 87's and 88's. Lots of them are in pretty dang good condition I must say! That generation put the Max on the map, I would say more so than the 3rd, it was just so sporty and had lots of luxury features at the time along with the Cressida and to a lesser extent the 86+ Legend. Max and Cressida had it beat on features when it first appeared and rivaled those 2!

 

Actually they are all HG910s.

The 810 was a dumb and incorrect naming from Nissan, to most Maxima owners, an 810 refers to a 77-80 datsun 810, not a 1981 Datsun 810, which is a HG910 with less features and dumb badging.


In other words, you can call a 1981 DL an 810, and it says 810, but it always was and always will be an HG910.

 

I was fortunate enough in 1987 to have a pretty damn good paying job in aerospace. Wanted something a bit more "practical" than the Scirocco (still kept the Scirocco for having REAL fun!!). Loved the looks of the 2nd gen Max, my buddy at work had just bought an '86, Burgundy SE with a 5-speed the prior year. So one Saturday morn, drove down to Action Nissan in Kissimmee, they had a GORGEOUS charcoal gray demo SE (auto, I already had the 6-speed in the Scirocco, I didn't care), 1100 on the clock, $22,5K. Drove her, snatched her up. $3K down, $345/mo payments. Probably put 600 miles on her that weekend...

Drove to work that Monday, the looks that car got? Incredible!! My boss drove an '86 325i, my coworker a brand new Integra...they didn't even compare to my Max!!

Yes, the 2nd gen was an EXTREMELY sought after ride back in those days. They ARE, indeed, the model that put Maximas on the map!!

Guess I'm a bit prejudice...

 

Cool deal, I concur!

 

I was having my house in Orlando being built at that same time (my loan officer didn't like that I bought the Max, but he "worked" things out...). Used to go by every afternoon after work to check on progress. Show up in the Max one day, and the girl across the street (hell, we were all young 20-somethings, so she still was a "girl") comes over, I'd already met her and her husband, she looking at the Max. "Hi Jackie", I says. She's looking at the Max. "You like it?, I says. She gets this all frumpled up look on her face and says, "We wanted one, but we can only afford a Stanza!"

I'll never forget the look on her face when she first saw the Max in MY driveway!!!

 

Have owned my 2nd gen for going on 13 years, and it is still my baby. I would sell my 5th gen before I part with it. Currently my 2nd gen is down getting a heart transplant right now. Personal economy only allows for regular vg30e replacement....sigh. The only time I could possibly rationalize a turbo swap and no money.

 

I finally got around to installing the Moog CC233 springs on the rear. They work well with the KYB Gas-adjust shocks I've got on the rear (which have about 30K miles on them now). They ARE different from stock though, as free height is less than than my old and tired stock springs, and the way they seat in the shock spring seat is different. Stock springs have the coil just cut off, with the cut-off end fitting in a depression in the spring seat. The Moogs have the end of the coil flattened. I dealt with that by rotating it slightly with the spring seat until the coil would sit straight, and that seems to work. I'm not sure how the ride height compares to stock with this set-up, as it's been a long time since I've had healthy springs on the car, but it looks about right.

 

These cars are fading away but ask yourself this question: How many cars from this era are still rolling around like the Maximas are? 1987 Ford Taurus? 1987 Chevy Celebrity? 1987 Chrysler Lebaron GTS? 1987 Toyota Cressida? I don't see nearly half as of these cars rolling around running anymore but I sure see a lot of Nissan Maxima from the good ole days still workhorsing people as DD.....Awesome cars!

 

Totally agree, C. Since I've owned this one I've put 75K miles on her, drives and sounds exactly the same as when I bought her. Wouldn't even hesitate to drive her a 1000 miles. She got a nice wash yesterday, sitting in the driveway pretty as a picture...and still getting around 25 MPG!! Our Grand Cherokee we bought a year ago? Probably put 1200 miles on her so far. Drives great, but with the V-8, well, gas mileage ain't exactly her strong point...

 

I remember in 1985 when the 2nd Gen came out. Very sharp looking car, And the VG30 made for some nice top speed. My brother was an intern at Road & Track at the time, didn't pay much but it was the ideal college job for the car nut. They were having trouble with vandalism at the time so it was encouraged to bring the test cars home on the weekend, and he'd bring home some interesting stuff sometimes, Corvettes, RX-7s, etc. But when it came time to reserve a car for a weekend trip to Phoenix, the long-term test 1985 Max was the natural choice. I don't remember what time they made to Phoenix, but I think it was under 4 hours for a normally 6+ hour drive. They discovered it's a BAD idea to pass people doing 130, because the blast from the wake or just the surprise of having something blow by you that fast would upset the drivers you passed, and you'd see them swerve and recover in the rear-view mirror in response.... They took a pic of it parked next to a cactus, and it was used in the update report... I drove it of course, and I loved the look and tight handling. I was just dismayed at what happened when I forgot myself and got on the throttle in a curve. Oh well, FWD, too bad they didn't make it a mid-engine V6 RWD. Since it's essentially a square engine, a transverse mount V6 doesn't buy you much in terms of usable space, all other things being equal. You just save 100 or 200lbs. of weight.

Nissan needs to get a clue with the new gen Max. To differentiate it from the the very capable Altima V6, they should mount a 300HP VQ35DE just behind the suspension towers, and design it so you have the option of mounting a diff right between the towers for a cool AWD option to the "base" mid RWD sports sedan. They could cop the line from the FRS billboards: "Driving is BACK!" Or maybe they could reprise and update the old Ken-Mary Skyline ads, with the new 4WD sports sedan having fun with class and style in scenic and remote places. And then, when it's time to go home, blowing off a sporty FWD sedan (like a Jetta) on those tight competitive freeway onramps you have here in LA...

 

Totally agree with you Ray. When my buddy at work bought an '86 5-speed (in '86!), one ride and just knew I had to have one...my '87 SE the next year.

The new Max's? Hell, most times I don't even know what I'm looking at until I see the badging!! For all I know, could just as well be a Toyota Avalon, everything looks the same these days. Agree as well in the comparison with the Altima, I really don't see any advantage in dropping the extra $$ for the Max. Now compare that with the Maxima and Stanza of our era. While the designers did a good job of mimicking the looks of the Max with the Stanza, there was just no comparison when it came to drivetrain. As I said earlier, my neighbors across the street bought a new Stanza ('88), but they were SOOOOO jealous of my Max...they just couldn't afford it.

My girl still gets plenty of looks, I keep her clean and from a bit of a distance, she almost looks new. Close up, she's showing a bit of age...but I love her! The fact that I know here inside and out is just awesome. I can easily see 250K miles out of her, maybe 300K, just another timing belt change (and that new coil!!). But other than that...

 

When you throw that new coil at it throw a trouble free Oil filled canister type like this I used for my D21 Hardbody that had two coils and I got tired of replacing Oem style coils....This setup is over 10 yrs now and has never been touched since:

 

Cmax, these are the symptoms. Cold, and up to probably 2/3 on the temp gauge (whatever that temp REALLY is), she runs perfect. Once in the temp midrange, she'll stumble under relatively hard accel, regardless of gear. Go light on the throttle, she'll do fine. Did have an issue with a loose plug (how it was loosening is beyond me), maybe I just have to check all plugs and wires again...

BUT, interestingly enough, took her out this aft (around 75 here today), nary a stumble, regardless of accel...go figure!

 

Correct, the only one that I see just as much is the 87+ Chevy Corsica (G.m did something right with those). I see them roaming around where ever I go, primarily the 3.1 V6 ones, they had some decent get up and go for the time as well.

 

Butt ugly car, though...

 

Sounds like a EGR system problem that feeds from the thermo bulb in the intake system.... disconnect your vacuum lines to find the source....then once you find it trace it to the component....It's a light vacuum leak once the thermo bulb opens...

 

Gm's problem with their engines aren't durabilityissues..... it's mostly the unreliable electronics that suck! With alot of blown Headgaskets due to there over complex cooling fans system they use....

 

Alright C, I am clueless...Thermo Bulb?

 

Near the thermostat is the Water temperture sensor and the water temp thermo bulb/ sending unit.....

http://www.partsgeek.com/nflwgt2-nis...erature+Sender

 

Gotcha! Chit, at $8, won't hurt to swap it out...

 

I need to respond to 15 ppl before I can ask my question? how annoying!!!!!!!

 

no you don't. just ask your damned question.