I have a 92SE but have been thinking about getting a 97 or 98SE. I have never driven or even been in a 4th generation max. I have read a few comments that people who have owned both prefer the 3rd generation. So........I'm looking for feedback on people that have owned both at one point or 3rd gen owners that have driven a 4th. Any feedback is appreciated.

 

Those owners that like the 3rd gen better than their 4th gen, have a reason.

 

I would like to find out , Why do they perfer 3rd gen over 4th gen ?
It's like I've never rode one on 4th gen .

 

Honestly...I LOVE my 3rd gen. Very reliable and great everything. Then......I'm in love w/ the '97+ body style. So sporty

Reasons I want a 97+
-cup holders
-sunroof
-more power
-better appearance
-non automatic seatbelts

 

I have driven both and the 4th gen feels a lot less like a sports car than the 3rd gen. I admit that the one I drove was a stock SE with no mods, but they are a little bigger and it just felt more "cushy" than my 3rd gen.

That was in 97 when I was thinking about trading in my first 92 for an upgrade. I also drove my mom's 98 GLE, but that one was VERY soft.

There are lots of pros and cons for either and I am sure some 4th gen owner would rattle on how much better their car is than ours, but in my opinion, the 3rd gen looks sportier and feels sportier than the 4th gen.

I also have to say that there are 2 door cars that make any max seem like mush around corners, but that's a whole different topic. Like I have said before, maximas are a great blend of sportiness, luxury and roominess.

 

only 4th gen id ever get is a 99 se limited black on black 5sp.. yea i know its rare.. but thats the whole point

 

i have a 3rd gen SE 5spd. i love it, and i will keep it until it is far into antique age. therefore, i want to drive it less eventually, garage it and leisure ride it. given that, i looked at 4 gens because i liked (and still like) the body style of those in the SE trim. i also like the 5th gen SE body, the 2000 anniversary edition particularly (the one before they plasti-chromed the tail light bezels). anyway, immediately in the 4th gen, i was taken aback by the slightly, and sometimes not so slightly, notable cheapened handiwork on the interior. i'm big on the tilt wheel feature and the wheel in the 4th gen barely tilts, whereas in the 3rd gen you have gobs of range-of-motion to tilt the wheel. and the plastic/rubber moldings and fittings all seemed made of thinner and cheaper material. whereas in the 3rd gen, i have a feeling that the car is more solid.

nissan seems to have regained some quality control with the 5th gen. the interior of that one is very nice. and solid-feeling. and the car is quick as a bat out of hel* just stock. and i do like the 4th gen. i may have one some day (although i like the 2k SE 5th gen better). but 3rd is overall best to me. especially the classic timeless styling, that subtle aggressive clean look. and it can be modded to bragging-rights level h.p.

actually, my favorite car is the Skyline R32 GTR. but that is another story.

oh. yes. instead of the 4th gen, i bought an S14.

 

4th gens are fun in the boost aspect that come in the form of kits...thats all they got going for them.

 

Ok...I had a '91 GXE for about 3 years and replaced it last November with a '97 GXE. The '91 just had Toks with some painted interior bits and a snazzy headliner. (Pics of both cars in homepage) Overall, I liked the '91 better. It had 165K on it or so when I sold it. Driven back to back, my '97 with 77K miles makes more noise when going over bumps, the windows creak when they're part way down, it doesn't have the fuzzy trim on the pillars (soon to be fixed) and it's pretty road crown sensitive...I sometimes find myself steering in the opposite direction of a turn to compensate for its pulling tendencies and the plastic does look a lot cheaper. I just replaced the rear shocks with KYBs and that helped cure 1/2 of the floaty ride. BUT, the '97 does have an engine...a really nice one. The interior is bigger (I'm the one that usually drives everyone to the bar), the door armrests are usable, it's quieter, quick lane changes don't make the tail lighten up and it is 6 years newer with half the miles. If I had it to do all over again, I would have saved a little more of a down payment and got a '00 or '01.

 

i agree either a 3rd gen or a 5th gen. I looked at a 4th gen and as much as i wanted the newer model the 3rd gen definityl has the sportier look. Only thing i wish it had was the VQ

 

When its time for me to move from the 3rd gens, I'll look at the 5th in a big way.

 

I would be happy with either my car or a 97-99 SE 5 speed. Right now my car is more appealing since it's already paid off, and the insurance is very low. I drive 97 SE 5 speeds with mods pretty often, and I still love my car just as much.

 

dont get me started

 

welcome back! whereve you been
after this ill most likely go for a 02/03 6sp

 

In hiding, but still keeping an eye on everyone...one thing about being in hiding is I notice 90% of the posts on here are stupid newbies asking the same old stupid stuff.

 

 

I have driven a stock VQ auto in GXE trim. It was sloppy; My car would rape this thing in autoX. It didn't feel that fast but obviously it is faster than my VG.

A VQ 5spd is another story. Get one if you can. There is a much larger aftermarket for these cars than there is for 3rdGens. It is less expensive and less of a hassle to make one of these cars fast.

I have read all the posts about building up / making a VG-T. Pie in the sky. I know of ONE person who is actually doing it and he has spent more than you can imagine.

ib4VEnazis

 

Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts and opinions, I appreciate it.

 

I have a 93 GXE (VG) and my friend has a 99 SE. Sometimes I drive his car and it feels good overall, but it does feel generally 'bulkier' inside, a little more luxury and little less sporty.

Clearly he has a lot of HP on me, but around town driving, my car actually feels a bit peppier (neither of us have lead feet when in the city).. probably because of the torque peak being at such a low rpm.. on the highway he clearly has more pulling power.

Ergonomicaly, I don't find the armrests very comfortable. I can't remember what it is exactly, but there's something on the driver side door armrest, an indentation/hole (maybe the door handle) and irritates my arm/elbow if I'm leaning at all on that armrest. Also, as a passenger, there's no good door grip to hold onto, only the overhead handle. 3rd gen has a nice door handle to grab. hehe. Also the 4th gen seats seem a tiny bit less supportive to me. Also, the 4th gen doesn't have an adjustable headrest.. seems minor, but it's a big deal to me. My 3rd gen headrest is so easily adjustable, my neck is always rested, especially on long trips.. don't have to waste energy straining your neck when accelerating hard, or going up steep hills.. on the 4th gen the headrest isn't adjustable and isn't anywhere near where I need it personally..

The steering wheel on his vehicle feels a bit tighter than mine, but there's also a little less road feel. The tightness issue might just be something with my car and it being older, maybe bushings are worn or something. (I'm not talking about how fast it corners, but rather how general freeway steering feels.)

Some minor things but I hope that helps.

 

if anyone can, try to drive a 5th gen sometime. it blows away the 4th in almost every way. a major drawback, however, is that by that generation, the slender and sporty architecture of the 3rd gen is pretty much gone. i agree that nissan skimped on the interior of the 4th. i did not know the headrest did not adust. that seems counter to quality manufacturing. and, Jesse93GXE, you are correct that the inner doors lack that extra handle found on the 3rd. that is annoying. but i like the exterior styling of the 4th and the VQ power. but obviously, most of us here probably like the look and overall feel of the 3rd gen better. there is something about it that is pleasing from every angle. and a tuned VG can be very formidable if one wants to open the wallet and spend the time and effort.

i have a 90SE and my steering is very tight. check your linkage.

 

My steering 'problem' is that when going over bumps, the steering wheel moves more than I think it should... if one wheel goes over a bump it'll turn a little, then back when off the bump. The direction of the vehicle doesn't change as a result of the steering turning -- the motion is small.. it's just annoys me because it feels less steady in your hand when cruising, like you need to use two hands.. (in reality you could no even hold the wheel and it'd keep going straight, despite the steering wheel occasionally turning back and forth a bit).

Still think I should check the steering linkage? I've heard tie rods ends, and trying polyurethane bushings.. my tie rods look fine to me though (though i don't really know what they should look like), but I assume when I get an alignment they'd tell me if my tierods were screwed.

 

ok. does the steering wheel have play in it? i have never had that kind of a problem on my maxima. however, years ago, on a ford, i began to develop a steering problem with excessive play - extreme turning back and forth just to go straight. i opened the hood one day to have a look at the linkage coming out of the firewall and i discovered a rubber bushing thing had dry-rotted nearly off the moving parts of the u-joint. at the time i had no money, so i used hemp rope to wrap around the linkage as a bushing. it made the steering very snug and tight. and it would unravel about every week, so i had to re-lash the rope regularly.

your tie-rod end suggestion may reveal some things as well. look at lots of things.

 

it all depends on what you want; a sporty, responsive ride, or a floaty yet comfortable more sedan style ride