nardo'89SE

you killed the thread matt, you had to make a post giving us a pat on the back for a good thread, and now you ****ed us up, good going

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

[bugs bunny voice]aahhhhhhh shaaadddaaaaaap![/bugs]

jacob

I was looking for something 'nice' when I bought my Maxima. Something that would be fun to drive, but presentable at work and such. If I would have found a '93+ Legend coupe w/ the 6 spd - that is what I would be driving right now. I love Hondas and their innovative ideas, but ultimately I am glad I chose this '93 Maxima SE. I have always been a big fan of Nissan's cars and their designs. I don't really like any other Maxima generation than the one I have though.

Anyway, my father has an '88 Legend L Coupe and it is a very very nice car. He raves about it. I have driven it a few times and I have to say it's not for me. The seating position, the feel of the controls, the super-light (over-assisted) steering, etc - the Maxima is in another category altogether. It is a nice car though. The only serious thing I didn't like about it was the vibration in the car coming from the engine. It runs fine and is in good shape, but has that typical Honda dash shake at idle in Drive.

After driving my Dad's Legend and my sister's Avalon, I see why the Maxima is called the "4 Door Sports Car." This is not to say that I cannot appreciate the good things about the other cars out there - just for me, the Maxima is the one. I have found that Nissans are a bit more solid than Hondas in general, but beyond that it is simply a matter of choice. Again, don't mention the '93+ 6spd Legend coupe though... I love those cars.

The 2.7L 24V SOHC engine is not just used in the Legend - it was widely used in Europe in Rover cars. It is an interesting design that uses one cam and a considerable amout of intricate parts to operate the 4 valves per cylinder. There are cam followers, pushrods (!!) and nice little fingers among other things. Seemed to me that another cam would have been a much simpler option, but this is Honda's choice as they do this with many engines. Except for the head bolts pulling out of the block over time, I haven't heard of any problems with the 2.7L engines. As far as power goes, I can't comment because I have never driven a VG Maxima. Against a VE the Legend wouldn't stand a chance, but that's comparing apples and oranges.

-Jacob

FutureX 2001

Let me comment on a few things. The steering, pretty much seems to depend on what the driver likes. Personally, I love the G1 steering, than any other car's system, that I have driven. You're right about the 2.7L Legend Engine, it was used in the Rover 825 (2.5L) and the 827 (2.7L). It was also used in the Mid-90s AccordV6. I found the controls to be perfectly placed on the other hand, from the window switches to the remote stere adjustment, and the driver's powered driverseat. I found them to be perfect, if in fact, my only complaint about the G1 would be the positionig of the steering wheel, which at times makes it difficult to move out of the way. I never drove the G1 Sedan, I was not a big fan of the looks of the G1 Sedan, but I do know they received the Coupe's suspension in about 1989-90.

The G1 Legend was from 85-90. I also own a 94GS Sedan (G2 Legend were from 91-95). In my opinion, my 94GS Sedan, is one of the best cars on the road, from it's looks, comfort, luxury, and power, I have not found another car that I would rather have of that era. They even solved the Steering Wheel Problem, When you insert the key into the slot, the steering wheel moves down, and out to you into your pre-programmed position automatically. When you take the key out, it moves up and in to get out of the way. A very useful feature. The car's 230HP V6 TypeII, is more power than I often know what to do with. The car's top-speed is also very good, so far it looks to be about 162mph for the TypeII and about 154mph for the TypeI engine.

I really wish Nissan would have brought the Skyline to the states originally, it is a great car. I want one!


Also, the Maxima I tested was a 3.0L V6.. BUT.. I think it was an 88. Not sure what kind of power those produced. The owner really liked my G1 Coupe compared to it, he wanted to know if I would sell it. However, I couldn't part with my G1. I noticed your board for the 3rd Gen says 89-94. G1 Legends only overlapped those years in 89-90 (2 year overlap). The G2 seems more out of that year range with its' 91-95 production (4 year overlap).

jacob

Just about anything we are talking about is purely opinion. The steering in my father's '88 Coupe is very light (like grandma's Oldsmobile kind of light) with almost no resistance, and I prefer a little more resistance or feel in my wheel. The handling was very nice though as I had a chance to take it on some twisty roads last time home. I also liked the sport/normal shift modes on the tranny. My Maxima has great steering feel - pretty much like that of my old 300ZX. Just depends on how you like it. It's not hard to turn, just gives feedback and some resistance. In my opinion, one of the nicer steering systems.

The switchgear and control placement was great in the Acura, I just didn't like the seating position and steering wheel placement. The seats are nice and comfortable and the power controls are nice, but I just didn't like the whole seating position. The seat is much higher and the cowl is much lower. The car has great visibility and a very well designed greenhouse. Anyway, this is purely my opinion as well - like the way I like the seating position and steering wheel placement of a 4th gen Camaro better than a newer Mustang. This is a very personal thing.

The later Legends are really a huge step up compared to the first gen, though I have never driven a newer one. On the same lot as my Maxima, there was a beautiful '94 L sedan - light green with tan leather. At the time, this was the other car I was considering. Probably a nicer car than my Maxima, but it was twice the price and wasn't worth it to me at the time. My Maxima serves me quite well as a sporty, comfortable 4 door sedan with ample power. I like it probably just as much as you like your Legend.

Also - the '88 Maxima is completely different from the '89 and very far away from my '93 SE. Somewhat like the difference between the G1 and G2 Legends. The G2 Legend was Honda/Acura's top model luxury offering so really it should be compared to an Infiniti Q45 rather than a Maxima. But we all know that's not a fair comparison either!

-Jacob

FutureX 2001

No Resistance? I'm starting to wonder if they changed it in some Legend G1 years. The steering in my G1 Legend, has a lot of resistance above 25mph, at around 50mph, it is very tight. It's vary variable, the faster it goes, the tighter the steering wheel gets. At least that's the way it is in my 90L Coupe.

The Q45 is a V8 isn't it? I think from the Mid-90s the J30 V6 would have been the Legend's competitor. The ES300 being the competitor on the Toyota side. I wasn't a big fan of the Q45 style, I think the J30's was better. Further, I don't like the "newer" trend of car styles, like the new Altima, Maxima, AcuraCL, AcuraTL,AcuraRL, 350Z, Honda-DualNote Conecept . Lexus in my opinion is still doing it pretty good, the SC300, and the ES300 are very nice.

Also, if some of you have not seen what Legends look like, here are a couple of G1s and G2s that have been posted on our boards before:
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4291964887

nardo'89SE

yeah through the whole thread one of the major complaints about the g1 legends is the over-boosted (no resistance) steering feel, i agree with you on the G2 legends, but most of all the 6sp coupe, those are great cars, and in my opinion much better than the 4th generation maxima, but those legends are about 10 to 15 thousand dollars more expensive so i hope your getting a better car

FutureX 2001

Well, I payed $5,000 for my 1990 Acura Legend Coupe L with 114,000 miles. In good condition, no major problems, just regular changes, oil etc...

Then I payed $7,200 for my 1994 Acura Legend Sedan GS w/133k on it.(TypeII,230HP). No major problems whatsoever, and in almost-perfect condition, inside and out. It has been repainted though, and you can tell around certain details, such as the keyholes, they slightly touched the gold trim on it, that's how you can tell. Hmm, other than that, I had two of the interior bose speakers bad when I got it, $60 will fix that. Which reminds me, I need to send a Legend Member some $$ hehe.

All in all, I'm happy with both cars. I couldn't part with the 1990 Legend, it's such a fun car, couldn't ditch it!

The Blue Book Value for my 90L Coupe is as of now $7,000
The Blue Book Value for my 94GS Sedan is af now $15,000

We've had numerous G1 Legends hitting over the 300k mark in the boards. We have some G2s hitting 200k. Original drivertrains.