slickwillie

I am in the process of buying a 97 or 98 maxima so I figured I would tap the vast amount of knowledge available on this subject in the 4th gen forum. I have some question regarding the purchase of the car.

1. Is there a any other differences between a 96 and 97 besides the front end that should be noted?

2. What is the average miles to have on these cars?

3. What are some areas of the car that are prone to problems?

4. Are there any features that I should look for?

5. Are there any recalls that I should no about?

I would appericate any other advice that you can provide on the matter. This is my first time buying a used car that was not owned by family, so I need all the help I can get.

matty

iTrader: (54)

1. Rear end

2. Mpg? or Miles...alot of people on the .org have over 100K and these cars, if taken care of, will go 200K maybe even 300K...MPG 20-30 how you drive will decide that

3. 5spd tranny diff bearings...not a big deal but on alot of maximas the tranny starts to whine through the gears at about 60k...diff bearings have too much preload from the factory and wear out quicker than normal not on every 5spd tranny..The suspension it too high (too much wheel gap)...The Engine's are bulletproof and Im not lieing

4. SE leather, idk whatever you like...but definetly get a 5spd !! sorry auto guys

5. recals on the 98s I think, alternator...fixed by nissan for free

Take it for a ride, if it feels good then pay a macanic about $50 to check it out from top to bottom..

slickwillie

Thanks for the help. Whats the difference in the rear end? I was refering to miles on the odo. I really want a 5spd but my dad rasied some vaild points. He said that there is alot more problems that can go wrong if I buy a used 5spd. So I am still debating on which to get.
I know theres more of you out there that can help, so lets hear it.

97blackSE

iTrader: (1)

well, your dad raises the same point as my dad did, when i bought my maxima about a month ago...the thing about maximas, however, is that their automatic trannies are VERY liable to blow if beaten on...
5spd maximas, however, don't seem to have this problem at all.

as for the clutch wear and stuff i am sure that your dad has talked to you about, it is like 500 bucks to replace a clutch if it blows...and if a clutch is taken care of, there is no reason it should blow till around a 100,000 miles or more...

i can also say, that befor my maxima...i owned two autotragics, and i can say i will NEVER go back...driving 5 spd is SO much more fun, and yields better gas milage, and just punches up any driving experience...

i too can say my dad was against me buying the max, but at the time of purchase, i was unwilling to drive the 1hr of highway, and busy road travel home, b/c i was unaccustomed to 5 spd, and by the time we got home, he said i got a great deal and that he would drive the car in a second...he said it was the best mix of sport luxury he has ever driven, and it is way faster than i will ever need...he also said this isn't the type of car for an automatic...(sorry you automatic owners)

for reference, i have a black 97 se with all the options (leather sunroof bose. etc etc)

Maxima95Tuner

One thing I can add is that on the maximas, I dont know if it year specific or not, but the Upper strut mounts in the front tend to go bad. Also, the motor for the windshield wiper fluid tends to go out alot.

Also, I know there was a recall on the 02 sensors for the 95 and 96 maximas, I dont know bout the 97-99's though.

I beat the hell out of my auto and it's been fine. I have 120k miles on the original.

99Maxima5sp

The maxima just plain rocks!!


But yeah, other than that valuable piece of info, i personally dont have any problems with it. Its a great car, the best ive owned. I would advise you to get the 97-up just because it looks better. Im not fon dof the 95-96 front or rear (sorry 95-96 guys) and definately get the stick, you wont regret it. As stated the engine is just bulletproof. I mean its no wonder why it been on the world best engine list forever now. Oh and make sure it includes ABS, god, i didnt realize mine didnt when i bought it. First car ive owned without it.


Eric

dmplus

95-96 have cornering lamps
97-up no cornering lamps

Specd_out

I thought it would be cool to bump this thread, as it states what my future plans where at the time, and now over 7 years later I am back. yes i did change my username to what I currently use. on most of the forums i am on.

In the process of looking for a 4th gen I gave up. I couldnt find a nice 5spd at all. I ended up buying a new 2004 Ser Spec V. I still have it today. heavily modded and boosted.
Since I bought the ser i got married and a bunch of other things, anyway in the process of looking for a new DD for my wife, I decided to look for a maxima. I settled on a 2003 grey luster SE auto. I am so happy to get back into the community. I am picking the car up today. I will post pics when i get it home.

ColombianMax

iTrader: (7)

1. Is there a any other differences between a 96 and 97 besides the front end that should be noted?

Emissions related stuff mainly but also slight cosmetic differences including but not limited to a different stock headunit, seat-side airbags on the 98+ and such

2. What is the average miles to have on these cars?
Depends but usually 130k+

3. What are some areas of the car that are prone to problems?
Radiator support rust, injectors, coils, clogged EGR/pipe, and the typical worn out suspension/bushings most of this stuff is maintenance though

4. Are there any features that I should look for?
Sunroof, anything else can be swapped easily without major hacking. I made my GXE base model a fully loaded model with the exception of digital climate control and sunroof

5. Are there any recalls that I should no about?
Not to my knowledge

I would appericate any other advice that you can provide on the matter. This is my first time buying a used car that was not owned by family, so I need all the help I can get.

I've driven both 5spd and automatic 4th gens both from the 95-96 and 97-99 and the 5 speeds are definitely more fun and feel quicker. If you take care of these cars, they literally last forever, or until they start rusting real bad but the engine and trans will go forever. I'm pushing 335,000 miles on mine with original engine and trans

cashoit

buy a 97 or 98. they have the newer tensioner style. If u get a 5psd INSPECT the tranny housing for fluid. If its wet with MT fluid walk away promptly, the differential bearing is goin and tranny needs replacing to the tune of at least 1000 bucks.

99zx2

iTrader: (3)

didn't he say 2003, guys?

Trini Boom

iTrader: (5)

A seven year old thread guys?

Specd_out

LOL readings pwns you. yes its seven year old post. I just thought it would be cool to bump a thread i posted many years ago about me getting a new maxima. I finally did, 7 years later. lol

beegeezy77

Is necrobumping your own thread like a zombie eating his/her own brain?

cashoit

u bastard

I didnt even notice the age of the thread. Good one lol

The 03 is a nice lookin car and i think it got the 3.5L too.

Revo75

iTrader: (9)

Awesome man 7 years is a long time how old were you when you were looking for the car?

Specd_out

Thanks. when I made that post i was 19, now i am 26.

j-dawg

For anyone searching this subject who finds this in the future...note that even by '97 all Nissans (somehow) did not come with ABS standard. You can judge for yourself how important that is. It wasn't a dealbreaker for me, but I really wish my '97 had ABS. It doesn't show up where you'd expect it to, either; mine is pretty well loaded (Bose, sunroof, SE, etc), but has no ABS.

steezmuffin686

Do the 97 se's come with a lsd by chance?

j-dawg

Not in the US.