Dealer claims SE but no fogs or sunroof? Whats the deal?

It does have Nissan spoiler though, but wasn't that a dealer option?

 

SE's all had the spoiler. SE's all had foglights.

Sunroof was an option


-RMB

 

 

As per the FAQ.

The SE should have both Fog Lights and a Spoiler. White gauges should most likely be there. All you gotta do is check the VIN as per instructed below.

My dealer was trying to sell me a GLE, when the car was obviously an SE. Just find out for yourself.

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TO DECODE THE VIN PLATE:
Raise your hood. Look for a shiny metal identification tag fastened to the passenger side of firewall. The top row is the Vehicle Identification Number, starting with J. The second row is model information. The first five characters are BLHUL. The sixth character is the trim level designator, defined as follows:
E = GXE
G = GLE
V = SE

There are some feature differences that can help you determine the trim level on site. Keep in mind that most of these can be changed aftermarket by the owner, but as we know the VAST majority of Maximas on the street are bone stock...

GXE
Black guage faces
Cloth seats
Basic stereo (BOSE optional but extremely rare)
Probably no sunroof (optional but very rare)
Chrome outer window trim and door handles
5spd or Auto trans
No spoiler
No fog lights
Steel wheels with hubcaps
Chrome grill on 97-99 models
Manual A/C


SE
White guage faces
"Sport" Cloth or leather seats
Basic or BOSE stereo
May have sunroof
Black outer window trim
Body color door handles
5spd or auto trans
Spoiler
Fog lights
15" blade-style (95-96) or 16" 5 spoke (97-99) alloy wheels
Body color grill on 97-99 models
Manual A/C or climate control
"Sport" suspension
Electronically controlled front engine mount on automatic transmission cars
Liquid filled rear shock mounts

GLE
Black guage faces
Leather seats
BOSE stereo
Sunroof
Chrome outer window trim and door handles
Auto trans only
No spoiler
No fog lights
15" honeycomb (95-96) or 15" blade-style (97-99) alloy wheels
Chrome grill on 97-99 models
Fake wood color dash and door trim
Fuzzy A-pillars on some years
Pop-out drawer (not flip-down) below radio on some years
Climate control only
Electronically controlled front engine mount
Liquid filled rear shock mounts

Keep in mind that spoilers, foglights, mudflaps and wood dash trim could be had as dealer-installed options on all levels.

 

I'd check the VIN.

It's possible that the foglights were removed for some reason (accident?) and the bumper was replaced.

 

I believe that decoding the VIN number should reveal if it was a SE or not. Isn't this possible? Somebody?

White96MaxSE

 

Yes. It's true.

 

Maybe, even the grille may have been replaced by a chromed GXE/GLX grill. The wheels can be easily replaced, too. But, if the SE has white face speedo and tach gages, and the door handles are the same color as the body, then that is leaning strongly towards confirmation of it's "SEness" because those are not likely to be replaced.

Using the VIN number to identify it is the 100% solution, though.

DW

 

You checking your VIN or your modem information? Like it states, the 2nd row is what you're looking at, BLHULV or BLHULG.

Maybe the front half of your Max was replaced! I hope not though! But if it's really an SE, it should be BLHULV for on that model information plate.

 

Except for the white face gages, your car could be a GXE 5 speed.
So your door handles are body colored, or chrome? That's the clincher.

DW

 

Like I said, my dealer was selling the Max to me as if it were a GLE. I'm guessing somehow the VIN's get messed under the records and it tells them it's an GLE.

Under the model information on the other hand, it was surely a SE though. So are you checking under the VIN or the Model Info on the car? I'm curious to know now since my dealer seriously tried to sell the car to me as a GLE.

 

 

Heh,
I have the rims, the fogs, the guages and the spoiler.
VIN says my car is a GXE. Go figure.

 

Maybe the VIN number is not the bullet proof method of checking we all thought.

I think the most foolproof way is body colored door handles and black window trim. Everything else can be added or removed fairly easily. If a car has some has a combination of GXE and SE parts I would be very suspicious of a rebuilt wreck or recovered theft.

Most GXEs and GLEs with a spoiler still have the 3rd (4th) brake light in the rear window. Of course there is a kit to remove it and cover the hole but it looks like most dealers did not bother.

EDIT - The 95-96 GXEs have a covering over the fog light holes and the 97-99 GXEs have a small bar across the middle of the Fog light holes. So if it is just an empty hole it probably had fogs that where removed. Unless the whole bumper cover was replaced of course.