99silvermax

I bought a '99 silver maxima SE-L auto a few weeks back w/25,000 miles on it. I love the car. Don't take me wrong on the following comments, I am a TRUE Nissan loyalist. 1st, I traded in my '92 240sx for this car. I feel like the build quality is not as good on this car. I have seen a lot of people write about dash noises. Well, I have some to. Can or will Nissan do anything about this? On my car, it seems to be the small plastic part around the clock. 2nd, I had a 5-spd on my 240sx. How is the Maxima 5-spd? I have driven one a couple of times, but not for long periods of time. I don't really care about racing to much, so the throws don't matter, but I don't want a transmission that will grind or is hard to shift. How much more power does it give you? Thanks for the help.......

MAX99SE

Hi:
I own a 99 Maxima 5 spd that I bought new in April of 99. It has about 27,000 miles on it and I am starting to notice some dash noises (minor, so far) ... seems to be coming from the VIN Number tag on the dash!! As far as 5 spd maximas are concerned, I have driven auto as well as 5 spd maximas, and the 5 spd ones are way better to drive. Acceleration is quite a lot better and the transmission is very smooth. Build quality could have been better, I agree, but it is not that bad. Besides, I like the interior of the maxima much better than the accord or camry.

99silvermax

Oh, I agree. The looks of the Maxima inside and out are great. I just wonder about what I will hear after 75,000 miles. What kind of strut bar did you get? I should get my Stillen bar tomorrow. I probably wasted some $$ over the Courtesy bar, but that is water under the bridge now. How much does the bar help? BTW, that color is Max is sweet. Don't see too many of them.

MAX99SE

I have a Courtesy FSTB. It makes the front-end feel more solid and the car handles much better as a result. I also feel that a rear sway bar is not necessary, because the results are not as dramatic as FSTB for a Maxima.

The color is called lakeshore blue, i think. This color is quite common here in upstate ny.

cheers!

MacGyver

If the clock is making moise, tighten the screws that hold it in. You need to take that top vent off. As far as the 5spd max goes....whether you race or not a short throw shifter is a good investment. The throw on the max is hugh....i would recommend a stillen short throw shifter.

99silvermax

Actually is is the black trim piece around the clock / hazard button / rear defrost button. Push down on it and it creaks alot. I hear it when going over bumps, etc... Is there any drawbacks to the 5-spd? I really want to get one, but I have heard that there are problems with them. Things like clutch life, etc...