Hey everyone. I am thinking about purchasing a 4th gen. maxima for my first car and was wondering if everyone here agreed with this decision. I will be taking out a loan and probably won't want to exceed 7,000 before tax. My main questions are:

What is the best trim to get?
Should I go with Std. or Auto?
How much mileage should I be expecting in my price range?
How long should I expect it to last before any major mechanical work?


Anything else anyone could tell me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Tyler

 

Well, I think you made a wise decision choosing a maxima for your first car. It was my first car when I turned 16, and I couldnt be happier. To answer your questions, I'll try my best.

The best trim IMO would be SE. It's the sportiest trim package available, with the spoiler, the white guages, and the factory fog lights.

If you are into performance, or eventually want to put performance parts in the car, get a 5speed. You will be much happier. If you are just into cruising, and having a nice relaxing ride, get the auto.

In your price range, expect around 75-95 thousand miles on it.

If you take care of the car, the car should last a long time. Mine's at 145k right now, and I havent had any major mechanical issues. Just the normal stuff.

Also, if I were you, I would be looking for a 97 - 99 maxima, if you can find one. They have the more aggressive front bumper, and you have more tail light options.

Hope this helps.

Chris

 

Thanks for the input. Also, do they all the trims come standard with ABS or is it an option?

Tyler

 

good decision, doesnt hurt to check codes before purchasing, you should check out the for sale section, i saw some sweet deals this past week that i rpobably wouldnt pass up if i didnt have a maxima. I bought my car 9 months ago, i dont regret it one bit, i LOVE it

 

I know that abs was an option on the gxe(the base), and I would assume that most of the SE's and GLE's have it. it always easy to test the brakes when you are test driving it. I agree with Maxima95Tuner, get a 97-99 SE. as for mechanical issues, shouldn't have too many for a while but it all depends on how the previous owner took care of the car. try and get maintenance records if you can and definatly do a Carfax before you buy, its cheap insurance so you don't get totally screwed.

 

If your going to buy a max, try the ones on these forums. Id say 95% of them have been pampered. The for sale forum is nice. Also get you a car fax report your best defense is that car fax cause you can verifty the cars whole repair life, mileage life, and collision life.

As for it being your first car? Well if your going to love it and appreciate it it will get you well thru college if you get one with low miles. I mean for 7,000 you can get a 4th gen with less than 70k miles.

Just take care of it and dont rag it. If you think you will just rag it then your better off buying something cheap that you can do that too.

Proph

 

aren't we giving Carfax a little too much credit?
its been a couple years since i've used it and yes it does do a good job of verifying actual mileage and if the thing has been salvaged. but its not going to tell you the repair history or every accident its ever been in. its not that smart.

regarding the max, awesome choice!
my '95 has 180k miles. almost any repair you need to do you can get help here and attempt it yourself.

 

go for a 99 5 spd se... newer and alot of nice options.. go for blk on blk leather or a pebble beige with blk leather..

blake

 

I definately think that it's a good idea to buy a 4th Gen for your 1st car. I got my 95 Max 2 years ago when I was 16 and I'm am completely attactched to it. You can't go wrong with a maxima, and even when you do have to repair it, its worth the time and energy to get the car back to normal. Also, even though yopu wont find as many aftermarket parts for the maxima as you will for a Honda, it is still a fun car to mod.

 

Tyler-
I agree with with all of the above. Luckily for you I have a 97 SE 5-Speed for sale....84K on it and its babied. It is getting a new clutch this week so you will never have to worry about that again. Its pretty stock, just has an intake and some different lights. I would like to see $7995 for it so I dunno if you would be willing to pay a bit more, but I know you would absolutely love my car. By the way...the girls LOVE my car.

 

whered u get your windshield banner, ive been looking for one of those forever!

 

If you know how to drive stick, then I would highly recommend an SE 5-speed. It just makes the car alive. It is completely different than the auto as far as fun to drive and performance, and you're always likely to have less problems with stick assuming you don't roast the clutch. A quick way to check for ABS, just turn the ignition to power to get all the warning lights and look for the ABS light. I have a 99 SE-L stick with lthr, bose stereo, moorf...but no ABS! Wierd to have all those options without ABS, but I don't mind it. As far as mechanicals, you may have a problem with coils, and possibly fuel injectors, but it's not anything big. Other than that there really is nothing that should go wrong. I know many people who have well over 120K on their Maxima's and they drive spectacular. One friend had 184K on a 91, and my cousin had 250K+ on his 92, and they started and ran everyday no problems. I also did a lot of research on this car before buying it, and it's the best bargain out there. Besides, look how many people here have boosted this car and still have reliability.

 

Thanks for all the replys! I really appreciate the advice. To be honest, I was highly considering the SE 5-spd. before I posted here and I think I have made up my mind! I'm going to look around locally for an SE with around 75k on it for around 6-7 g's. I think I'm going to try and find one with ABS as well, as that is an important option to me.

Tyler

 

I got a 4th gen as my car first car 3 years ago and I still love it. Definitely and I mean definitely get a 5 speed. Its probably one of the biggest regrets of my life getting an auto. My parents talked me into it because I was just learning to drive and before I knew how much better and faster the manual maximas were. I wish I had done what you did and came to these forums first. I found out about the .org a few days after I got my car so it was too late.

 

the max is an all right car, I have a 98 5spd SE. here was what I wanted for a car. Speed when I needed but also good fuel economy, room to hold passengers and luggage, reliable, and not too common to mod. I was first going for the mazda mx6(what was I thinking!) but then I woke up and finally realized that a 5spd maxima fit my needs and it wasn't that expensive for a 97+ car. So a max might or might not be for you.
Some cons are:
the not so good cornering abilities, not much aftermarket support, faulty knock sensors, cheap oem paint, front wheel drive, long truck driver shifter if you get a 5spd, and that's all I can think for now. Good luck with your decision!

 

yeah! i would like to know, too. hook us up, man.

 

I say definitely go Manual and definitely go SE, if you can. However, if you can find a GXE that is in pretty good shape, and is a manual, I would get it too. You can always just put some rims on the GXE and fix the inside up, and buy a spoiler if you want one.

You will thank me later for getting a manual. They are much more fun, and better with mods.

 

man, all you guys talking about 5-speed this, 5-speed that... youre not making us auto owners feel any better.

 

Purchased my first car three months ago and my friend convince me to get the maxima. I did and love it!

'98 SE Fully loaded with Bose system
54000 miles
Paid $8700

 

Yeah, get a 5-speed. With the auto, a radar detector is a must. You can get going triple digits real easy. At least with the 5-speed, you can't break 100 without shifting into 4 gear! LOL

 

Don't worry you get used to it. The auto max is still a great car and if your not a good driver the manual won't be much faster

 

heh, i just bought a 99SE (no sunroof) with 65k on it for 9k. You can come down a little on the price for ty can't ya? : )~

 

I'm looking at this one: http://autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ca...or=&cardist=18

Unfortunately, I won't be buying for a few more months and i'm sure it will be gone by then. It has everything I want too.

Tyler

 

I drove a 91 Integra while in high school and thought it didn't get any better. Then I came to college and bought a 96 GXE Maxima; what a difference! So much more room and power. The Maxima is a great car whether you're a student or a professional, with a family or single. I dread the day I part with my baby because it's just such a great car! Smooth riding, looks classy but won't get dusted by a ricer

~THT

 

TWPietz, I would watch out for AutoTrader.com. Just a word of warning...everything on there is high! I looked there for a long time while I was trying to find my max, and I don't think in 5 months there was one that was not overpriced. Just be careful.

yeah, auto max's are still nice, but the fun factor with a 5spd is way high. I mean, the fun of driving increases from like 9 out of 10 with auto to 12 out of 10 with manual! ha ha

 

actually brudaddy..... i bought my car off of autotrader last month. Got an awesome deal. Car runs amazing. Couple of dings, but nothing major. Take a look. (This was the EXACT car i was lookin for)

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...or=&cardist=30

 

Where should I be checking to find a good deal on a max?

Tyler

 

I got it from maximadriver.com. Cheston was making them, I'm not sure if he still is though. It was like $10 shipped.

 

I bought mine from Autotrader. It wasn't the best deal, but I am happy with my Max. If you are looking for a 5-speed, like me, that limits your selection because Nissan didn't make as many manual Max's. I would look at the used section in Maxima.org. Try and find one near you so you can look at it in person. The more cars you look at the better one you will pick!! It's just so hard walking away from Max's for Sale!!

 

I have to agree with them on the 5spd and 97-99 combo. The 95-96 Maximas got a "poor" frontal crash rating from the Insurance Institute of Highway safety, while the 97-99 got "average". I'm currently looking for a 97-99 5spd also.

 

I would just like to say for no reason... My first car was a 3rd Gen (White 1993 GXE) Maxima!!!! I loved it with all my heart..... Then It got totaled in an interstate pileup.... ... I miss her... she was my first....

Oh well, I have a 97 GLE now!!!! Next year, I'm going to make the transmission swap! I'm saving for it now! As of now, I have a Skyline Bodykit with Redline Max Exclusive M-Front Bumper (Painted but not mounted yet) . I also have a ShortRam Hybrid Intake and a complete Warpspeed Manifold Back Exhaust system (No Resonator). I love it. Hopefully, as I save more money, I can finish the "show" portion of my car... Rims, struts, lowering springs.....

Blah blah blah...

RIP my precious 3rd Gen.....