MaxxAddict

Just wondering how y'all who have maximas arrived at your decision to go with the Max. What other cars were you considering instead of a maxima? Was the maxima your dream car? Here's my story:

I'm 20 years old and have been driving my Dad's car ever since I got my driver's license. Yeah, it was bad. I saw many others types of cars and got ideas for potential models of my future car. I needed something AWD, 4WD, or FWD (Snow issues). I am also a poor college student, so I couldn't spend all THAT much money (less than 8k). I needed something practical, but FAST! Something classy, yet sporty. Reliability and mod potential was also important, hence the desire for a manuel transmission car.

Here was my potential list:
99-01 Grand Am GT Coupe. No because too slow, not reliable, not available in stick
95 Nissan 240 SX. No because extremely hard to find. RWD (bad in snow). Underpowered.
92-95 BMW 325Is 5-spd (Black). No because repairs/insurance too expensive. RWD so bad in snow. VERY close to getting one of these.
93-95 Honda Prelude Si. No b/c Ugly (IMO). lol.
96 Honda Accord 2Dr Coupe 5-spd. manuels underpowered. V6 only offered in auto. If modded, would have potential of ricer-ness
95 Acura Integra GSR 2Dr 5-spd. All power-weight ratio. No torque. VTECH is nice, but like more low end torque. Ricer potential.
97 Impreza 2.5 RS. Underpowered. not Aesthetically pleasing. Lacked class. (I dunno, not a fan of the subaru body styles). They all look the same to me. haha.
97-99 Maxima SE - HAD EVERYTHING I WANTED. Shame they aren't offered in coupe versions. Handling not the best, but Oh well. Sacrifices have to be made.


Well, that's it. Hope I didn't offend anyone with my list and car bashings. So, let's hear YOUR story!!!

DaBombX

iTrader: (1)

Well, I drove an alitma before this car. I liked it! It was an automatic but it had plenty of torque and it handled great.
One day my friend took me for a drive in his 240sx turbo, and BHAM! I was addicted to it. So much so that I wanted to get a 240sx myself and then mod it later... although... I didn't know where I'd get the money from.

I had the chance of driving many cars that year... my firends let me "car sit" while they went traveling. During that time, I got to drive a BWM 318i, 525i, Mazda 626, Civic ex, and Protege. I kinda had high expectations from the bimmers and the civic. But I didn't like the civic at all! I didn't know what all the hype was about. The 318 was slow and the 525 was awesome, but, I knew it was out of my reach.

Anyway. I thought... 240sx for sure... stick.

Then... I get a call... My parents are flying in from out of the country and we're all going on a road trip....again... To New Hampshire, from Tucson, AZ, and back again... 7000miles....

I distinctly remember my last road trip with my folks...
It was from Tucson to LA to Chicago and back. I thought my car(altima) was going to die going up the Rockies with 4 adults and luggage in the trunk.

So, I decided to do what was right... get a bigger car... for a comfortable ride.

I didn't think I could find a V6 anything somewhere for what I had in mind... 6K MAX. I had been looking for a small econo car.

Looked at accords, but for some reason, they were all expensive... and quite ugly. Looked at Camry, but thought... just too boring. And then, I ran into a Maxima. I was like... whoa... dude... why didn't I think of that before??? Just maybe... Just maybe I could find one in the correct price range. I hoped, I prayed, Drove 2 hours for a test drive by a personal seller. I was hooked. Bought it for 6k flat.

I didn't know if it was the best decision I've made or not, but man... when I was driving home from Phoenix to Tucson... I KNEW it wasn't far off. Especially when I toasted my friends "fast" 3000gt. HAHA, I was bone stock auto and he had and K&N with 5spd.

Been lovin it ever since~ Long story~~~
As for it being an automatic... we can change that anytime we want.

jdm71488

Well, I was in need of a car (15) and I have always liked Maxima's... You know of course I drooled over sr20s and rb26s but I realized that this was TOTALLY not economical for me... So, one day I saw TBS's (Jason) car on Cardomain or Evo Auto Des. and I was so amazed at how nice Maxima's are... As well as how much nicer you can make them. I mean, black leather interior, 3.0 liter, 190 hp... If you think about it, it is a really good base car... (In my opinion!) But, I told my grandparents to be looking, and it turns out my mom was in need of a new car, so they bought her one, and My grandma liked it, so they sold my moms old car and my grandmas car bought my grandma one. Now this one was supposed to be given to me. But, I didn't want to leave her without her car because it's a max, and she loves it... Come on! So I told them you know whatever will be fine with me... Besides it would be my first car anyways, I don't NEED a maxima. This was like half a year ago or so, but about a month or two ago, my Grandpa finds this 1999 White SE with 120,000, but turns out he sold it to his buddy... Then like two days later, he finds my 1998 White SE, with 100,000...

So now here's my family's car list... I guess you could say that the Max has kinda grown on us!

Me - 1998 Pearl White SE
Mom - 1995 Gold GLE
Grandma - 1999 Gold GLE

Well that's my story... Sorry if I bored anyone...

Oblongshapes

iTrader: (1)

Well, i have always loved cars... i have been driving my minivan for a year after i turned 16. I wanted something different. I wanted a classic, but there was no way i could afford that. I considered a civic hatchback for awhile, but they were all rusting and pretty beat up. My halfsister told me her dad was selling his maxima. So i started looking at them, and the things you could do to them. It bypassed every car i had interest in. He ended up selling that before i could buy it, but by that time i had my heart set on a maxima.... i looked for months called all over the place, and finally got my black on black 5spd '96... couldnt be happier

BlueC

iTrader: (5)

Saw the red beauty sitting in the dealer lot and knew it would be mine.

DAVE Sz

iTrader: (2)

not another one of these threads.

MaxxAddict

Why? Was this a repost of some sort?

I really don't see a prob. It's rather nostalgic and is kinda fun to read the various processes people went through in order to finally arrive at the Nissan Maxima. I enjoy reading this posts, hence the reason I posted such a question.

So, Big D, what's your maxima story? Don't be shy, man.

inertia777

I was actually on my way to a Volkswagen dealership to buy me a Jetta because the transmission in my 91 Nissan Stanza (auto) was giving out. Anyway about 3 or 4 miles away from the VW dealership my transmission gives up for good which was half a mile away from a nissan dealership. I walked in there and left with my Maxine, my 96 Pebble Beige 5-speed Max. She's gone now, totalled two years ago, I miss her so much. You'll never regret buying a 4th Gen it is a great car. I bought mine with 33k and when I totalled, it had 160K on it, and I never had a single mechanical promblem and I use to drive the hell out of that car (it was a GXE so I'd disconnecte the pink and green wires to the ECU and race my friend in his Millenia S weekly, hitting 139mph was like a daily routine for me).

Prophecy1

Maximas are very well rounded car.

1) Its an QUALITY IMPORT this = Reliability
2) It has power for its class and price class. = You get what you pay for.
3) Style, I mean lets face it, the car is sexy when fixed up right.

I mean I could go on and on but its different for each person.

Its just a great car.

Proph

PeTeRtheEaTeR

My car had to be white, have a manual transmission, V6 engine, good horsepower, reliable, and 4 doors.
I was considering the 96-97 accord V6 but found out that it didn't come in a manual transmission and then later found out that it wasn't powerful (back then I thought all V6s were powerful). I saw a 2000 Maxima commercial and saw that it had 222hp, with a manual transmission. But I couldn't afford a new car so I looked into its previous years and found that the 4th gens had 190hp. So I got one. But it's an auto. But I'm happy
Thank God for those commercials.

Speaking about commercials, my favorite one was when the 5th Gen was parked on the street, and the sun was setting. The driver shifts into 1st and starts boning out and they show quick scenes of him shifting and the RPM gauge going up and down and then all of a sudden the sun starts rising and then the driver slams the brakes and the sun starts setting again. When I saw that, I was like, dang....that's pimp.

happyricefob

iTrader: (7)

i aunt (1st owner) sold the max to my mom. after i was driving for awhile my friend put an intake my car, i liked it and just start modding from there. joined the org, like maxima even more, paid my mom the $$ for the car and 0wn it now.

Wisky97SE

iTrader: (1)

I previously drove a 1993 Altima SE, it was a pretty nice car for what it was; leather, rather torquey for a 4cyl. and drove nicely. But after 6 months I got tired of it and decided I should buy a new car.

My top choice was a 1997-1998 Audi A4 1.8t or 2.8 quattro 5speed, but after looking into it, I decided that although they're rather reliable, when something brakes, (exp. on the quattro) its not cheap.

Many people probably dont know about this car, but the Volvo 850R (T5R) is a very fast car. With a boost controller alone it could keep up with WRXs and Zs on the highway. 240HP turbo stock, with boost controller you're easily pushing 275. But the only way for me to find a good 850R is too look on autotrader or ebay and travel to look at these cars, Volvo only made a rare amount of these and they came in Yellow, Red, Black and I think White. I really wanted to find one of these but I had no luck, there was one in the local paper for $6k, but it had 175k miles which is lots for a high pressure turbo car.

I considered the 325i, but I am not a huge fan of the boxy body styling.

I came across this 1997 Rosewood Maxima SE in a used car lot for a pretty decent price so I grabbed it. Im happy I bought it, it may be slower than the volvo, but it has been great as far as reliability and gives me no problems when I drive it hard. I plan to keep this car even when I get more money in the future and buy a sports car. The Maxima will be my daily driver.

Wisky97SE

iTrader: (1)

I previously drove a 1993 Altima SE, it was a pretty nice car for what it was; leather, rather torquey for a 4cyl. and drove nicely. But after 6 months I got tired of it and decided I should buy a new car.

My top choice was a 1997-1998 Audi A4 1.8t or 2.8 quattro 5speed, but after looking into it, I decided that although they're rather reliable, when something brakes, (exp. on the quattro) its not cheap.

Many people probably dont know about this car, but the Volvo 850R (T5R) is a very fast car. With a boost controller alone it could keep up with WRXs and Zs on the highway. 240HP turbo stock, with boost controller you're easily pushing 275. But the only way for me to find a good 850R is too look on autotrader or ebay and travel to look at these cars, Volvo only made a rare amount of these and they came in Yellow, Red, Black and I think White. I really wanted to find one of these but I had no luck, there was one in the local paper for $6k, but it had 175k miles which is lots for a high pressure turbo car.

I considered the 325i, but I am not a huge fan of the boxy body styling.

I came across this 1997 Rosewood Maxima SE in a used car lot for a pretty decent price so I grabbed it. Im happy I bought it, it may be slower than the volvo, but it has been great as far as reliability and gives me no problems when I drive it hard. I plan to keep this car even when I get more money in the future and buy a sports car. The Maxima will be my daily driver.

dawalkster

iTrader: (1)

Well for me my maxima story started out when i was about 14 years old. it was then that i started to really get into cars and into what i wanted as my first car. i played around with lots of ideas like a 97+ f-150 or ranger possibly, a jeep grand cherokee to lift and such, and then i started thinking of some possible cars. a few ideas that came to mind was a 91+ rx7, the last gen prelude, and even an accord. well when the parents told me that i was gonna have to pay for my own gas the truck and jeep was pretty much out the window so i started to focus on cars. the rx7 really was on my mind, but i could never find a good one. and the prelude was always to expensive for me so that was out. So then i was stuck with a huge list of things that i want in my car- v6, manual, sun roof, black, leather interior, fog lights, cruise control, cd player. i mean i wasnt being picky, but everybody can have a wish list right? well i looked around on auto trader for anything that could come remotely close to getting all of those options together, and this was when i discovered the maxima.

The v6 with the manual was what first drew me in but then i found out that all my options that i could possibly want was in one car. also one thing that i still love about this car is how unique it is, and how so many people know so little about it. i dont have much of anything against hondas, i mean you cant deny that they will last for pretty much forever, but the one huge drawback about a honda was that like there is about 20 other students that have one. and i looked around my parking lot and i saw 0 maximas. i have always been one to be different and stand out, so when it came to my car that was no exception. this was just another reason as to why a maxima fit me perfectly.

So anyways, id say that night was the begining of my obsession with the max. I kept researching up on the car and i began to see the beast that i had stumbled upon- one of the best v6 engines ever, 1995 motor trend car of the year (which was huge to me since im a long time motor trend subscriber), and in that article i found out what the vq is really made of. motor trend was able to get there 5spd SE to 60 in 6.6 seconds and a quarter mile time of like 15.3 i think. thats dang fast for a 4 door car made in the mid-90s and with everything else it has to offer.

After that i went back to my google search for "maxima" and i came across maxima.org. a place that claimed to be the home for maxima enthusiasts, i considered myself to be pretty enthusiastic about maximas at the time so i decided to check it out. when i first came to the site i really didnt find much at all to be really impressed by, that is until i clicked on the forums link. and wow, what a community i found. so like i said before that was when i was about 14 and everyday after that i would read up on the forums about maximas. i read the faqs, and i saw the endless debate between a hai and a cai, which i always thought was funny because theres only a few horsepower difference between both of them so either way it really doesnt make much of a difference. but i didnt want to actually join the forums until i got a max of my own.

Well that fateful day came early this year when my dad found a nice looking max only an hour away from our house on autotrader. so we got in touch with the guy and that weekend we went down to check it out. we pulled into the parking lot and there rested the car i had been dreaming about. a 96 Maxima SE, manual, black paint with minimal scratches and dings, tan leather interior with no tears or rips at all, bose system, heated seats, automatic climate control, sunroof and etc. and when he popped the hood there sat a Stillen pop charger. all this with just at 120k well maintained miles. when the guy sat the price at $4800 i knew that this car was meant for me. so we picked up the car that day and a few weeks later i got my liscence on my birthday. and now ive put on some dc clear corners, piaa xtreme white fogs, a redline shift boot, ebrake boot, and arm rest cover, and i have plans of a warpspeed y and a tint job going on very soon. i couldnt be any happier with my max.

BOSS

I drove a 91 Honda Accord before the 99 SEL I drive now.

DIFFERENCE = LIKE DAY & NIGHT

mansurxk

iTrader: (14)

i drove a 94 accord, it was o the verge of death real soon, so i needed a different car, v6 this time, i looked at atoyota avalonfrom 97, it was a ncie, alot of room, decent power compared ot the accord, almost got that, decided to drive a maxima, ive driven alot of my friends other cars such as 2000 galants, 2000 accords, parents 99 altima, old grand am's and grand prix's, but once i sat in the maxima to test drive it, i was thinking "IM GETTING THIS ONE", smoothest engine, was unbeleivable since i never really test drove a 4th gen, the car pretty much made the decision for me, never drove a 10 year old car tha twas smoother than most new cars

krismax

iTrader: (15)

In 1995 I was reading a motor trend issue with 95 max in it . And in the back part there was no faster car for the money.

Magikone69

iTrader: (2)

LMAo i actually didnt find the max, my mom did. she was coming from work and saw the car and tested it out and she loved it. she was actually gonna take it for herself if i decided not to take it. Before i saw the car, i was actually reluctant to take it because of some other suggestions she made; 1984 diesel mercedes benz; a chrysler K car; 1987 toyota cresedia (sp?) and some other trash cars. Since i was buying this myself she knew i didnt have alot of cash to spend but when she saw the max she loved it so much she even told me that she would loan me the ballance i needed to pay it off (loaned me 1300 dollars)

When i saw the car it was sweet as fawk and super clean with like 92,xxx miles on it. the interior was sooooooooo clean(tan cloth) and it ran like a dream. 2 days later i drove it home and loved it ever since. and best of all i had it paid off in 3 months. (5500 dollars for a 95 gxe back in 2001) other cars i was considering myself were: 95 impalla ss, 95+ cadilac devile, 95+ caprice, 70's style caprice/impalla, 95+ lincoln towncar. LOL i wasnt really looking for something sporty, i wanted something big and something i could turn into a lowrider. im glad i grew outta that stage cause i luv my max.

Jatan

iTrader: (3)

My dad was looking for a car and I was too (was 16 and I just gotten my license). He just wanted an Accord or Camry with 4 doors and auto trans. I wanted a 4-door car with leather, roof, spoiler, and power

I wanted a 98 or 99 Accord EX V6, but it was overpriced everywhere ($9000 blue book value, but dealers wanted $12k+). My dad told me he'll get me a new Civic DX (base model - no power windows, locks, etc. since it was almost the same price as the used Accords) b/c there was a clearance going on, but I wanted atleast a Civic LX so I can have atleast keyless entry in my car. We later decided not to buy it since we have to park on the street and it would've been all scratched up within a few months (people near me don't know how to park).

Since the 98-99 Accords were expensive, I started looking at 96+ Civic EX's (no I wasn't going to rice it out ), but my dad started delaying the purchase since the insurance would be too high.

When my dad's car started having problems, we went to the dealer and my dad saw the Maxima as a "weekly special" so he bought it for himself. It was fully loaded and he didn't want all of that so he gave it to me His old car was running fine, but it had too many problems 2 months after we got my car so he got another Accord for himself.

Since my car was one of those "weekly special" cars, we had a "few" repairs (axles, trans, suspension, tires, AC pulley & belt, front brakes) Now I just need to replace a sticking caliper or two and then get new O2 sensors (and y-pipe) and it should be good to go for a while. I'm planning on keeping it for 4 years (starting college in fall). I'm not going to do much with the Max except the y-pipe and new rims and HIDs and maybe a few minor mods.

A5295

iTrader: (1)

I wound up looking for another car in '01 because i totalled my accord, hitting a drunk. Anyway, i looked around for something similar-roomy, clean, torquey, and the ability to be made both decently fast and sexy enough to make both the guys and the girls drool. I looked, and looked for a 5spd, without avail, till i found one in Memphis TN. I drove up there, drove the car, found some things i didn't like, but loved it all the same. I drove home, and two days later, drove it home. I almost blew it up my first day of owning it, missed fourth, and stuffed second at like 80-90. Learned abotu why she only gets 93, and just loved it, and haven't stopped since.

Not to say that the ride's been smooth. Shes been wrecked a few times, and i have had some trouble, but she's usually up for just about anything, anytime, and as soon as i get her resprayed, and lowered, be as beautiful as ever.

MaxxAddict

LOL! Yeah, Maxima's are tough cars. It can take it!

Thanks for all the replies guys. Keep em comin'!!!

Nismo3112

iTrader: (12)

Because my car cost me $8k w/ 26k miles.

Zack342

iTrader: (89)

i didn't want a Maxima but the world works in mysterious ways. My brother had 1999 SE 5speed and then a 2003 Se 6speed and not G35 sports coupe 6speed. i always made fun of the Max's because of there FWD and poor hadeling. But when my beloved 1992 S13 fastback was destroyed, i did the most logical thing, i tried to find an S14 but they are more rare than i coule have imagined. so with the need for a car i found a 1999 SE-L. while it will never handel as well of the 240SX its a hel of a lot fasted straightline and better in the snow. FYI the 240SX poor winter driving was all forgiven the first time the roads were dry and you layed into the corner and just accelerated and comes out of the corner with perfect balance. my 240 will be missed but the maxima was the only replacement i could drow to love

BlueC

iTrader: (5)

Daaaaaamn you got quite the deal. Bought it from a friend/relative?

loco max

had always whanted a maxima since as long as i can remember, then when my dad got his 5th gen i just had to have one, the 5th gen was out of my price range so i found my 96 at a nissan dealership she had a sunroof that i always whanted. and a real good price 4500.00 and only 90k miles the rest as thay say is history

Guinader

iTrader: (1)

hey, Magikone69 I had almost the same thing.

My father saw the car parked on the grass "for sale" he stops and checks everything, then he looks at the price.$2700 170000 miles

He knew maximas last forever, so he paid $1400 of the total and I had to pay the rest.
BTW 1 year past and I only paid him $400 back

PS I didn't know anything about maximas but I loved the fact that I changed from a 87 accord with 235000miles to a 95 maxima 170000

from 98hp to 190hp (now that diference in HP oyu can notice)

nissan4ever

actually my 1st car was an 84 ford tempo lol i know but i didnt have a job then i got a job four months later im looking for a car a honda or something a maxima was the furthest thing from my mind. my nieghbour took me to a private dealer too see a honda he was selling well when we got there i was the honda then i looked i saw a 90 maxima fully loaded i fell in love wiht the car v6 65k miles dark grey top of the line i was like a little kid on christmas day i took it for a test drive and i was impressed maily cause most of my friends had hondas and i have never been in a maxima before but u felt the difference big time come on a honda was a 4 and the max was a striaght v6 no competition i bought it right away and loved driving it i had it for 4yrs then i thought i was time to trade up to a new gen but there was no way i was looking for anything but a maxima i knew what i wanted a white 4th gen stick i searched for months and finally found one and bought it for 6900 and now im doing some mods

by the way my famaily well the ones that drive there is nothing but nissans in the drive way
90 max
95max
04max
01 pathfinder

THT

iTrader: (8)

My Max has been through three generations in my family. My grandfather bought it in early '97 but liked his Camry more so he sold it to my dad. My dad drove it until about 2001 but since he was frequently away on business, the car never got that many miles put on it.

At this time, I was driving my '91 Integra but didn't bother to take it to school with me because I was living in the dorms and didn't have a regular parking space. Well, my younger sister went to college in MO and needed a car. My parents asked me to give them the title to the car and I did; for me, it was a deal because I wouldn't have to pay insurance any longer. Why didn't they give her the Max? Because they didn't trust her with that much power lol.

The next year, I moved into an apartment and got a job to make rent payments therefore needed a car. My dad had just bought a brand new van and my mom made him give the Maxima to me as repayment for the Integra. It was a fair trade

~THT

max95q

iTrader: (10)

I have that commercial saved on my computer Im going through what you all went through. Im looking for a 4th gen and its hard since I know what I want.

MaxxAddict

hey! mind posting that vid for all of us to see?? Thanks!

Jack3D

i didn't choose my maxima, it chose me

Nismo3112

iTrader: (12)

It's from a salvage auction.. I acually got it for 5k and about another 3k went into it. It was damaged a little bit in the rear, and a bunch of stuff was missing.. It's all good now

DaBombX

iTrader: (1)

Here's a question, how many of you guys have families that only drive Nissans? There seems to be a few.
My Moms drives a 97 Alitma.
My sister has a 97 Pathfinder.
And I've got a 96 Max.

Jack3D

I encourage my family, but they don't listen..........and they seem to like getting cars that die in 2-3 years...

THT

iTrader: (8)

Mercedes?? Oh...did I say that out loud?

~THT

eckohb

iTrader: (4)

I didnt really get to choose, the black se 5 spd i wanted was sold, so i came home from chicago on xmas day, and my deep evergreen gle was sittin in my driveway. i almost **** a brick. a max is a max, and boy am i happy i got it. im love, no question aobut it

Taken2DaMax

iTrader: (5)

I've always loved nissan cars. I first owned one of my dream cars, the infamous 300zx. I loved that car it was like owning a god-like structure. Nissan alwasy produced grade A cars but this 300zx was a lemon when my father bought it. I was disappointed on quality of the 300zx but loved the looks. My friend owned a maxima: I loved the response of the maxima, the durability of the car, and the overall impression of the car left me speechless. There was no doubt in my mind that once i got rid of the 300zx, I would switch to the Mighty Maxima. A year later, I wrecked the 300zx in a race with a Camero RS and the idea of the maxima was no more. The beast was born...

Vlasic

iTrader: (13)

my maxima was my first car. i bought it cus it was the best deal i had found;

96 max se 5-speed.
stillen kit
greddy exhaust
weapon r intake
18" adr rims
struts/springs
strut bar
92k miles.
all for $6000


other cars i was considering:

90-95 q45
i30
j30
talon tsi
eclipse gsx
laser
camero
trans am
mustang


the maxima was probobly the best out of the entire list. it was also on my lost of cars i was looking for, and when i found the listing i couldnt let it go.

bravehart

Sold my 94' Integra GSR for the 99' SE Maxima I currently have. I do miss the handling of the GSR and the VTEC. I really miss the projector headlights. HOWEVER I don't miss having absolutely NO low end torque, having timing belts changed, and ridicuosly high insurance premiums because the GSR is considered a sports car. For the money the only car I could find that was even close was 96' thru 99' BMW 328 4-door. Almost same HP, TQ, and curb weight. About $1k-$3k more expensive.

PLUMMAXSE

iTrader: (2)

I bought my Max because I wanted power and fuel economy in one package. I got a 5-speed for the beemer like torque that you get through the gears.
I searched but couldn't find a better all around value-fun package than my 99 SE-L! Also it was as close as I could get to the mighty SKYLINE!!