That's right. With around 100k more miles on my max than what I originally had, more "little things" wrong with my car than I could count, and after several phases of modifications, I traded it in. The wife gave me the advice of either "getting something strictly family or a real sports car". I went with the latter. I shopped around the area and found a few options. Unfortunately, finding a good buy on an import in east central Illinois is near impossible. I found a 1994 dark blue Z28 with 70k miles on it. After taking it for a test drive, I was sold. It's an auto (as was my 98 Max). The car is in good condition, especially for the year and the price. I talked the dealership down to 6 grand, which imho is a good price. I still have my 89 Maxima, which I plan on keeping the mods increasing on. However, I've now got a new found love for V8s and their great power delivery. I'll definitely miss the fun times I had with my Maxima, but everytime I dip my foot into the throttle on the Z, I know I made a good choice. Anyways, I'll still be browsing the forums (including the 4th gen one in particular). I just wanted to kinda make my purchase public.


btw, rwd burnouts are much more fun than i expected

 

Do you still have any of the goodies from the 4th gen avliable?

JP

 

enjoy the car, and remember the org!

 

GOOD RIDENCE!!!!!!!



nah j/k man. i hope u enjoy the z28 they are nice cars. sometimes i get in the mood for a real sports car but i cant afford to drop any $$$ for another car. i still wanna keep the max. well n e way enjoy the Z28 and find yourself a good forum to visit. and i dont suggest using the name JDM4LIFE lol.

 

DONT FORGET THE ORG.!!!!


we all are

-Kenny

 

Sorry man, woulda went with a Mustang. Not a fan of the F-Bodies. That's just me tho.

You live in Ill. right? Don't take that sucker out in the snow. You'll have a he!l of a time!!!

Reasons why I didn't get a mustang:
-high insurance
-not as reliable as Nissan
-can't carry friends/college luggage (everyday driver)
-bad in snow

But, if those points didn't exist/weren't important..... I'd be drivin a PONY!!

 

my friend has one, they are quick, hug the road and are fun to drive... enjoy - but you will always deep down love your sporty 4 door

 

They aren't nice cars. They are the same low class american muscle car that has been made for the past 4 decades. Their only appeal is they have enormous power delivery, which is isn't practical (its merely good for burnouts). Woopie! Any sign of bad weather makes the car unstable/unpredictable on the road. Of all the muscle cars, they look the best. However that's not hard to accomplish. You could have gotten a real Z. Its insulting to refer to that car as a Z. Nissan owners including yourself should have enough respect not to call another car by one.

Reasons why camaro's suck:

Pushrods
Everyone has one
Pushrods
Valve overlap
Repair bills
Sound of valve overlap in exhaust

I think you will appreciate your max once that car starts breaking down on you all the time. What good is a sports car if you cannot depend on it, and it's constantly sits getting fixed so you cannot drive it. Check out consumer reports for more info on reliability. Have fun with your pushrods.

 

WOW!!!!!!!! Dont hold back man.... tell us how u really feel.
its ok if you dont like his car but dont mention every damn flaw that is wrong with that car, i mean maxima is nice but it has its problems too.

Knock sensor problems
Coil Packs die and are expensive to replace
altenator messes up on some years
02 sensors die frequently
cheap leather upholstry and interior trim
sh!tty @ss auto tranny
parts are hella expensive...

enjoy tour z28 man!!!!

 

yeah but then look at the prices. which is cheaper to repair? a maxima of course. whatever floats your boat man. for me, i would never buy a american car. i am strictly imports unless it is something just as fast a a import.

 

You replaced your MAX for a chevy?

I sentence you to exile.

:P

Prophecy

 

don't forget to grow out your mullet again!!! joking

 

this post is very ironic considering your SN on here

i'm not a big fan of cammaros either and i would consider this a trade down

my friend has an '02 V6 cammaro with a STICK but i still keep up with him most of the time in my autocraptic max. granted he isn't the worlds greatest driver but shit...

 

Can you name a car that doesnt have flaws? Okay then

 

Congrats on the F-Body. Personally, I would have gone with at least a 97 so that you could have gotten the much nicer and revised interior. Prior to my Maxima, I had a 94 Z28 automagic. Stock it ran 14.2@97mph. With a y-pipe, ECU, little MAF work, 3" catback, intake, and light rims it went 13.4s@103mph. I had a blast for 3 years owning that car, but eventually I craved more refinement, quality, and most importantly better MPGs. Around town the Z28 was only good for around 14-16mpg, but on the highway it got 24+mpg.

The problems I had with the Z28 were as follows (all of which were covered by the extended warranty THANK GOD):

1) Full A/C replacement ($1800)
2) warped driveshaft replaced with 1LE driveshaft ($600)
3) intake manifold gasket leak ($550)
4) rear seal leak ($300)
5) differential gasket leak ($100)
6) turn signal stalk failure ($300)
7) ignition failure ($200)

Comestic/interior:

1) PLastic door panels began to become unglued from the metal door frame.
2) Rattles galore in the interior. I spent hours with foam stopping rattles.
3) Horrendous panel gaps

Even with everything listed, I still loved that car. I'd actually consider getting an LS1 F-Body as a 3rd car for the strip. For the money, you can't deny the amount of power and speed you get.

I must admit I do find it amazing my Maxipad is actually faster (MPH) wise thru the 1/4 mile than my stock Z28 was and I do get a big kick out of beating LT1s at the track. If the LT1 has basic mods and street tires, it's usually a very close race.


Dave

 

I would've bought another "newer" 4th gen...

Congrats dude!

 

I don't understand your valve overlap argument. Are you saying the cars exhaust note sounds like crap? If so, you've got to be kidding me. NOTHING sounds better than a well tuned American V8. Nothing.

As for pushrods, FYI overhead cams have been out longer than pushrod motors. GM's late model V8 are simply masterful designs. I don't know of any other maker that can extract 310-330rwhp/320-350rwtq from a stock 5.7 liter V8 all the while offering 18/28mpg, docile driveability, and 12-second performance.


Dave

 

Good luck with the camero. Just don't forget the org.

 

thanks for the comments guys. i don't think i need to defend my purchase (especially considering Dave made plenty of good points already). as said earlier though, all cars have problems. i know my z28 will. i think i was just ready for a change anyways. a few have said if i wanted rwd power cheap, i should've done a 240sx sr20 swap. i didn't want to go through any headaches of such just to get about the same power out of another car without swapping out an entire drivetrain. not to mention, i still have my 3rd gen i'm playing around with anyways, and my wife's pathfinder (and a 1st gen CRX with a d-series and a turbo). i haven't completely went domestic by any means. i will miss my max, but i can always get another one someday anyways. in the meantime, would anyone be interested in some left over mods?

 

what do you have?

 

One of my freinds bought one of those, his coil packs went bad after a week, then when he put his exaust on it sounded like my car when it was missfiriing but 10x worse, and I hated its interior, his engine was always to hot to work on, the heat from the engine bay leaks into the drivers compartemnt, and it got wreked @ a 30mph crash!

 

I would like to welcome Joe Dirt and his Z28 to the org. Make him feel at home...lol

Just jking...Good luck with your new lawn furniture (that is where it is going to end up) and I hope you maintain your Max cause you will still be driving it on a regular basis.

 

It's amazing how uninformed and stereotypical people can be regarding american made cars, especially mustangs and camaros

 

so what leftover mods do you have? i got dibs depending on what he has.

 

i just posted in the 4th gen FS forum for those who're interested

 

I apologize if I offended anyone, but I firmly believe what I have said as to my distaste of these types of cars. I don't hate american cars; I do think that aside from full size trucks, almost any american car made has a better version sold by a foreign manufacturer, including sports cars, minivans, small trucks, economy cars, family sedans, etc.

KLoWnPR109, are you talking to me about being uniformed? I am informed. Please don't confuse me for one of those people that a pro-something and won't even research or consider the other side of an issue. I grew up with american cars. I have studied both sides of the coin and have come to this conclusion based on evidence.

I am not stereotypical because american muscle cars (at least most) have not changed much in their design over the years. It both classic and modern versions can be defined by characteristics such as having a huge engine that creates low horsepower/ltr, handles poorly for a sports car (Z06 corvette 1 of very few examples), reliability isn't a concern, as well as others. Aside from the newest mustang cobra R, and the Z06, these cars have not technologically progressed much over the years. No true sports car should have a solid rear axle. Alll us maxima owners how significantly they inhibit handling capabilities. Sports does not mean straight-line acceleration, it includes handling.

Part of what you pay for when you buy a car is the reasearch and development of it. If they aren't incorporating new ideas such as overhead cams, variable cams (ex VTEC), variable intakes, etc., these cars should cost less. I like american musle cars from the 60's and 70's, but they were good for the time. They don't even compare to sports cars now. The idea of a sports car has change over the years. Why haven't american companies changed too?

 

BTW, why didn't you buy a 300zx? Its much more car for the money, in my opinion.

 

i agree with all of that. most of the american cars right now are technologically behind.

 

I agree with u on every single point

 

you guys on here are being very harsh on american cars. i understand that not many people like them but thats just ur own personal views. i've never owned a camaro but ive driven my fair share and i've like the car for wat it does. It was never made to be a car to be lugging around your troup of 5 friends or running up the snow covered hills or watever you guys want it to do. And as for the comment that it has problems.. even my benz has problems let alone my oil leaking maxima that always finds a new way to light up the cel. dont get me wrong guys, i love my max but if i wanted to drive fast theres no turbo max that would take a turbo or s/c'ed z28 or stang. and i know people who have those rear wheel drive cars can be driven in the snow as long as you use caution.( my max handles very bad in the snow by the way)
Will
Ohh and how can you knock on the vette??? no other car gives you all that a vette gives you for that price.

 

Why is GM obligated to stuff the newest technology into all of their products? Don't you think that if the Corvette (GM's flagship vehicle) needed DOHCs, variable timing, etc, that they would put it in there? There is a certain beauty in simplicity, and the LS engine series does a great job at providing lots of power using a simple design, and getting decent gas mileage while doing so. I am pretty sure there are other GM engines that do use new technology. Which engines? The smaller I4's that could benefit more from having a high output engine. Do Japanese manufacturers even have displacement-on-demand technology yet?

Food for thought: A 2003 Honda S2000 gets 20 MPG city / 26 MPG highway. A 2003 Z06 Corvette gets 19 MPG city / 28 MPG highway. S2000 makes 240HP from 2.0L, while the Z06 makes 400HP from 5.7L. So, while the S2000 makes more HP/L than the 'Vette, and weighs significantly less (couldn't find the exact numbers), it only manages 1 extra MPG in city driving and -2 MPG highway driving. (Source: www.carpoint.com)

 

well the vette can be easily compared to the new bmw m3. 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, 333 horses from a inline 6. now that is performance.

 

Tough crowd- I don't think anyone would disagree with the fact that most US car companies need better build quality, but you can't argue with the power the V8s produce, and the awesome low-end torque. Until I had a chance to drive a 50th anniv. vette recently with the "magnashocks" (lack of knowledge here on the real name) I ragged on US companies too. The fact is, the vette rode better than a '98 GLE, handled like a skateboard, and the torque is insane. While I was hammering on it for a bit, the estimated MPG stayed around 24 MPG. In this month's issue of C&D, they quote pushrod engines as being easier to package and more reliable (I'm sure they were using the term loosely). I wish I could buy hop-up parts for my Max as cheap as SBC engine parts. My final verdict, if you're happy with it, cool- I love the sound of a V8. Also, you still own a 3rd gen, big plus!

 

yeah but comparing a maxima to a vette is kinda crazy though.

 

I had a hooked up '86 IROC-Z that had A LOT of mods including nitrous that was much faster and handled much better then my 96 maxima. Bottom line though, for an everyday car I like my maxima better especially when it snows the winter. I wish I could have both, but since I couldn't I chose a max.

 

2003 BMW M3: 16 / 24 MPG city / highway.

Performance (#s are from carpoint.com): 2003 M3: 5.26 0-60, 13.85 1/4 mile. 2003 Corvette (350HP version, not the Z06!!): 5.13 0-60, 13.63 1/4 mile. Basically what I'm trying to say here is that you don't need whiz-bang technology to produce a high performance car. Give GM engineers the credit they are due is all I ask.

 

How much did you get for your max? or did you keep it too...

 

those $ are bull. go to car and driver or european car and they give you actual number. 0-60 is 4.7 seconds and i know that a m3 gas mileage is better. and if u go by these #, look at the m3, all the performance from a inline6. vette gets those # from a v8.

 

Keep in mind (everyone that compares the corvette to an M3) that these are two different cars. The vette has slightly better performance. However, the M3, for the same price, has a back seat, luxury out the ***, and is alot more comfortable. If you want a street legal track car that isn't practical and utilitarian, buy the vette. If you want a barely noticable sacrifice in performance for more technology, luxury, comfort, usability for your dollar, the M3 wins hands down. I have ridden in both, and drove the M3, and the M3 is a much better car in my opinion. I am not even considering reliability between these cars, because if you have $50k to spend on a car, you can afford to repair it.

BTW, the M3 had the SMG system (paddle shifters). It's so user friendly and to be able to have lightning quick F1 shiftability and and the function of an automatic when in the city, that's pimp.

 

Keep in mind (everyone that compares the corvette to an M3) that these are two different cars. The vette has slightly better performance. However, the M3, for the same price, has a back seat, luxury out the ***, and is alot more comfortable. If you want a street legal track car that isn't practical and utilitarian, buy the vette. If you want a barely noticable sacrifice in performance for more technology, luxury, comfort, usability for your dollar, the M3 wins hands down. I have ridden in both, and drove the M3, and the M3 is a much better car in my opinion. I am not even considering reliability between these cars, because if you have $50k to spend on a car, you can afford to repair it.

BTW, the M3 had the SMG system (paddle shifters). It's so user friendly and to be able to have lightning quick F1 shiftability combined with the option of an automatic when in the city, that's pimp.