I have decided to sell my 98 Mustang GT convertible for a 97-99 Maxima SE. I'm sick of the inferior performance of my mustang considering the horrible gas mileage i get. Anything I should avoid or look for when searching for a 4th gen maxima? Any assistance will be appreciated.

 

Keep the Mustang for weekends or nice weather ... I have a 97 Mustang GT convertible 5-spd btw.

Welcome to the org.

 

I would but I'm still in college so I cant manage 2 cars. Plus the mustang has alot of bad memories id like to put behind me

 

Yup - I understand... I sometimes debate about getting rid of mine.

4th Gen Maxima's (95-99) are good vehicles... 99's had a lot of trouble with ignition coils - some had them replaced under warranty (goodwill or otherwise)... some 98-99 models also were part of an alternator recall campaign...

Do the same detailed research that you would do when buying any used car - use all the tools you have - carfax, get a mechanic to go over it. If the car is neat and clean inside, its usually a good sign the owner took care of it - not a guarantee but at least more so than a sloppy car with fast food wrappers all over (whats up with that?)..

Good luck and let us know what you find..

 

well if gas mileage is what ur looking forward to then you are better off in a tercel . but as you know, the maxima has a v6 3.0L which comes standard. Gas mileage is very good for a 6 cylinder. on the freeway you can get as high as 30 miles per gallon if you dont floor it much or drive too fast. in the city, if you drive like a grandma then 18-19 mpg is possible. however if you floor it too much like me then you can expect around 14-16 mpg in the city. i, myself have gotten 30 mpg on the freeway and im talking from experience.

as far as the power goes, its not as fast as ur GT but its pretty darn fast for what it is. if you get a 5spd, 14.7 is the best you can get out of it bone stock.

the max is very luxurious compared to the GT, specially interior and the ride quality is very nice and smooth. the engine is VERY reliable. im not sure if you know or not but the VQ engine has been mentioned on top 10 best v6 in the world for the past 7 or so years. its a VERY smooth engine.

handling wise, well its a 4 door FWD with lots of body roll but that shouldnt be a problem after you get a RSB, FSTB and a good amount of drop.

i suggest that you go for a 5spd topped out SE with bose system.

if you are into modding, the aftermarket support is pretty good too. there are lots of mods out there for us.

that pretty much should give you an idea and you cant go wrong by buying a max. best of luck to you


btw, may i suggest searching for a 98? 99's have the most # of problems and 97's dont have some of the features that the 98 has. 98 se is what id get if i was u. however 97 is the cheapest with the fresh look. also, how much you want to spend?

 

I'd suggest finding the lowest mileage 4th gen you can. Newer the better, to a point. If it was me, I'd be looking at 97 Maxima SE 5 speeds. With the 97 you get the revised 97+ look, a quicker steering rack, and a much nicer steering wheel. With the 97 you'll be able to run a JWT ECU if plan on doing MEVI intake manifold.

In terms of reliability, the 95-99 Maxima is the best in it's class in terms of long term reliability (JD Powers & Associates) and literally blows the Camry and Accord out of the water reliability wise. Obviously wear and tear items will fail so don't get too worked up if you have to replace rotors, brake pads, clutches, half-shafts, struts, etc shortly after buying the car.


Dave

 

Just do a headswap on the mustang and you will no longer complain about crappy performance

 

I was going to say get a 96 because its 100 lbs lighter than the 97 and the JWT ECU doesnt throw a CEL (assuming this would make smogging an issue, other than that cant think of why its a problem).

I also have a 96 so I guess I might be biased!

 

Look for a 95-98 SE. The early 97 SE's are my favorite. Dont get a black max trust me. Transmission is up to you. 5 speeds are usually hard to find. If I could do I again I would buy my car but in another color and thats it.

 

I would definetely recommend this car. I have had mine since january and i love it too bad i have to let it go. If u are interested in it its a 97 Wht SE 5spd, leather and fully loaded. 118k and a couple mods here and there. Hit me up if u interested.

 

i agree with dave b

 

limited edition maximas 5spds. aren't those very nice?

 

I doubt that any Maxima even comes as near as "blowing" a Camry away. I agree with the Accord, however.

Nonetheless, it all depends on what Camry year/trim you're referring to. Although the V6 Camrys are known for their defects (be it the motor, etc.), remember that 4-cyl Camrys are thus far considered THE MOST reliable 4-door sedans ever made under 30 g's.

This is also something I can relate to because my father currently drives a 94 Camry LE with 194k miles, and my mother has a 98 with close to 120k. I should add that no major repairs have been done to either.

 

they are the same as all the other maximas except that have sel badging and you could get that badass red color, which are nearly impossible to find.

 

sterling mist you mean ?

 

Yeah don't get a black max they are a Biznatch to keep clean (mine is always dirty and it's visible) I wanted dark blue or dark green but it came down to beige or black so of course i took black (no offense to Will and the beige bandwagoners)

 

Buy a low mileage '97 for cheap.........

 

I'm just going by what JD Power & Associates has said. They're ratings take into consideration build quality and repairs. The 95-99 Maxima came in quite a few notches above both the Accord and Camry of the same years. This very fact cracks me up because the public has it in their minds that Accords and Camrys are bulletproof hence the reason they pay top dollar for there used cars that offer worse reliability, worse handling, worse braking, and worse acceleration


Dave

 

I'd have it no other way.




Dave

 

DAVE you got the bad boy rims back on !! Your car looks AWESOME ! On the camry thing, im not seeing many around here anymore but there is a 4th gen maxima on every road !!!

 

What he said.

I sold my civic for a killing (thank you TFATF) and bought this maxima for next to nothing compared to exact same 98-99 in much sh!ttier condition.

 

Fine choice on a '97 - '99 Max

a few caution signs

1) '97 and '98 models are under an alternator recall, so if you're looking into a '97 or '98 be sure it was manufactured b4 2/97 or after 2/98 since the recall affects '97 and '98 models manufactured within that timeframe

2) '99 models are known to have bad coils, but they do have that wonderful crimson blaze red color available only on SE-L models

3) knock sensors are also common to go bad

other than that you're investing in one hell of a vehicle w/ a sweet-a$$ engine

careful w/ the mod bug, once it hits you, there's no way you can't stop modding your ride

let us know which year and trim you ended up w/ and .. enjoy the ride!

 

White is just as much of a hassle to keep clean and those too show as much dirt as a black max

 

I have a 97 black Max and trust me it's a real PAIN trying to keep it clean. It really shows all the imperfection especially small scratches. My brother has the 98 SE 5speed grey one. I think that would be your best choice.

 

Seriously it looks great from a distance but even after a nice wash it's nasty haha. Sterling mist probably is the easiest to keep clean and it looks really good

 

In that case, you've probably never been to Chi-town. I literally see that 1 out of every 10 cars are Toyota Camrys.

And I will disagree with everyone - a Toyota Camry IS bulletproof in terms of reliability with comparison to any Maxima. Have you people even owned one? If not, please do not comment.

 

definately . toyota`s IMO are the best cars on the road. nissan has a way to go before they can join in on toyota`s party .

 

Anyone wants to trade mine 96 Light Purple Silver Metalic for a Black Maxima? I don't mind getting it dirty. Having the car for a bit more than a year, i only saw two other Maxima with LPSM.

Talking about Chinatown, i've been seeing alot of Asian driving maxima. Ohh! I'm one of them.

 

I love my 97 SE, but I wish I got a 5speed. Go the extra mile to find a good condition 5speed.

 

dark blue is just as much of a hassel to keep clean as black, trust me...but i love the dark colors

 

your moving from a convertable sports car that is quick,

to a slow(in conpairson to the gt) 4 door family sedan?

why?!?!?!

how is it's performance inferior? a 5speed gt should whip a max im all performance catagories, 1/4, top speed, turning...

to each there own. want to trade cars? i got a 97!

if you want to buy a car for gas milage, 4 bangers are the way to go, i doubt anyone would disagree...

oh and all of you complaining about your cars being dirty. deal with it. it sounds so lame saying i hate my car's color, it's always dirty! your car is always dirty it's just certain colors show it off and you should have known better then to buy a car who's exterior is a biatch to keep clean. mine is black. i deal. i knew what i was getting into. black paint is unlike any other...so hot...so clean...so...sexy?

 

Why are you taking it to heart?

I've never owned one but I've driven one and they are not fun to drive. Either way they are reliable cars. I also have a 97 Accord in which I've had to change the ball joints, timing belt, new axle (from the ball joints giving and falling on its face) and just last week a new thermostat. My Max is a 97 as well and I have not done any of the sort to it. I think the in this case the Max has the Accord beat.

 

Hey BOSS! I honestly don't think there is any difference in reliability between the Maxima, Accord, or Camry, although in the 97-99 model years I would put the Max #1, Camry #2, and Accord #3 in fun to own and drive. The only problem I have with the Camry is the interior. My mom's 99 XLE V6 has radio buttons falling out, and the power window panel came out of the door which I was told is very common...the Camry does however have the best automatic trans. 80K and the shifts are flawless.

As for performance against a 97GT, 4th gen Max can take it. All the stats I see have the Max 0-60 at 6.6, and the GT at 6.7. A convertible is a couple ticks slower. In 99, the GT got 260hp and acceleration improved making it much faster. Also, at highway speeds like a 70 punch, the Max will slowly pull away on the 94-97 GT...at least in my experience, just like my 93 SHO used to pull away from 95 Mustangs on the highway. I know you can mod the GT into a faster car, but the same can be done for the Max.

 

As 10to1 said, don't get black. And definitely go with a 5-speed. If I could do it over again, I would have gotten anything but black and a 5-speed. Also, be looking for 97-99 just for the body style. I wouldn't worry much about the coil packs if you find a nice car. Oh, and low miles!

 

Why not keep the stang and buy a cheap little econo-beater? Then you'd have something that gets great mileage when you want it too, and something else that gets decent power and has a big aftermarket for mods. Seems like the best of both worlds.

 

black on black + black tint...just get one and you'll know what i'm talking about

 

I'm not gonna complain about keeping my black Max clean because its not really a big deal. But beware that the quality of Nissan paint is mediocre and chips WILL show.

My advice is wait for a 5 spd and get exactly the color and options you want. I say this because I see SE's all the time and I see 5 spds occasionally but I never look into another Maxima and get jealous because they have an option (like leather or climate control) that I don't. That's a great feeling.

Another thing- the Bose system is one of the best sounding stock systems I have ever heard but the CD player is pretty crappy. It has a really hard time reading burned CDs and says "CD Err" if you so much as changes lanes on the freeway. It's about $250 to fix and you can't just buy another head unit with the Bose system. However, you can solve this problem by either adding in an aftermarket changer or buying an Ipod. I went the Ipod route and now that I don't have to deal with the CD player, I'm very happy with the way it sounds.

P.S. Another great Maxima thing- all those people who think they can beat you because you're driving a 4 door family sedan....and then finding out the hard way that they can't.

 

I can see why he wants to get rid of the Stang. Convertable 96-98 GTs or even the hardtops aren't the fastest thing around. Believe me, it takes quite a bit more money to propel a 96-98 GT into the low 14s than it does a 5 speed 95-97 Maxima. The other problems with the Stang are general quality control/design problems like rattles, ill-fitting interior pieces, general component failures, and a rather comfortable driving postion for tall guys. Owning a musclecar can get old after a few years. I know that after owning my 94 Z28, I was willing to trade some speed for quality, reliability, and a good ride. As for handling, the liveaxle Mustang chassis isn't a benchmark of handling. If you want a good handling liveaxle then look at the F-Body.


Dave

 

I've got 219k on my 95, and only major replacements, besides what Dave B states as far as wear and tear items including the knock sensor, are the starter, water pump, alternator and one ignition coil, other than that, smooth sailing. Again, I'm with DaveB on this, look for a 97 SE, low mileage.

 

Thats an easy fix.......