Hi,

I "had" and sold a 98 Maxima, never one problem. Thinking all 4th Generation Max's are the same and it was time for another sedan, I bought a '96.

Curious why the taillight mods start for '97 cars.

Wondering if there are any other concerns, mods just for pre-'97 cars.....

THANKS!!!!!!

 

yes, you definitely bought the wrong year, the 96 is known to explode after a cenrtain mileage.

watch your a$$

 

is this a joke???

bhaske1 -- If you have a 5 spd., you may be screwed, but other than that, my car turned 134k miles the other day, and I'm only throwing the knock sensor code (which is normal for all years). Run the ecu diagnostic test for piece of mind, and perform some general maintenance.
If you don't like the stock taillights (I do, actually) then you're S.O.L. as far as replacements except for altezzas , but you can tint them/red them out.

 

What the hell is wrong with 95-96 5-speeds?

 

It is a 5 speed. I just ordered a short shift kit from:
http://www.customenterprise.com/view.../vts/design004

The transmission feels very good, no clutch slip.... yet hehehe

I'm just having weird things happen. The sunroof is now stuck open/tilt. The BOSE radio backlighting is out. There is some loud screeching noise from the timing chain cover. Although I bought it last week and have not had the chance to check it all out yet.

I decided to eventually tint my rear lamps and I ordered the clear front turn signals.

Looking for stock 98 SE 5 spoke 16in wheels. Plan to buy a suspension VERY soon. Maybe someone has a good headunit to donate ;-)

 

all of you can go to hell, IMO, the 95-96 are the BEST year model, due to less emissions restriction and less curb weight (+ the better looks) the 95-96 can actually be faster stock vs stock

Thank you very much

 

Represent!

 

Yes please ol' wise ones fill us in on why a 5speed 95-96 is trash..

 

<<96 auto 134000 and still goin strong

 

Yep, 95-96 are the best bang for the buck, price wise, and arguably the fastest 3.0's.

 

I have 96,5xx miles on my 96. It's a 5-speed, tranny is very strong and smooth, not anticipating any problems any time soon. I hear the 98-99 maximas have coil pack/o2 sensor issues, but hey who knows. I believe I made the best decision in purchasing a 96!

 

ole wise one speaks the truth, a good % of them are plagued with a factory defect with the incorrect shim size, this results in early failure of differential bearings. type in differential bearings in search and see what comes up. its pertinent to the 5speeds of 95-97

 

obviously your car's not a time bomb, it was a joke.

I think the 95-96 "looks" are dated, 97-99 are much better IMO.

95's can win stock vs. stock, but only marginally, and there would be alot of other variables to throw in, so it's pointless to compare the two, they're the same car essentially. It doesn't put out any more hp, and doesnt weigh alot less, less than 50 lbs difference.

I wonder if there's a 95-96 conversion for a 97-99....kinda pointless, dont you think?

again, its the same car, and its jut my opinion that a 97 will look better than a 95.

 

i think if i were to do it again, id get a 98, i havnet had the differential bearing problem....knock on wood, but bad coil packs are no reason to pass up the 98 or 99, and o2 sensor isseus are on all 4th gen models and it would cost $200 at most to replace all 3 on a fed spec model...

 

Yeah, I understand where your coming from, but 5k was all I had to work with. At that range I believe I found the best deal (at least in my area)

 

got 169k on original engine and tranny, besides a few sensors here and there it runs like a beast

 

mines got 130k and still runs well, but the fact is there are still problems with certain trannies in these years.

 

Well I appreciate all the comments, but have to agree and disagree.

My Auto '98 SE was WAY better looking as far as, front end, rear end, BOSE stereo, Climate controls.

But this 96 SE I got is a more fun to drive, due to its 5 speed.

 

Sorry CarbonDreams95 and JClaw. the fastest stock 4th gen is a 97.

 

and how did you come to that conclusion?

 

This thread is just turning into a "my car is better than your car" dispute. Rather pointless.

To answer your original questions bhaske1, the problems typical to 95-96 Maximas are transmission bearing failures, knock sensor failures, and occasionally O2 sensor failures.

They make several altezza style tailights for the 95-96 Maxima, if that's your boat, and they used to make red/clears. There are a few different tailights out for the car, just not the red/clears you are thinking of.

-Cyrus

 

I have 186k on my 96 no leaks and running strong!!




p.s. PUTZ!