Hey guys I don't post very often but I have been on the Maxima website in one form or another for atleast 3 years. I am 95 percent sure I will upgrading to a 4th GEN this weekend I found a 95SE w/leather but it has an-----auto-----in my 12 years of adult hood I have never owned an ----auto------. My VG with 5 sp is an absolute monster lowend, I have a CAI/exhaust and It does not dissapoint, however those of you familiar with the VG know that there is no high end. I never thought I would even consider driving an -----auto---- but the 95 SE was not bad at all. After 12 years of shifting it felt good not to shift.

Impression of 4th GEN

Most noticable was the wheel gap? I could get nearly 5 fingers on the rear and four in the front. What was Nissan thinking. My third gen I can only do three fingers above the tire.

I have read about the rattles and yes I did hear them.

I have also heard the interior was cheap, overall not the workmanship of the 3rd Gen but the leather was immaculate and the seats were very firm.

If I get the VQ I will miss the very agressive sound of my VG 5p, the VQ is just silky smooth and too quiet.

The "bubble butt" is not an issue it does not look that bad to me. I think the car just needs to be lowared. THe "I" is missing in th back " M A X M A"

Overall:

I was very pleased with the car and feel it is time to upgrade. With the new Nissans coming out in the next few months the VG will be falling far behind (numbers)

What are your opinoins of the VQ AUTO

TIA

Pat

 

I like mine. You will definitely want to do some suspension mods.

 

they're nice cars, but from my experience there is no comparison power wise, the auto just saps up the power... also with goin to auto from stick, in the words of a good friend "if you buy yourself an auto, everyday u'll kick yourself and wonder why you were so stupid" haha like the auto is fine for driving, but when you want that extra kick, thats when u'll miss the stick

 

personally, i almost hate my auto tranny. note i said almost! even though it can be dealt with. if you do get it, a higher-stall and stronger torque converter is a must, as well as don's vb mod. a hayden tranny cooler is also vital. with a stick shift, u'll most definitely get .5 quicker in the 1/4 compared to a base auto. if u can find a stick shift, power to ya! if not, the auto's not a bad car by any means :-)

 

The auto ain't that bad. I had a '96 auto and drove it sanely like a smooth luxury car.

I definitely drive my '97 5sp with more attitude because you can hold the gear longer, etc...

You'll be surprised... at the track, a stock VG 5sp would be close run with a stock VQ auto.

My all time best at the Sac Speedway with the auto was 15.385 seconds on the quarter (with muffler and air filter removed). There was another Maxima there that day, and it ran 15.5 bone stock straight from Enterprise rent-a-car. A VG 5sp is around 16 second bone stock.

I also have a 1990 SE Auto. The suspension is slightly stiffer. Around long sweeper turns, they're pretty close. However, the rear end of the 1990 tend to track with the front better and communicate what it's doing.

The rear end on the 1996 and 1997 is more vague... like they were separated at birth and not tuned to work together.

The interior on my 97 is still very tight. The interior of the 90 is not bad for it's age.

The 4th gen seems to have more power assist in the steering, but it's also slightly sharper.

-V

 

if you plan to mod your next max, be patient and get the five speed. if you are really tired of shifting then go for the auto. the max is a pleasure to drive auto or five speed. its all up to what you want now.