I just sold my 1995 gxe maxima. I want to get a 97 and up se. Out of 97,98 and 99 which year is the best to get? I heard the 99's have some problems. Also do all of the years have that bearing problems in the 5 speed tranny? I know a lot of them did. I had to change me tranny on my old maxima. Also what does the limited edition mean? Please let me know. Thanks.

 

You would be fine going with the 97 or 98, get the 98 since technically its newer.

 

Why would you not recomend the 99?

 

I have a 99SE for about 2 yrs now and I haven't had any problems with the car, the only thing I had to change were the knock sensor and O2 sensors because the check engine light came on and the codes came up as that. I love it and will invest a considerable amount into the car at a later date.

 

98 has problems woth alternator n starter.... and the water pump dies when u go over 150 K .... thats waht happened to me and my friend.. i'd say get 98 but u still gotta chose if u want SE, GXE or GLE...i got a GLE

 

I wouldn't of sold your 95, unless it crapped out and was not worth to fix. I miss my 95 because it was so much cheaper I had more money for mods. My 97 looks better, but not $3000 better.

 

i have a 99 but id say a 98 sine you can get all the 99 goodies and still upgrade the ecu.....

 

99's have coil pack problems. Nissan went with a larger design for the coil pack in 99 and there for you can't use 97/8 coils in the 99. Some say it's a problem some say it's not. Be prepared for it. Diagnose which cylinder is having the problem and fix that one.
se-l was a limitied edition se. It has se-l embossed on the leather seats in the front and I believe and se-l emblem on the trunk. Correct me if I'm wrong please.
some of the 5 speed's have differential bearing issues. I've got 200,000 kilometers on my orginal clutch and have not had any problems with the tranny bearings. I believe it's just how hard you drive it. Check the motorvate website for information on how to fix this problem.
the limited edition could only be had in 99 and some of them came it that ultra rare red.
That's all I know. hope that helps.

 

All of what you just said is false. Of course there was known alternator problem in 97 and early 98 models but it didnt mean every car produced in those years was bad and there was no problems with the starter it went bad when it was time. Water pump I dont know what makes you think such. Oh wait because it happened to 2 people it happens to everyone. Im at 216K on my original starter and waterpump and yet they are still going strong.

 

my 99 had coil pack issues, as do most 1999's. other than that, smooth sailing.. unless you want to upgrade the ECU, then it's tougher than the 95-98's...

 

exactly what i was about to post

 

Why not go with the 5th gen?
http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=en&cardist=16

 

uhg...i hate the haters... i didnt say it happens to all of em... there have been many threads here about starters also... its just taht my car died on me on the road cuz of the starter..

 

Get a 98 and enjoy.

 

yea ! i luuuuuuuuv 98s !!!

 

well id personally take a 97-98. some 99's have coil pack problems, and upgrading the ecu gets hard. it seems like all the 5spd 4/5th gen maximas can suffer from the diff bearing problem, so its not really any specific year. I have 2 98's and i love them.

I had my altenator replaced free of charge by nissan on both of them, prior to that i had no problem, but thought id get it done anyways, its free how can you go wrong. I have had no problems with my water pump on either of my maximas, one of which has 182,000 miles on the original water pump.

 

Many keep mentioning the ecu upgrade against the 99's If Umass isnt going to spend $600 on an ecu upgrade then there is no need to mention the ecu upgrade against the 99's

Only thing besides that against the 99's is the coil pack issue, which could have already been taken care of depending on the age or servicing of the car, and the imobilizer key that is pricey to replace, but makes the car much harder to start for a theif.

Also a lot of 99's are cali spec, and have a few more emissions devices with it (If memory serves).

 

I totally disagree with this statement. I have a 99 which had a defective coil (just 1) so i changed them all with coils from a 97 and they fit like a charm and they fixed my misfire...so you can use coils from any year on the 99.

 

My 99 is a SE-Limited... and it's Sunlit Sand (gold), with cloth seats. The fenders have the SE-Limited badge, but that's it to distinguish it as a "limited".

 

my 99 is still running strong...Yet to have a problem besides a few minor things like the gay *** connector but lets not go there.......

 

According to Consumer Report's survey from its subscribers the 98 was the most reliable overall compared to the 99's 00's 01's 02's 03's 04's 05's. However no info is available for the 97's.

 

My $0.02 cents: Many of the members with a 99 have painfully experience a problem with the keys and immobolizer. Having to tow your car and paying the dealership nearly $100 for five minutes worth of work is not worth it. Also 99s have crappy coils, so those are likely to go out, more money. With my 99 I had to replace my TPS, which wasn't so bad, but I wasn't expecting it to go out. I'd get a 98.

 

i <3 my 99

 

immobolizer??

 

Ive had my 97 SE for 3 and a half years and the only real problems ive had it my exhaust system rotting away (im sure because of the weather conditions here) and my altenator need to be replaced. I wish i had known about the recall prior to that, cuz than i would have looked into that. instead i forked out the 400 to replace it. other than that i havent had any problems and love it more than anything. i refuse to get rid of it.