mb1

iTrader: (2)

Hi I just totaled my accord last week, and i want to get a SE Maxima. I wanna get a 5spd, but everyone tells me 5spds are a pain in the *** to drive. I don't know how to drive a stick so i am gonna have to learn in the new car. Also I'm not planing any major mods, just some boltons. What do you guys recomend. Thanks

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

the Auto's are .7 to .8 secs slower than the 5spds..

you will learn.. after you learn.. you will be happy you chose the 5spd

5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd 5 Spd

1993MaxSE

If not, get a stick. Funner, faster, more control, not boring like an automatic, not mushy like an automatic...the list goes on. Maximas are fairly sporty for 4 door cars (hence the slogan "4 Door Sports Car") but with the automatic transmission you lose most of that "sport" in my opinion. The Maxima auto transmission is good, for an auto, but in general autos are just more boring, harder to really control how you want, and have o be rebuilt sooner. So I strongly recommend you get a stick

mb1

iTrader: (2)

by the way, im planing on installing a stereo system, and i need to know if i will be able to get 1/0 gauge wire through the fire wall. IF any body knows about this, please tell me how to do it.

Daniel B. Martin

If you drive in an urban environment with lots of stop-and-roll traffic jams then you will be happier with an automatic. Constant shifting takes the joy out of driving. The clutch will wear out quickly.

If you drive in a suburban or rural environment you may enjoy a manual transmission. The 5-speed car is slightly faster than the automatic and there's no annoying delay before a downshift occurs.

jw82

it depends.. for me personally, i did not buy a maxima to race, i would have got a different car for that purpose.. so i dont really mind if its .7-.8s slower, 90% of the time im happy with an auto..when im on the highway and the auto tranny wont downshift for me to accelerate quickly is when i want an auto
youd have to be a good driver too to see that .7-.8s.. the average stick driver sucks and cars that are "supposed" to be faster than mine wind up losing to me when i just press the gas

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

If you buy a maxima between 95 and 99 .. the firewall has a hole right next to the fuel filter over by the driver side

96BLUMAX

iTrader: (3)

If you like stick, get the 5spd. I got mine auto and now after a year I am switching to stick.

Mishmosh

iTrader: (3)

I have a 95SE 5Speed that I specifically learned to drive stick for. It wasn't pretty driving the car off the lot to home--even stalled out a couple of times, but doesn't take long to get good at it. My dad has a 97GLE. It is a totally car! No where near as fun to drive. As others have mentioned, if you want to drive and have fun, get the stick--unless you do lots of stop-and-go in rush hour. That would get real old if I did that on a daily basis... but I don't.

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

this is the wrong place to ask this question... I am sure the response will be 75% or more in favor of 5spd.

I live in NYC, not the best place for 5spds obviously, but after my freaking auto tranny died so fast and now 20k after the rebuilt it is acting up a lot. Auto is slow to shift, sometimes when u want to drive faster then usually the damn thing takes forever to downshift or upshift, I really hate that, the car jerks a lot. In really hot weather after driving 30 minutes or so, the tranny doesn't want to shift at all.. I much rather spend that 1,200$ I put in my rebuilt in 4-6 performance clutches, which will last me 50 times longer then that 1 auto tranny.

I really think 5spd is the way to go, my friend had 5spd mustangs and used to drive a lot all around the city, says he will never drive an automatic again. I have poor 5spd skills, but I can definately see the benefits of the stick. I enjoy driving, for maximum pleasure a 5spd is the way to go.

mb1

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the replies guys. I am looking forward to becomming an active member of this forum in the near future. I had a 90 auto maxima gxe and I went with a 92 accord as the next car. Let me tell you that was the biggest mistake I made engine wise. Now im looking to get some real power finaly. By the way what should i pay for a 97 se 5spd with less then 50k miles?

Daniel B. Martin

Your real problem will be finding a 5-speed. As for a fair price, you could use any of the on-line used car price guides. I like Edmunds. http://www.edmunds.com/used/nissan/index.html

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

10k to 14k

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

I'm gonna give you a simple straight-forward answer. If you are going for a performance car, go with the stick-shift. By performance car, I mean supercharger, HKS exhaust, anti-sway bars, ECU chips, etc. If you want a show car, go with the automatic. By show car, I mean a car with neon lights, strobes, carbon fiber, bomb exhaust, etc. HOWEVER: If you are looking for a nice even combination of the two, I would recommend going with the AUTOMATIC. The only reason I say this (which is not because I own one), if because the maxima is still a very fast car in the automatic transmission; you can still get very high performance rates. Unlike Civics, the change from manual to automatic transmission is not 2 seconds (0-60 times). It is around .6 seconds. On the other hand, the Maxima has a very nice, smooth manual transmission, which is very highly sought after. Take your pick: both will serve you well, and you will have good fun with either. Believe me, I have driven both, and there is quite a nice change, however this is one you must enjoy. Maybe you should test drive a stick-shift first...maybe a dealers, so if you screw up the transmission they won't hate you forever (unlike some "friends"). Good luck in your Maxima quest.

1/3There2/3ToGo

I have to agree with Sprint on this one. If my car wasnt free I wouldnt be driving it. I had an '85 SE 5-speed and my dad got a new car so he gave me his '95 GXE auto and we sold my old max. I miss shifting more that I thought I would, plus I just dont have the same amount of control over the car and every day I wish I had a 5-speed.

K

SWEETSOUND2001

iTrader: (30)

View from inside the car. 1997 GXE 1/0 monster cable

blizz20oma

iTrader: (1)

The only cars I'd want to have an automatic for would be either SUVs (blech) or a luxobarge to where I'd want to "roll" around with my seat far back in a cushy seat...

A sporty sedan like the maxi, I'd have to have a 5-speed. I'm not having as much trouble finding potentials here in Omaha as I thought I would - there's a few G4 5-speeds around consistently. I drive a stick in rush hour traffic on the weekdays, and while Omaha might not have a whole lot of traffic compared to NYC or a huge city, there's still enough people on the roads. It's not that bad though in a stick, esp if you have a 'softer' (stock) clutch...I'm not sure how the maxi's are, test driving one on Mon, but I assume they're nice, smooth hydraulic clutches.

Cumalot

iTrader: (8)

Get a 5spd! I have an automatic, I wish that I have a 5spd. When I bought my car, this was the only car in the family. So, to allow everyone to drive the car, I had to get an automatic. My next car will definitely be a 5spd car. If I had the money though, I would consider a 5spd swap. It's not even close IMO. Get a 5spd!

playas33

5sd? Wait till the 2003 comes out and get a 6sd!!!

mb1

iTrader: (2)

I love to get the new 6spd, unfortunately I'm about to go to college and can't afford the money or the wait for that car.

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

2002

pmg

I would never get an auto maxima. The 5 speed is too much fun. I drive in heavy traffic every day (much of it at <10 mph, 45 min each way). I find that if you practice a little, you hardly have to shift or use the clutch at all. Just stay back a little ways from the car in front of you so you can keep a constant speed. Sometimes this does irritate people behind you, but if everyone did this, there wouldn't be stop and go traffic and I'd get to work on time.

Shayyadin

IMHO the Maxima is a Japanese Cadillac.

Now, sometimes I really wish that I had a 5spd because I know it would give me more control and there would be more to the process of driving. That happens at least once a week.

But when I'm driving it like a Cadillac, with my gorgeous sound turned up just right and my seat moved back just right and the cruise control on just at the speed limit and I got my friends and/or my bro and/or my girl in that car and I'm watching the sun set while I roll down the interstate while the sun is going down... I'm sorta glad I got the auto so that I can enjoy that moment completely.

As a point of fact - I am the only person that drives my grandfather's '99 Cadillac Deville (damn thing needs to run sometimes or the battery will die), and I like the Auto Max more. It is a perfect balance of luxury and power in my mind. It is simply the most satisfying five-seater in its price range, as far as I'm concerned.

I think that depending on your mood, you will want one or the other part of the time. It's pretty damn sporty either way. I think the real trick is to get one and stop thinking about the other.

I'm urban/suburban, BTW. Just outside Boston.

Shayyadin

P.S.: Whoever said that it's no fun to mod the hell out of an auto Max is wrong. Whoever said that it's no fun to drive an auto Max is wrong. Whoever said it takes the "sport" out of the Max is REALLY REALLY wrong!

Krash513

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mb1
Hi I just totaled my accord last week, and i want to get a SE Maxima. I wanna get a 5spd, but everyone tells me 5spds are a pain in the *** to drive. I don't know how to drive a stick so i am gonna have to learn in the new car. Also I'm not planing any major mods, just some boltons. What do you guys recomend. Thanks [/QUOTEID

Id say go with the 5 speed all the way, my friend has a 96 GLE auto and its just not the same as my 97 SE 5 speed. Its so much more fun to drive....as long as there isnt alot of traffic jams.

JAY25

iTrader: (38)

STARTED WITH A 5 SPEED 5 TON TRUCK AND NEARLY KILLED THE PASSENGERS IN DEC OF 94 AND TO THIS DAY I REFUSE TO PAY THE EXTRA $900.00 FOR AN AUTOMATIC 5 SPEED IS THE WAY TO GO I LOVE MY 5 SPEED AND BEEN IN VERY BAD TRAFFIC JAMS,

AND FOR YOU GUYS OUT THERE I TAUGHT MY SISTER IN 15 MINS AND 4 DAYS LATER SHE WENT AND BOUGHT A 5 SPEED TOYOTA AND GOT ON THE FREEWAY IN MIAMI BUSY HIGHWAYS. 5 SPEED IS THE WAY TO GO

matty

iTrader: (54)

Definelty get a 5spd...an auto is so mushy and with the auto you really dont have that much control on say backroads and sidestreet and 5spd is really not that bad in traffic...5spd is definetly fun and auto is just there and you have the car (NO FUN)..hard to explain

carnal_c30

iTrader: (38)

i'd go with most of what everyone is saying
the Maxima isnt a bad car to drive in traffic even with the stick.. i mean an S2000 or a Vette or something with a much less forgiving clutch might give problems... but the max is really easy to deal with
its still annoying though =)
go with the 5spd