Hey everyone... I was hoping someone could help me out!

I just bought a black 99 Max from a dealer in CA. According to the dealer, they say my Max is an SE. It has the factory white gauges, leather, fog lights, moonroof and spoiler, and is an automatic. It came with aftermarket wheels, so I don't know if it originally had the SE wheels. But now I'm beginning to question whether it's really a GLE in disguise. I've seen another GLE with the white gauges, fog lights and the spoiler. How can I tell if it is actually an SE or not? I'd like to know if I actually have the SE suspension or not. It doesn't say SE or GLE anywhere on the car.

Any ideas?

THANKS!!

 

Does your car have chrome door handles? chrome window trim and a chrome grille? if no, and it's all black... then that is another indication of you having an SE
Also, the SE steering wheel is different, it's leather wrapped and more sporty looking.. the shifter is also leather wrapped.

 

in case it helps...

 

Yup, it has black door handles and window trim, and the steering wheel is leather-wrapped. I guess that's a good sign!

I wonder if I can tell by the VIN #??

Thanks!

 

Maxima666 you have an SE, some indicators are the body color grille and you have black trim and door handles. The GLE has chrome door handles and trim.

 

Yet more wasted bandwidth.

I can change everything in my car to make it look like an SE... it's not that hard.

The only way to tell is by your VIN number. Which is covered in the 4th gen FAQs... it's a thread up top with the word "Important" in front of it. Might want to give it a read... along with the other threads with the word "Important" in front of it.

 

Its so nice to see the moderators being nice to the new guys...such a warm welcome

Kirk

 

Cheap too. Thats the problem when a dealer can pull it off withut anyone knowing.

SuDZ

 

I don't think dealerships around the USA are having big parties with champagne because they've successfully managed to dupe people into buying a GLE but thinking its an SE...is the value of an SE really that much higher (and worth all the small-but-somewhat-time-consuming-and-nit-picky changes) than a comparable GLE? (Apparently, Kelley's thinks the GLE with the same options/mileage as an automatic SE is more expensive)

While it may happen once in a blue moon, and dealers may mess with used cars in general in such a way that a few things are questionable, this shouldn't make you want to take a car completely apart and examine every last intricate part to verify that it is, in fact, genuine. (You'd say "Well, they wouldn't go that far." But if they'd go so far as to make all the nit-picky changes to make a GLE an SE...)

Just get a 5-speed next time. Then the question will be "Is it a GXE or an SE?" But you'll spend so much time concentrating on the road and your shifts, that the question will just fly out of your head.

 

Exactly. Well said.

DW

 

It's so nice to see new guys being nice to moderators who spent time searching and typing up frequently asked questions and putting them up where everyone can see them. Such repect they have.

Calvin

 

I'm glad Calvin's babysitting........




This thread is a waste and could have been answered in 5 minutes by reading the stickies......but I'm once again repeating myself....

 

I actually agree with you, which is strange, but give him a break, he's new. Now that you told him to check the stikies he should know from now on. You should also, IMHO have locked this thread after submittng your first post.

Kirk

 

yeah calvin you are trying to hard to be evil.. you got to let it come to you man.. don't force it..

 

Disregarding everthing to do with the body, i know how to tell if it's an Se or not. Ok i know this works with the 95-96 maxima, but i'm not sure if it will with the 97-99. Turn on one of ur blinkers, then geto ut of ur car and look at the blinker if the connersing lamp ( the thing next the headlight on the outside) gets brighter u have urself abd SE, but if it doesn't don't get worried, i'm not sure if it is the same with the 97-99 as it is with the 95-96

 

Uhhhh.... no. My 95 GXE's corner light gets brighter when I use my blinker.

95-96 SE/GLE/GXE all do that.

Nissan redesigned the 97-99 to not turn brighter when blinkers are on.

The only sure way to tell what you're trim level is, is by the VIN number (unless someone messed with the VIN number).

 

I have a GLE and mine gets brighter too...VIN says GLE...some parts of the car indicate GXE...and now it looks like its part SE...what a hybrid

Kirk

 

so you're saying I'm naturally evil........

 

theres another good way of tellin an SE from any other....the third brake light in GXE and GLEs have it inside the car behind the rear windshield between the two rear speakers...however SE's since they have a spoiler, only have the third brake light on the spoiler and not in the back windshield area...white guages, fogs, sport suspension, 55 or 60 profile tires(stock size), different steering wheel and shifter..and the non chrome trims and grille..thats about all