Maxima was my first car when I was 18 but forget the A32
Get a Z32. Twin turbo automatic. You will not regret it.

 

If he ever has to work on it himself, he will curse you until the day you die for buying one at your suggestion.

No joke, I'd rather install a dozen sets of Z33 headers before I'd touch another Z32 TT.

 

umm
im so addicted into the 3.5 swap thing now, but do you think that its worth it?
i wont be racing the car, but ill be on flooring the car all the time.
i dont care about getting to 145 but i want to get my 0-60 up if that helps

 

Yes. As with most people, it's about acceleration, not necessarily speed.

A full swap would be the best for all around power, really, but a hybrid swap will still net you a lot of power over your VQ30.

Great learning experience, too.

 

be prepared to shell out for transmissions. 3.5 swaps arent exactly easy on stock trans.

 

thanks pmohr, u really helped out man!

 

Really depends on how you drive it (and how much power you're making, granted. That blower isn't helping your trans, heh).

The auto will hold up just fine with a few mods as long as you don't rape it, the 5MT...yea.

 

Yep, that's my job around here.

 

i say get an MT, i had an AT and i will say the MT is so much more fun and it doesnt have the AT sluggishness, if u still have hook-ups with the shop that u use work at or still do just buy a clutch change it when u get the car and keep on rolling, just remember this is an older car so its going to need some extra care, just my 2

 

I bought a 97 in March and I love the car. Black on black leather, sun roof, heated seats, everything...even an automatic transmission. The algorithm for shifting sucks. Why is there no "sport" setting on the tranny?! I am dying to put in a 5 or 6 speed. If you like to drive go with a manual.

If you do end up getting an older Maxima, before you start with the y-pipe and the 00vi, or the 3.5 swap, change your fluids first, from power steering to brake, coolant, etc. And do other preventative maintenecne things like plugs and hoses, belts, you know. Maintenence before modification, it'll pay off in the long run. Then again I'm trying to get 300,000 miles.

All in all I like this car, and would buy another 4th gen.

 

Indeed, one thing I forgot to say; maintenance before mods. Always.

 

I agree.

Here are some of the mods that i want to do, please tell me if something is not good:
performance

progress rear sway bar
front strut tower brace
catback exhaust system
k&n air filter
warpspeed y-pipe
blank rotors/Hawk HPS pads
b-pipe with resonator

cleaning& maintainance:

Fuel Cleaner system
throttle body cleaner
knock sensor
spark plugs
injectors

bleed brakes

optima redtop battery

i made this list from reading stickies and threads but im not sure if any of those would not be good?

 

I'd get a used Honda Civic and when you learn from experience for a year or two move up to a Maxima or something relatively new and fast. I have had a couple close calls in my Maxima from not being experienced on the highway and all that. And I am on the slow, and passive side of the driving spectrum... if you drive like the way people drive in Need For Speed having a Maxima so soon in my opinion would be a waste if something ever happens to your car.

How is that for biased??


But if you are able to control yourself and not floor it when that Honda cuts you off, then you sir are ready for the MAXIMA

 

Why would you ever need to floor it to get by a Honda? :Wall:

Reminds me of the story of an NA auto MKIV on the highway, a Geo of some sort goes up and tries to play with him...ends up getting left behind with the Supra just using the accelerate feature of his cruise control, never leaving 4th gear.

 

Oh man you are right, I forgot how drastically our cars are faster compared to 4 cylinders

Oh and would it be a bad idea to spray WD-40 into your brake pads to make them stop squealing?

JUST KIDDING! Your brakes would probably catch fire, and then crash into the car in front of you. Haha WD-40 is high flammable if I remember correctly

 

Where did that come from?

WD-40 is...decently flammable, but it's no brake parts cleaner or ether.

 

Oh no, my brakes were squealing really loud, and so I thought... if it works for squeaky doors and hinges why not brake pads! But then the "reasoning" part of my brain kicked in and I remembered that brakes need friction to work, and if I lube then whole thing up there won't be friction, which would take away the purpose of the brakes.

But it was just another one of my ideas that randomly pops in, just like making the little lip on the hood that goes between the headlights chrome Which I did!

 

I be 17, in NY, finishing High School, and got 2 Maximas.

Start the modding!!!!

 

WD-40 isn't that bad, it'd burn off in a few miles (just like the shipping oil on the rotors that most backyard mechanics tend to completely ignore).

Grease, on the other hand...

And yes, I've seen it done.


Just remember, it could always get worse:

 

Hahah I remember you talking about the oils on new rotors and how you need to clean that off before installing new rotors.

But what I'm afraid is that if you soak your pads in WD-40 for the first mile or two it might be very tough to stop, like driving in snow I believe. And what happened to the guy who used grease? haha

And what is that part in the picture? FOr some reason I think its a brake pad or something a part of the wheel but I can't make it out

 

I looked at that and pondered: "what the hell is that?" After a few seconds I thought to myself "Oh my god, is that a rotor?"

 

If it's soaked in to the pad (which it really shouldn't), then you'd have to get them nice and hot to burn it off. Though personally, if a brake pad absorbed a lubricant like that, I'd throw it in the 'target practice' pile, and throw some lead at it.

The grease guy didn't go very far, to say the least. Didn't get it backed out of the damn shop (well he did, it just wasn't very easy for him to stop backing out). Sprayed everything down, cut a thou or so off of the brake pads, seemed to work fine.

The pic is a brake rotor...or the remainder of one. It was being held in place simply by butting up against the top hat, and the caliper holding it in place.

 

Well, at one point it was.

 

Good GOD! What ever happened to that noise making layer to alert people to change their brake pads. I kind of thought it was the brakes but I assumed no one would let it go so far haha

Kind of makes me wonder what other silly and downright dumb things people have done? Pour gas into the oil to make it have an extra gas supply?

 

Nice bike chain..........

 

Timing chain.

 

if you can find an A33 for 5k, jump on it...but only if it's a 6spd (which is only available on 02-03). if you don't want a manual transmission (i wanna stop here and throw in my .02 ...if you are truly a driver, you want to feel every aspect of your car. automatics take that intimacy away from the driving experience...), then go for an AE (2k1 SE 20th anniversary)

but if you want more aftermarket options, i'm thinking you should go for a 4th gen 97-98. plus, you could get one for cheap with a blown motor and throw in a VQ35 swap, tend to the maintenance, get your y-pipe, catback, intake, etc etc etc, and STILL be under 6k.

 

figured that....... Damn you think one would not drive. I cant even imagine what kind of sound that would make or how it would feel

 

Oh, the stories never end.

Well the rotors, eventually they 'didn't work so well' so she brought it in for a checkup...tech pulled the wheel off and the top hat just dropped on the ground. Apparently is was some elderly lady or something, would've needed a hearing aid just to hear a car horn, much less a wear indicator.

As far as other things...let's see.

One guy that went to my school before I ever arrived had a little fluids mixup, to say the least. Every morning he'd pull into the school parking lot, check his trans fluid level, then pour however much he thought it needed into the oil fill hole. Apparently he was rather mystified how his trans keep using up all of this oil...and he thought that was why the engine didn't run so well.

Well one day it wouldn't start (completely unrelated, somehow) so he had it pushed down to the auto shop to have them take a look at it. He happened to mention his trans fluid problem, and...yea.

Never really lived that down, even the teacher told the story to every class, one of those 'never underestimate the stupidity of people' pep talks.

 

heh... slotted rotors much?

 

Yeah those will clean the pads.

 

I wonder if he ever noticed that his oil or...transmisoengine oil was starting to top off... But anyways, that was a very educational story! I am never going to do a double take again when someone says that they accidentally filled their tank up with diesel because they wanted the fuel economy and power of diesel.

I've got a story too, well... more like a legal story but there was a woman who bought a brand new RV and so she was cruising along the highway and got hungry and so she put her RV into cruise control and then proceeded to the kitchen to make a sandwich, and so the driverless RV crashed and she sued the company that made the RV saying that they never stated that she could not do what she did in the owner's manual. And so, she won and got 3.2 million dollars or some thing close and got a new RV. And I am sure we all know the story about the lady who sued McDonalds because she spilled coffee on herself...

I swear, I think I would pay 3.2 million dollars just to slap some sense into that biatch

And here is the kicker! The fender bender I was telling you guys about where I got hit while not even in motion............well, I lost the claim and somehow I ended up with 80% of the fault and the guy who was not looking in his mirrors, and was not paying attention, or yielding to traffic, and on his cell, ended up with 20% of the fault. So now I am not even getting payment for my damage because I was mostly at fault. Even the insurance guy I talked with said that morally I was not as gulity as the other guy but legally I took the biggest part of the blame. Bad luck....bad luck....

 

from what i heard, the best combo would be a regular rotor with hawk hps brake pads or something like that.

no slotted or drilled although they look hot =/

 

Since you're in NY, be careful, because Maximas are getting broken into more and more. They're popping up everywhere. As the 4th gen gets older, the owners get younger, and the low lives want cheap/easy/free mods. I know someone who lives in Brooklyn who had his bumper lights stolen 3 times, and one night someone tried breaking into his car. If you are going to invest in mods, make sure you also invest in security, protection, insurance, etc. If you don't, your max could be gone in minutes.

I got my Maxima last year on 6/26, 2 days before turning 17. It was my first car. Its a GLE auto and I got it with 107,000 miles for $3,800 cash. I've been nothing but happy with it, aside from being pulled over about 10 times since than. I've spent around $1,000 in tickets in the past year, which I regret. I should have had my drop in December, than again in April. Finally I just got it (AGX & S-tech).

I would recommend the Maxima. Its nice and spacious. Even though its a 97, a lot of people in my school have told me it looks like a 2002 car, and these are kids that drive Audis, BMWs, Infinitis, etc. People don't believe me when I say it only has 190hp. I haven't had any maintanance issues on it, only a couple of things I have caused.

 

this thread just gave me a headache

 

if you beat your car(most 17 year olds would) get a manual, Ive blown way too many autos beating on them.

 

nah i wont actually abuse it , but i really wont care what will happen to it for this year, as next year when i gradate, im getting an infiniti g35 as a gift "used" :-p

but if you all think that the maxima will be good for this year then yea ill definately get it as i hate hondas/toyotas/fords...

 

OHH and one more thing, yea i ****ing hate that problem in nyc, people would break the windows to steal a gps something that happened to my dads car... so what other secutiry mods should i invest in as it is a necesity
thanks

 

So this is your first car, correct? How exactly do you qualify your 'hate' for the other brands, then?

Can you not get along for a single year without a vehicle? If you can't, why not just get the cheapest car that you can find that looks like it'll last for a year?

I don't see why you would spend 6 grand on (and attempt to heavily modify) a vehicle that you're only going to drive for a year, all up on this VQ35 swap and whatnot.

I won't even go into the idiocy of giving a 17/18 year old a G35...

 

how about 15 yo with boosted 350Z......