Recently got a 95 Maxima GXE. It's my first car (I'm only 19) & I love just about everything about it. The only real "complaint" I have about it is that it seems to kill gas rather quickly. (I live in NYC and burned half a tank going around 160 miles, w/ more stop and go miles (in the city) than highway...) My question is whether or not using overdrive has any affects on the mpg. A couple of friends tell me to leave it off when driving in the city and put it on when I'm cruising on the highways. Are they right, or does overdrive have no affect on mpg?

Some other questions I have:
1) Where can I find detailed specs on my car? (i.e. manufacturer's mpg, curb weight, dimensions, gas tank size, etc...)
2) Any opinions on whether or not I got a good deal on my Maxima?
Basic specs: Black 95 Maxima GXE, 70k miles (highway miles according to dealer),
-auto
-power windows / locks / mirrors / driver's seat / sunroof
-remote keyless entry
-rear spoiler
-alloy rims (I was told for the SE model??)
-factory alarm system (not like a regular car alarm, but I'm still confused on how it works)
-clean title, no accidents, body dmg, etc..
(Left this out b4 --> Got it for $8800)

Thanks for any help anyone can provide...
-J

[Edited by Retro on 11-07-2000 at 05:58 PM]

 

Leave it on. Doesn't affect it much, if at all, even in the city.

Specs should be here on Maxima.org or the MaxFAQs hosted by Steve Cutchen (sp?).

Cost? http://www.kbb.com and check!

 

With city driving i get about 280-290 miles on a full tank. This is on my 99. As for the OD, leave it OFF. WHy the hell do you need a 4th gear in the city? Your not save any gas. Transmission shops will tell you the same. If you leave it on, it will just make the trans shift through more gears and that means more wear and tear. Unless your doing over 50 in the city, i think its a good idea to leave it off. I leave min off and i live in the suburbs.

 

70,000 miles on a Maxima is like 30-40,000 on most other cars. If the milage is truley Highway miles, thats even better. You got a very good deal in my opinion. As for the overdrive, depending on how fast you drive throughout a day should indicate whether or not you should leave on your overdrive. I'd say if your averaging over 45 mph then you should have it on. Over drive off will burn gas faster at higher speeds. Also if your looking to save on gas, try using Sythetic mix oil next oil change. I noticed the Max's healthy consumption of gas myself, so I also noticed the drastic change in conservation when I changed my oil.

 

Sounds like you got a good deal. I paid $11,000 for a 95 GLE loaded in pristine condition. Of course the Max is a hot car where I live. It has 70,000 miles. I also just got 300 miles out of a half tank of gas on a trip recently. All highway miles of course.

 

Hello:

I do all city driving for the past 5 years with a lot of stop-and-go. I have never acheived anything above 19MPG...
95% of my miles are city miles... I live in San Jose, CA.

Where I live, there is just no way to get around the stop and go conditions...

Overdrive doesn't matter... leadfooting it away from a stoplight or lightly accelerating up to crusing speed doesn't matter... Either way the mileage is 18MPG very consistently for all my city driving...

At low speeds, your fuel economy is determined primarily by the weight of your car... How much energy and work does it take to constantly accelerate a 3200LB mass? Once you are on the highway, aerodynamics becomes a bigger factor... This all assumes you keep the RPMs at reasonable levels for cruising... With big city driving, I do not think any 3000LB modern car can easily break the 20MPG mark consistently...


Unless you have a lot of pumping losses or combustion inefficiencies (like a typical old American carburetor motor), the size of the engine itself doesn't make that much of a difference... Big SUVs are not gas guzzlers because they have big engines... they are gas guzzlers because they have the aerodynamics of a brick wall and they weigh so much... If they had smaller motors, they would not get significantly better fuel economy... they would just accelerate even slower...