Im looking to buy a 4th Gen Maxima
and I am wondering if there are any years in
particular that I should stay away from.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....ghlight=buying
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....ghlight=buying

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....ghlight=buying
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....ghlight=buying

 

now my personal spin..

97 - 99 have more re-inforced bumpers and they are more secure than the 95 - 96...

95's are lightest and they are the fastest.. they have less emmisions restrictions...

97 - 99 have better looking headlights, grills and taillights..

98 - 99 have digital odo

99 have better security package

 

This is what I used alot when considering years. It made me for for the 98 -99 era. I think you would be really happy in that region if you can find some. Go for a 5speed too. You wont regret it.

SuDZ

 

Is sounds like 97-99 were good years.
They all have 190 hp correct.

Thanks for the reponse

 

yes good years indeed..

92 - 94 SE = 190 hp
95 - 99 all models = 190 hp

i bought a 97 because i didn't care for the digital ODO and the 97 looked just like the 98 and 99 .. and it was cheaper

 

The 00 then jumped to 222. Is the 00 worth the extra dough.

 

only if you want one.. but they 4th Gen's are faster than the 5th Gen's...

 

One more naive question. The SE and GXE trims sound very similar.
What are the key differences. Thanks in advance.

 

SE has body colored grill, body colored door handles, white face gauges, no speed limiter, leather option, sports suspension, 15 inch alloy wheels (95-96), 16 inch alloy wheels (97-99), spoiler, factory fog lights, climate control option, stiffer motor mounts, stiffer front sway bar,

however if you are planning to mod hard core such as myself.. a GXE is a better value.. because you spend less upfront and you end up spending less on modifications in total..

 

We have some ES model up here in Canada. Any ideas what that adds.

 

ES is like the SE without the spoiler and the leather i think.. Nathan has an ES.. a black ES

 

I found a 98 SE with 65K kms (40K miles) for 18G's (11.5 G's US)
Does this sound like its in the right ball park.
...its "auto" yuk. The 5 spd's are hard to find. Did Nissan ever make
a tiptronic option.

Anything in particular I should check out when inspecting the car.
besides service records, accidents etc.

 

yeah thats an excellent deal.. i hate auto's not much more i can say on that

no no triptronic's offered for maxima..

check that ECU diagnostic thread and the maintenance thread above.. also have a mechanic look over the car..

 

this site might help too http://www.alldata.com/recalls/index.html

 

A 98 Accord (4 cylinder) goes for the same price as a Maxima??
I'm confused. If Maxima's are reliable why do they depreciate some much in the first couple years? There must be a reason? That man.

 

my theory is that its the nissan marketing and dealership's fault.. everytime a new maxima comes out.. they offer huge incentives and discounts on the prior models.. thus driving down the prices .. and thus screwing the resale value..

 

Would an average mechanic know how to read the ECU or would
I have to bring it to a Nissas dealer. Also it sounds to me like you could cheat....reset the ECU (it needs let say 3 consecutive trips to turn a light on) then on the test drive you would never see it.

 

not sure if a mechanic would.. but its fairly easy to do.. yeah if it was on.. you could reset it to throw a buyer off.. if you knew how

 

Those years also got the best reliability rating.

 

Honda has an undeserved rep in the marketplace (my opinion). I've had 2 Honda's and three Nissan's. Both the Honda's have left me hanging, one with only 54K on it, while none of the Nissan's have. Honda's are also boring and bland, hence the mass market that flocks to them. Nissan's also tend to have more personality to them that doesn't necessarily appeal to the same number of people that Honda does. Again, all my opinion, but I can tell you I will do everything in my power to avoid owning anything that Honda is responsible for building.

 

Both are good cars, but there are a lot of honda's out there. I think it somes down to the engine vs quality. The max has a much better engine, and the honda's build quality is a little better. Reliability wise, they are both great. I have had two honda's, one had lots of problems after 90K, one I sold to a friend at 150K, it is still running ok at 180K, and my 97 max has 130,000 with absolultely no problems. I have had it since 50,000, and nothing but regular maintnence.....

 

Common problems with the 4th gens:


Starter
Symptom: high pitched "vheeee" noise on startup
Affects: 95-96 Maximas, and possibly 97-99's as well, even though Nissan switch starter types on the 97+...for the record, I have a 97 and it makes the starter noise...details on how to fix this on www.motorvate.ca


Alternator
Symptom: alternator makes high pitched whining noise
Affects: all 4th gens...once you hear this noise get the alternator checked out immediately, or else you will get stranded like I did!


Hood lifts
Symptom: hood lifts fail to hold up hood...this is really a minor problem, costs $40 to replace the hood struts


Starting problems
Symptom: difficult cranking or engine not starting on first try...this is an annoying problem, but not one that will strand you...basically, the theory is that the engine temp sensor sends a reading which confuses the ECU into a "warm start" when a "cold start" is needed to start the car...hence you may experience a momentary lumpy idle or engine hesitation on startup


That's about it. Overall the Maxima is a reliable car. As long as you know what the common problems are, you can deal with them before they get you stranded.

 

1996 Accord 80k the ABS system broke and it was too much to fix so we just sold it.

1993 Civic transmission after 90k

Look at all the 90s Maximas around. There are a TON. Early 90s
Same with Hondas

You cannot say Honda is more reliable than Nissan

In fact Consumer Reports has the Maxima as the most reliable car ever made.

I bought my maxima just recently. I picked it because of reliability and the fact that it was just a better car than an Accord. I also tested a v6 Camry. Maxima won me over.
:=P

 

I subscribed Consumer Report about three years ago. Forgot which year CR's statistical reliability research shows Maxima is slightly better than Camry and Accord. Overall they are all great cars, as CR explains that reliability index within 3 points is not meaningful...
Kinda remember they are within 3 points...
Before I bought my 96 GXE, I already had 86 Sentra and 94 Altima. I said no more Nissan, and almost settled on Camry LE V6. Talked price and 0% finance that time and waiting to pick it up. Last minute, final comparison again brought me back to Maxima (details skipped)

 

How common are most of theese anyway? I mean I had the hood lifts go on my 98 which is weird since the guy before me never even looked under the hood. And that is it so far. What kind of chances are the others?

SuDZ

 

Supply and demand. Honda purposely limits the quantities of its car so that it can keep the value up. Nissan just puts out as many cars as people will take, well, not quite like GM, but you get the picture. The Maxima is the best selling V6 sedan in the northeast. Has been for quite a while.

DW

 

I am a owner of a 96se, the car has never failed me (knock on wood). The VQ engines are off the hook! Just use good maintenance products, premium fuel and don't beat up on it. These are good, very fast excellent quality cars (for the money) that are very modifiable, and even at 156,000 plus miles my 96se looks/runs like new!! I brought mine new with only 10 miles on it. Replaced my "ORIGINAL" alternator at 115,000 miles.

 

ES is also without the sunroof and BOSE sound system.
I have a ES, too.