I am looking to upgrade from my 3rd gen. Max to a 4th gen. I have heard a lot of people say not to buy a 95 because they have a lot of problems. I was wondering if this was true or not.....Thanks in advance.....

 

Go for the 96, i think that is the fastest for 4th gen. It has the least emissions on it and weighs the least too. Aviod what i did in getting a 99. Also get the 5 speed and avoid autos.

 

Whats wrong with the autos ? I need this car as a daily driver and dont really wanty a 5spd.....Is there a major difference between the 96 SE, GXE ,GLE ???

 

Why does everyone say that you should avoid the 99's out of the 4th gens?

 

of different spec (obd1 vs 2). If you're not looking for the fastest than that's irrelevant. I don't remember any major problems with 95, maybe an o2 sensor recall, guys?

GXE is the base model.
SE sports.
GLE a little more luxury.

 

I don't no were you heard that one?95 Has OBD1 computer setting and 96 has OBD2 which has more emmision control junk,anyways back to the original question I have a 95 and now many other people here who have 95's and have had no more problems then 96's,the only thing that has gone wrong with my 95 is the Clutch died a few days ago with 91K on it,I drive very aggresively though so if you find a concern you anyways.Look up a old post from about a month 95 with a moutour adult owner there should be no Clutch problem, also if your getting a automatic this problem will not cocern you,also about a month or 2 ago there was a 50+posts that talk about how many miles everbody with a 95 has you will see plenty of high mileage 95 info with little or no problems even on cars exceeding 165k.GOOD Luck and don't worry about it.

 

Most likely because they were the slowest year max.Just by a little bit though its no biggy if anyone wants to trade me there 99 Stock or moded for my souped up 95 I would be down for that haha let me know we can set something up and Oyeah dont worry about all the miles on my car they don't meen nothin haha.

 

I think anyone in this forum will agree you can't go wrong no matter which year you go with. It amounts to a lot of hair splitting. I don't think the rumours you've heard are representative of my experience. I have a 95 with 109K. It's been great.

Life's a trip, the 4th gen will take you there, enjoy the ride no matter which you choose.

 

Thats what I thought....Thanks for the info guys....I hope to see you again when I become a proud 4th Gen. Maxima owner....
Anybody wanna trade for my 3rd Gen ??? hahahaha

 

I say go for a 97. Not only cause I have one myself, it is the cheapest in the "newer" of the 4 gen maximas, where the bumpers are reinforced, the structure is more sound, the car is safer (according to 40 MPH frontal offset crash tests), and the car's rear and front looks a hell a alot better then the 95-96. And with the SEs, you get the cool guy 5 spoke rims. The 97s dont have the digi odometers like the 98-99s do, and the SE's dont get the SE sticker on the side like the 99s do either.

 

one more question.....what should I expect to pay for a 96/97 SE.....I saw some cheap ones but it didnt seem right....just a ballpark would help a lot....Thanks

 

That is to big of a question to answer accuratly it all depends on were you live how many miles are on the car and what options and if it is a Auto/5SPD,A ballpark figure would be $10K too $16K.

 

I keep thinkin about upgrading to a 99 myself. I dont want to old of a car & one with high miles as I put alot of miles on my car myself. I must admit I bought my 91 with 84K miles & I currently have 136 in the 2yrs 9mos I've had my car. Besides the tranny going out I have had a great car. How are the trannys in the 4th gens (specially the 98/99 models?) Anyone had problems yet? The last thing I want to do is buy a car where Im gonna have to replace the tranny again. It's to draining on my bank acct. Any other problems to look for in the 98-99's? And what's wrong with the autos? I prefer and auto, but will get a 5 sp (if I learn how to drive one before I buy ) Thanxs guys/gals.

 

Ok 95-96 where the fastest. 97-99 have reinforced bumpers. 95-96 also have the o2 recall plus weak starters. Neither of which are a big deal in my book. I'd shoot for a 97 at least if I were to buy again.

Oh btw... I er my wife has a 95 se 5 speed. My sister has a 95 Auto. I drove my sisters car the other day by myself. Man when I put the pedal down the car paused for a second then took off like a bat outta hell.

I perfer 5 speed, but if you must go with an auto then go for it. Both are nice cars.

Oh ya... listen for rattles on your test drive.

Regards
wizeguy

 

Thanxs for your input. Where would the rattles most likely come from & If I do hear them is it going to be a bid deal in the long run depending what it's from (rather than just hearing it & gettin annoyed).

 

Got a 95 GLE with 75,000 miles and no problems so far.

 

on tranny's there is a little poll in there,so far only one tranny has broken but it had about 165K miles on it!Not bad,I have a 95 {poor Man's 4th gen but hay I bought it myself when I was 19}with 91,200 miles and my first problem just occured the clutch died and now I am stranded hear witing for stillens package to come in,but other than that no real problems other then 2 o2 sensors.

 

95-96 if you're trying to save money, 97-98 if you find a great deal.

 

95's are still OBDII....how many times we go through this....now im not gonna argue that ALL 95's are OBDII. i know that my 95 Max is OBDII. Check for an OBDII connector at the bottom right near the ECU. there is a OBDII connector there.

 

Not that its a way big deal but some of the changes that happened when the Gen 4 went from 97 to 98 and beyond was;

1. Digital ODO replaced the analog one.
2. Newer Auto climate control system.
3. The gauges are more symmetrical (ie. the temp and fuel gages face each other on a 98 as opposed to a 97 where they both face left)

Just my 1 cent.

DW

 

i had to get our 95 SE's rear O2 sensor replaced for a lot of money. the dealer denied anything about the recall i mentioned. i might have to call that 800 number for nissan warranty information.

 

There is no difference in the emissions controls between these years. OBDII started at the end of 94. My 94 Z28 was OBD I while the 95 Z28 was OBDII.

OBDII is not as restrictive as you guys think. Cars are not tested for emissions at WOT, instead they are tested from idle to 3000 rpm or so. The WOT performance of the VQ in a 97-99 Maxima should be the same AT THE MOTOR compared to the 95/96. The restriction lies else where. The 97-99 Maximas are slightly slower because:

1) They've got slightly heavier rims and tires. It makes more of a difference than you think.

2) 6" of B-pipe right after the cat where the O2 sensor plugs in is super restrictive. The 95-96 does not have this restriction because the O2 sensor mounts in the cat.

These two differences could suck out about 10hp vs the 95/96 Maxima. The slightly heavier bumper reinforcements might weigh 10 lbs.

Dave

 

By Jove I think he's got it!!

DW

 

i havent had any problems with my 95...114ks and still going strong..

btw about the front bumper being ugly
u can always swap the 97-99 onto the 95/96
i plan on swaping the headlights and grill like emax
sooner or later..

 

since the used max 5spd market is not as big... worked for me.