First off, let me apologize if this question has been beaten into the ground before.. I tried Googling some of the basic differences, but i figured i'd get a much more detailed answer to my question here

How is the GXE different from the SE ? (5th gen)

1) Did GXE's have a factory moonroof option ?
2) Did GXE's have a factory option for wheels larger than 15" ?
3) Did GXE's have a factory leather seat option?
4) What else?

Also, I've heard from people that the GXE interior appears much "cheaper looking" than the SE... how so?? In early July I'm gonna start test driving and checkin out dealerships in the area, but i've been so busy with working and wifey that I haven't really gotten a chance to compare the interiors (GXE vs. SE)

Any insight would be appreciated

 

If you goes to cars.com and click on research you can see all the options and standard features for each car and do a comparison.

 

GXE's came with optional 16" rims
GXE's have the option of dealer installed leather seats

GXE's have differen't material padding on the steering wheel (no leather trim), differen't interior cloth (mouse fur-like).

 

The GXE cloth in the 00-01 is disgusting. The SE cloth is velour cloth and looks nice. The GXE cloth, is of a much lower quality and uglier. You really have to see it to appreciate its ugliness. My 96 Altima GXE had nicer cloth than my 2000 Maxima GXE.

In answer to your questions...
1. No
2. Yes, 16", but they are ugly as sin.
3. Yes
4. Only options are 16" wheels, leather, and spoiler.

I have a GXE. They are usually pretty cheap, $1500-$2000 less than an SE that you can use to get nicer wheels, leatherseats.com or katskin leather, a y pipe, and an intake.

 

I think I like the GXE's suspension better than the SE. I think the GXE's stock suspension is stiff enough, but also soft enough to give a comfortable ride. Besides, if suspension is important to you, a GXE would be better since you would upgrade it anyways.

 

15" steelies only on 5spd GXEs, my 01 GXE interior looks less worn down with 113K miles than most SEs I see with 70K miles... so I dunno wtf is really wrong with having "cheap" interior. I always find my cloth seats very luxurious and verrrry durrable.

No leather on the GXEs, the ones with ugly 16" wheels have power seat, CD player with 6 speakers, auto trannie only with this Convenience Package.

5spd GXEs own all 00-01 Maximas in speed, wheels only weight 14lbs each vs 26lbs for the alloy 17s, and have no power seats or sunroof, bose or other nonsense **** that adds up to more weight than needed.

 

Blackbird, are you sure the 15" steelies only weigh 14lbs? I have some 17" 04 Maxima alloys I put on and they seem to make the car quite a bit slower but look a lot nicer. I put the 15" steelies on during the winter though.

I'm pretty sure that leather was a dealer-installed factory option on the GXE's though.

There's nothing wrong with having a "cheap" interior. To each his own....For me, it was just really depressing and I really didn't like the look of it.

 

Weight them with no tires on them they are pretty light. They are 15x6 wheels and came with 205-65-15 Potenza RE92s from the factory.

When I had my Konig Tantrum 18s back in the day, car felt like I had 2 heavy people in the back seat, and when I switched back to the steelies for winter the car was quite a bit faster.

Rotational mass added by the wheels and bigger brakes can slow the car down quite a bit, and I'm really conteplating on removing my Blehmco TTZ brakes due to that fact- plus I have been experiencing quite a bit of rotor warping lately.

 

I imagine that a GXE with a lightened flywheel, UR pulley, and 15" wheels would have some serious ownage.

 

haha!..i've never paid attention but now i'm curious to see one.

 

if your planning to mod your car.. interior and exterior just get a GXE
and also you have an option to get tan or black interior , where as SE is black or frost

 

Thanks for the insight... it's gonna be a week or two before I have the time to start hitting up dealerships for test drives. I actually am a salesman for new Jeep/Chrysler/Ford with a used lot, but my used car manager and I aren't on good terms for him to hit up dealer auction(s) for me

I guess I'll have to wait and see for myself

If anybody has unmodified interior pics of either model, please post... it might save me some time by ruling out the GXE

I would get aftermarket seats, etc... but don't know if it's worth it

 

Do yourself a Favor and get an SE

 

I am also planning to by either gxe or se.

does enybody know the performance number for SE and GXT?

how havy are the stock 17s?

does spoyler make any difference?

 

i thought about it this way.........luxury or performance, then i realized why not get the luxury becuase you can't really tell performance difference, and do get an SE you won't be dissappointed

 

I can definately tell a difference in performance when comparing 17" wheels to 15" steelies. Like blackbird said, with the 17" wheels, it feels like there's' a couple of people in the backseat.

You might want to look at this....
https://maxima.org/shoptalk/sub_read...ns/index.shtml

Having the 17" wheels instead of 15" wheels effectively adds 320lbs of curb weight to the car, making it slower than the 3rd and 4th gen maximas.

Overall summary:

Depending on what kind of wheels you have, you could have either one of the fastest 3.0 Maxima's ever built, or one of the slowest. The models with 16" rims are at the top of every category except for low-end performance where the 4th Gen's still have an advantage. If you love to tear up the highways, you will seriously love a 5th Gen Maxima. The GXE owners with the 15" steel wheels may be even faster. To owners with the heavy 17" rims, don't feel too badly. Your cars have a lot of potential, but most of it is being eaten up by the rims when you try to accelerate. If you're displeased with the performance you're getting, seriously consider switching to some lighter rims.

 

Get an Anniversary Edition (SE)!

 

Does enyone know the width of the stock 17" wheels? How much do they weigh (separately, no tires)?

 

7" about 24lbs

Also, the SE has a different (stiffer) suspension than the GXE/GLE. It has tockio struts and stiffer springs, but like said not a concern if your replacing them.

 

My Maxima had KYB struts from the factory, Tokico is not really all that good anyways... Tokico BLUEs are terrible shocks when used with any stiff aftermarket springs.

I like looking at all the Maxima wheel pics on the .Org but I cringe at the fact that a good driver in a 1.8L Sentra can own a auto 3.0L with some 18s on it. I know people like looks and all but there are NICE light weight wheels out there....

 

exactly why i'm aiming for some SSR comps
IMO the cloth in the GXE is hiddeous, but it wouldn't shy me away from buying one...there are plenty of options to make your car look the way you want it, and if performance is what your looking for and you have modding in mind, there is no competition...the GXE's own all in terms of speed...

 

SE all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

 

Here is the thing; I am looking for either SE or GXE 2000/2001 under 70,000 miles with stickshift for under 11 grand.

Is it better to get tire/wheel package for like $600 - 700 and buy the GXE for $10 thousand, or get the SE for 11? (performance counts, both cornering and straight line)

 

If I can find a good price... but my credit is a little shot, and I don't have a co-signer for this

So Capital One hit me with a "Blank Check" approval... but these are the terms:
- Must be 2000 or newer
- Must have less than 50k miles
- Maximum amount I can write the check for is $12,600

It shouldn't be too hard to get $12,600 "out the door"(taxes, DMV, doc, registration) for a GXE... for SE's I don't know. Especially hard since I'm capped at 49,999 miles(otherwise, I would look for a 70k+ 2000 SE)

I *could* put up some cash on top of the Blank Check loan, but I don't know if it's worth it at this point.

 

The main difference between GXE and SE is the price. Most SE's came loaded from the factory (options that are not a standard feature on a basic SE) that run up the price tag by thousands of dollars. At this time, the depreciation has taken away much of that price premium, but still, a 2k GXE will cost 1500-2000 cheaper than a loaded 2k SE. It is up to you if you're willing to pay extra for basically the same car, and up to what you can find in your area.

With 12K you may be in a 2k2 territory, but then forget about low mileage. 12K is more than enough to get a nice 2k/2k1, but you're looking at a 5-6 yr old cars, and in 5spd trim, they will have mileage above 50K. 5spd Maxima owners love their cars.

 

If you like to mod your car, i suggest getting the GXE since you'll be replacing most of th parts anyway. Thats the reason I got a GXE. I knew i was changin suspension and wheels and other stuff. No point of getting an SE if I'm still changing the same parts out. If you're not doing any mods, go with the SE

 

I have a 2k GXE 5-speed that I have had since new. I bought the GXE because it was cheap and I knew I would change things around. After 5 years of owning the car it is pretty much an SE clone. It has the spoiler, foglights, tail lights, and yes the heavy 17's. Every one who said you can tell us 100% correct. When I switched the rims I was dissapointed. So I have installed a Injen CAI (still not close) and looking to throw a Y-pipe on in the near future. The car also has H&R springs and KYB GR2 Struts. My factory struts were tokico's BTW.

I really like my car and have been everywhere with it. I am in the military and when I was stationed in Italy the car traveled all over Italy, up to Germany about 6 times and also trips to Austria and Switzerland. Most of the time the car sits in a garage. After five years it only has 47k miles. Many years to come.

 

There's no dealer in my area thats gonna let a 5.5gen/6speed with under 50k miles go for 12.6k out the door. Private party is not an option.. and like i said, 50k is my limit. Otherwise i'd probably be shopping a 5.5 gen with 70-80k miles

Hopefully I'll be able to find a 2000/2001 with under 50k miles in good condition. Thanks for the advice.... if i can find a cheap SE, i'll run with it. If not, GXE should be straight

 

Got my GXE for 7.5k with 80k miles, moded the interior and put on rims (a little over a 1000 including leather seats and custom dash kit)

GXE all the way!