Hey 5th gen guys,

Right now i own a 4th gen, tomorow im going to a dealer auction, looking at a few cars, and 5th gen is defiently in mind. im not to keen on the 5th gen, what should i look for? try to steer away from. what are known 5th gen issues? reliability? would you buy your car all over again after owning it?

 

I think I'd go with a 2002. Too many probs with my 2000. plus you get HID's with 2002. I'd also wait and find a 6 speed.

 

MAF goes bad really soon....
if i could buy it again, i would go with 5.5 gen...and thats what u should do, more hp,3.5lt, and you get hids, and some other thigns that are better than 5th gen.
good luck man
huso

 

5.5 gen being the 2002 correct? couldnt i get a 01 and swap in the 02 headlights straight or some modification needs to be done

 

yes you could do that but you also get a 3.5 instead of a 3.0 222hp vs 255


also

dif bumpers, side skirts on a 2k2, available 6 spd, other goodies

 

well i mean it'd be for more show then go although the extra hp def wouldnt hurt...is there anythign to watch out for say i get a 02 though?

 

yeah man watch out for the headlight, maf,rotors.

 

wait till he drops a supercharger into his 5gen... all u 5.5 genners will drool..

 

he says that he is into show......but sc would never hurt, if he had money for it

 

Get the 02-03. S/C may be a nice add on feature for the 00-01 but you first have to come up with the extra cash and it still doesn't have the extra nice features of the the 5.5 gen. S/C may make it faster, but def not better.......

 

make sure the 5.5 gen has daydot protection on the headlights.

 

I would go with the 5.5 gen if you can find one that you like. I had a 5th gen (2000 SE) and I loved the car, but my 5.5 (2003 SE TE) has the 3.5 motor at 255 HP and I love the way it runs. I also wanted the HIDs and a leather interior, which I got when I upgraded my car. I went from a base SE on my 2000 to a fully loaded 2003 SE and I haven't looked back.

I don't think you can go wrong with either, but I really wanted the HIDs and the Titanium Edition Max, so I only looked at 03's when I was looking to buy last year. So far, the only problem I have experienced with my 03 was a problem with the 6 Disc Bose (Blows) System. It has been replaced twice, but nothing mechanical has ever needed attention. I have 39K on my 03 Max at this time. I bought it off a private seller last year with 25K.

 

so wait. sorry to ask this dumb question but im still learning about maximas also, but does the 02 - 03 come with HID's ? im kinda confused here. sorry!

 

00-01(5th gen):No HID (stock)
02-03(5.5 gen):HID (stock)

 

oh hey thanx for the answer Gapp.

 

i just picked up a 5.5 gen 6 spd last week...i was coming form a 4th gen. Trust me go for the 3.5... it is well worth it

 

Does 5.5 gen 3.5 require a premium gas, of regular is fine?

 

Premium FTW!!

 

Does it say premium in the manual, or it says use premium for optimum performance?

 

Believe me, run Premium. The poor mileage and performance when using the pisswater isn't worth a few bucks.

 

Premium. Don't put lesser grades in so you can save a couple bucks. Not worth it IMO

 

How much are you getting it for?