i was just wondering, after reading this forum for about 2 weeks, is there anyone that actually likes the maxima just the way it is from the factory. i agree all these mods are an addition to a really fine automobile, but i would like to hear from max owners who appreciate the car for what it is.
this is in no way a jab at all of you who are passionate about modding your cars, however i was just curious to see how many of you out there like their maxes for what it is... a remarkable car that is hands above toyotas and hondas.
please reply with comments.
thanks

 

its a nice car as it is

 

when i first got my car in 99 (before i did anything to it) all the kids at school would stop and stare. i havent done anything to the car for performance so i definitely think its a great car in that area. ive just changed the looks but it looked awesome as it was when i got it.

 

I appreciate the car bone stock because it is an amazing car for what it costs. But modding the max will make it even better. faster and better looking. Im sure if I bought a 2002 6-speed Id be in love for about a month or two then I would get used to the car and desire better looks and better performance,just like how it was w/ my 2000.
To be honest if I was able to afford a skyline gtr v-spec I would end up modding it to make it different from all the others its identical to. So my point is Id modd any and every vehicle I own.

 

stock, it is a nice car for sure....



modded, it is nicer

 

I think it really is a great car as it is... However, now that I've had it for a year, I'm looking to add a bit more fun I still love it though

 

the man you are looking for is Daniel B. Martin

 

Yep, good luck finding him though

 

i started getting stuff for my car just to personalize, not necessarily 'mod' it. and now i'm looking at different options for performance mods and as i read about negligible increases from different exhausts and intakes, i appreciate how fine a car the maxima is just stock. i mean, if you were to swap out a civic's intake and exhaust system, you're looking at many times more increase in performance than on a max. just makes you think how well tuned our cars are from the factory.

but no, i like little blue lights all over my car instead of stock.

 

I consider myself a smart shopper, so the max must be a better car at its price!! But mainly its because it has more power than the rest and i had 4 nissans already. However, with any car i have, i cant stand the stock wheels, i always want it to be bigger and stand out more....look at my attachment. I always limo tint my cars, because i dont want people to see me inside.
I dont know if its really better than accords or camrys, because i'll never buy those in my life....but i bet they must be good cars. I bought my max simply because i think nissan really put character into its cars, sort of like a jap BMW. Trust me i would rather have a Q45, LS430, but I dont think my next car will be japanese any more simply because i think its about time to move up. But for financial reasons, its hard to beat any of the brands u mentioned.

 

I am the person you're looking for. My GXE gave me the most bang for my buck, so to say. Although I am a fan of modded cars, it doesn't mean I'll throw 10 grand on mods. My car is stock except the stereo and foglights. Since I get to keep it another 5 years, I'll get a set of rims (hubcaps suck), window tint, spoiler, maybe FSB/RSB-springs..dang thats $2k right there...

 

I'm the same way... the only things I've done to my car are clears all around, tint, FSTB, and the SE wheels to replace those fugly hubcaps. Other than the RSB (still can't decide which to get) and maybe H&Rs/AGX, that's all I plan to do to my car. Who am I kidding, I'll do the suspension as soon as I have the money. The Maxima really is a good car in stock form though. It's just that with relatively little cash, you can make it so much better.

 

I think some ppl gonna laugh there, weasel. You're modding half of your car, and thats still stock, the hell it is. Share your experience on the wheels, man...what did you do with your stock set, and where/for how much you got 16"?

 

I haven't made all too many cosmetic changes, actually. I just like fiddling with my cars, can't help it. As is, I thought my AE was a pretty nice looking vehicle. I do like making a couple of changes to give it a more agressive look and make my Maxima unique on the road.

 

Ditto!

 

The only thing I'm really looking to change is the suspension... not interested in any performance, interior, or serious looks mods. Yeah, I'm a bit of a hypocrite... so what? The car really is good as it is right now, and I would be happy keeping it this way. I just want to make it a little bit better if I can. I got the wheels from a guy on one of the Maxima boards (not this one). I got a good deal on them, almost new tires and wheels for $400 shipped.

 

. . . i was just wondering, after reading this forum for about 2 weeks, is there anyone that actually likes the maxima just the way it is from the factory. i agree all these mods are an addition to a really fine automobile, but i would like to hear from max owners who appreciate the car for what it is.
this is in no way a jab at all of you who are passionate about modding your cars, however i was just curious to see how many of you out there like their maxes for what it is... a remarkable car that is hands above toyotas and hondas.
please reply with comments.
thanks. . .

In a word, mostly. It's a great combination of performance, features, and affordability, not to mention being one of the very few new cars with seating for at least 4 and available with at least 6 cylinders and a manual transmission.

Not so great is the nautical sized turn-circle with the 17" wheels and the poor windshield scratch resistance. A fully adjustable passenger seat would also have been nice and which is not IMO an unreasonable feature for the flagship car.

Has it remain as-delivered? Not entirely.

Will it get more extensive mods? Eventually, probably in the suspension/chassis and air intake areas. I'm a bit more hard-core about some aspects of performance than any OE manufacturer is willing to supply as regular production at a price that I am willing to pay.

Norm

 

Short of a "no-compromise" performance vehicle, there are always tradeoffs against cost for any car. The trick is to get as close as to what you want from the gate
If looking for a roomy 4 door performance oriented sedan with a manual transmission, is there another option besides the Maxima and the Passat below $30K?

The Maxima specifically has problems (for me at least) in the following areas:
Braking - They're too small. My friends 2K Sentra stops _way_ harder
Addressed nowadays with a fastbrakes kit < $1000

Suspension - It sits too high and wallows (from body flex)
Addressed nowadays with FSTB/RSB and Springs/Shocks < $1000

Tires - The OEM tires are generally crap.
Depending on the tire type needed, maybe $500-$600

Don't like the performance?
Intake+y-pipe+exhaust really ups the ante for $1000

VNH - It could be a little bit quieter.
Not sure how to deal with that, but I30s supposedly had more sound deadening material.

That's about it. The Bose stereo is actually pretty good to my ears!

So for another $3500, the Maxima went from closest choice out of the box to something that might not have _any_ competition at that price point.

$3500 of mods to a Passat doesn't get the same results I don't think.
The 1.8T model will be short on HP (but man the torque!
The VR6 just doesn't get the same results

Any other cars that could compete in there?