TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

The time has come for me. I hate a lot about this car. I also love a lot about it. I am very conflicted.

First you should know I never planned on keeping the car, I actually bought it to sell it because it was automatic. Then I had a surprise baby boy, to whom I'm the sole Parent and caregiver. So given the circumstances I kept it and sold my 5 speed Coupe. I've put some work in on it, but at the end of the day I'm left with these main 5 issues:

Background: 2001 Anniversary Edition Automatic, roughly 60,000 miles, in very good condition inside and out. Mod list in Sig.

1. Steering radius bothers me, it's extremely frustrating, and with rims it's even worse (fear of scraping)
2. The steering feel and overall suspension is lacking IMO, my biggest gripes are poor cornering and sloppy steering feel
3. It's Automatic. I hate it for this. I won't go into rant mode, but let's just say if I keep it, this HAS to change
4. It's not SLOW, but it's not fast either. I really want some more out of it
5. Fuel mileage isn't great. I think I can get it better with some tune up and brake work, etc, but overall it's not great on a good day.

Now, first, I know that #4 and #5 are somewhat of a contridiction. You can only have so much power without paying via fuel mileage, especially on a 4 door sedan, which I clearly need.

Second, I am aware that #3 and #4 can be changed, and #2 to some extent, but the bulk of that I believe I've already hit with Tein SS coilovers. Keep in mind I need the ride to maintain it's civility to some extent for my 1 1/2 year old son.
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Now that you know where I'm at with the car, I'll tell you what I'm thinking so far:

1. Buy a new car. The list of cars I'd swap to is short but includes Acura TL Type-S, Mercedes C230, Infiniti G35 Sedan, A31 Cefiro. And the G35 is going backwards in the fuel efficiency range. All would be Manual of course. I prefer RWD.

2. Buy a 5.5 maxima with a 6 speed. The availability of one in as good of shape as my current car is pretty much 0. Especially one with no rust in Canada. And one with a paint job equivalent to mine I've not seen.

3. Modify this boat some more. Either a full on 3.5 and 6 speed swap,
or a 5 speed swap. This option would be a real kick to the pocketbook, but not as much as a new car. I would have to pay someone to do this work, I have no time to do it. I am ready to pay 1-2k for the whole thing. Do you guys think I can get a 3.5 put in for that or am I stuck with the 3.0 if I want to do this swap?

I am assuming that the 3.5 and 6 speed swap is out of reach. At the end of this I still need a reliable car, no comprimise there.

And to sway myself into keeping I just bought a Cattman Catback and 6th Gen BBK from Phatboislim.... Not that it's a big deterrent either way, I can always re-sell that stuff if I have to.

Any help, advice, suggestions is appreciated. I've been pining over this one for a bit. Thanks in advance as always. A few old pics attatched for those that don't know my car.

Airdale2

First off I wanna say, REALLY nice car you have there, I'm loving the wheels.

Next I wanna say, you really shouldn't rule out a 2 door. My mom had a coupe for me AND my brother, AND she still has it. She actually said it was nicer not having to open two sets of doors to let us in/out.What you want is what you want though, if you are firm on a 4 door, I'm not gonna push it.

I honestly would say do a swap (whether its 5 speed or 3.5 and 6 speed is your decision), it'd be the cheapest, and you probably wouldn't be able to find a car in as nice as shape with as low miles as yours very easily. The car will also probably last you a long time if you've only got ~60k miles.

If you are tired of the car and want a new one, my personal favorite out of the list is the G35, I love those cars.

Whatever you decide is your decision, hope this helps a little, good luck with what you choose.

T_Behr904

What did you do with the AE body kit?

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

DAMN nice ride for sure...I would do the swap for the 3.5 and keep the 5speed till get bored then bust the 6spd....and for a new ride I would take the Acura TL TypeS, Good Luck ....

spock

iTrader: (5)

I know that after experiencing a 3.5 you're not happy with the 3.0 anymore. To "butcher" the pearl anniversary with low miles is somewhat of a crime. If funds allow, I would suggest the G35. There are a million of them on the road compared to what you have now, but I believe satisfaction and reliability will win out. Once you do the engine/tranny swap, the value of the anniversary edition will drop IMO. You'll also likely have more maintanence/tweaking to perform I think.
Oh, and you can sell me that catback too.

00Lightsout

I'm a big fan of the G35 Sedan for the manny and RWD options. If you have to drop a grip into the Maxima to feel temporarily happy, then do so...but it probably won't last long enough for long term 'joy' with your maxima. Even though the 6speed and 3.5 will liven things up for you, you will still have the sucky turning radius that we all hate. Your mileage will get better with a 6speed, it will be better in the G35 with a 6speed also.

ShippedOut

iTrader: (1)

Canadian AEs didn't come with a the kit

luvlexus101

iTrader: (6)

Part it out

T_Behr904

They didn't??? Man you guys got robbed!

shortymust23

you didnt hear about that guy with the 6th gen and what he did at the auto cross thing he got 3rd place out of like 30 or 50 cars. maxima's are amazing dont trade it upgrade it

L36

iTrader: (4)

Do a swap.

Maxterror

iTrader: (2)

Im in the same boat with my 5.5...but after thinking about it over and over I know that I'll end up spending about $10,000 in my car within the next 2 years or less .....with the cost of the car included there's no car I can think of that will give me the full package at stock that my max will give me after I fiddle with it....The only other cars I could see me getting are a G or a Z and with the base cost of those plus the cost of parts and stuff it wont be worth it.


....I dont know what your cash flow is like but apart from the G...... the other cars listed ( cefiro wtf is that...is it in Canada ?) are gonna chew your pockets a bit and for what ?

Cant_Get_Ryte

iTrader: (52)

Do the power mods and suspension mods to make yourself happy with the car. The worst investment is a car. Depreciated daily.

Get this to where you can enjoy it and save for some NEW harness when the midget can sit up front with daddy and appreciate it.
I have an auto, fully bolted. Puts down good HP numbers, and tuned I get about 23mpg. Not great not bad, but acceptable. I get between 320&340 per filled

maxspeed96CT

iTrader: (9)

Thats one good looking max you have there !

I would suggest keeping it and doing a 5spd swap. Cause it looks like your pretty deep into modding it....

A 5spd make the car 100x more enjoyable to drive, and with full bolt on youll be just as fast as a 3.5 . . .

Plus you can go FI if your realy power hungry.

g/luck bro

Shift_Max

iTrader: (18)

What mods do you have that are relevant to the suspension besides the tein ss?

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

I recommend patience. Let the new job sit in for another year and see where your priorities shift (no pun).

orly?

ivey_usmc

Go for the acura tl-s

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

I pined over a few coupes that have decent rear seat room. Even the G35 coupe is more than adequate for a couple little guys in the back. The issue with the coupes is the trunk more than anything.
And buckling a kid up is a PITA in a coupe, I did it for a bit before I got the maxima. You basically have to climb into the car every time.

I agree with you here. The car is worth quite a bit as it sits, but still, not more than 8k just because it's a 2001. Agreed on the maintenence thing too, I can deal with a little bit of course, to be expected with any modification. But if it's done properly, and I plan it out to make sure I HAVE everything needed, it should stay quite reliable.

This is what I'm worried about. The issues I hate most about this car will not change enough to satisfy me in the long run. No matter how many suspension mods I do, the steering radius and overall steering feel will not change drastically.

And the G35's mileage ratings are quite poor. about 4-5 MPG average lower than in the Maxima. This is mainly due to the higher output engine.

If I sell and get something other than a Maxima, I will be parting out anything that can be returned to stock.

The Benz, well it's just better in almost every respect except base power. But they can easily be modded. The one thing I don't like about it is the interior is actually kind of bland for a Benz.

Good points man, I am hoping that I can get a Viper by the time he's 10, but I'll still need a second car.
The Viper and the G35 coupe are two of my favorite cars. Followed by the MR2. The G35 coupe is the only one I could have as a potential car down the road with him. But there will be hockey, etc, so I will still need a trunk.


yeah I hate that FI is so expensive to do on this car. It makes more sense to get a 3.5 than it does to FI a 3.0 IMO.

Installed currently? Tein SS, FSTB. I have ES Sway bar bushings and Knight's Motor mounts to go in sometime in the future. I have performance tires on the 19" rims of course. But just the Teins and FSTB installed currently.

Yeah I'm trying to hold off. But you know how it is while sitting idle, I'm still modding this car, getting deeper and deeper. I just don't want to end up with a car with too many mods that is still not what I want.

And yeah, I haven't seen any 5.5's with a 6 speed anywhere near the shape my car is in locally. Even in Ontario. I've been keeping an eye out too. Our roads eat cars buddy, literally.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

And the G35 sedan rear end and side has yet to win me over. If the M35 came with a 5/6speed manual, I would buy one of them without thinking, regardless of cost. Those cars are beautiful.

The Fuel mileage CANNOT go down, so unfortunately, I think the G35 has to be taken off the list. I have to look forward with this car, and the price of gas is not going down.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Oh, and an A31 Cefiro is the JDM Maxima. In Japan they were RWD until '95.



That one is modified obviously. I believe that one is a 1990

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

If gas mileage has a high priority in your reasoning, perhaps you should set your sights on the variety of 2.0T cars that are on the market. There's plenty of modding opportunity with that platform, while retaining good gas mileage.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Ideally I'd buy a TDI or something, but there aren't many platforms with it in North America except the brand new models. I personally don't like the look of VW at all.

I like Audi's, but to find an un-molested used 1.8T or anything of the like is very hard, and they're not reliable.

I really want a diesel, but there just aren't any in North America worth having IMO at this time, unless I want to sell my house to afford one LOL.

Any suggestions are appreciated, perhaps I've overlooked a few models?

T_Behr904

What about the 2012 Versa sedan? It starts under 11K, and it even comes standard with ABS, and gets really good gas mileage, not to mention a warranty.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Are you kidding me bro?

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Doesn't the Versa come with garden shears, so that you can cut off your d1ck?

Or was that the Toyota Echo?

Airdale2

I know it isn't RWD, but have you considered a sentra Spec-V? that seems like it would fill the bill pretty nicely, good gas mileage, 4 door, 6 speed, with decent power.

altezzablazes

I think a a31 is our m30 equivalent. Sir i recommend your save your money. Save all your milk money. The next car you will get you will keep it for sometime. So you have to make a good choice.


1. Save your money
2. Do regular litebmaintenance. No big jobs such as engine rebuilds and transmission fixes.
3. Then buy the a31 outright or put money down on g35x. Sell the maxima local. Pay off.

Or find a 5 speed transmission and assembly w/ecu from a33a or a32 5speed transmission and linkage.

Waxima

iTrader: (3)

Good suggestion. Hyundai Genesis coupes are really nice, but I don't think a coupe would work for your situation. Maybe a VW R32? AWD would be nice for Canadian winters.

maxspeed96CT

iTrader: (9)

FI is expensive on any car that isnt boosted from the factory. On a maxima it actually isnt that bad.

3.5 swap is cheaper but still no were near the hp level of FI . Seems most guys that swap in 3.5s end up wanting FI anyways lol

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

It's like driving a Vagina, whether you have a d1ck or not.

And no, it comes with a dental dam.

Actually not a horrible suggestion, although I'm not a big fan of the look of sentras. And it's gonna be hard to find one unmolested.... but I'll have a peek. Thanks!

The M30 is quite similar, but not based on the A31, it's actually based on the Nissan Leopard, just a bit higher in class. The M30/Leopard are only available in Automatic. The A31 is a Cefiro. It's the same car as the maxima, just in a RWD platform, and with a RB20DET option. It's common for guys to do the RB25DET, SR20DET, and even the RB26DET and DETT swaps into these cars. They're big in drifting.

AND the G35x only comes in Automatic as well.

Yeah the price of a JDM A31 in good shape, plus the cost of insurance to run it, is decently high, high enough to make me very seriously reconsider the purchase all-together. I'm also worried that in the future insurance will just get worse and worse, as it seems our government is trying to outright ban RHD cars.

True enough. The Maxima is more expensive compared to say, a 4cyl RWD, or anything with enough room to do some piping without too much custom work. The Maxima has no room, hence, more expensive.

I dunno. Hard to say on the power front, but I'm pretty sure I won't need much more than a stock 3.5 has to offer with minor bolt ons. After all, even with FI on the 3.0, I'm still not going to put down 3.5 bolt on numbers unless I boost high, which kills fuel mileage and reliability, 2 things I want.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

You want a G sedan 6MT. You get power, rear wheel drive, 4-door convenience, and a car that you can modify without being too conspicuous.

Kind of all the reasons why I drive the Maxima ('cept for the drivetrain.)

This right here... my next car, but without the AWD (x) so that you can get the 6MT.

Nexus67

iTrader: (23)

I don't know, even at low boost you'll definitely be kicking out 3.5 bolt-on numbers (from what I've seen). Turbo kits can be $$ but a lot of used supercharger kits are around the $2k range (if you install yourself it can be cheaper than 3.5 swap...I think)

Just a thought
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But, in any event, have you considered...a 4th gen? Hear me out: I only say it b/c it's lighter, tighter turning radius (but you may be hard-pressed to find one in decent shape)

Just a thought

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Ultimately, if I were you, I would actually get a 5sp swap. The diff of an auto and manual on a 3.0 is significant.

I think it would be a good start-off point. It can tide you over as you can consider/explore other options further down the line. I wouldn't say so if your car wasn't in such great a shape as it is. But...she seems like a keeper.

Final thought

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Hold up, I thought you were getting the coupe? And the unfortunate part of this whole thing is, there are lots of cars that fit my bill coming out, or that have come out in the past year or two. I just can't afford one. Well, I CAN, but I'm not paying that much for a car, no way.

If I were, I'd be much more tempted by one of the Audi TDI products. The A3 amongst them.

Good points. I used to own a '97 5speed, I loved it dearly. I won't find one in good enough shape up here though. And if I do, it's going to take a lot of modding to get it up to par. I love the suggestion though, but if I'm going to put that much work into another car, it's going to be RWD. I can justify putting some dough into the 2k1 because it's so damn sexy, and in such great shape, and I've already got some dollars into it so I'm not far off the mark.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

That was until last week, when my buddy loaned me his Coupe 6MT Convertible for the week. After living with it as a daily driver, I slowly realized that the coupe wasn't a good fit for me. It was an amazing opportunity to experience the coupe as if it were my car, although sad because of the realization I came to.

But this isn't about me, it's about you. Unless you're thinking like I'm thinking, in which case, it's the same thing.

Nexus67

iTrader: (23)

This is w/o a doubt. And your car is certainly one of the cleanest I've seen (the 5.5 grill, wheels, and the fact that you have veeeery low mileage are HUGE pros)

T_Behr904

Well you wanted either the same or better fuel economy, and you're all over the place with either keeping what you got, or getting an Infiniti, Mercedes, or an Acura, so it seemed with your wide choices in cars that this would be a consideration. Since you would feel emotionally castrated with something like this, I'd say if you want to stay in the Nissan family, and still try to maintain your current image without deflating your manhood, then look for an Altima SE-R.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

I rather go FI with the A/T then do the 3.5 5sp swap, I've been in the same boat as you Tuner. I was going to purchase a new car then decided I don't feel like paying a car note on top of modding since I can't seem to keep a car stock more then a few months. Then I decide to buy a newer used car then thought why would I start over with all the maintenance and mods that I've done to the Maxima when I could just continue forward with more mods that I want. Then after deciding to keep it thought about the 3.5 5spd swap. After researching I found reliability wise I rather have a FI 3.0 then the 3.5 plus IMO the power curve is better FI then the 3.5. I know you like MT so maybe you should do the 5spd swap but for me since I don't need to do any driving for my new job (and I have another car the VW that the wife and I use when we do family things) I decided that I want to track the car so I stuck with the AT (did the shift kit on it) and hopefully going SC in the next year to come and with SC I rather have the AT. SO its all really going to be up to you. What do you use the car for vs what you want the car to be? No one can really answer this for you, its not that simple. I hope my situation helps you and maybe gets you thinking about things that you weren't before that may or may not be deciding factors.

TunerMaxima3000

iTrader: (4)

Ah yes I'm glad you reconsidered that. My notes in our PM were due to my current feelings about the max... re: things that won't change, if you don't like them now, you won't like them any better later.

Glad you're getting something a bit more your appetite in the long run. Have you meticulously gone over the G37 sedan? I assume you're getting it as opposed to the newer G35 sedan model?

Thanks bud, yeah she is pretty darn clean.

I wouldn't say all over the place exactly, all those cars are high-end, beautiful, acheive fairly decent fuel mileage, and also generate a very good power to weight ratio. All except the Infiniti on the fuel mileage aspect of course, but considering the Infiniti's power (around 290HP), it's actually pretty decent mileage.

The comments about manhood were just jokes of course, but I don't plan on driving an ugly car period, regardless of it's size or power. Looks are very important to me, although that may be shallow, it's also fact for most of us, I have no issue admitting that.

Thanks man, things to think about. I'm trying not to rush this decision, I knew that you guys would be able to help me straighten my thought process out, and possibly suggest any cars I may be missing.

I should advertise my price range if I'm buying another car, it will have to be under 15k CAD in the shape I want it. I prefer something under 10k.
I know some of you may just say that I'm crazy to even consider buying anything else in that price range, but I have some decent hook ups, and these cars are hard to find in that range, but they do exist.

MoncefA33

iTrader: (6)

Wrong. There's a thread in the boosted section with dynos from various SC/turbo setups. Go peek at that and see what the most basic SCer setups make on the DEK.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

Most made over 300, I don't see any 3.5 with bolt ons doing that or even a power curve as good.