Light,

Hope you are doing well. We miss your contributions and just want to make sure all is well.

 

I agree. It is always good hearing from the old fart elderly gentleman.

 

Sad to say his last post was January 30. Not like him to take 2 months off from what one of his favorite topics. Hopefully Father Time and/or Covid didn’t come calling.

Whatever is causing his absence, I hope it’s just temporary. I always enjoy his enthusiasm and his thoughtful musings

 

I feel the same way you guys do. I miss him and hope he is doing well way down there somewhere south of Atlanta. Godspeed in whatever you do Light!

 

I too have highly valued Light over the years and hope all is ok with him!

 

I keep checking this thread in the hope of seeing a post from Lightonthehill. He has been a valued, knowledgeable contributor for so many years. Here’s hoping all is well.

 

I tried sending him an email. Let's see what happens.

 

Thanks for doing this. His input was always right on the numbers and I do miss that alot. Can you PM me if you hear something?

 

Will do.

 

Any updates?

 

Not so far. I sent him a PM today but it does not look good. I don't know any other way for checking. Thanks for chimeing in.

 

I was wondering if his id name had anything to do with the Christian group of the same name. They are also established in Georgia where he lived. I did a little research but could not come up with anything. Strange that I felt compelled to try to find him. What's with that?!

 

I think I have read most of his 8000 posts and he always made perfect sense with a perspective of many years experience.

 

I am so impressed to see so many here who even knew I existed. And nobody even mentioned the possibility I had passed on of old age. Once a person passes his mid-eighties, the end is always lurking around the corner.

The major reason I have been absent is that my wife and I have been tightly in shelter since mid-February. We go to Kroger once each month at daybreak, otherwise stay in our home. This COVID-19 has already killed almost 60,000 Americans, and we don't want to be next. We spend time resorting the books in our library and tending our yard. Our flowers are beautiful this spring. I did thoroughly clean my silver 2016 Maxima Platinum this morning, and it shines.

But I would guess that some here know the real reason for my absence. I am so disappointed that there does not seem to be a ninth gen Maxima on the horizon. I have owned nothing but Maximas since October 1984, and have loved every one of them. I think my heart will break if there is no ninth gen.

Someone mentioned my board name. Lightonthehill is the name bestowed on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by the North Carolina legislature in 1836, when education in the state was in an abysmal state, except for UNC. My six years there were the most influential years of my life, and I still have many ties to UNC.

I apologize for my absence, and promise to not stay away so long in the future. Thanks to all those here who remembered the old fart who used to bore everyone here to death. I love you folks.

 

Whew!

 

I haven't been on these boards long enough to really know but lightonthehill seems to mean quite a lot to the community. Glad to hear you are okay!

 

nice to see you on here. You seem to be a very good man, and I always appreciate the care with which you write.

 

Thanks for making my day! You continue to make a difference with this group and I really think there is a vacuum when you do not weigh in from time to time.
I too am wondering about whether the Maxima will be retired before the 9th generation appears. I have a 2019 with less than 12K miles on it and this may be it. Not because we dislike the car but my wife is complaining about how hard it is to get in and out of.

Great to hear from you Light!

 

Light! I haven't been on this forum in 2 years, but you just crossed my mind this morning as well. By chance, there's a whole thread asking about you. Glad to see you're still around! Man I love this forum.

 

LOTH, good to hear from you, and that you and yours are safe and keeping busy! I too am wondering about the next gen Max as I am going to be turning in my '17 SR lease in August/ September. Just finished a detail on my car and it looks splendid!

 

Woo-Hoo!! Light- thanks so much for the update! I, like so many others, have been regularly checking this thread hoping to see a post from you. You brought some sunshine to what have been some dreary coronavirus shut in days for the last few weeks. Thank you! And now that we have found you.... Stay safe!

 

Adding my regards and best wishes.

 

 

Welcome back Light!

Glad your playin it safe and staying out of harms way. Everyone else is rushing to open up everything ... but to hell with that... I’m staying home! Glad to hear your doing the same. I do take an occasional drive around town for fun.

your probably right about the Maxima’s demise... it’s almost guaranteed now. It wasn’t selling very well to begin with, and the coming recession will seal the deal. On the bright side, if you like the current generation you’ll still be able to find new ones on the lot for years to come

 

Echoing the sentiments of everyone else around here, I'm glad to hear you are safe. My grandfather is 83 and still kicking. You are the voice of knowledge, friendliness, and practicality on the forums. I've enjoyed reading your posts for years.

 

I've been afraid to open this thread since it started...fearing the worst. 'Got the courage to open it today, and I'm so glad we got the voice of LOTH back. Remain safe and well old dude.

 

Glad to hear you and the wife are hanging in there lightonthehill. Be well!

 

Like others have said, this made my day. Lightonthehill, so glad to hear from you. Best wishes to you and all here for health and safety.

 

Now this is truly great news. If I had my way, this would be a lead story on the evening news replacing all of the BS that our politicians are tossing back and forth in order to further their careers. Get smart people...do what is right for the country and for our own well being. Look forward to reading your posts for years to come LOTH.

 

All this unexpected adulation has my head spinning. Had I been here every day giving good info, I might understand. But I have been sheltering in place for months, posting very little on boards on which I posted regularly for years. Reading all those nice comments has me thinking back to 1984, when I traded my '78 Datsun 200SX in on my first Maxima, a 1985 GL. The '85 GL had chrome trim, while its more sporty counterpart, the SE, had most of the chrome blacked out. Other than that '78 Datsun SX. I had driven only used cars since the late 1940s, so that silver '85 Maxima was a dream come true for me. I thought that Maxima was the most beautiful car I had ever driven.

I had actually carpooled with a friend through 1982 and 1983 who drove an '82 DIESEL Datsun Maxima. Yes, diesel Maximas were available in 1982 and 1983. In 1984, the nameplate on the back of the trunk was changed from Datsun Maxima to Nissan-Datsun Maxima, and the diesel option was dropped.

The 1985 Maxima was the first to have a 3 liter engine. It was also the first FWD Maxima. It was interesting in that, in order to fit the 3 liter engine into the engine bay, Nissan had to mount it transversally (crossways). And that transversal mounting meant that it was almost impossible to reach the mid-engine spark plug on the side of the engine that was up against the firewall (cabin). That transverse mounting also made getting the oil changed very difficult, and the person changing the oil usually ended up burning their arm or wrist.

But I not only loved that '85 Maxima; I STILL consider it the most important car I ever owned, because I truly loved that car. I really felt like I was 'king of the road when driving it. I also bought a silver '85 Maxima for my wife. When the '86 Maximas came out with high mounted brake lights, I bought two high mounted brake light kits and put them on my Maxima and my wife's Maxima. The '85 Maxima had a woman's voice that warned of at least six or eight things to save me from trouble. 'Low on fuel', 'lights are on', 'engine is running', etc. etc. I named that voice Gertrude. After my wordy aunt. I drove that '85 Maxima 206 thousand miles, and after trading it in, saw it being driven around town by a little old gray haired lady for three more years after I let it go. Every time I saw it, I felt my heartstrings tug a little.

But enough of this rambling down memory lane. Back to this awful present, where I just took my N95 mask off after two hours in Kroger (our only monthly trip out of our house). We know the worst is yet to come with this virus, and expect the U.S. death toll to sail past 140,000 by the end of August. Too many folks are not wearing masks or keeping recommended distances from others. We have cancelled all doctors appointments, and sheltered in place since February. Folks around my age are dead ducks if we get this virus.

I promise that my next post will be about third millennium Maximas.

 

1985 Maxima was also my 1st Nissan/Datsun. I opted for the top of the line in a tutone brown. The V6 was turbine smooth and full of engineering features such as an electric fan for the fuel injector galley between the engine V and the intake manifold just to keep the fuel in the injector rails cool! I was happy for the 4-speed overdrive automatic, but not so happy the overdrive switch was on the console where it would get inadvertently turned off. Since it was a rocker switch, some electrical tape solved that issue. My car also had the requisite velour interior also in a tutone brown. The car also had an impressive array of status and warning lights across the top tier of the dash showing cruise control status, low fuel, etc. Matter in fact the Maxima then consistently over-delivered with many standard features. Those very square headlights along with cornering lights really lit up the night.
My dad liked this car so much, he ended up buying it from me since I was being sent overseas for work. He and mom drove it for years till their deaths.

When the 2016 Maximas came out in 2015, I was one of the 1st to order one, a Platinum with every option which came with free service for the 1st 3 years! It was an easy decision to buy another just last year. Funny to see the Hondas and Kias trying to ape this design many years later. What amazes me is the there is a cross-generational appeal for the latest Maximas even to this day. It is a lot of car for what you pay! (Forget the sticker price)

Welcome back, Light!

 

I failed to mention a temptation I avoided back in February.

While getting routine service on my 2016 Platinum back on March 16, I was wandering around the lot and spotted a 2020 Sunset Drift (burnt orange) SR Midnight edition. At my very advanced age, I have no business looking at SRs, but that was a fine looking vehicle. I loved the sunset drift. I loved the black wheels. It was loaded with several options I liked. I snuck back to that lot and looked at that car several times.

I have lived in the Orient, know how folks live there, and how hard it is to contain anything communicable in that environment. And my son works in computer system security for the CDC, so when the CDC gave grave warning of a new virus out of control in China on January 8th, my wife and I paid very close attention. But I kept going back and looking at that SR.

Alas, by the end of February, nobody had made any move to stop this virus, so my wife and I made a firm decision to go nowhere but the early dawn senior shopping hour at our local Kroger until there was a vaccine for this COVID-19. At that time there were only half a dozen or so corona deaths in the U.S. By March 12, the U.S. death count had reached 37. And now it has just passed 85,000 deaths.

We have kept our firm decision, bypassed the funerals of four friends who were our neighbors, don't even walk in our yard without masks, and hurt a lot as relatives die from this virus; two in the last five weeks.

And I still think about that sunset SR. I honestly think that only the seriousness of this COVID-19 prevented me from trading up to that 2020 Midnight SR. Of course I would have hated to let my perfect 2016 go. I detailed it several weeks ago, and never take it out of the garage unless the weather is nice. I found myself gently running my fingers across its shiny brilliant silver finish today. I love this car, but loved that 2020 SE also.

Yes, I avoided the temptation, but now am not sure I made the right decision.

 

Seems to me that your temptation derived from an apprehension that there might be no 9th Gen.

 

so glad that lightonthehill replied here =) thank you for replying. we were all a lil concerned

 

Light...after reading your post I think you have burnt orange in your immediate future...it sounds that you are simply looking for encouragement to do the deal. Not sure why you would let the covid stop you from doing what you reasonably want. At worst keep going back there and looking at the SR, albeit safely. Take care.

 

Bet the dealer would give you a fine deal. You deserve to enjoy it!

 

Light,

life is short... and the Maxima’s life may be even shorter. I say go for it while you still can!

 

LOTH,
I would also encourage you to pursue the ‘20 Maxima and at least see what kind of deal they might offer. I know some dealers are bringing vehicles out to potential buyers‘ homes so they can test drive and deal on a new car without even coming in to the dealership. You deserve to have something that you know you will enjoy. I always fondly remember cars I’ve owned and loved, but I also still think about a couple of cars I really wanted, but foolishly passed on 30 some years ago... lol.

 

My wife and I went for a drive today (we do that just to get out of the house, but never stop and get out of our car), and I convinced her to drive by the lot so I could see that 2020 SR again. It was gone. We scoured every space on the lot. It was gone. My wife sensed my disappointment, and took me home and fixed me a royal feast of a meal. She can always tell when I have had a real downer, and tries to make me feel better.

This is probably for the best. As soon as I buy a Maxima, I am at the dealer parts department several times each week ordering or picking up things, and at an auto parts store ordering several types and forms of molding, which I discretely place around all wheel wells, bordering the quarter paneling, and a few other places on the car. I usually also buy mud flaps from auto parts stores and cut them to an exact fit for my Maxima, all four wheel wells, but in a way that is not noticeable to onlookers. I even taped the inside of all four wheel wells of my current 2016 brilliant silver with flat black sheets of masking vinyl to cover the silver inside the wheel wells. In other words, I tend to go hog wild looking for things for weeks after buying each Maxima, and that is the one thing I absolutely cannot let myself do at this time.

After I have had my COVID-18 vaccination next winter or spring, I can begin looking again at dealer lots around the country. I had my last two Maximas trucke in from dealers over a hundred miles away. I did that to get the Maxima with exactly the accessories I wanted.

Thanks for the encouragement several here offered. And yes, the feeling we may not have a 9th gen Maxima has weighed on me very heavily. But it is what it is.

 

Hi Light, which generation of Maxima is your most memorable? Besides the 7th generation, mines has always been the 4th generation (1995-1999)