I wana sell it for a 97+ VQ max. I love the 97+ body style more than any other car. I've invested only a G or so into it...but the body and everything is in Excellent condtion - the only problem is the valve cover gaskets are leaking oil a bit. WHAT SHOULD I DO?

go to 3rd gen forums and click on "Horrific Dyno Results"

 

Be prepared to be disappointed with every other single aspect of a 4th gen besides the engine when going from a 3rd gen.

 

about time
you're going to love it, just make sure it's a 5 speed.

 

I tried telling the kid that and he doesnt listen, so let him learn from his multi thousand dollar mistakes I guess

He wont listen to people that own both, you and MrNismo.

Oh well...enjoy...

Atleast the 3rd gen forum will be a little less whored up Welcome 4th gen.

 

The 3rd Gen's were just ahead of their time. WAY ahead!!

Driving a 4th Gen or any other Maxima after that just puts you back down to earth.

Guys that have had both 3g/4g Max's will have a rather unique perspective because there is still not Maxima to date that really matches what the 3rd Gen's were back in their day. There is a reason that 3rd Gen's have such a strong following, so don't be one of those people that don't realize what they had until they lost it.

 

remember that


and
Just go and drive one and do some research about the things you care about in a car, reliability, speed, fuel economy, safety, or whatever else it may be and make the decision.

You'll likely make the right one and get a 4th gen

 

That was great, I almost felt like crying at the end.

Here is a fresh post that someone just posted in the 3rd gen forum.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=192975

 

why didn't you buy a 3rd gen?

 

I dunno guys...I just LOVE the 97+ body style. And seeing peoples' like Max4Speed, Jay25, MoDiddy, and a lot of others...I just cant stop dreamin about it. Right now I've got a '90 GXE, VG motor therefore only 160HP to the crank. I want a car that will have a GREAT appearance and that's also fast. (when I need it to be) Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my 3rd gen...it just needs some work.

-Valve cover gaskets are leaking oil
-Crank pulley is loose
-Vaccum hoses have breaks/cracks
-I've got the black guages but I'll turn to SWautoworks for that.

I'm in a real bind, and I'm not trying to ***** forums, I love Maximas more than any other car (that I can afford...) I think I just want a newer car...and 5 spd.

VE and VQ are pretty much the same thing right?

 

Yep, except the VQs don't break.

 

I have heard of more VQs blowing up than VEs ramius had a uncle with 375k on his VE, I have 260k

 

VQ is much better and the 97 max looks a whole lot better than any 3rd Gen.

 

so foolish. How did you base your decision?

I am not going to start flame wars again, but remember this...

The VQ or 4th gen does not have one thing that the VE or 3rd gen doesnt, in fact, the VE or 3rd gen has more than the above.

You are the weakest link, good bye!

 

Next Caller.

 

lol - hmm, yall have made some pretty good points. about the engine and all. I'll always be a sucker for a 97-99 body style...

i might look into a 94 SE 5spd w/ out a bose system. (is that possible?)

 

-vs-

 

not fair..
sure..
take the ugliest 4th gen.. GXE.. hub caps, no spoiler, 95/96.. ugly color

and the best looking 3rd gen.. black on black.. oh.. and with 4th gen 16s..


He based his decision the same way you base yours.. opinion.

Come on man, I'm tired of typing the same thing out in every one of these threads
4th gens are generally much more reliable.
From auto trannies, to exhaust studs, to noisy / underpowered engines, to things ticking, to ugly factory wheels, to other things..
and looks are purely subjective..

Not to say I don't give 3rd gens props. I had one and I loved it despite it giving me 10 times more problems than both of the 4th gens I owned - combined. I still loved the car. Definately one of the highlights of the early 90s for Nissan and the automotive world..

However,
even the newest 3rd gen is 9 years old.
It's getting old. Finding one in good shape is HARD. Styling is changing.. It's time to move on..

in 4 years, i'm going to be saying the same for 95-96 maximas. They are excellent cars for their time... but it's not their time anymore.. they had their glory


i still love you

 

3-gen suck!!! DEFINATLEY buy the 4-gen


or anything but a 3-gen

 

basically any 3rd/4th/5th can look good with the right "features"
you alright there jeff?

 

Somebody give this guy a cookie! Only I see that makes sense

Seriously, if he wants to get a 4th gen, let him be, it'll free up room in our forum.

 

reverse psychology eh?

hahaha, yeah buy a 4th gen...

 

Uh, the VQ has aluminum


Anyways, if you're going to attack the 4th gens weaknesses, the VQ would definitely not be on the top ten, or twenty, list.

DW

 

I think I saw a 3rd gen VE being restored on Classic Car showcase

DW

 

What about the 4th gen trans failure?, most 5 speed owners suffer synchros and bearing failure as well, Also there is ALOT of axles going out in the 4th gen community, as well as seals, mafs, creaks and rattles, ignition coils, knock sensor and some with O2 sensors, god forbid when those start going out, especially since they have 3 and other stuff I cant think of, dont make me search 4th gens have their share of problems and most are around the 100k mark in mileage right now, most 3rd gen are in the 200k range, the 4th gens are going to have just as many problems.

I still love you too...

 

Nothing wrong with that. Atleast when you see a clean hooked up one, you get heads turning, but hooked up 4th gens are like civics, just not the same awww factor.

 

and? doesnt mean anything.

 

Fair enough. The 4th gen 5 speeds do have the infamous bearings problem. MAF?? No, that's the 5th gen. Other tranny problems I would chalk up to mostly abuse. But yeah, the bearings

DW

 

Power to Weight ratio will be better.

DW

 

by 75-100lbs,

but if you heat it up, it is more likely to crack the block also.

 

You don't give up, do you? When Nissan made the 4th gen, it was bgger, faster, roomier than the 3rd gen, yet weighed about ~100 lbs less. A hell of a feat, I think. Also, what makes the VQ so great a motor compared to the VE is that it generates the same amount of HP WITHOUT the use of a variable intake manifold, or variable timing.

Oh, and yeah, VQs (even the Turboed, SCed and NOSsed ones) are known for cracking blocks . . . . .NOT!


Now, having said that, I do acknowledge that 3rd gens are better built and more unique looking. I still think the 97-99 Maximas are the best looking. And I'll take a 6th gen over a 5th gen, too

DW

 

and man i really miss driving my 3G but if you want to modd you have to go ahead and get a 4G the after market is huge compaired to anything you can get for your 3rd gen ,its true that the 4th gen creaks and rattels but you can do something about it so I do understand what this guy is feeling

ps I really miss ppl stopping me and telling me how much they love the way my car (3G)looks ,not 1 person has done that since i got my 4th gen ,

 

yeah a 94 is only one year older than a 95

IMO the 4g never had a style that fit in its time, and to get it look good you have to do so much as the third gen looks good stock but then thats just my opinion, and I drive an out-dated back-firing ticking smelly old riced out 3rd gen

 

no you dont - it's phat

 

You even driven a VE 3rd gen? it doesnt seem like it, my 3rd gen seems to have just as much room as all the other 4th gens I drive in. And faster? NO To be fair, we call it equal and sure it makes the same power without the variable, BUT...not as much top end, you hit a wall at 5500rpm and we are peaking 15 more hp there. Nissan changed their design, cause they had to, just like the 5th and 6th gen, now you think the 6th gen is better than the 5th? NO how about the eclipse? is the new one better than the old one? NO The older Nissans were geared towards performance, they made the 4th gen more redefined. Now this gets me too...how come the VE speedo goes to 145mph and they made the 4th gen 140mph? then the 5th gen is 160mph with all the variable stuff the put back on it??? obviously they knew something

Show some respect like all the other 4th genners have, and life will be better. I understand you have a newer car, so you think it is better, I will just let you think that, but I also understand you would get ****ed if an older car had it better, but whatever. Your arguing is foolish, cause has I said, the 4th gen does not have ONE THING the 3rd gen doesnt.

 

you're taking it out of proportion.

I follow both closely and yes, the O2 sensor is an infamous problem, but it was fixed... 95/96s only. Bearings, true.. but not all.. please do not say most because you cannot back this up. I can't even say most for 3rd gens on any of their problems, except maybe the VTCs which were definately a problem, as well as exhaust studs on VGs.


seals? ignition coils? - umm, maybe some..
rattles? not all rattle..


all these repairs are not as frequent or as costly as the 3rd gen 800$ VTCs, 2000$ transmissions, 600$ exhaust studs..


What problems do you speak of at around 100k on 4th gens? I rarely see this kind of feedback, there are only so few members with the abundance of 4th gens on this board that complain about these problems. Most actually praise the 4th gen for being so maintenance free..
I have around 130k.. I haven't done anything except replace spark plugs, filters and change oil.. my clutch is almost done but hey.. i don't know how it was treated 115k on those miles.
My 93 SE auto blew the auto tranny at 86k.. i replaced a fuel pressure regulator, fuel injector, cv joints, ball bearings, tie rod ends, a few other things... and i was still getting like 14 mpg in the city.. at 106k miles my tranny started to act up again...
i wouldn't describe my driving style as aggressive.. I treat my cars well. I invested over 2,700$ into repairs in about 14 months of onwership on my VE.
A friend of mine took his 3rd gen to a reputable transmission shop around here and spoke to a tranny tech who said that he does 3rd gens all the time, most with sub 120k miles. Place that did my tranny said this is nothing new..

most 3rd gens are worth 1-4k.. putting over 2 grand in repairs on them is just silly.. and god knows what else can go out due to the cars age.. and don't say "well, if they were the same age... same milage.. etc" because they aren't.

 

I can put $2000 in my car and easily get 200k more.

 

I got ya. But...just like you agree not all 4th gens have the problems, not all 3rd gens do either, I have never had trans problems, let me say it again 260k, no exhaust stud problems either, yes my VTC's are bad and to rebuild will cost me about $400 tops. I know of other VE's like MrNismo, Aaron92se, etc...which have no VTC problems, trans, or exhaust studs, and they race their cars hard, look at aaron, he is running 14.8 in his auto. I once thought, what would they do if I put in the VQ in my 3rd gen? then the arguing would be VERY hard for people. But to be honest, I want the VE over the VQ, cause I plan on boosting and I can use the TTZ parts and the iron block is better for boosting. I still love the 4th gen and VQ, but it just isnt for me.

 

you're different


you've invested quite a bit of work, time and money into it to make it what it is.. 95% of the people buying 3rd gens are not looking to go that far. Hell, even most people buying 4th and 5th gens aren't.
I remember you got a pretty sick deal on your car and fixed it up. People buy all kinds of cars way older than a 92 Max to do that.

general public wants a decent commuter with some ***** and reliability, and perhaps throw some mods on it to make it more fun, don't have the time or drive to fix it. and not all are making a show car. For that i'd still pick a 4th gen at this point

 

VE has 15 lb-ft less torque, and 100 lb of extra weight. That tiny bit of extra power the VE has up top only really matters at very high speeds that you're not commonly at. Around town, and through the 1/4 mile you are owned by the 4G VQ.

4G VQ's top out at about 137. The 3G VE's are about the same. The 5G VQ goes about 143. All looks about the same to me. Maybe Nissan put the 160 speedo in the 5G because they wanted people to actually think it could go that fast, even though it was still just as far away from hitting 160 as a 4G or a 3G. Yep, that says a whole lot.

I have respect for 3rd Gen's, but what you're saying is that the 4G's don't have any better performance than the 3G's when that just isn't the case.



The VE has a little tiny bit more pull up top which again, only really matters when you're maxing out on the highway. Overall the 4G VQ is faster. If you would just concede that the 4G VQ's are a little bit quicker than the VE then nobody would be arguing with you.

 

I have yet to be owned by a 4G in the 1/4, until I do, then I will not believe it. I have raced 5 speeds when I had my auto, and only lost by 1-2 cars, but when I raced VE 5 speeds in my "old" auto, they would rip my **** by about 3-5 cars. Aaron92SE also has a VE auto and he has never lost to a VQ auto and has taken out many VQ 5 speeds. Also the VE tops out over 140mph, there are several members than have gotten up to 147mph and multiple that have buried the 145 mark.