Funkdeal

lately ive been real interested in maximas. i have a bout 10,000 to spend on my first car, and im a real big z fan, so i was looking around for twin turbos. although i can probably afford it, i don't feel like being broke all the time, considering it can be a very unreliable car if it was previously abused. my dad has a 2003 maxima and i love it. ever since i drove it for the first time, ive been hooked on maximas. ive been looking at 1999 manuals on ebay and auto trader. do you think i could get a 2000?? i know it's probably a long shot, but i figure i might be able to get lucky. anyways, i know about the search feature of forums (im on 300zxclub.com) so im not a total newbie. expect to see me around the forums because im seriously considering getting a maxima as my first car. thanks!

Ceasars Chariot

iTrader: (16)

whats up man ? shoot for a 96-97 with low miles with a manual tranny. good luck and welcome to the org.

95stillenmax

iTrader: (11)

Yeah any newer than that and you cant upgrade the ECU

Eric425

Zs and maximas are two very different beasts. Suspension, performance/potential, comfort, passenger space, and reliability, they occupy completely different segments of the automotive market. You sure you know what you want? 10k is a big wad of cash. Know what you're looking for before you go jumping into anything. Don't dump 10k into something you'll be fed up with later.

Funkdeal

thanks for the feedback. what are good, popular catbacks for the 4th gen maximas?

SEdge

you could get a fifth gen (2000) for 10 grand, but its gonna have 100K miles on it or more. good luck finding a manual also

DTR Maxima

If you really want a Z car and think you would like a maxima, then i would suggest waiting a little bit and weighing out your options. a 99 is very different from your dads 2k3, so i suggest you go and test drive one so you can get a feel for it and see if you like it.

for $10,000 you MIGHT find a 2000, but it will have a lot more mileage than i am sure you want. If you are already on this site than chances are that you will want to mod your maxima. look into a 96-98 which will be a bit cheaper and still give you some money left over for necessary maintanance and minor mods.

as for the catback: many people here have the greddy sp catback and most people love it. it fairly load, but has a deep tone and does not buzz. apex-i WS is also another good one and is a little cheaper. if you want to take the cheapest route you can purchase a b-pipe or have a custom one made and then take a muffler of your choice

Eric425

It's easy to find a 2000 max for 10k or less. Look on autotrader, and you'll find hundreds. Here's one I found after a 1 minute search, 10000 on the nose, 40k miles, leather, and many options. These things have no resale value.

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...r=&cardist=989

Nismo_K

Pick up a 96 - 97 cheap say, around 4500 from some old lady who has driven to church on sunday.....therefore low miles, then spend the rest of your money on turbo! Wham, bam thank ya mam, and you're pretty much as fast as a TT Z car, you've got enough room to take your pals around, and well.... a Max looks pretty darn hot in a bodykit.

Good luck deciding and welcome to the .org

Eric425

Here's another if you're interested, 9900 dollars, 5 spd, 60k miles. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=&cardist=1781

Buy a 6-7k dollar max, put a 5k turbo on a max and you'll get a car that costs more, is just as, if not more, high maintenaince/unreliable than a stock Z, can't hang with a Z in terms of handling, and still has lower potential overall since it's still a FWD. How many turbo/supercharged maxs are still running in the 13's?

Like I said, very different cars which are designed and targeted at very different markets. If you get a maxima, enjoy the comfort, low maintainence, soft ride and ample space. It's a nice car, but never intended as a drag strip king. Don't expect to run down TT Z's. Enjoy for what it is.

You get a Z car, it is a performance machine, designed as a sports car. Great looks and great speed. Enjoy that for what that is too.

Of course, if all you want is to put on a catback/intake and be loud and obnoxious, any car can do that. Hondas seem to be the weapon of choice for kids that just want to be noisy and make people listen to their fart cans.

Funkdeal

im not really interested in going to a drag strip. i just want to make it "quick". i wouldn't mind blowing the doors off ricers, but being my first car, im going to use it more as a way to learn. thanks for the feedback.

Nismo_K

Just to throw it up there, but there are quite a few people running in the 13's in their Maxima's.... with turbo, and without it. Agreeably, a Maxima is not comparable to a Z in terms of "sports car" status, but a Max is a great mix of luxury/sport, good looks and reasonable insurance.
A Maxima is a great first car in terms of reliability, affordability and a bit of show and go, depending on what floats your boat.
From the diversity of people on the .org, that is as varied and far between as the East is from the West....
you get your pimpsters, your racers, your showboaters, your ricers.....Everyone enjoying their Max for what it is for them....

Eric425

No, No, haha, I wasn't saying that Maximas can't get into 13's. I'm saying how many are STILL in the 13's after such an expensive upgrade. 13s are slow for modded sports cars. Put that much money into a Z and it's very possible to run 10's.
Max are nice cars, enjoyable for what they are, which is basically what you agreed with in the second half of the post. Z's and Maximas are different, with completely different targets and design goals. The maxima is good at being what it is, and the Z is also good at being what it is. They don't compete in the same market. Like the titan pickup and a maxima. They're both good vehicles, just different goals for different cars for different purposes. I'm not saying not to buy a maxima. Just seemed that the kid didn't have direction, and wasn't sure what he was looking for. A guy looking to buy a Titan wouldn't normally be looking into maximas. Likewise, a guy looking into buying a Max wouldn't be looking into Zs.

A guy looking for a Z would be usually be considering other cars in that category, rx7s, supras, 3kgts, etc. A guy looking at Titan trucks would be looking at F-150s, etc. And a guy looking at Maximas would be looking at camrys, accords, and so on.

Rowan

iTrader: (1)

um mardi gras is in the 11's... and there are at least a handful of 12's out there.

THX

iTrader: (1)

Opting a 350z for your very first car? You must be doing something right. Mine was a 90gxe, then moved onto a 96 5spd. I like the looks and the torque, and the fact that I can haul 4 friends without looking ghetto like all the 93 Civic hatcbacks full of teenagers around here.

Other cars I was looking at in my price range were used 240's. Although VERY fun to drive they were just too loud for me. Take some test drives and see what suits you.

s0ber

iTrader: (7)

Get a 965spd and spend the rest of the money on mods... supercharge?

Taken2DaMax

iTrader: (5)

If you are looking for something "quick," I would say go with a 97 se maxima. This is probably your best bet due to the fact that is it reliable and quick. I'm not saying that the other maxi aren't quick (cuz they are probably faster) but for the price that you are saying that you have this would be a good car to buy and have money left over for mods.

Stick with the max! Zs are great cars but when it comes to reliability they suck. From experience, my first car was a '90 300zx. This thing was a lemon from the very start. The mechanic would be in the driver seat more than i would be. I would have to tell you avoid this car at all cost for a "beginner car" or a "car to learn on". Remember these cars (Z) are more than 8 years old.

Just make a good decision on something that is reliable and something that you won't regret as soon as you buy it.

Eric425

Doesn't matter that there are a couple, top maximas that are running fast. There's always a few cars that are fast in ANY vehicle which people choose to mod. There are 10 second civics, but does that mean civics are sports cars? Same goes for cavaliers, sunfires, escorts, and pretty much anything else that's ever been modded. I bet you could even find a few minivans that are running 11's and 12s. You don't judge cars by a few top handful of cars, you have to go by the average. The typical civic doesn't run 10's, and the typical maximas doesn't run 11s. People who think that their max is the baddest thing on the road, some sort of high performance vehicle, and doesn't respect other cars are just as bad as any riced out honda out there. Maxima ricers don't want to hear it, but compared to real performance vehicles, Maximas ARE slow. But that's alright. They are not designed to be performance vehicles, and that's fact. The maxima wasn't Nissans answer to the big 3, the supra, the rx7, and the 3000gt vr4; the 300zx TT was. A Z to a max is like a Supra to a camry. And frankly, if the kid intends to race with this thing, it's a joke. It won't matter if he gets 5 spd or auto, because either way, he's not competing with modded V8s or turbo'd, rwd sports cars that dominate the scene. To them, looking at auto vs manual max's running a 16.2 vs a 15.8 is like us looking auto vs manual geos running 18.1 vs 18.5. Nobody cares. Either way, it's slow. The only truly valid reason for him to buy a 5 spd is to learn how to drive stick, or for simply for pure enjoyment of driving. That's it. A 5 spd isn't going to make you fast, and you're not going to be a competitor in the performance scene.

Maximas are great cars. They're fairly quick, reliable, roomy and comfortable to drive. If you like putting money into them to make them fast, just for something unique, that's your thing and that's great for you. But there's no denying that there are many other cars that can be made faster, for less money and with more reliablity. People buying cars like maxs and thinking they have the hottest thing on the road, making fun of similiar cars like camrys, accords, civics, taurus, etc are what really tick me off. Just the other day, I saw a couple kids in a red 4th gen, lowered, intake and exhaust poking fun at a GN. Right before it blew their doors off. You drive an underdog car too, pay some respect to others who do.

It's a good first car, with a good blend of performance, reliablility/low maintainence, comfort and space. When you're really not sure what you're looking for, like many with their first car, it might be one of the best, offering a small sample from each world. Performance, luxury, reliability, you'll pick a favorite feature and learn what you like.

GuZo

iTrader: (6)

Since it's your first car, I assume you're 17 or 18. Look at what it would cost you to insure each car the TT and the Max. If you're a leadfoot and 17 or 18, you probably shouldn't have a 300ZX, first because of reliability issues from beating on it and second since it's rear wheel drive, you can lose it pretty fast.