Just noticed that 4th gen owners have been trying to sell their cars more than usual lately. Just time to upgrade or get something newer?

-Tim

 

Yup... I might be picking up an Black 02' next week.

 

5.5gens are cheaper now. I wanted to buy one but put down 40K on a house instead.

~THT

 

^^Where in the world did you get 40k?!?!?!?

 

I'm keeping my '98 'til it dies, then i'll move up to a 5.5gen SE or GLE

 

I want to know too .........



Nick.

ohh, BTW My 4th Gen is for sale $5000

 

Dealing...in securities and saving since I was 10. Not satisifed with a 3.5 in your 4th gen, Terry?

~THT

 

I just can't help it
https://secure.qcsa.net/SaleListDeta...ate=04/02/2005

PS: No one buy this. This puppy is mine.

 

its because we look around and see nicer newer cars that have things our cars dont

 

95 owners:10 years old
96 owners: 9 years old
97 owners: 8 years old
98 owners: 7 years old
99 owners: 6 years old

 

Well I'm not selling my 95SE for a long, long time. Its worth more to me than I can possibly get for it. With 57,688 mostly highway miles on it, it's barely broken in. And now that I've found out I have LSD, no differential bearing problem looming for me it seems.

 

I've got a 98 SE and theres no way i'm gonna sell, i'm going to build up an engine and have a spare motor in the garage....me likey

 

Not selling mine yet, although I did look at a 5th Gen 2002 when my tranny was being rebuilt. I will see what happens in a few months. Right now either looking to move the heck out of Cali so I can afford to buy a house with land or switching to a job that pays well, and I do mean well over 6 figures here so I can afford my 1 bedroom house. (LOL).

 

You might as well have a transmission on hand while you're at it , Jar, lol!

 

4th gen's rule. i love my 4th gen. and it still looks so damn good compared to alot of the newer cars.

 

Mmmmm. Black on black. So sexy.

 

Im trying to find a 98 SS camaro with t-tops and 6speed maual trans. Sorry to say v8 rear wheel drive LS1 motor just kills my thoughts of another front wheel drive car..

 

Well put. The car is worth so little if possible, I suggest keeping the Maxima as a beater even when getting a new car. My 98 SE 5-spd listed for 29.4 (ridiculous right?), sold for high 22's brand new, and is worth what, 4,400 today with 104k? Why give it up for 4 grand?

I'm hoping to get a E90 next year. Going to see it at the 3 Across America thing Wed. night. So far, it looks kinda ugly inside, but there's a lot more to it. Point is, we all have to live a little. I find it very weird when people claim to have made a lot of money in investments (take what they say with a grain of salt). I lost my shirt in 2001, as did many of the reasonably smart people I work with. Still have a pretty penny invested, but as I said, we all have to live a little.

Back to the original question, the 4th gen is an aging vehicle with little of the features a modern car has. But it's still an ok car and like I said financially a great beater car.

 

once i get a job and all that after college and everything and get settled down, i couldn't imagine keeping a car for too long. I can see how the same car could get old after a while....new things come out and people's tastes change over time, so after a while it's time for people to move on.

 

Probably selling now so they can get a decent amount of money for the car while they still can. Resale on these cars are complete crap, a big reason why im keeping my 92, even after all the repairs and such, its still worth more to me in its ownership versus its value of cash in my hand

to that, although im trying to find a 3rd gen Z28 or RS since my funds wont allow for an LS1 at the moment

 

Yes the car is a 1995 and is 10 years old, but the 4th gen styling looks oddly modern compared to most mid/late 90's cars. Besides, with my front end conversion people will be able to mistake it for a 1999

Will you be keeping for 4th gen? I can't imagine someone doing a 3.5 swap and selling the car.

I wanted a 5.5 gen like you guys too, but since I can't afford it, I decided to swap a 3.5 in. 3.5-powered 4th gen will always be faster than a 5.5 with the same mods anyway.

 

Actually, it's not that difficult to believe. I've had a significant amount of disposable income each year since I was 16 as I've always had pretty well paying jobs. I put that money away in "safe" investments; I don't believe in short term investing fads (e.g. tech circa 1999). When I came to college, I was on a full scholarship and my only real expense was rent. Big deal; $400/month for shelter and food. Anyhow, even with an average annual return of 6-8%, 40K saved in seven years is hardly difficult to believe.

And besides, I never said I made a lot of money in the market. I just made some of it there. Most of it was from actual work and early fiscal discipline.

Sorry this post has nothing to do with the thread; I just needed to explain myself a bit as I usually do when it comes to my finances.

~THT

 

my 97 SE with 145K is worth $5000, where 1997 SE with 400 000 miles is worth $4300 !!!! all according to Edmunds.com

now where is the logic here ????

Nick.

 

that's a shame, i'm about to unload my 98 TA 6 speed with 53k miles for 9 even. and i'll be looking for a 4th gen maxima.

the f body made me poor

 

as a matter of fact I plan on that too, I'd like to get a VLSD tranny when I swap in my beasty motor.

 

40k for a down payment in ny can't get you shiet.
say hello to PMI!

it's like 100k-250k for a decent down payment these days!


the 4th gens are selling cause you get bored of the car after 4-5 years!

 

No doubt, that's why lots of people live in Jersey City, Hoboken, Edgewater, Fort Lee. At least there, 500,000 buys you 1000 sq ft. instead of the 350 sq. ft. broom closet you'd get for the same money in Manhattan. Then you've got 6,000/yr. property tax and 600/mo. maintenance fees. So that's 3562/mo. for a one-bedroom, assuming 100,000 down! *LOL*

PMI is not good. It's a silly-a** concept designed to make more money for lenders. There are ways to avoid it, like a piggy-back loan, but then you pay higher interest.

Say I paid 22.7 for my fully-loaded 98 SE 5-spd, and now it's worth 4.4k after 104k. That is very poor as far as depreciation goes, and it's real. It's not a ficticious number. That's why a 328i would have probably been the same or cheaper to enjoy, problem is the ante would have been 10 grand more. BAck in 1998, I didn't have 32k to spend on a car. But the decision is the same in 2006--you got 40k for an E90, keep it 7 years, you will have driven a much more fun-to-drive car than a 2006 Maxima, and the depreciation will make it quite attractive provided you can pony-up for the 330. Again, it's my small house in the better neighborhood theory. Maxima is like a bigger house in a bad neighborhood. Some people go for that or have no choice.

 

I haven't seen any 4th gen for sale in my area. They seem hard to get one, especially 5 gen too. but rarely a 3 gen around here, either in the junkyard or very few driving around town.

 

Because there are so many more much nicer and better cars out there...

 

NICE~! That's what I'm going to to. I'm sticking with my '99 until it dies on me, while I'm saving up for a house.

 

That's why I might even consider leasing a new vehicle once I am set for my next ride! There's no point of purchasing a new Nissan/Infiniti since I'll get CCrap for the trade in value.

 

But if you're willing to lease, you should look at it totally differently. High residual value results in lower lease payments, because you're just a renter, not an owner. Not today, of course, because our dollar is in bad shape, but more than 2 years ago on tv they actually advertised BMW 325i's for $299/mo. 325Xi's were $349. Get a job at the local convenience store and you could have leased a BMW (figuratively speaking because the credit check is more stringent, so you actually need decent credit). BMW's have high residuals, so the lease payment is relatively lower. Still, leasing is a lose-lose proposition....

 

new cars are a joke overpriced and filled with junk spoiled americans think they need.
My cars 9 years old and it is getting a newer engine (03 3.5 13k)and 01 tranny.
For a few thousand its ready for 10 more years.

 

ill be keeping mine till it dies, and if the body is still good when the engine dies, than i will drop in the 3.5 4th gen forever!!!!

 

I would sell mine because I would upgrade to something better. It's not like my car is as new as it was when I bought it.

 

But how about to those who want a brand new car every few years? I know you'll have nothing to show for it in the end, but I might even end up selling the car when I see another one that I like.

 

I disagree, today's cars are actually better than ever. I bet your Maxima is loaded with sunroof and has A/C, so what makes the new cars junk?
As far as dropping a fresh powertrain in a 9 yr car....well think of it as spending 3 grand on a car that's worth 3 grand. That could be a sound decision if you do all of the work on the car yourself, and don't give a crap about your image. If you're a truck driver then its fine, but if you're a professional, then you need to display the success and drive a late model vehicle.

 

I need something practical, from a payment, maintenance and gas cost standpoint.

With that said, I'm looking at either a Ford Focus, or an '02 Sentra GXE.

I know I know, y'all don't like the Focus. *points to nether regions* show them some love

 

Honda Civic 5spd EX all the way

 

Back in mid January, I sold my black 5 speed 96 SE (moonroof, leather, BOSE, keyless) with 113K miles for $6,400 with H&R/Koni, WSP y-pipe, ME strut mounts, JWT ECU, WSP subframe connectors, and Stillen body kit.

I have no doubts my Maxima would have easily gone another 100K with minimal maintenance work other than a clutch and a sensor failing here and there. For me, it was time to move on. I had driven the car for nearly 6 years and 85K miles. It was like a good pair of jeans and I could always depend on it. I came to the point where I was at the limit of NA performance without diving into major work that could compromise reliability or driveability (ie 00VI, slicks, weight reduction). I seriously pondered getting a SC, but after figuring that it would cost me around $6K to do the SC "right", I decided I wanted a new car. I didn't love my Maxima enough to throw $6K into something I wasn't sure was going to make me happy for another 3-5 years. Ultimate speed is a blast, but creature comforts and refinement are also things I really desire. I bought my barely used completely loaded 03 G35 sedan for $25K a couple days after selling the Maxima. The G is slower than my Maxima, but I don't know by how much since it hasn't been to the track. It feels like a 14.6@96mph car.

One reason I really wanted something new was because I never felt like I could find a comfortable driving position in the Maxima. The car seemed to be designed for someone who was 5' 8". I'm 6' 2" and the steering wheel, pedals, and shifter were all wrong for someone my size plus my legs never felt supported. I fit perfectly in the G35 and my legs had a lot more support. Having the additional creature comforts is really nice like an auto dimming rear mirror, auto down/up on all window including moonroof, Xenon headlights, steering wheel control, dual zone auto climate control, rear HVAC vents, reclining rear seat, and auto out drivers seat. The G35 is like a vault compared to the Maxima. I basically traded some performance for a bit more luxury. It's all a trade off.

The only two things I really miss about my Maxima is the direct connection you get with a manual tranny and I miss the gas mileage. My G gets about 15% worse MPGs than the Maxima and this couldn't come at a worse time. The good thing is I've got an auto and when you're driving an auto, you're more inclined to cruise a bit more.