So many opinions in this thread. I just love how the guys with the older maximas have to find reasons why theirs is better so they have reason to bash on a car thats worth 5 times as much.

 

But they can still sit back with the satisfaction that their car isn't mortgaged to the hilt, the transmission works as intended, the glove box is aligned properly, and they have no shimmy!

 

agreed. It just seemed like you saying seatbelts were worthless.

Yes, we are bashing on 6th gens because we are jealous of them! I mean man, if I was going to spend $30k on a car the first car I would look at would be the 6th gen maxima! Nevermind a 330I or even a G35 . You know what the best part is? It's when you go to sell it in 4 years and find it's only worth $10-12k.

See, some of us would rather find a good car with a lot of stuff to offer. Buy it straight up and not owe anything on it. Then use the money we save from depreciation and interest and put that into mods, building a car which is faster and handles better.

 

My trans is fine, my glovebox is aligned, and I dont have a shimmy. I take it all the older models were completely trouble free?

 

I guess you will just have to wait 12 years and see how everything turns out



There are significant build quality differences between the 2nd/3rd generations and the newer ones. It's not right off the lot you notice it, but instead when you rack up 100k/200k and more.

The things 91WBSE is talking about is just overall fit and finish stuff. Alot of the small things. I had the same impression first time I played with a 5th gen.

 

Looks are purley subjective...some like blondes, others brunettes...

...I can't believe that arguing over such a moot point has continued for this long!

 

I absolutely agree with the guys that say the build quality was better in the older days as oppossed to the newer cars.

Older cars were really built a lot better, I don't remember once seeing as much orange peel in the paint of older cars as oppossed to the paint of some newer cars. The interior of older cars was in fact a lot better in my opinion. My buddy has a '94 Accord EX. His interior is absolutely gorgeous and that car runs like a charm I find i hard to believe it's over a decade old. My uncle has an '03 Accord LX he already had to replace his starter his car has less than 20k miles, and the orange peel on his car is absolutely ridiculous. Also, his interior seems no where near as nice as my boys '94.

I think it's very true that alot of these car companies now cut corners. I think the older model BMWs were timeless classics I don't know what the hell they come out wiith now. I often find myself mistaking the new 3 series for a Kia or Hyundai. The E36 and E46 are gorgeous and always will be.

Same applies to older Maximas and ofcourse the 300zx's. I think both cars are timeless classics and will never IMHO grow old. I'll take a TT 300zx over a 350z (turd) ANYDAY of the week. The only car that will be considered a classic later on will be the G35C.

What happened to the days of digital gauges and voice commands? The Datsuns had them and I think that was way advanced for it's time. I think the late 80s Z had the digital everything gauges. I remember seeing a commercial showing that. I really don't think cars have advanced to much in the last decade or so. The Mclaren F1 came out in the early 90s and still one of the fastest cars, same as the F40, and F50. Muscle cars of the older days would pis* on some of the newer cars out today. I don't think car companies market cars to enthusiasts anymore. They probably market them to your average Joe Schmoe who wants to get from point A to point B with the least expenses possible and the least consumption of gas.

Hopefully within my lifetime I will live to see a generation of cars that will reflect the glory days of when cars would become instant classics. Look at the Pontiac T/A, Firebird, etc., from the late 80s, look at the GNX. Absolutely wonderful cars.

And in reference to the 6th gen. I'm really sorry and I don't mean to offend anybody but Nissan did make a big disgrace of themselves. I think a Maxima now is comparable to a Taurus, or Impala, or Accord, it's just your average car now. There's nothing unique about them now. I remember when 3rd gens came out as well as 4th gens I used to drool all over them and wish one day I'd be able to have them. People would stare them, ask owners questions about them they were in fact very unique.

But oh well, I guess times are different now.

 

B!tching about a ban can result in a vacation.

 

I have owned my 95 SE since day 1 (October 1, 1994). To date, the only problems I have had with it are: replace an 02 sensor on warranty about 8 years ago, blew a sidewall out of a Goodyear Eagle RSA tire (OEM), replaced a battery, replaced a headlight bulb, and bought 2 rebuilt calipers and replaced the rear pads with 40% left. The right rear caliper froze up because I hadn't used the emergency brake in about 6 years or else I would have been good to go for some time to come.

The car runs perfectly to this day. There are no squeaks, rattles or vibration of any sort whatsoever.

Oh, I almost forgot, I've replaced the windshield wipers twice and the PCV valve and now use a K&N panel air filter, but still have the original OEM platinum plugs.

 

I deleted that post shortly after I made it because I thought better of it. You didn't need to resurrect it as a PM would have sufficed.

 

The last time I was in the 6th gen forum the only thing being posted were concept pictures lol.

It's the same as when the 5th gen came out, no one liked it. It took me a while for the 5th gens to grow on me personally. I do think they fixed all the small design annoyances with the 5.5gen. The only thing I would change on the 5.5 gen is the rear suspension and add just some height to the steering wheel tilt adjustment. Would be nice if it didn't have the "3rd gen with a bubble around it" feeling but meh, that's just my own preference.

 

Well, if you're the original owner you'd probably know that going in, that's what makes the Maxima a poor value, no matter how cheap it is when it's new. Whether you like the Honda CR-V or not, they're a dime a dozen, and lost more HP due to the recalculation, people are waiting 3-4 weeks for them, i.e. a 2 yr. old goes for 16,7k at the dealer when new is 20,738 for a 2k6.

My buddy decided to give his '96 to his son when he gets the Avalon--why bother taking 3k in a trade-in? His son can't buy a reliable car like that for 3k. At most my buddy loses 6% of 3k due to the sales tax credit he woulda got, big whoop, $180!

 

I haven't changed the oil, transmission fluid, or even put gas in my 5.5 gen since I've bought it.

Top that lack of maintaince.


Its time for this thread to go byebye. No significant information left...

 

haha, does anyone own a generation that they dont like? probably not, this is just going nowhere.
.

i stand corrected. well i sit when i type.

 

So I can now chalk you up as one of the vapid n00bs whom make us 5th genners look bad. Idiot.

 

He was only being facetious and I get his point. Cut him some slack!

 

my speedo goes 125, VE goes up to 145

 

Mr. Gone

ppl wouldnt get a bwm or other cars for that price because of maintenance, would you rather fix a car thats cheap on parts than some expensive foreign bich? i wouldnt
its a good car for the price, looks better than any fawken 3rd gen, has power, is different, and has some class. plus a g35 goes for more than 30 gran, not to mention the that the coupe doesnt fit a family comfortably

again im not bashing, just postin my thoughts

 

My max was originally my brother's, he almost thought about selling it but then realized how bad the resale value is on my '98, so he gave it to me and he has a BMW X3. I'm taking far better care of the max than he did. As I've said before, I haven't tested or owned/leased a 6th gen to determine the build quality of it. All I'm gonna say is I'M HAPPY W/ MY '98 SE. END OF STORY

THIS NEEDS TO GET BIGTIME

 

Having a 1998 BMW 740i in the family with just under 80k now, can I ask you about how it is expensive? How it has high maintenance? It has been FAR more reliable then my Dad's old 2000 Maxima SE 5spd. It's maintenance scheudle is no different than any other car and the biggest surprise I have come across this car is parts cost.... It is on par with Nissan, and at times is cheaper.

It is really annoying reading posts from close minded members. "fawken 3rd gen" makes for a great arguement . In addition, if you could actually read posts it would help. I never said a G35 Coupe, I just said G35... You know Infiniti makes a G35 Sedan, right?

I love Nissan's and all, they make good cars, but I feel they need to take it to the next level.

 

its been awhile since one of these 3rd gen vs 4th+ gen threads just like the oldies

 

Its not a true 3rd gen vs 4th gen till Donald chimes in

 

well the only reason i said that about bmw's is beacause i was thinking of getting one, if i have the money. But my friends who have them bought them used and all tell me the same thing. that parts are expensive for it
and when u said g35 i thought u meant the coupe, i did not realise u meant the 4dr

 

Don't mean to break up this sibling squabble, but this thread reminds me so much of the way my brothers and sisters and I carried on when we were young.

There are some here who don't seem to appreciate the fact ALL Maximas are wonderful and beautiful. Always have been, and hopefully always will be.

I have owned nothing but Maximas for over twenty years. But all I have left are a 2K SE and an '04 SL. I love them both. The 2K will turn on a dime and leave 9 cents change. Trouble free. When I drive it, I feel as if I am in a sports car.

The '04 SL not only has power (feels about the same in acceleration as the 2K), it rides like a dream. No more beating my kidneys and stopping at every rest area. And it is a little roomier. And I love the heated steering wheel, etc.

I love them both. They are both wonderful.

But my all-time favorite was one of my two 1985s. I put well over 200K on that baby. Mostly in Atlanta traffic. That is also the car which I once kept between 106 and 120 MPH for over fifty miles on a deserted southwest Texas road. I fell in love with the Gen 2 styling, and still like it.

I also loved the styling of Gen I, but found it did not have enough headroom with the power sunroof. Engine was not as peppy as I like, either.

Perhaps the cleanest styling of all gens was Gen 3. That was one smooth car, and I still notice them today. Classically smooth. Maybe the smoothest styling of any car I can remember.

I also found Gen 4 to be a very attractive design. A little more 'edge' than Gen 3. My wife likes that style.

At the time it came out (May of '99), I felt Gen 5 might have been a tad too radical in the rear. But I have come to really like the rear of Gen 5. The front was classic from day one. Gen 5 might still be the preferred Maxima for younger folks who drive like the Maxima is a sports car.

But my '04 SL is the best of all the Maximas I have ever owned for long freeway trips. And, at my age (retired ten years ago), I need the softer ride of the SL, as well as the extra room. I have had my '04 SL for almost a year and a half, and once the initial buglets were adjusted by the dealer, I have not had the first rattle or shimmy or anything but wonderful driving. I wouldn't give it up for anything . . . well, maybe a Gen 7 . . .

But there is no such thing as a bad Maxima generation. A few individual lemons, of course. Even Ferrari has an occasional lemon. But I feel there has never been a bad Maxima generation.

But then I am known to be a Maxima worshiper . . .

 

But HE started it!

 

2k and 04 feel same in power?

1sec 1/4 differences for autos

 

Ok time for me to post. I have worked on a 3rd gen to replace a fuel injector. Wasn't a hard job at all. It feels more solid than my 4th gen. But I rather take my car over a 3rd gen. Let me tell you, Nissan did *** up on the 4th gens. Within a year I have replaced:

-Fuel pressure regulator
-Alternator
-Drive belts
-Full tune up
-A/c compressor
-Exhaust hangers
-Rear valve cover gasket
-Coil packs
-Trans seals
-Passenger side axle
-Front rotors and brakes
-Replaced my broken headunit
-Replaced both foglights because one broke
-ALL engine mounts, replaced the front and rear with polyurethane.
-NEW cat
-ALL 3 new 02 sensors
-Lower radiator bar rotted out so that was patched and repainted.
-Licence bulb lights
-spoiler light
-New glow gauges the other ones burned out.
-Brake flush because it was black.
-------------
Things still needed to be done:
-NEW trans, (Bearing problems)
-New clucth, flywheel, rearmain seal.
-2 new front wheel bearings.
-Cruise control doesn't want to activate
-front door lights still dont work.

Over all Im pretty pissed off, every week something else goes. This car is a huge money pit but its my only car. The insurance isnt great for it, and moving to a newer car won't help me. Sometime within a few months I will have the rest of the car fixed. Of coarse I need a lot of money. Might I add I only have 112k.... My friends 92 SE has 178k not even near the amount of work ive done to my car.

 

Incorrect. I replied to it before you deleted it.

 

Whatever! I guess I'll have to watch out for Big Brother.

 

Go ahead and price replacement long blocks, transmissions or any other major part and get back to me.

 

I agree. The 7 is horrible as far as cost per mile to operate. The mistakes that are posted on this forum I think are ok--there are no geniuses here, or at least it doesn't seem like it. But many people do benefit from tips and tricks in fixing their Maximas.

Correct me if I'm wrong, in 2k1/early 2k2, before the 74x went to the new body-style (E38 to E65), there were $7000 rebates from BMW. Can you imagine what that did to the resale on a 2000? BMW is no different that Nissan and Chevy, instant add'l depreciation to current owners. I don't care if you're a radiologist, 7k is a big chunk of change whether you're 30 or 55.

Also, look for a 4-wheel brake job on a 74x for under $1500. Good luck. Please don't tell me it's a DIY job, it's not a Maxima! I can see it now....."problem pushing 4 pistons in using C-Clamp, undid bleeders and pedal goes to floor," but I did get my clears installed!

 

In that case, the price is on par with the price of the car.

Say a new engine for a $20,000 car costs $2500, then it is not completely unreasonable to expect to pay $7500 for a new engine on a $60,000 car.

Quite frankly, if people are going to play the maintenance card on a car of this nature, they need to stick with disposable cars...Kia/Hyundai/Saturn... cheap cars with a good warrenty so that if something goes wrong once it is out of warrenty you just junk it and buy another. If you spend $60,000+ on a car, you deal with the costs associated with it. If maintenance is more than you can afford then you should not have bought a $60,000 car.

I fail to see how anything on this board relates to your statement of the 7 series is horrible as far as cost per mile. All I got from it was that you think the 7 series has a high cost per mile to operate, then you talk about some mistakes on a Maxima forum and the rest is gone.

If you are selling a car 1 year after buying it brand new you are going to take a huge loss. It's what happens, you deal with it. Maybe they are selling because it was too much car to take on? In that case they need to become more wise financially. If they are selling because they want to upgrade or it's a year old so it's time for a new car, then clearly they have enough money so it is not a problem, or their name is Russ, and have horrible money management. Regardless it is something that happens. You make it sound as if it is worse than the new Employee Pricing rage, or as if no other company has ever given that much of a rebate before (in comparison to the price of the car).

oh dear god, someone help me quick! what have I done???? I did the brakes on my Dad's 1998 740i in my garage using factory parts for less than the cost of a BlehmCo BBK. I must have done something wrong for that price! Not to mention I'm just a computer geek, what the hell am I doing under a car. Better take it to a shop stat!

The entire cost arguement is pointless. If you are looking to buy a car of this caliber, you shouldn't be crying about parts cost or "maintenance". If you are, you shouldn't be looking at this level car.

 

That's not true at all, even Jay Z cares about cost. Going through life saying cost/benefit is pointless, I sure hope you don't work for a HMO!

I know sr partners who went from the 2001 7 down to the new 5, both 30 and 45. I know sr partners who have the new7. Fact is, cost is a personal thing. Cost/benefit is the same for everyone. I've never met a 7 owner who said the cost "ain't no thing." That's Randy Moss BS.

 

Shawny, you DIDN'T say "on par with the price of the car". You said as compared to the maxima.

Sorta blows your whole arguement away.

"I did the brakes for less than a blemco bbk". Nice but that's alot more than the brakes for a nissan. Apples / oranges son

 

We've sold 3 low miles 05/06 maximas here and they drive good but I feel as thought the performance is very restricted because the car is quieted down so much...but I agree with the original post that the interior is nothing like back in the days

 

I dunno man, but I think the 3rd gen is the nicest looking one of them all. No Lie. Nissan has been getting uglier and uglier through the years.

 

2 years ago and he never posted pictures. Sure its real.

 

Original engine, still runs great...I just changed the original clutch at 286,600 miles...teh 3rd gen. rules..

 

 

everythingz i reads on the intrawebz is real man, everything