Allright here's what i have thinking about doing. I currently rebuilt an auto 03' about 5 months ago (33k miles fully loaded cept navi). There is a 95' 5-speed going in the insurance auction tomorow, pics at the end. I'm thinking about buying the 95' and fixing it up and doing the following. 97+ conversion, HID, VI, maybe stillen kit, full paint job, full suspension, $2k in stereo/ carputer, and then eventually when the engine/transmission dies swap a 3.5 in it or turbo the 3.0. I figure that i could do that for all under 7k. I owe about 8k currently on my 03' so if i keep it it will stay stock which sucks because i like buying **** and installing it on my car. What would you guys rather do, drive a stock 03 and make payments or drive a modded 95' and not have car payments?? Also consider that im working full time (body shop), going to school full time, 19, and want to move out which is basically not going to happen if i keep the 03', im starting to think the 03' isn't worth it. whatta u guys think?



can anyone tell if this has a sunroof or not? here she is

 

As nutty as it sounds, I would do the swap. I can't even begin to imagine how far along I'd be with the Max if I bought a cheaper model.

DO IT!!!!

 

If everything will go the way you plan, probably yes. But remember, buying an old car gives you much more problems to worry about than just modding.

 

I think everything will go as planned. If a problem comes up then i think i will be able to figure it out and fix it. I enjoy working on my car. Hopefully this car goes for around 1500 so i can get it to my shop for less than 2k. I think im going to just set a limit of 1500 to spend and if it goes over that then i'll keep looking for another till i find a cheap one.

oh forgot to add leather seats on the to do list for the 95'

 

No sunroof. In the first pic you can see the roof lines sweeping back across the top where the sunroof would be. It almost looks like the side weather stripping on the sunroof, but there's nothing matching up with that to the front of the car.

Personally - sell the '03, get the '95. May be a bit biased, but I always liked the 4th gen in terms of looks out of every generation Max so far.

Besides, who wants a stock car?

 

If you're dropping a 3.5 the 95 will always have more potential in the end.

 

yeah i didnt think it had a sunroof but wasnt for sure. I eventually want to drop a 3.5 in it but from the how-to's it looks a bit complicated right now. if i had to i think i could figure it out but i would hate to start the swap and get stuck. i was thinking about getting a VI with an extended rev limiter and revvin to 8k for now and see how long the motor lasts but then i wouldnt be able to use the VI or the ECU(not sure) if i drop in a 3.5. man the poll is even comeon ppl help me out bidding starts tomorow at noon. how high would you guys go?

 

How do you rebuild an 03?

I'd get the A32, and keep what you had ...

 

ha keeping both is out of the question right now. maybe in like 6 months though. by rebuilding an 03' i mean that i bought it wrecked and restore it. It had minor front end damage, pulled the frame a little, new hood, fender, bumper, headlights, airbags, a lil painting and its good as new.... but better

 

He probably bought it wrecked from an auction, like the one he plans on purchasing the 95 from...He does work in a body shop. The tranny difference would sway it a little for me, plus the car payments. I'd say get the 4G, but that 3.5 must be sweet too.

edit: refresh owned me.

 

the 3.5 is pretty sweet to have but the little rattle that is developing at 2k, the little oil consumption, and the ever so often slight tranny slip is making me hate the 3.5. **** the 95 is already up to 900 bucks. i bet it goes to 2500-3000 tomorow. oh well theres plenty more where that came from just gotta wait for the right time. maybe by then i'll have enough money to buy a 4 gen and keep them both. Thatd be 3 maximas... well i sold my other 4g to my dad but i still drive it sometimes

 

keep the 03 youll regret the 4th gen, not worth it bro, honestly your working backwards.... its not worht dumping alot of money into an old car, its still an oldcar

 

i'm definitely biased towards 4th gens. but for good reason too. better looks (front end conversion wouldn't hurt either), and manual pwns your current auto. i don't know if you could get it for 1500? that seems pretty low. but there is evident body damage. do you know the mileage?

overall, i would say sell the '03 and buy the 4th g.

but from another point of view, it sounds like you really have a lot on your plate. i would think a new (to you) car would be the last thing to think about. but totally your call.

 

How many miles are on the 95? One plus is its a 5-speed. However, the color is nothing to write home about and it has no sunroof or leather interior.

I own a fully loaded 95 and am somewhat biased, but given the business you are in why don't you focus on "rebuilding" newer Maximas (eg 02s and 03s)and flipping them. After one or two more, you could own an affordable loaded 03 with a 6-speed, if you're lucky.

The 03 you presently have is loaded, with low mileage, and the only drawback apart from the payments is that its an autotragic.

 

well considering he said he works in a body shop painting it will be the first thing he'll probably do. I love the 2002+, but i love my 95, and i plan on doing exactly what you want to do, swap in a 3.5 when the 3.0 goes out. get the 95

 

Unless you're doing F/I or N20 foolishly, or down shift improperly, it will be a looooooooooong while.

 

Did you say, "when the engine and transmission goes?" lol from what ive heard about this VQ thats gonna be awhile

 

We still don't know how many miles are on the 95? Apart from body damage, it may be trashed. Plus it has no leather interior and no sunroof.

 

i'm actually looking to move on from my 95 to a 5.5gen so i guess we're doing just the opposite. if you're up for the project and potential of problems on a used older car, go for it...you never know, you might get lucky. i, on the otherhand, want a newer low mileage car that'll (hopefully) have more reliability for a while. i guess it depends on what you're really looking for and willing to do and deal with...goodluck!

 

well the 95 has 129k on it. i planned on swapping in leather the only thing i would be not getting is a sunroof which i could probably live without. to help speed up the engine wear on the 3.0 i would either get a VI with ts ecu and rev it to about 8k all day long or get a wet kit and go from there. Still not sure if i would want to put a 3.5 in or just build a 3.0 and turbo it. i would love to have a turbo. i would either be painting it a little darker shade of red so i didnt have to paint the jambs or completely changing the color. not sure yet. oh also i would probably bank about 3 grand on my 03' which would be nice. oh did i mention NO car payments. ahh the possibilities.

 

Keep the 03, your supposed to go forward in life, not backwards.

 

werd same thing i said above as well...

 

depends on what you mean by forward...if you're looking for speed and fun to drive, i'd get the 4th gen with 3.5 swap. You can always mod it however you want, and no car payments make the deal so much sweeter, but you might not have all the creature comforts that you had with your 5.5 gen. 4th gen 5spd is a very fun car to drive, i wouldnt give mine up for the world.

-Freddy

 

keep the 03






no sense in wasting money on a 4th gen. Or buy the 4th gen and leave it stock and invest the money


or

buy the 4th gen as a daily beater, and buy a project car that is actually worth modding.

 

BTW fellas, fishpony has some insane fabrication skills along with another fellow in his area...I would not doubt his intentions...

 

well the maxima went today for 1800 so about 2300 delivered to my shop. decided it wasnt worth it and decided to wait for a better one. hopefully in 3-4 months i will find a good one that goes decently cheap and i can keep both for awhile. thanks metal maxima. and i will definately have to do a lil fiberglassin either to a 4th gen or my current 5.5 if i keep it. also i would consider moving out more of a move forward in life than buying a new car but thats just me. i think the only thing i would miss about the 5.5 is
HID which will be one of the first mods
auto sunroof can be done
auto windows up and down has anyone tried doing this to a 4th gen?
better seats might look into changing
3.5vq which will eventually be swapped

 

I'm laughing so much at your signature right now you don't even know








and that is not a good thing

 

I don't doubt his intentions


I doubt his platform.

 

yah my dad yesterday was like well why do you have to buy another nissan much less a maxima. i go well what the hell else would i buy. only thing else i could think of would be 240 but not sure bout that. atleast i know maximas pretty good

 

Even though it's too late I'll add my opinion. The way I look at it is that I have a 4th gen so it is "worth it" to mod it. I wouldn't just go buy one to do it though. I will have something new in the spring but I also just bought a Dodge Ram so it isn't like I am stuck with an old car. I would just keep the '03 and mod that.

 

You want an older car? why? Pretty much the same car except your's looks not as boxy, nor does it have as much liters..Oh and did I forget to mention that your car is newer? I'm just being astute here..Anyway why not just save up your money and get a real car later? Maybe keep the Maxima stock and get something cooler..I would to that but, as Vader once said.."It's too late for me son."

 

save your money, your NEVER going to get any of that back from the 95

 

yes but it would be paid off within 4 months and i would have less than 6k in it. Also if i had to i would part the aftermarket parts out. Also the 03 is going to lose its resale value a whole lot faster. oh well time to save up and get both i guess. Thanks for the suggestions guys. if anyone else has input feel free to post.

 

Excellent question. It's all about how one thinks. And to draw an analogy with real estate, location location location. Do you want a tiny house in an excellent neighborhood, or a huge house in a questionable neighborhood?

Having a stock '03 is pretty sweet. It's a car that is well above-average. A '95 is well below-average. But, the equation is altered because that '95 is modified. To the normal person, and from a $ standpoint, any mods to a '95 are not only of no value, they detract from the value. But to someone who wants those specific mods, they are of great value.

From an objective standpoint, it always makes no sense to go backwards. But not everyone is objective. Sometimes when you want something, nobody can tell you otherwise.

 

I would definitely make the swap, i had a 95 with a 100shot and a few other mods and then got the 2k2 6-spd. I loved the 2k2 but the 95 was just better for what i wanted to do. i love tinkering around with the car and i think the 95 held up better then the 2k2. I drove both hard but the 95 never gave me any problems and the 2k2 basically self destructed. I'm looking to get another 95-96 in the spring as well and mod it again with a 100shot and some other mods. I'm glad i got the 2k2 but i could only imagine if i kept the 95 the things i would have done to it by now, ridiculous.

DO IT

 

My sentiments exactly.

 

well i found another pefect one, nice clean easy fix and it only has 61k miles and best of all 5 speed... whatta ya think.......

 

That thing is sweet! Look at the custom work done to it! Where did they get that awesome body kit?! I think I see part of a turbo sticking out oh wait that's just rubbish...Haha

 

I bet it has some left over body parts in it too ....

 

id stay 5th gen.. youll regret the change backwards.