I don't know if this has happen to you guys but everytime I mention I have a maxima to someone or I talk to someone about Maximas a person that has owned one or has had one as said. yah I have or had a Maxima and I LOVED IT to so much and sad to see it go. This happened to me like about 5-6 times this year. Then I found out what kind of Maxima these people had and they all had Gen 3s. lol I was like. YUCK. The Gen 3 is just so ugly... and I thought Nissan in the early 90s were poo compared to mid 90s ones from what I thought.

Well with that said, there seems to be a lot of love for the gen 3 and the only reason why I can think of are...

1.Cheapest best car at the time with the most options and power. I mean $h!t 190 HP(VE30) in 1993 out of a boxy sedan for that price?

2.Beat out almost anything at the time in terms of luxury for the price.

3.Power everything and available in 5 speed. hardly any sedans were in 5 speed in the early 90s. Infact the only ones that were were a few Taurus, Shos and Sables. Those were the other cheaper cars that had power everything too, and for a much cheaper price but crap performance. OR the gen 2 SHO that was basically the same price as the highest end Maxima in the 90s.

So has this happened to you guys?

 

Ugly?

 

lol, well i mean they ant great looking cars. The maximas only got good looking in gen 4 and up. Then kinda got worse @ Gen 6 and turned into a grandfathers styled luxary.

I would say that most cars were ugly in the early 90s but the 300zx was amazing hot for those years.

 

Actually from 1989 on no normal Taurus or Sable was available with a 5sp.

Pretty much just the gen 1 SHO, and the gen 2 SHO (automatic was optional from 93-95, but manual was still available).

But yea, other than the SHO at 220hp and the Maxima at 190hp, back then, there really wasn't much in the way of a nice sporting sedan other than those two options. At least none that I can think of in that price range.

 

Ugly? Many feel that it was, and still is, the best looking Maxima.

Also the 3rd gen is the only real "Four Door Sports Car" with independent rear suspension. Yes, it is not the most powerful, but at the time it compared to everything else.

 

Just because it has independent rear suspension does not make it a "real" 4DSC. I mean sure we have a solid beam on the gen 4s and up but that is just for cornering improvement with the sacrifice of a bumpier ride.

 

True. All Maximas are 4DSC in some aspect.

 

have you ever owned / driven a 3rd gen?
I've had 4 3rd gens and I'm on my 3rd A32.
The only reason I picked up my last 2 A32s was because they were cheaper than a VE by a decent margin.

 

I think people mistakingly equate the fact that the VE 3rd gens were ahead of their time with being the best maxima ever. One does not necessarily mean the other. I still think the VE itself was the weak link in that car though (no offense to VE owners...I have my reasons). A 3rd gen with a VQ w/ VI would have been something special indeed. But that's another story...


The turd gen will always be special to me since it's obvious nissan didn't skimp out on it. It's features were impressive for the time. Doesn't mean I'd ever care to own one though...

 

The point that you miss is the fact that the 3rd generation Maxima is why most people fell in love with the Maxima in the first place.

It set unprecedented standards for power, price, and value and is the whole reason Nissan continued to manufacture the Maxima up until today; allowing for unlimited expansion.

And that's why so many people who owned these cars 15+ years ago continue to mention them as one of the best cars they've ever owned.

Did it have its flaws? Of course it did. However, it certainly was no "turd".

In fact, if it wasnt for the 3rd generation Maxima, who knows, production could've been cut short, and we might not even be talking about Maxima's with a VQ.

Although, I guess its a little hard for you to understand why so many people mention the 3rd gen as there first love of Maxima's because you were probably still sh*ttin in your diapers when they first came out.

 

My family used to own the third gen. I don't know if I would call it ugly for the simple fact that there were cars back then that were a lot more ugly. IMO the car was a great car and a load of fun to drive. Only reason why we don't have the car anymore is because I traded it for a 5.5 gen.

 

lol... well If you are still... Shi**ing in diapers at the age of 8-10 would be a pretty big problem.

 

I think the real question here is why do you hate on the 3rd gen so much?

I personally love my 3rd gen. It is one of the best cars I have owned (and I have owned a couple dozen) and I think it is very nicely designed and far from ugly. Thru the .org, and the varied members, I have grown to appreciate other gens that to me are less attractive. I don't call any of them ugly.

 

i like my turd gen...what else would i drive in the winter...

 

I don't think the third gen is ugly at all; it is timeless in my eyes. Granted, it doesn't look like every other bubbly sedan out there now, it had it's own look. Low, smooth, sloping lines with subtle fender, hood, and rear quarter panel flares, etc.

Also, if you've ever driven one, you'll know it is the easiest maxima to see out of, the hood and trunk line up evenly and slope gradually downward with large windows and minimal pillars around the entire cabin, viewability is important to me if I want to enjoy the car I am driving.

Also, Nissan was prospering in the early 90's, and around 95 they went bankrupt. If you've ever compared build quality, metal quality, interior materials, suspension, engine build technology with any other generation maxima, it is and was very far ahead of anything else in it's class. 4th and 5th gens can look very good, but I don't think they were very impressive in factory form; I think the cutting edge and refined looks left, and it was the owners responsibility to get them back.

And I know it's played out that the third gens have independent rear suspension, but among other things, they put 4DSC on the car for a reason. It had variable timing cam's, developed a chain driven engine, variable intake manifolds, vicious limited slip diff. 5-speeds, a high build quality interior with subtle "sporty" hints (gauge cluster, leather wrapped wheel), and of course a superior rear suspension for handling.

Everyone bashes on the VE, but it's not a bad engine. Most members on here see 200k+ miles on their engine without any major problems, Greeny had his VTC's rebuilt around 150k miles and now has over 330k! Take into consideration the timing belt procedures the VG would have needed and the +/-$1000 the VTC rebuild costs would turn out to be the equivalent of routine engine maintenance for a belt driven engine. I am at 160k miles and my engine feels as strong as it ever has.

Most third gen owners don't bother with newer Maxima's when they decide to sell or it dies. I know I'll most likely never drive a 4th-7th gen Maxima, not because they're not good car's, but because the 3rd gen provides such poise and elegance when you're driving it, it has spirit that many (most) other new car's just don't offer, for a mid-priced, front wheel drive, family sedan, the third gen really makes you feel connected with the road, something I haven't experienced when driving 4th or 5th gens regardless if they were "faster" or not.

I guess we all want different things out of car's, but until you drive a good condition slightly modded VE, I guess you'll never know why we keep dumping money into them

 

Some ugly car pics!!







[/QUOTE]

 

 

I've always thought after the 3rd gen they became boats, bloated gutless body roll filled piggish ferry boats I could never get enough of 4500-7000rpm on a VQ30DE

 

my 1990 camry was a 5spd...

 

moar ugly!

 

3rd gen done right is where its at... 4th gen takes the cake though

 

Don't start this argument again.

People fell in love with the 3 gen because it was the best in its class for many years. the other options were Taurus SHO, Camry, or Accord, both of which Accord and Camry had less performance, and build quality on the SHO was much lower with nearly equal performance.

It had 'power everything', a good sounding stereo, great ergonomics, and german build quality. It was compared to the still popular E36 Bimmer in terms of quality, value in its class, and styling.

the interior on my 16 year old car w/ 250,000+ miles STILL doesn't rattle or have scratches, unlike most of my friends 4/5/6 gens with painted interior pieces that are showing significant wear after just a few months of ownership.)

The only downside to the 3 gen was weight, but it still outperformed the 4th gen in most aspects on the road with MUCH better build quality.


So say what you will about its looks. some people consider it 'dated'. others call it 'classic'. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally I think the only Max that looks better than the 3 gen is the 7 gen, and then only barely because of the body curves. still hate the corporate front end on it now..

 

I'll agree the 3rd gen looks like the majority of mid 80's, early 90's cars... boxy and lifeless

But Like Matt mentions, his still works and looks good after 250 K . that's pretty freakin amazing, and i still see a decent amount of those puppies rolling around in houston. I"d LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to get even 200k out of my 2002 max

i'm only 26, so i obviously have little experience of the 80's cars, but i do have to agree it sounds like it was the Gen that pushed Maxima's to the forefront of sedan performance cars.

 

80s car? ok ok i'll give it to you...but it started in 89...but i wouldn't call it a 80s car.

 

When i got matt's 89 ready for him, he took it to work and his boss hadn't seen it yet but asked what it was. Matt said "a maxima". His boss, who is usually a pretty boring, dry man, lit up like a child in a candy store and was like "oh yeah? Those things are pretty fast.. my neighbor had a burgundy one a while back, I think it was an 89 or a 90... i remember it could spin tires from a standstill.."

 

We bought a '91 SE 5-speed new. It was our first Nissan. We were looking for something to replace our BMW 318i, since we were starting a family and the 318 simply wasn't family-friendly (it was a 2-door, and working a child out of a backseat car seat really wrenched the back)

For those who think the 3rd gens are ugly, I think you have to remember the times. Compared to a lot of what was out there, the 3rd gens had a sleeker, more modern look to them. I still like the look.

It was a fun car to drive, but it really needed an FSTB. You really could feel the difference on that generation. Not so much in my 5th gen.

The car was a tank. Very well-built, especially the engine. We sold it when we bought our 2001 SE. It had 314k on the odo. We got $1000 for it.

 

i had a 93SE and even though ive owned two 4th gens since, i still consider it to be the "best" maxima ive owned.
dont get me wrong, 3rd gens are ugly as sin.

the 4th gen is also ugly, but slightly less so.....









and one more thing: automatic seatbelts SUCK

 

Looks good to me.

 

My old candy red max.

 

how are you liking those 27 lb wheels?

 

Love 'em.How do you feel about them?

 

look great but too heavy for my taste. felt like i was driving a 4cyl after i put em on (granted, i was coming off of stock blades, and those are only 15 lbs)

 

Z wheels did the same to my 02 compared to the six spokes.Car felt notiaceably slower.
Got used to the weight and the extra road feel after a week.

 

Sometimes I miss my oatmeal turd gen.

 

Gotta love teh old iron block!

 

I would not call the 3rd gen boxy, it was the 1st Max to have some sexy rounded curves, now the 1st and 2nd gen I would say boxy. Also the 2nd gen is really what put the Max on the map as a sporty car with lots of features and it was quick for its day.... including that famous fuel level is low and door is ajar etc voice..... and guages that future Maxima lacked including: oil pressure guage, volt guage, burneded out light guage etc. I am the original owner of my 89 Max and still run that thing like I did when I was 16 when I got it for my B-Day and stills get compliments on a 19 yr old car on how good it looks. Also boy do I still love that floaty ride of the 89-94 Gxe's on the highway!

 

The key is in the ignition beeeeeeeeeep
The key is in the ignition beeeeeeeeeep

Shut up biatch I know!!!

 

I never knew people thought third gens were ugly. I just bought one because I love the way the look.

 

real people don't think third gens are ugly, just other gen owners are jealous.

 

Now that's just a silly statement. Owners of other years could have a 3rd gen if they really wanted one.