With all the cars to choose from, debates as to what brand is better, and so many similar cars to choose from, what was your biggest motivator or main reasons for choosing a Maxima? Were you given a deal you couldn't refuse? Did the car you get have a feature no other car had? Hand me down? (If the last one, why did the other person choose to buy the car?)

MaXXX

 

I needed a car right away so I bought a used 87
Max and it hasn't let me down yet. I did buy a
brand new 2002 Acura Type-S with the navigation
3 years later and I love it!! My wife did took
that car from me and now drives it over the
Previa minivan. It's ok I still like my max.

Mike

 

had a 1990 SE. loved the car. great feel and DEPENDABLE. didn't have a hard shift, unlike the hondas, but drove very smooth, much more dependable than the ford taurus i got rid of and i wanted a fun car that can also drive around the family. didn't even "shop around". i KNEW i was getting another max. this whole MODDING the max just came afterwards when the evil do'ers here kept talking about all the stuff they were doing to their cars. eventually i also became an 'addict'. "NEW MAXIMA OWNERS BEWARE"! i was a mild mannered family man w/ no intentions of modding my car, but keep coming to the forum and eventually, you WILL get bit by the "mod bug".

 

It's the best bang for the bunk in IMO! Nothing can touch it for the price.

 

well.... started off with my 1st car, almost 2 years ago....

I liked maximas for a while, especially the 3rd gens, i just wanted a nice roomy affordable good looking sedan with V6 and some *****... so i saved up and got my blue 93 SE auto... car was awesome, solid, quality, looked great... but it gave me a million problems and I caught the urge to get a 4th gen later.. so I sold the 3rd gen this summer and got a 98 superblack GXE.. for the price and stuff u get, it's definately un-beatable in my mind...

If you want a better car of same year, u need to pay more $$$.....

 

I had the option of getting any car I wanted, seriously within reason, for a daily driver. I test drove the Honda Accord, Audi A4,A6 and Acura CL Type S...here is what I didn't like about them:

Accord - v6 and still slow. Ugly interior.
Audi - a4 - Too Small; a6 - too ugly
Acura - Horrible handling, slow...or slower then the max...small back seat

I ended up ordering a Jag S-type for weekends during the winter and keeping the Max for another 2 or 3 years. I also have a Mercedes SLK and I still end up driving the Max on the weekends because with all the mods its just soo much more fun.

Erik

 

I bought my Max the very next day I got my license I wanted something that was luxury and have the performance. The Maxima was the perfect range for my taste. So I picked up a '01 GLE

 

When I got it I wanted a stick, and 190 hp was decent in 1998. A total moron could have bought a brand-new Maxima for 6 grand off list back then, and aggressive people could squeeze blood from stones going 5-600 into the dealer holdbacks. The buyer had all the power on 1998-1999 Maximas. They still do on the used market!

Did I get what I paid for, yep, with more than 15 trips to the dealer for warranty repairs, last one at 54k. My buddy who got a 328i a few months later has never had a single warranty repair. But I don't hate the car since it runs well and I like not having a car payment. Plus, after brakes/tires I think it should be (knock on wood) trouble-free for at least 50,000 more miles.

The one thing I do like about this car is it's fuel economy. It shocked me once again--Philly to the George Washington Bridge, 2.7 gallons (101 miles). Tried to gas up before going into NYC, the dude gave me a dirty look because he had trouble squeezing $3 into the tank. Sorry, I thought it would take at least $5-6.

 

My mom gave me here old 91 GXE (which she took very poor care of) so she would have an excuse to buy her new RX300. Although most of the mechanical stuff is repaired, the hood is in need of a new paint job and there are so many little scratches and dents it's almost not worth keeping. BUT...that car is the best of it's kind for the price. It's cheap and powerfull and MORE than reliable. The "major" repairs done on that car were replacing the front engine mount and head gasket caps. That's it! I've got nearly 80k, and have never broken down or had to have some major part replaced (other than the timing belt, but that's supposed to happen).

The reason most people enjoy maximas so much is because they're buying a car that combines luxury and speed. They have enough room to carry their college buddies around, but still enough power under the hood to make it a good street-racing car. The other big factor is the life of the car. There are people out there who have put 300k+ on the original engine, with NO major repairs, in fact very FEW minor repairs.

I love the maxima so much, in fact, that when I have to give it to my sister at the end of the summer, I'm going out and buying myself a 92 - 94 5spd. VE power!

 

...wanted a family car..so I brought home a "nice family car"
She had NO idea about what's under the hood. I wanted the most v6 power I could get in the market segment affordable to me, so it was a win-win deal

 

I liked the Maxima when I was in high school but at that time I could not afford it. I have owned a 80 Mercury Capri, 85 Fiero, 89 Celica GTS, 2 87 Supra Turbo, and a 85 Corolla GTS before my first Maxima.

I was driving and thought I had some time to kill so I went to the dealership. Looked at one black SE and thought WOW. Tested drove it, and said I want it. It was a 99 SE and the original price was $37,000 or so ($24,500 US). I got the car for $31,300, or around $20,500 US because it was June 99.

For the past 2.5 years I took it in for regular maintenance, and the only problem I had was the key needed reprogramming. The car shined like new, and did still turn heads.

I traded in the baby for a 2002 6 speed. The residual value is about $23,200 Cdn + tax. The deal said they will list it for sale at $25,900.

The 2002 is fun so far

 

how many KM did you haev on yr 99 before you traded it in? I got 43000 now, how much do you think it is worth?

 

I have loved the Max ever since the 3rd gen and especially the 4th gen, 190 HP sled-from-hell. I just had to have me one.

There is nothing else in the class that offers the same level of performance. No H or A job had a stick. The Legacy was underpowered. Any American car, well it's an american car.

As a swinging bachelor, yeah baby, I could have got some 2 door gino-mobile. The Max kills them all.

I am proud to own one of the last true Maximas, and so should all of you.

 

I actually wanted a sedan to haul around my friends and I liked the comfy feel of sedans. Then my friend recommended the 4dsc and after test driving one, I was hooked. I remember the first time I pressed on the gas (totally spun the tires) and I was shocked. This ain't no camry

 

Thanks for your replies!

Here's my story:

I bought the Max as it was a great blend between the 300zx and the Infiniti I30 (performance/luxury).

I had taken the 540i for a test drive, and honestly, the only difference I felt was the wind swaying a little on the Max at high speeds. The steering/handling felt the same; acceleration/performance the same; just as luxurious. I know in a crash I'll probably be better of in the sturdier BMW, but I'm sure the monthly payments would kill me first.



MaXXX

P.S. Keep on replying!

 

My parents owned an 87 Max and when I was about to get my license they suggested the Maxima since they loved theirs and had few problems with it. My first thoughts were but its a 4 door family sedan that competes with the accord, camry, and taurus. When I started paying attention to them I realized they look so much better and sportier than the above and then when I realized how fast the 190 HP 4th gens were I really wanted one. For 6 months before I was getting my license I already have my car picked out and when I test drove one for the first time it was love at first drive. I've had it for 9 months and have never once regretted buying one.

 

cuz its so fucin pimp

 

I had 53000km. Residual $23,200 before tax. Two different dealer said the car was in great shape. The one who took the car said they are happy and will earn a profit.

 

Drove a Sentra, 2 Altima's....natural progression.....
Drove an auto Maxima...didn't like it, went back another day to drive to 5-speed, bought it that day!

 

I wanted 4 doors, a V6 with some power and most importantly, a 5 spd manual - all for a reasonable price.

The Max was the only choice, since the Passat only came with a 2 yr/24 warranty.

 

None of the other manufacturers had anything close to that in 1997.

 

V6
5-speed
VLSD
Ind. rear suspension
4-doors
Inexpensive
Reliable

 

I orginally wanted a 2K Acura TL. Drove it and hated it. Noisy, didn't handle well at all and not sporty enough. My bro told me, hey lets go to the Nissan dealership across the street and test drive a new Maxima. I said what the hell. Drove it, loved it, bought it. Enough said.

Maximadave

 

He's Alive!

 

Several reasons... I tested the Accord, didn't care for the lack of ***** or the interior layout. The '02 Camry was nice, don't get me wrong, the styling is much better, but it was still boring, plus they don't make a decently priced stick, if they do at all. It was also pretty numb.

The Volkswagons were all over priced. The Passat was WAY over priced for comperable power and the Jetta was decently powered, but short on amenities and not graceful or comfortable.

The Maxima was well priced for it's class, amenities, and grace with a lot of power thrown in! Plus I haven't personally met a Max owner who didn't like his/her car. Low repair rates, and it's easy on the insurance. Plus I like the edgy looks as compared to the Accord and Camry.

 

Power, comfort, 4 doors, 5 speed, reliability, looks.

I've been toying with 80's Turbo Mopars recently and decided to take a step up in class. I wanted: nice comfy ride, 4 doors, 5 speed, peppy engine, 1996-98 with < 70k miles for around $10k.

I checked out the Volkswagons with their VR6 and 1.8T engines. Both were nice in the Jetta... still sorta slow in the Passat. And I just couldn't believe how expensive they were and the 1.8T Jetta was only available in 2000+ which was outta my $$ range. There was also a large enthusiasts following online... which is nice. I then checked the Hondas... no V6 5 speeds. Saturn... same story. Ford, Chevy, Chrysler American mobiles.... ummmm.... not interested. Pontiac... sweet supercharged 3.8V6 but no 5 speed... and the steeply-sloped windshield gave me a headache.

Then mine eyes were opened. I stumbled across this Maxima Enthusiasts following online here and thought... it must be a pretty decent car if this many people like it. I found a 98SE, 5 speed, completely loaded with everything (except auto) with 70k miles for $10.5 in the paper. Test drove it and the rest was history... recent history since it was one week ago! And I already put over 2500 miles on it (Thanksgiving road trip) and love it!

Beautiful, fully-loaded, smooth powerful engine... [Homer Simpson voice] uuummmm..... Maximaaaa.... [/Homer Simpson voice]

Ripcuda
Newbie Max Enthusiast

 

 

Owned 3 nissans before my 00'SE, never had any problems but then again i never own them more than 3 years. Nissan just makes a very good all-around commuter, theres no exact one thing that makes it better than its rivals, kind of make it boring just like a toyota, but u get a little more for what u paid.

 

I needed a family car as well as something that still had some go. I have had 4 mustangs (fastest being 93' Cobra that ran 11.7 @ 124mph!)but due to my job and a new baby I had to move on. I got lucky because I ran into my max on a Ford lot (00' SE 5spd, 17" wheels, leather, bose, moonroof, 10k miles) and the sales guy said "yep we just got this car, and we only gave the guy 17k for it!". Within 5 minutes of coming back from the test drive I decided to buy it! I bought the car in June of this year and paid 17.5K for it.

I am very happy with the car, and would probably purchase another one.