I finally got a chance to test drive a 5 spd max. This one is a fully loaded SE with 33k miles. It's been standing at the dealership for a while now, like 4 months or so. It's very quiet inside and the engine is silkysmooth. However, I didn't like the feel of the shifter. First of all, the shifter is way too tall and way too close to the hand rest in my opinion. Shifting from 2nd or 4th was kind of uncomfortable for me. Maybe it's because I'm not used to it Also, the shift action is kind of long. One thing I noticed about the transmission is the when it was engaged in 4th gear the shifter had play in it when I gave it gas and let off the gas. I tried it a couple of more times and got the same results. I don't know about the other 4 gears, but I would assume this would apply to every gear. Does this mean there is something wrong with the transmission or is it just a brushing or something simple? The car pulled like a bull though compared to the 2k altima se auto I am driving right now(can't wait to replace it with a max). Read this though, they are asking 17,000 for it I told them that I wouldn't pay more than 14k.

 

no the stock shifter is a baseball bat.. thats why i have an SMC adjustable shifter.. you will never get use to it

offer them 13k

 

A '98 SE with 33K. Hmm. You might be able to get it for 14. My shifter has what I call "throttle play" as well. I think it's from worn bushings. Either that or the shifter needs to be adjusted somehow. Try to talk to them about the Super Black chipper paint and underbody rust TSB's and see if they'll go down. Is it an import dealer or something else. If it's something else they'll probably go down.