Just curious as this is a part that most people choose to ignore. I can't imagine buying a car that seeing on carfax that the transmission was changed... I wouldn't be very happy. Is this conversion only for people who will keep the car until it dies? I am guessing about a 15% value loss. Is that correct?
Thanks,
Cyrus

 

I'm wondering the same thing. It has to be a pretty big loss, especially if it's a GLE. This is why I'm just going to buy another 5-speed Maxima when I'm ready for the switch.

Later,
-Nick

 

I don't think it even matter on the model (regardless that the GLE is not available in a 5spd). When the run a Carfax they will know the car has been swapped, and that is bad enough.
-Cyrus

 

most of the people who are doing the conversion are people who dont have plans for selling their cars or cant return them to stock anyway.. they would be sold as show cars.

 

It depends on what the buyer is looking for... If a buyer truly wants a 5spd for the joy of driving a 5spd, then they will certainly appreciate the aftermarket clutch etc. If you install a newly rebuilt in a car with a few miles on it 5spd then I would think the value would be even higher.

If they buyer wants an untouched, pristine car that will have Nissan's best possible reliability, then any mods at all will reduce the value of the car...and a job as big as a swapped tranny would make a buyer very nervous.

Hey, you could alway swap it back when ur done! Just like all ur other mods...

 

It will seriously destroy the already bad resale value of the car. Put it this way, one of my coworkers bought a tranny-swapped Passat, and he got it for $1000 knowing that the tranny was swapped. Ontop of that it was swapped by a professional mechanic for around $3000. It destroys the resale. My advice to those who are considering swaps: unless you have a hookup on both parts and labor and plan to keep your car forever- better to sell the car and buy a different one with 5 speed already equipped.

 

@ your sig!!!!!!

 

Yes it will totally destroy the resale value...but like thebigsadler said people who do it usually are planning on keeping the car for a long time..

I plan on keeping my car for another 6+ years, and with my hook-up in Jacksonville, we've already started the conversion process.

 

I don't think the VIN # tells you the transmission type of the car or anything like that. The owner would not even know it was ever an automatic car.

It depends, as the #s say, 5 speeds do not go as well as automatics in general as far as Family sedans such as Maximas go... Fact is, not too many people care for the manual tranny in a family sedan.

So if you sell your automatic converted to a 5 speed, or a factory 5 speed, don't think that you'll get any more $ for the factory 5 speed then a converted one. If the conversion is done right, the new owner has no way of telling what it was as far as I know..

 

If you sell it as a stick and they go to service it and find out that it was auto and you never told them....ohh the lawsuit!

Erik

 

But most car buyers are not very smart, and don't think (or even know) to run a carfax or such report. Therefore, they think they're just buying a 5 speed that was originally put in that way. I'm not sure of the process dealers go through when they take a car for trade in, they may or may not know a conversion took place.

PJ

 

well, it can also work to your advantage....

being that most people doing conversion are buying trans wit less mileage than their intial trans, that can be good and most importantly....

WHY GET AN SE when you can get my maxima which has the luxury feel of a GLE wit the sporty feel of a SE?

i'm aware of the bads that can happen but like everyone says, i'm going to keep my baby till one of us croaks...and i'm pretty sure i can find someone to buy my car wit the stick..u just gotta look for the right people

 

I plan on keeping my max for a long time and making it a project car once I get a new one, so I'm doing the switch no matter what the resale value

 

The interiors of all maxs are the same. Doesn't matter if you buy an SE or GLE (same options of course). I think at most you loose one heated seat?

The only advantage of a GLE is that its a got a softer suspesion. Seeing that most people drop there maxs and go with a stiffer suspension it makes no difference. Also no speed limiter.

I am not sure but I am pretty positive that the SEs have a more agressive ECU than the GXEs at least thats what if felt like when I was driving my friends GXE.

Most people around here have "project cars" ie GXEs converted to everything a GLE/SE could have and more, in some ocassions the sun roof as well

 

manuals sell for less to begin with so the answer to this question should be pretty clear

 

but they are also in more demand...

you gotta look at it this way....

those who want an automatic:
old people or middle aged (35+ that want it as a family car)

those that want a 5 speed MAXIMA:
everyone else and some people over 35...wit all the mods we put on our car whether performance or looks, the oldies wont' want them and may steer away from the car because it doesn't look plain and boring like stock...it was hell and a half trying to find someoen to buy my car and if you look in the newspaper and even on maxima for sale forum u will see everyone and their mother is selling automatic maxima's and few are selling 5 speed unless they want to get a better 5 speed....

whoever wants my car now because it's a GLE and auto won't want it cause it has tints and and stuff

whoever doesn't want my car cause it's auto will want it cause it's 5 speed and has special mods that make it look better according to us, the next generation (15-35) or around that....