Im gonna be in the market for a new car in a few months and I want a SER Spec V..but ive also been considering a 5spd 99 SE limited maxima. there around the same price range..just wanted to get everyones thoughts...especially MattC

 

do you want a compact car or a mid-size sedan?

 

I would take the Maxima over the Sentra anyday for it's power, refinement, appearance, build quality, and prestige (well, atleast over the Sentra). However the Sentra also has it's strong points such as a 6spd ( if the extra gear matters that much to you ), better handling, a more "radical" interior, and other stuff I can't think of right now.
-Cyrus

 

erica you can come up with a better reply then that

 

geez, 5spd 4th Gen's that are in good condition are tough enough to find. I think you'd be very hard pressed to find an SE-L 5spd

I got my 99 SE 5spd full loaded and nearly mint condition a few months ago and I'm loving it. I'd take a Maxima any day over an SE-R/V. A 4th Gen 5spd is a bit faster than those too if I'm not mistaken (only mid/high-15's stock on the SE-R/SE-R Spec-V's??)

 

Well, you are asking on a Maxima board, so, you know my answer

DW

 

In tests, the Sentra spec V 6-speed did 0-60 in around 7. The 95-99 5-speed Maxima does 0-60 in 6.5-6.7 seconds.

 

Yes and the 1/4mile of a Senta Spec V was 15.7 (the same as an automatic Maxima), whereas the 5spd 4th Gen Maxima did 15.1.
-Cyrus

 

good 'ole magazine times

 

It's funny...the Mag times seem to be off for the 2000+ maxima, while they are dead on for the 4th gen. Maxima's....I wonder why?

 

Mags test the cars "as-is" so even if the factory programming has the car shifting 500-600rpm before optimal they just run it like that anyways. That's why mags show about 16-flat for 00-01 autos.

Manually shifting at redline like the 00-01's should be with all that top-end, that's how guys here get the mid/upper-15's. The programmed shift point is only like 5900-6000rpm. Manually shifting at the limiter gives much much better times. yo_its_ok has proved this.

 

theres a few guys running 15-15.1 on the Sentra forums stock..soooi dunno

 

Are those the old SE-R's or the new ones? Stock or modded?

 

I'd think in the quarter they'd be so close it's not worth squabbling about.

Really, different kind of car though. Funny, I kind of toss this same comparison around in my head. When I have my max paid off (probably 1.5 more years, 2 at the max), I'm thinking of going the Spec V route. What would suck is sacrificing all the luxurious elements of the Max...it'd be "smoother", more quiet inside car (both engine-wise and general interior), ride a little smoother as far as suspension, and room for 4...

However...I miss some things from my Integra that I could get with the Spec V. The handling sounds about as sharp as a FWD can get...
The gears are probably a bit quicker so the car might "feel" faster (combined with the weight)...it'd be a new car with a shiny warranty (while a 99 max would still be pretty new, you'd have less worries with a brand new car), whatever that's worth with Nissan service....plus, it has ample low-end for a 4-banger, and only costs $18-19k.

I'm stumped, personally. At least I've got some time to think about it.

 

two different cars, depends on what you want.
you buy the max, its gonna be used for sure, larger than the sentra, better ride quality, respectable engine, and it has a decent amount of mods available(including a supercharger).
sentra, new, small, looks nice(17" rims on the SE-R spec V are sweet), 300watt RF stereo(sounds better than the 4th gen bose to me).
each car has its own appearance, and personality.
if this was my decision, i would go for the max, there are not many family, midsize sedans in its price range that has sports car like HP and TQ, gotta love squeeling the tires at a stop

 

yeah my friends Vspec SE-R pulled a 15.4 some months back at the track bone stock...it took him a few tries, he said its hard to launch, his first time he spun through 1 and 2 on the line and ended up with a 16.9 but after a week and 2 more average(no high clutch drops, etc.) launches, consistent 15.4s all night!

 

hehe, you could squeal the tires in a Geo Metro if you really wanted to

The max doesn't *quite* have sports car-ish HP and torque, but it has ample of both. What's cool about the Spec-V is it's torquey (175ft/lbs!) and thereby sets itself apart from most of its competitors (ala Celica GTS, Civic Si/Type-R/whatever it is now, RSX even). Kinda cool if you want the agility of a little nimble 4-banger but dont want to downshift every time you want a little acceleration.

 

I say spec-v

It's a damn nice car! The sentra folks have been getting consistent low 15's with it. And it's going to have a HUGE aftermarket. You also get a stock limited slip, 6 gears, an AWESOME sound system with an enclosed woofer in the trunk. To be honest i think it's a better value than the 99 max, and you get that feeling of having a brand new car. Did I mention the 17" rims and contisport Z rated tires? Lots of torque and spunk, this car is meant for the track. The kind with turns of course..

On the other hand if you're looking for a larger more practical sedan with lots of brute force, get the max .

 

Well the car has been out for months now, and I don't see many products for it. When the 4th Gen Maxima came out, Stillen jumped on it and threw out all kinds of mods. I haven't seen that many mods for the Sentra.
-Cyrus

 

I think there is an SC for it...I remember seeing pics! and are you sure Stillen was making parts for the 4th gen when it came out in '95

 

maybe there was no SC...that pic was some other car , but anyways I think Nismo has plans for the SE-R Vspec and give Stillen time and they'll probably have stuff too, remember its new engine and its using new technologies, other than basic mods, I doubt there will be anything major for it off break. and for the original poster check out this site, lots of SE-R info(a lot of pop-up ads too)-->

http://pub96.ezboard.com/ftheserforum92133frm4

 

You're looking at 2 different cars: compact or midsize?

I've driven both and to be honest, I'd choose my Maxima over the Sentra any day. The comfort, VQ and size of the Maxima is enough reasons for me to shoose it over the Spec V.

My honest opinion: the Spec V is ower-powered for such a small car ... the car seems to shift to the left & right too much when you push it. I remember the SR20DE-Sentras ... PERFECT combo!

You get about the same fuel economy in both cars.

I'm going to be driving this car almost every day ... I don't need bragging rights that my car is faster on the track. That's just me though .. to each their own.

 

personaly i would get the se-R as compaired to the 4th gen yes ive raced a 02 se-R and im in a modded 5th gen they are quick and with a experienced driver ive seen there 0-60 times at mid 6's raced one at the track 3 weeks ago i got a 15.19 and the sentra got a 15.27... close race (mine is a autotragic also)

 

i know this is a whole different car too but i was considering a 97-99 Prelude SH

 

the vspec is a pretty nice car, and it packs 180 HP, and on top of that its pretty light weight........but the maxima has a much more sturdier feel to it and much more confortable

 

To be honest i think i would get the v-spec if i already had the madx but i would say get the max and hook that up and then get the v-spec later down the road as a daily driver, i know thats what im going to be doing in the next two years since my max wont really be streetable anymore.

Bruce

 

175 ... call it hp downrating

But you are correct to say its more comfortable! It's a whole lot of car more (the Maxima).

 

Nope...leases are ending. Middletown Nissan has like 10 of them.

 

I Dont know what i want...i think i want all 3 cars ...im leaning towards the sentra the most...mmmm new car smell. but for the last 2 years ive wanted a 4th gen.... especially a 99 limited

 

Leases ending or not, it'd probably still be impossible here, and probably as difficult in some places. I got lucky with my 5-speed SE...the only other one I'd seen around was a not-so-hot salvage title in the month and a half that I was lookin out for 'em.

We have two large-sized Nissan dealerships here. I went up to mine for a small service item not too long ago, and the guy that pulled up my car was dumbfounded. He told me "We see all the new 02s come through here...and out of all of them, we've only seen one manual."

My friend in Atlanta that's keen on maximas doesn't believe me.

 

Crimson red, please

 

Auto drivers=Lazy

5-speed drivers=Less lazy, change their own oil?

 

OMG!!! Where's my sig pic in the last post????

 

 

True, true

Auto drivers (I should say *typical* Omaha drivers, but they all drive autos) are so lazy around here that they think a green light/arrow means "sit back and nap for about 10 seconds, and then step on the gas". Us stick guys (and attentive auto guys) always got our eyes on every side of the intersections at all times though