I have a 96 I30 5 speed VLSD
but it has no leather and originally no sunroof (first owner installed aftermarket)....how common is it to have an I30 without these seemingly common things? I dont think I have ever seen another I30 without a sunroof! Just curious if anyone else on the org has the same car....

 

They're out there, but not very common. At least, you still have VLSD.

 

do you think my car is lighter without leather? I wish I could remove the sunroof and weld in a new steel or cf roof! Take off some of the weight from the top of the car....

 

they are pretty rare, about 5% of total model build

 

do you know the total number built broken down per year? I am curious to know an exact number! thanks!

 

Lol, I wish my car had a sunroof, and leather...

 

Fst96se has the same options on his 96 I30 5-speed.

I believe only 1-3% of I30's came in 5-speed form from 96-99.

 

Yeah, and they all happen to be members of the .Org.

 

dont get me wrong, I dont WANT leather! makes you slide around and is sticky in the summer! I had leather in my 95 max for 6 years!

 

I prefer leather as it's classier looking and easier to clean especially with my dog in the back.

 

luckily people dont usually ride in my car, i dont smoke and dont allow smoking in my car and I dont have a dog! and my cars interior is pristine! hopefully itll stay that way! so does anyone have any idea hoe many i30s were made per year? say if 50000 were made in 1996, and only 1-5 % are like mine than thats only 500-2500 car in the US! It has to be listed somewhere how many I30s were made per year from 96-99!

 

My I30 has a 5-speed with VLSD and leather, but no sunroof. Yours is probably rarer than mine. I'm interested as to how your aftermarket sunroof is working. I've heard some bad stories about those.

Edit: I also don't have heated seats, which probably makes my car a little rarer.

 

my aftermarket sunroof works....the headliner sags because the 1st owner had to cut up the headliner to fit the sunroof....it works and is actually better than the stock...it has 1 touch opening and closes when you turn off the car so you cant leave it open accidentally and have rain get in your car (did that several times with my old 95 max)....however, it makes a lot of noise when it opens....needs to be oiled or something!

 

also I read somewhere that only 35000 I30s were made in 96 so if 1 % of I30s are like mine thats inly 350 in the nation! nuts.,.

 

Don't quote me on the 1% thing. I did read that somewhere a long time ago but don't remeber where I heard it. Although I do remeber it being a fairly reliable source. I do know that 10% of 4th gen Maxima's were 5-speeds, so I really don't think 1%-3% is that unrealistic.

 

tynant -- you should take some pictures would love to see a i30 without leather, i had never seen one. Also take pictures of the sun roof.

my car is weird my car is '99 i30 limited, original owner got everything for the car, even extra 6 cd changer factory installed under passengers seat, wooden steering wheal. But he didn't get heated seats. <- cheap skate (hehehe).

Mikey

 

WHy bother? An I30 without leather is a Maxima. Actually, an I30 with leather is still a Maxima, too. The 99 Limited is the ONLY exception as they have the wooden steering wheel and the aluminum kick plates.

 

Thats why the I30/35 is called a Maxima in the rest of the world

edit: Lol, posted at the same time as you Tynant. Anyway, as I mentioned above, that is infact how the Maxima looks in most other countries, the USA and Canada is the only place in the world (as far as I know) that has the look they have. Have a look at the pic of my Max below for proof

 

why bother? well after 6 years of ownership of my gle maxima it was time for a change! I loved my maxima but I wanted a 5 speed, and I didnt want a run-of-the-mill 5 speed maxima....I dont really like the funky max tail but I love the I30 tail, it looks like how the maxima should have been....i.e. reminscent of the 3rd gen tail....also, 5 speed I30's are much harder to come by! I think there would be a higher premium for a 5 speed I30 since they are so rare! And I have a VLSD! So anyway, all of arguable differences are cosmetic and if I really wanted, I could swap the interior (wouldnt mind black leather I guess)..oh yeah and its way easier to swap cefiro parts on the I30! what I really want to do is swap someones brown dash from the maxima!

 

I do have that i30, but I recently swapped a leather interior into it. I hated having cloth. Everyone has their prefrence of course, and yours is not necesarilly wrong. I really like the look, feel, and pinache of leather. Many people see the i30 as a luxury car, and it does seem a little odd that they didn't have leather. PS, the weight diff of leather vs cloth was non existant, but the leather I got only had driver's side power. My pass seat now weighs MUCH less that my cloth seat.

 

got any pics of the wood steering wheel and kick plates?

 

My I30 has no sunroof, no leather, and is a 5-speed. Not a bad car at all, but I think you really have to fix up the 96's a little (headlights, tails, wheels, drop, spoiler), to make them look any good. I am still thinking about putting leather in, i'm just not sure if its worth the $$$.

 

I can attest to that. My car, when stock, was really not attractive. Here are some comparison shots.....
Before:

 

Tynant, I was responding to 99i30LIMITED's post about putting up pics of a cloth I30 interior. My response is, "why bother?" As for you, I totally agree with you on all points, except for wanting a Maxima dash.
There I have to ask, "why bother?"

 

well only because I like the look of the max dash better....thats one of the reasons I got into maximas in the first place.....the cool dash! I thinnk the I30 dash is kinda funky myself....and I am not really against leather, it has its good qualities mainly a more upscale look, but it really sucks in the summer! If I could find an interior for the right price I would maybe switch....

 

Hello all,

This is my first post and I am happy to have found this post. I have a '96 i30 in mint condition with only 40,000 mi. I also have a 5sp, no leather, no sunroof. None of the dealerships in the Philly area have ever seen one like it. It's nice to have something uncommon even though I would rather have leather.

Can you guys help me out, please? I am in need of headlights, since the plastic has turned cloudy and looks like ****. I love the pics of the one piece on the car above. Where did you happen to find them? Where can I find those grills, too? I would also love to find something to make the back of the car look better and not so "old school."

Thanks for your help!

 

max5spd Thank you, looks like you got a point job on the car? rims fit the car well. Nice ride!

 

Welcome.

You have a couple choices with the headlights. You can either get the cefiro one piece headlights for $350-$400. They require a little wiring but nothing major. They also fit perfectly. Search around, you can find a couple different people to buy them from.
Or, you can get the Jewel type headlights that came on the later year I30's. don't know if they started using them in 97 or 98, but you could easily find out. The Jewel type ones are nice and clear, just like the cefiro one piece. They can probably be found on ebay or a junk yare for less than $200.

If you want the rear of you car to look like this. Refering to the cleared tails, not the different emblems.



You can either clear them your self. Directions can be found in the FAQ's at the top of the forum. Or you can buy a 97+ rear light section that will replace the whole thing. The 97+ are better looking and don't contain any orange reflectors.

Mike

 

Mike, I bought my 1 piece headlights for $225. I think I got them from the Paradox GD.

 

well, then you just suck.

 

why, what did you pay for them?

 

a tad bit more than that

 

Thanks for the compliment. I didn't get a paint job. THat's the stock color...Bordeaux Pearl is what's it called.

 

Thanks for the replies. I am learning that the i30 is definitely a difficult car to find cool parts for. The headlights I am going to do and I would still like to find where to buy those cool grills. Also, Does anyone know if the newer i30 side skirts on the sport fit our older 96's?

 

does anyone know if the I30t suspension was available by itself? As stated previously, I have a 96 I30 with manual VLSD, originally no sunroof and no leather....basically like a gxe I30. However, the suspension is definitely stiffer than my 95 gle maxima! I was wondering if the original owner may have added just the touring suspension from the factory? Also still looking for production numbers my year of the I30! Havent been able to find anywhere on the net, except for 1 place that wanted money for a hardcopy printed version.....not going to do that!

 

What does VSLD stand for? This is probably an ingnorant question but I just found out that my car has it. Also, if anyone can tell me where to find grills i'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

 

viscuous limited slip diferential....put more power to the ground!

 

im gonna go out on a limb and say that i dont think the dealer would just install the I30t suspension into your car. some things to take into consideration are the type of tires, and condition of your old suspension. those could easily effect the way your car rides.

 

Funny I just saw a salvaged one at a Salvage car web site.

 

my grill is for sale, or you can check out http://www.paradox-systems.com if you want a brand new one