Hey there!! I'm a noob here so please be gentle on me. I'm an active member of Explorerforum.com. I have a '96 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer, which I love dearly but since there're little expensive problems creeping up on me (only 119k miles!!), my parents and I decided to sell it and get something more reliable. Here're my choices:

'99 Infiniti I30
'98-'99 Honda Accord EX-V6
'97-'98 Acura 3.2TL

My family is a Honda family. My parents drive a '98 Accord EX-V6, my other car, but my dad drives it most of the time, is a '90 Accord EX. The '98 has 70k miles on it and still drives like brand new and the '90 just turned 220k miles and it still drives pretty well. Since I have a chance to pick my own car, I want something different...to be an outsider. LOL. So I started my search for my next car and I found this deal on Autotrader, a '99 Infiniti I30 Standard with only 62k for $10,900. I think it's a pretty good deal!! I've heard many people say Maxima's and I30's are very good cars. I've also heard that the V6 powerplant was named one of the best engines in the world so that's why I'm on here.

Here's my question for you guys. What are the most common problems with this car?? Do you think the car that I found is a good deal?? Please give me more info about this car. Thank you sooooo much!! I really want this car. If I can get a loan next week, this might be my new car for at least 4-8 years. Thanks again!!!!

 

First off check the FAQs on the homepage of this site, it will tell you everything you need to know about our I's and Maxima. Yes the maxima is mechancailly identical to the I30, except for some more luxury in the I. There is more than enough info in posts and faq's tellin you the pros and cons, (mostly pros) about the '99. I own a 97T-5speed, and love it, had no problems, other than maintenence. 10.900 sounds OK, mine is a 97, bought it with 100k, for $5500, and it is the TOP OF the LINE, plus it looks like it has 40k on it. Offer the guy less if he takes it...otherwise goodluck, you are purchasing into what will bring you years of excitment and pleasure...

 

hey wats up man?hehe...

okay...you know what?i had the exact same choices as you...almost exactly the same except for the acuras...
i picked my car cause it was classier and less annoying than an ex...
the car had raw horsepower and was a lot quicker than the accord...with the accord you had to wait for the vtech to kick in...also the EX model is a two door, when it comes to reliability you want your car to let you and your passengers in as fast as possible(something a two door would never allow you to do)
luxurywise the accord doesnt have much at all...its stock audio is practically something made in the late eighties(lack of a cd player) and a name brand audio system...
comfort wise the accord is not as comfortable as the i30(my choice accord had 19'' rims,so it proved to be a lot bumpier than the 30)the back seat of an i30 is one of the most comfortable rides i have ever ridden in, the passenger and driver seats up front are made for those cold and snowy nights in the NC...
...with stock rims on you will rarely feel bumps on the road) also the quietness of the engine is admirable....

yes it is a nice car and is very worth it...the only downside is the lack of aftermarket parts for it...and the gas mileage(but you used to drive an explorer so that shouldnt bother you too much right?)it has everything you could ever want in a car...style...class...good audio...safe and sound ride( trust me i've been in two accidents and i havent paid for any damages yet...i would truly...always pick an i30 in front of any honda or acura(unless its an nsx or an s2000)haha enjoy your ride...

*note:most girls like the comfort of seat warmers and four doors!

 

You really can't go wrong with any of the those cars. I would say the Accord will probably be the most reliable by just a tad and will hold its resale value really well. The Acura will have great resale value as well and is probably the best looking of the three IMO. The I30 has the best motor. Can't fault you for going with any of them.

Not any major concerns with the I30. Some 99's have coil pack issues but a used set can be picked up on the org for cheap if you ever run into problems. The durability of the Nissan paint is not the best...watch out for those door dings! But as long as you maintain the car it will treat you well. That VQ30 is almost bullet proof. Guys have pushed over 400hp on the stock motor with no problems....try that in the Acura or Honda.

 

Thanks for all the input!! I was looking around the FAQ section and downloaded a copy of the owner's manual and the manual stated that the owner should put in premium fuel in the tank but regular will work fine. If I bought this car, must I put premium fuel instead of regular?? Will regular gas cause any problems if I do this regularly?? If premium is required instead of recommended, then I may have to pass on this car and get a Honda or Acura.

 

It is a tough choice. When I was looking at buying a new car in Feb. of 02, it came down to either a 97 I30, 98 TL, or a 96 ES300. The Honda felt the most rock solid, and the fit and finish of the materials in the interior was top notch! That car had a competent suspension as well. Plus it is a damn fine looking vehicle. However, beacuse of the extra weight of the vehicle, it did not feel as potent as the I30, eventhough the Honda had about 20 more hp.

The Nissan engine is probably going to be more dependable than the Honda. My prior car (which I still own) is a 92 Acura Vigor, which was the previous version on the TL. At about 80K or 90K the break master cylinder went out, and the engine developed several oil leaks at the oil cooler base, and the distributor. Fearing similar problems from the new TL, I went with the Nissan VQ engine which has been on Ward's top ten list since its creation. Plus the I30 has lots of aftermarket support where as the TL has well, almost none. Just about every thing on my Vigor was a custom job!

Premium is never absolutly "required" for any vehicle. They will all run on regular. THe question is how well will they run? The Maxima/ I30 for example dynos out about 20 less hp on regular then when on premium. It is worht the extra $3.00 per fill up....

 

You really shouldn't let that be the deciding factor. The car will run best on 91 octane or higher. In most places 91 is the middle grade and will only cost you about $1 more per fill up. Is that really a big deal? The car will run OK on 87 octane....I doubt it's a 20hp difference like stated above, but there will be a tad lower fuel economy and performance. 90% of drivers would never notice the difference and I bet that 90% of the VQ drivers don't use premium either. I suggest reading more about this in the 4th gen maxima FAQ's. It goes into the subject much deeper than I care to post here.

 

buy this!!
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....81#post3182281

 

The Honda makes more hp for about a split second at redline....it's almost a mute point. The VQ30 has much more power under the curve and add the weight difference and you have a much faster car.

 

That along with the reduced wight is probably why the I30 has so much more pep on the road. Plus, you don't have to rev the holy hell out of the engine to get going like the Honda....

 

That's very true. I'll be test driving the car Friday and I'll let you know how this one is. My parent's '98 Accord V-6 has plenty of pep, but it's just like its 4 banger, it gets the most pep above 3000rpm. IMO, it's pretty dangerous, especially when you're trying to merge into traffic from a dead stop. Heh...this is the area where my truck shines at. It has awesome low-end torque. Along with a low gear ratio (4.10 LS), I can kick almost everyone off the line, even it has only 160HP, but that's all it can do, beat people off the line, but not winning anything. LOL

I guess I shouldn't let the octane rating as my deciding factor, but after figuring in the price of a total fill up (assumming it's 15gals), and prices at $1.91, the total would be close to $30, similar to what I pay for my Explorer, but filling up an extra of 3 gallons with 87 octane (BTW, mid grade here in NC is 89). Unless 89 octane will do better than 87 but just a little less than 93, then 89 will do just fine for me.

 

Another question. The car I'll be looking at is a black car. I'm wondering if the paint is clearcoated. If not, than I'm gonna have to find another way to detail it if I happen to get it.

Heh...I wish I can buy your I35. But $15k sounds way too much for me to afford at this time. But it is a very very good deal. I'm sure you'll be able to find a lucky buyer. Good luck!!

 

i didnt read the first few posts here but i looked at your 3 choices. i had a 99 max, which is similar to that i30, i had a 98 v6 accord and my dad has an 02 3.2tl

i dont know what the differences are between the 98-99 tl and the 02 tl, but the 02 tl is much better than the other 2 cars. its faster than both of the others, smoother to drive, and is just an overall better package. my 2nd choice would be the i30. the i30's torque puts it levels about the accord. torque = fun to drive. its also really quick and could be pretty luxerious. lastly i'd pick the accord. its a good dependable car but it doesnt compare to the other two. especially if its a 4dr because those dont look good. my .02

 

Alright guys!! I test drove the car today and here's my opinion about this car. For the price, $11k including taxes and fees is a great deal. The engine and tranny work extremely well together and I love the power, smoothness and quietness of the engine while driving on the highway. The interior is pretty luxurious and I absolutely love the sound system. That thing rocks!!! For 200w, it's a whole lot better than my Explorer's JBL 290w system. The paint is in a fairly bad shape but all it needs is some TLC and a lot of touchup paint. But there's a thing I don't understand the function of.

The autodimming mirror. Is there suppose to be a light on either one of the buttons?? There're 2 buttons--"DAY" and "AUTO". Nomatterhow I press the buttons, the indicator never lit. I'm guessing there's a problem with the mirror?? Is there a way to test the mirror?? Please HELP!!!!

Also, the clock doesn't work either. I guess I can find a clock and replace it later. Is it easy to replace??

Overall, I will definitely go back tomorrow and do the test drive again and make sure that I really want this car. I definitely love the engine and that's why I want to go back and might make a deal. So by tomorrow or sometime next week, it will be mine.

 

Sounds good. Don't know how you feel about modifications. But, the car would be really smooth with rims, a light drop..like 1.5" and some cefiro one piece headlights.

Get that car!

 

Oh, and I don't know if my mirror does anything or not. I never pay attention to it.

 

the mirror indicator never shows up at daytime...but at night you can tell the difference....

 

the only thing the buttons on the mirror do is that when you have it on daytime, it will not tint. the auto mode is the default setting for this. mine always starts in this mode.

as far as what the manual says about which gas octane to run, as with any car, truck, suv, they are going to run better on a higher octane. i just bought my i30t in the spring and i started running just regular cause i was a cheep ***, but after testing different octanes, it hands down runs better with a higher. its worth the extra buck that youll be spending.

listen to what these guys say, they know what they are talkin about.

[B][U]BUY THAT CAR!!!!

 

hehe I can relate to that. There is actually a green light that comes on...either on DAY or AUTO, whichever is pressed. It just so happens it's soooooooooooooooooooooooo dim that it's almost impossible to see under daylight. You have to go somewhere darker to see it. I'm pretty sure that's the reason...if not, then it must be malfunctioning for real.

Personally, I'd get the I30 because that's the best looking car out of the three. Plus, standard side airbags.

As good as Accord is...about every 1 out of 4 cars on the road is an Accord so nothing special or rare. hehe

As far as the TL, I'm not sure exactly in terms of the number of their sales but I don't think it sold too well. Not sure if there were some issues with the car or not. Of course, there were better alternatives such as the I30. I see more 1st gen I30's than I'll ever see '96'-98 TL. And '96-'99 I30's are pretty rare nowadays too.

In the end, like many have said earlier, I guess you can't go wrong with any of them. Good luck.

 

Thanks for all the advise, guys!!! But unfortunately, I just cannot stand the current condition of the paint, figuring that I will spend a couple of thousands of dollars to repaint it. So I'd rather get something newer or something that's in a better condition but the problem is that I couldn't find anything that has remotely similar mileage that I was looking for so I have abandoned the search for an I30.

My dad looked on Ebay this past weekend and found this '96 Acura 3.2TL with only 62k miles on it for $9000. He immediately fell in love with it and even put a down payment on it this morning. Heh...he didn't even tell me. But anyways...he has contracted an inspection company and they are inspecting the car now. So if the inspection goes well, he'll finish all the paperwork later this afternoon or tomorrow and have it shipped to our house so I can pick it up hopefully next weekend when I go home from school for the weekend.

I know you guys will hate me now!! But here's a pic of the car:

 

Hey... aleast you are getting a Japanese car. That's more than most people will do.

 

That TL looks nice. I like the yellow fog lights. And, the 3.2 ought to be nice. Good thing it ain't 2.5. 2.5 TL = Vigor

Good luck with the purchase. Hope you get a good deal.

 

What? You bought a Honda!!











JK. Enjoy the car

 

Haha...yeah, I bought a Honda. Haha...

Seriously, a 3rd party inspector checked the car out this morning and told me that there're no problems at all. The engine and tranny are in excellent condition without any oil leaks and stuff. The only problems are minor such as the driver's window goes up slower than the others, little stone chips on the windshield and 2 scratches that has been touched up. He said that car is in excellent condition. So the check will be going out tomorrow to the dealer and the shipper will ship it here by next week.

Thanks very much for all the advice, guys!!! If someone is looking for Maximas or I30's, I'll definitely direct them to you guys. Thanks again!!

 

Get the Vtec you will have more fun

 

mmmmm lunch
enjoy the new car

 

or breakfast!!!!