I have 89 SE. I am thinking about getting rid of it for a 99 SE. I know as the Maxima got older it went away from its sportier roots. So besides the body what else are the differences? and is it still pretty sporty or did it become a family sedan?

 

its still very sporty, but the lack of independant suspension in the rear makes the roll a bit more, altho the power compared to ur 89 would be much better in the 99, the only way for u to know is to drive it and see

 

heh

you'll be very happy with a 4th gen max.
as I'm sure you can tell just by looking around on this forum a bit... they're both beautiful and fast when modded properly.

 

Not to be an @sshole, but I dont see how the 3rd gen is sportier then the 4th. To me the 3rd gen is too boxy. The 4th gen has a smoother body style. It also outperforms the 3rd gen.

 

Your not being an a$$hole. That's how I feel too. Not to start Gen wars, but 95 is the year Nissan put Maxima's on the map. This is a 4th gen forum, so, I'll take a witness.

 

4 gens have a wonderful motor, updated styling but IMHO that's about it.

3-gen VE had a decent motor VTCs/varible intake are things that we have that the 4-gen didn't. Stronger but heavier iron block.
We have the VLSD equipped tranny and IRS rear suspension.

IMHO we got better paint quality too. Interiors in the 3-gens were better built.

4 gens in GXE form are lighter and thus quicker. But the 205ftlbs vs the VE 190ftlbs torque gives them the advantage also.

 

hey why the 99 ? look do it right with a 95, 96 or 97 ! I own a 97 but with the 4th gens i would take a 96 5 speed manual hands down ! its lighter and ready for war ..but if your not into action then any wonderful 4th generation will do !

 

he wants a 99 cause they rock lol
my 99 kicks ***...since i have vlsd and the immobilizer chip in the key
another reason that 97-99 is better than 95-96 are the rims, front end and rear end...aesthetically

as for performance...they're all the same
the fastest stock 4th gen was a 97

and Ceasar...my 99 runs the same time as your 97

 

i had a 90 se for 6 yrs, inherited from my parents and now have the 99, both auto.
the big differences for me are the interior quality, 3gen better. and the transmission 3rd gen better, it would shift harder with the power/ comfort button option.
i think the mechanical build quality of the 3rd gens is better in general. in the 13yrs the 90 was in our family(sold last year it had 6injectors replaced and a muffler replaced due to rust, other than normal matenance that was it.

my 99 has already blown a cruise control computer and my bpipe and cat are begining to rust through, my suspension squeeks on every bump and my interior rattles from random spots every now and then.

but i love my car, much faster than my 90

good luck

 

based on c & d it went '95 fastest, 96 second fastest, 97 third fastest

 

that's a shame... my '96 with 85k+ miles has none of the above problems. bone stock.

 

i think in the end it just comes down to luck, as maxima owners we still have less than half the problems of other cars. my bother just got a 98 t/a with less than 25k and he has already lost his a/c compressor.