I just need some opinions on overall performance, durability, all of that good stuff. I figured this would be a good place to aquire all the info that will help me make a wiser decision in my purchase.

 

i have a GLE.
love it.
pros - leather, power everything, bose etc
cons - supspension not as "sporty" as i wanted (main diffirence)

i wanted a fully loaded 5 speed SE but looked for 2 months and couldnt find one so i settled on the GLE which is already loaded so there were more of them to choose from.

 

don't all maximas come with power everything anyway?

well like Jason said, main difference is suspension and no spoiler...

If you want a manual, SE and GXE is the only option (for gxe i have no idea how rare the 5spd is or even if they made it for the 5th gens)

GLE does have a softer suspension so you will feel less bumps but the ride quality still isn't a lexus. It's no where even close...

it has different tail lights if you care for that..it has red ones against the black SE ones which look in my opinion, a bit nicer.

 

"If you want a manual, SE and GXE is the only option (for gxe i have no idea how rare the 5spd is or even if they made it for the 5th gens) " I believe that they do exist, but when I looked it was IMPOSSIBLE to find one locally. I can't even say for sure that the autotrader ads for them were legit or incorrect. GXE 5 speed was my first wish, but I ended up with an SE 5 speed.

 

I love my GLE as well. I was looking for an SE and got a deal on a GLE. I never looked back.

With the leather, power moon roof, all the other options and VQ power driving is fun again.

 

At my old apartment complex, my neighbor had a 2K GXE with a 5-speed. Nice car, as I recall, although I never had the opportunity to drive it. Very rare setup IMO -- it's the only 5-speed 5th Gen GXE i've seen in my life. Maybe it's a bit faster (less weight?) but SE comes with nicer wheels and more options, and that magical HP-adding spoiler.

 

I have a GLE.....The only thing SE has that is better is bigger stock tires/suspension, & the taillights are abit nicer.

 

I have a 2k GLE, and really like the car. That said, I'd go with a higher mileage 2k2 over a lower mileage 2k-2k1 if the prices are anywhere close to being equal. The 2k is fun to drive, but considerably slower than the 3.5.

The ONLY pro about this is that I don't have torque steer (no torque, no torque steer).

 

beware of the ignition coil problem

 

gle has the spoiler as a 170$ ? (i have to check the invoice) factory option. i would go with the GLE if you will be changing suspension stuff in the near future anyway. just makes sense..

ay 2002 but there is a significant price difference between 00 and 02, while 00 and 01 is well.. mediocre.

 

I have a 2000 GLE; very nice; I didn't care for the black trimming around the tail lights of the SE. I like the styling of the GLE with the 5 spoke wheels, no spoiler (has the luxury look without it) and the red tail lights. Also, the wood trim is nice. I also got a great deal on my GLE which was excellent for the features such as leather, fog lights, sunroof, mud guards, and BOSE (mine sounds great except for deck rattling). The 17" wheels on the SE are alright but the GLE trim level is sexy.