Hi, I had a 97 Lexus ES300. I just got in a horrible accident and totaled my car. I loved it to death, it was quite, fun, and VERY reliable. I need some new wheels. I was going to go back to Lexus but the $200+ insurance bill every month turned me off. I got some consumer reports books and found the Maxima. I have always like Nissan/Infinity just like I like Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus. I am planning on getting a manual (for the first time).

These are things that the car must have...
Be fun to drive
Be reliable
Be pretty quick
Have a nice ride quality
Be able to upgrade easily

I went to www.car-stats.com to look at 0-60 and 1/4 mile times. If all the 4th generations had the same engine then something must not be right. This is what I found...

95 SE
0-60: 6.6 Transmission: Manual
1/4 Mile: 15.2

97 SE
0-60: 7.1 Transmission: Unknown
1/4 Mile: 15.5

98 SE
0-60: 8.2 Transmission: Unknown
1/4 Mile: 16.5

96 GXE
0-60: 6.5 Transmission: Manual
1/4 Mile: 14.9

98 GXE
0-60: 6.6 Transmission: Manual
1/4 Mile: 15

Now, I thought the GXE was basic and the SE was the most sporty Maxima. According to this the GXE is the quickest. Is this information accurate?

Anything else I should know? Thank you.

 

The SE is the same motor with a little better suspension and more options. GXE is the lightest which is why it's quicker. The later year 4th gens get slightly heavier.

 

Sorry to hear about your loss. I wouldn't rely too much on my information, but I would assume it's because the GXE is the lightest trim of all 3. The stickies have information regarding all trim models and their respective weight(s). And yes, the GXE is the "essential", the SE is the "sportiest", and the GLE is the "luxurious" Maxima. Looks like those 1/4 times are all based on stock cars, something that doesn't mean anything due to the fact that Max's are very upgradeable. Hope that helps, somewhat. Look at the stickies for more info.

 

Sorry for your loss, and the Maxima has everything that you describe there. I just recently bought a 2005 SE and I still have a 00 GLE and just sold a 99 SE-Limited. They are beautiful, timeless cars. They never look old. Have fun looking for a Max. Have you driven one yet? If not, you are in for a nice ride.

 

Nope, never driven a Maxima, never even been in one. I know that Nissan/Infinity are great cars though.

What trim would you suggest for me? I do want something quick, all me previous cars have been pretty slow. Thanks

 

you'll never be able to tell how fast a car is just by looking it up on a website or in a magazine.

yes, all of the 4th gens do have the same 3.0 liter 6 cyl. in them.
there's no difference in tuning between the GXE, GLE, or SE.

SE's come stock with stiffer suspension, so there's your "sporty" advantage over your GXE or GLE. no matter what trim you have, a stock maxima still does not handle like anything remotely close to a sports car. aftermarket suspension upgrade is a must if you're going to mod the car at all.

weight differences between trim may attribute to some speed differences. GXE's have the least amount of extra weight on them. no spoiler, no power seats (usually), smaller wheels (although from what I've heard, the stock 15's on the GXE's are actually pretty heavy. too lazy to look this up right now), no sunroof, etc.

this is either an automatic 98 with 4 people in it and the air conditioner on, or a 5 speed with a six year old driving it.

the other numbers you have posted make a bit more sense. a 5 speed stock 4th gen with a good driver should be low 15's in the 1/4, with high 14's possible with an excellent driver under good conditions. an automatic will usually be a 3-4 tenths slower.

good luck if you decide on a 4th gen. they last forever if you treat them right.

 

That's what I looking for. I baby all my cars to death so no problem on that.

 

You've got a PM.

 

Got it, thanks.

Looks like the SE is for me. This is my assumption...
Any 4th generation SE manual will have the same 0-60 and 1/4 times, correct?
Any year that you guys would recommend over another? Thanks

 

I personally would definitely get a 97-99 :x

 

If you are looking at a 4th Generation Maxima in a manual, opt for a 97 or 98 SE. If you are looking at a 5th Gen in a manual opt for a 2002 or 2003, with a 6-speed. I am not remotely interested in the 6th Gens. I would be inclined to pick up an Infiniti in 2 or 3 years after someone else has eaten some of the depreciation.

 

Thanks all. Looks like I will start looking for a 1997-1998 5 speed Nissan Maxima SE.

 

If you want red/clear taillights go for a 97-99.

 

This is true, right?

 

As far as mechanically, yes. This is not to say individual things such as tires, oil changes, and the like won't severely alter those times..

 

If you intend to mod performance-wise, the 99 is the WORST to go with.
Relative age and security (the 99 was the first Maxima to come with an immobilizer system) make the 99 great, but exhaust, ECU, supercharger in most cases require a different, often more expensive (and sometimes nonexistent) variant of whatever mod you plan to add.

 

Test drive all of them you can and you pick the one you like. I cannot stress to people enough how they need to really test drive the car and pay attention.

 

These are great cars reliable sport fast Id recomend that you get either 97 or 98 , 99 have alot of new emittions restrictions well as for modding they you need to drop the car, maybe if you have money go forced induction if you dont have money like that then you should change your y pipe and get a 2.5 inch exhaust and you be set. you will love the noise the car makes and how fast it is.

 

If you want to modify it, go for a 97.

 

Where in bloomington, MN do you live. I live in the same city...

There are quite a few of us MN guys that are more then willing to help with anything you need or have questions with.

You can also start looking in the Uppermidwest Forum, thats where we set up lists of who is in your city/state.

Welcome to the family.

 

Sweet, I live by Jefferson High School.

 

Have you started looking for max's? Or do you already buy one? If you are looking for one at a dealer, I know people that work at all 3 nissian dealers in the cities. Let me know if i can be of assistance.

 

I am looking for one, PM me. I am getting $6K back from the Lex (bacause I stilled owed a lot of money on it) so that is around my budget. I want something really nice though, I want to drive it for many, many years. Thanks

 

Alright the main difference between 95-96 and 97-99 is that 95-96 had different uglyer bumper, different uglyer back end, differnt tails, and a slightly different interio. Oh and se wheels were different. I recommend you get 97+ i like the styling much more, and IMO they look both sportyer, and more atractive. Good luck.

 

by the way, who is your insurance company? Those rates are outrageous!

 

I know, I am 20 years old and a boy with a Lexus, that was mainly why. My insurance company was not out of line with others. I am on the good student list and had a alarm. It shocked me too when I found out.

 

I'm 21 and i pay only 300 for full coverage minus collision on my maxima. Collision added would make it about 500 per 6 months.

 

i would try and look for a ncie 97 5spd with low miles. if you want to mod your car, a 97 is your best bet. it has the nicer looks, and you can still do everything including ECU. I went with a 99 not knowing that it was the worst one to mod, but i also wanted a low mile maxima. i mean i just got my car last april, with 26k miles on it, you dont find many of those.

 

key words: "IMO".

I happen to prefer the styling of the 95-96. let the guy form his own opinion.

 

GET THE i30... ehehe... okay let me shut up before people here beat me down..

i30 comes iwth LSD manual tranny.. which every 4thie MAXers Crave ... MMM.. yummy... and it has all the lux options..

 

what is LSD and what diffrence does it make?

 

LSD is limited slip differental

 

only 130t's came with LSD trannies...

some canadian maximas had them too...

 

well i'll be the honest guy out of the bunch and im not gonna blow smoke up your crack.... maximas are lots of fun for many reasons. we tend to be fast, its easy to work on and we have a good amount of mods out for our cars. but once u swap out suspensions u WILL lose the nice quiet stable ride u had stock. you will gain a great handling car but noises that u could have never heard in your lexus would creep up on u.
i think we came from similar car since i had a c280 before i got my max and it was a world of difference in ride quality, creature comforts and so on. but what my max lacks in some things it makes up in being cheaper to mod and now i have a manual.
but dont be mistaken cause once u buy a max get used to things like knock sensors, the never ending ses lights, and odd noises that have chicks asking if your cars is gonna break over a bumpy road.

but u can burn almost any n/a honda from the same model year.

 

Does anyone know the correct 4th generation SE 0-60? I have seen so many, seems like 7.1 and a 15.5 1/4 is the most common.

 

No such thing as correct. Different drivers, tracks, conditions. I like the 6.6 figure for the manual. Some will be slower, some will be quicker. Check out the 1/4 mile forum for a discussion on "true stock numbers." I think one guy ran a 14.7 bone stock.

 

Wow, that would be impressive. What year and trim is in your sig pics? That interior is beautiful.

 

Just so you know, www.car-stats.com is way off on many vehicles. First off, it says our Maximas do 15.2 or 14.9 with a manual. That is complete BS. After a few good runs and some practice, a decent driver can hit 14.7, with a bone stock manual that is. It's been done many times before.

Also, take a look at my favorite car of all time - The 2003 or 04 Benz E55 AMG. The site says it does 1/4 mile in 12.7, which too is WAAAAAY off. Go to Benz forums, there are videos there of guys doing 12 flat with bone stock E55s!!!

 

From camry to maxima....youll be happy...= ]

 

-You should get 97-98 SE Maxima OR a 97-98 I30 5 speed on both cases (same car, but it's a luxury ride).
-The I30 would probably cost you a bit more, but well worth it. I got mine almost a year ago and couldn't be happier.
-Trust me you are gonna surprise ppl on how fast these cars are.