Well I've had my 3rd Gen for about 3 years now. Been through more good then bad together. The VG has served me incredibly well. I converted the car to a 5spd. That went really well.
I've got the opportunity to buy a VE 5spd for $1000. It's white with 170,000kms on it. The body is in okay shape. It would definately need some work to look respectable.
Here's my problem. I'm more than happy with my VG 5spd. The engine has 300,000km on it and I know that it will hit 500,000 no problems. Based on how well I take care of it that is. The problem with my car is that it's getting really rusty. Most of the rust is easily repairable. There's a few trouble areas that concern me. They're quite rusty and to a certain extent, structurally dangerous.
1. Passenger side front strut tower
2. Passenger side rear wheel well (entire area)
3. Drivers side rear wheel well (entire area)

I could spend more money fixing the body on my car than it would take to fix the body on the VE. But it would cost me more in the long run if I get the VE. However, the VE hasn't gotten to the rusty level that my current VG has. It doesn't have much rust in the problem areas that my VG does. So I could get in there and do some serious rust prevention work to make sure this car never gets to the way my VG has.

I know that most everyone here is pro VE. I'm not really into it though. I drove the car and I wasn't all to impressed. I didn't really get to take it for a rip and the tranny felt like garbage. Could've been the linkage though.

Can some of you VE experts please convince me of why the VE is sooooo much better than the VG. I mean besides the power increase.

I'd like to get the VE i just need to know that i won't have any regrets leaving my workhorse VG behind.

Thanks in advance for all the input and please, let's keep this thread clean. I need some serious advice and opinions from the org og's.

 

your car is becoming structurally unsound.
your conscience should be clear that you will be going to a safe car with no timing belt, 30 more HP, no distributor, better injectors, and lower kms
that being said, you will have to learn some new tricks and the different problems that creep up on a VE.
If I was you I'd do it with no reservations

 

why not get a 4th or a 5th gen? seems like rust is a problem in your area and you should really look at a newer body car..no?
even 4th gens are starting to get cheap if not already there.

if you're tight on budget then i would just keep the VG. technically it runs good...just body is hurting. it'll take a few more years before it starts to get scary (from your description)...so why not just save up some $ and drive the VG to the ground. getting another VE might turn to a money pit for you. the body might be in good shape...but how about the engine trans?

EDIT:
err nevermind..you said the body rust is already scary. if you're sure it'll be reliable then go for the VE.

 

i really like what danNY said. i mean if rust is such a problem up there, why dont you either a save up and buy a newer car........or B head somewhere where there is not such a rust problem and buy a car there? I think that this certain VE doesnt sound too great in your case if it didnt impress you. i would rock the VG til it dies(not too long) and then move on to something newer. good luck.

 

I love my distributor. Makes things a lot easier to control... but maybe I'm just that old school kind of guy.

 

Isn't there a recall on rust in that area of the car or is it just for the gas filler? You are looking at sentamental value of the car rather than if it's safe or not. If you like your car then fix it. I say get the VE if it's an auto convert to a 5-speed. 1 grand is a good price but both engines have their pros and cons. If you spend 1500 to have the rust repared you'll probably endup paying more for the VE anyway since you'll already be 1k in the hole plus the parts and labor costs.

 

What about swaping in the VG/tranny into the VE's body and selling the VE/current body/chassis? That might work.

~Alex

 

I don't think I've ever heard of someone swapping engines to lose 30hp before.

 

escpecially swapping in an engine with 900 million km on it.


but hes in canada, is there a rust recall in canada?? if so thats your route my friend. you could get the VE and get the VG paid for or just get the VG fixed

 

I think as it is, you've put a ton of work into your VG, and having said that, anything you replace it with, be it VG or VE is potentially inheriting new problems. I understand you don't want to compromise when it comes to the structural integrity of the vehicle, i.e. just painting your current car and ignoring those problem areas, so I say run it as is until you can get access to a second vehicle for a few weeks, strip the VG (which I know your capable of) and then attack the problem areas at that time.
And I think time is a key factor in this dilemma you're facing. The summer is approching and you want it ready to enjoy... but you already have the shell in front of you. You don't need to transfer it all to a new one.

You might not be able to get what you want, when you want it - but you've already got what you need.

 

Brian,
besides the vtcs, coil packs and knock sensor, what other issues could i have with the VE engine?

Danny,
sadly money is an issue here. i've got taxes and tuition to pay this month. 4th gens haven't gotten that cheap and i don't really like the styling of them. i'm not too worried about the body on the VE. it has begun to get rusty but is probably two years behind my VG in terms of rust.

TripleGMax,
sourcing a maxima in the u.s. or western parts of canada would be a great way to find a rustless body. however, i need to be realistic. it's a maxima i'm searching for. i love the car but it's not worth the cost of transporting a car across country for. i'd do it for a z32 but not a maxima.

Ill Ridah,
the filler neck recall is for all of north america i believe. however i've already gone in there and done the patch work myself. apparently once you touch the area, nissan voids my ability to claim the recall. it sucks and if had known, i would have just taken the car to nissan first.

Alex V,
what jeff said. plus i don't really want to deal with switching the main harness over. i thought of this but it really doesn't make sense when you break down the pros and cons.

Hadman,
you know me too well...


As it stands I'm still going to inspect the car further. I'm going to test the VEs compression. I'll take the car for a good rip and let my transmission buddy see what he thinks of the trannies condition.


Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming people, it's much appreciated.

 

Seems like it's $1000 out of your budget. Just try to slow down/fix the rust on the VG. Enjoy it for a few more years and buy something nicer later.

If the VE needs work, it will cost you even more $ you don't apparently have.

There something to be said for a car that starts/stops/runs everyday all day, 7 days a week. vs another used car with unknown history.

 

seriously...what's 2 years? if you're semi strapped for cash then might as well keep the VG and drive it until the rear end falls out. another used car (as old as the 3rd gens) are usually money pits. read the threads...trannies are going, VTC, exhaust studs...the cars are falling apart. if you know your car will run and continue to run in the near future then i wouldn't ruin a good thing....IMO.

 

jeff & danny,
both really good points. thanks for input.
it's not that i'm absolutely broke. i just need to spend the money wisely. this car is honestly worth $2500 imo based on what's available in toronto and what 3rd gens generally sell for here. i thought about buying the car just to sell but i'd be burning the bridge between my contact who found the car.
i haven't made my decision yet but i do appreciate the opinions being offered by you guys. thanks.

 

I'm with Dan and Jeff pretty much here..
you'd be spending $1000 to replace one worn out car with another.
so if you can get 2 more years out of the VE before the body is in the same shape as your VG, then... I dunno.. Is it worth all the work and headaches in moving over parts just to have a couple more years?

how long do you expect the VG to last before the struts go through the fender wells from the rust?
how much of that can be repaired for under, say $500, to keep the car safe for a couple years...

At this point, you don't need a shiny, clean show car. you need something to get you from school to work until you graduate. when you're done with school, THEN look at a nicer, newer car....
IMO, you should make do with what you have.... If the VG is unsafe to drive and can't be repaired, then it's time to move on. I wouldn't recommend getting another 3rd gen unless you find one that's complerelty rust free.

BUT.... $1000 for one in decent shape makes a compelling arguement against what I just said.

 

You could always find another VG, and since you're close to the States you could expand your market a little. But it is true, spending $1k to get another old car over driving the old one you have now, at this point, is merely a safety decision.

In your position I would try for a 4G, if you can. Fewer issues and generally cheaper to fix. Plus, a VQ is basically a perfected VE with more torque.

 

yea, i say save a little more and go 4th gen.. on the west coast here some 4th gens can be gotten for $8000 or less

 

On the east it's even less MaxZilla. I see them go for $6000 all the time in Toronto (roughly 5k U.S), but I think it sort of misses his point. The 4g isn't really an option $ wise. That's sort of why he's tossing the VE idea around.
I think Matt was pretty much on target.

 

indeed!

well i checked out the car again. i tested the compression and took it for another drive. the engine doesn't seem to be running up to snuff and the vtcs clack like a ****!
however,
i've decided that i'll buy the car and do a tune up on it. if after i've done the tuneup it still hasn't gotten much better, i'll turn around and sell the car for at least double what it cost me.
in the grand scheme of things...
if i keep the ve and it turns out to be a good car, i'll have gotten myself a better car and spent say $500 - 1000 on parts and bodywork (after deducting the money from selling my car of course).
if i keep my vg and sell the ve, i'll have a rusty yet very reliable car and and extra $1000 - 1500 in my pocket from selling the ve.
i think that either way i'm going to end up on top. so what if it costs me a bit of cash right now to get the ve up to spec. i'll have a car that i can continue to drive for at least another 3 years. if i keep the vg i'll have to buy another car within' 2-3 years. so it really works out in the end i guess.

in closing...lol
it will be fun to start off with a new car(new to me) that hasn't been tampered with at all. something that i can work on without making a few of the mistakes i made with my current maxima.


thanks to everyone for offering their opinions. it's been really helpful.


stay tuned for my next posts titled...
"wtf? these damn vtcs won't stop clacking"
"i hate coil packs!"
and
"so how am i supposed to bypass the knock sensor again?"

 

That would be my most posted thread if I got the VE.

 

Shizzle! Shock is taking the VE plunge. Well good for you man. This will make for an interesting summer. Cawazy!

 

go with boost you will love the torque that comes out of the vg