Tommorow i'm gong to look at a completely empty 99 GXE. This car has absolutely no options besides the bare minimum. It even has hubcaps and NO cd player! There is a huge upside to it though, its 5 speed manual. For the same price i could get a completely loaded GLE/I30 with the same mileage. I pretty much have my mind made up which one i would take, but i just want to know what the orgers think about it: Loaded auto or empty 5spd.

 

find a 5 sp SE fully loaded. You will be much happier...

 

auto loaded.

 

well, do you want luxury or speed? 5 speed would be more fun, but it would be nice to have the options...
do you have money to spend right away to make the SE more enjoyable for you...CD player, wheels, etc.
In the end, it is up to you...

 

5speed bare

This gives you tons of room to upgrade. A lot more potential then the auto. I miss haveing a 5 speed so my opinion is a little bias.

 

the bare-bones gxe weighs less (therefore a little faster), and without a cd player, you'll have a perfect excuse for building an uber audio system. however, a loaded GLE/i30 will have a higher resale value and a more pleasant driving experience. of your options, i'd take the loaded.

 

When I first started modding, I loved having a barebones GXE. Now that I've got all the mods I currently want, I find myself wanting creature comforts. Would I sacrifice .1s in the quarter for that? Yeah, probably. My want of creature comforts is the main reason why I want a new car.

 

think about where you are gonna go with the car in the future. if you're goin for a track car, then the fewer options and weight, the better. but the stripped-down feel might get to ya after a while. keep looking rather than having to make a sacrifice. i personally, if i can help it, will never buy an auto for myself. it's just not even close to the same.

you should really be asking yourself what you think rather than the orgers it's really up to you as you're gonna be the one driving it. i say keep looking, though.

 

no no, some of you guys didnt read my post correctly, i already have my mind made up on a 5spd, i just want to know what the orgers would pick

edit: oh yeah, this is the only 97-99 5spd within 100 miles of my zip code. I searched on autotrader, cars.com, craiglist, and personally went to evey dealership around here, and didnt find any. Personally, i'm fine with a bare 5spd.

 

Wait, save more money. 5 speed with options and less miles, u will be very pleased

 

everyone has good logic so far, so props to that. if you're really going to the track thou, and you wanted the lowest quarter time possible... a maxima probably isn't the best bet for the money. so unless you wanna put a lot of money into that 5sp and make it suuper fast, i'd get the auto with options.. plus... you can always convert to a 5sp later...

 

i have both worlds...

 

get the loaded and in time do a swap?

 

Glad to hear you've decided to get another Maxima!

I've never driven a 5-speed car before so I don't know what I would pick, I just know everybody raves about manual Maximas!

It all really depends on how much money you plan on spending on the car (ex. converting auto to 5-speed or paying for a stereo system and rims on the 5-speed GXE). Either way they're all Maximas so you really can't go wrong!

 

I had a similar dilema when I bought my GXE. I chose the 5 spd. I bought SE rims w/ tires, foglights, spoiler, sound system one by one. It's easier to do that then to do a 5spd swap. BUT.......my transmission started spewing gear oil at around 90K and had to be replaced with a used one at 98K. Bearing failure is common on these MT maximas. INSPECT THIS CAR WELL BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!! Try to move the axle around where it sits in the transmission. It should sit in the tranny real tight and not move at all. Look for gear oil leaks.
And also a GXE isn't "bare." Maximas come standard with power windows, locks, 4 wheel disc brakes, ect.

 

I could see myself having chosed the bare 5 spd and craving better seats and auto climate etc after seeing another max at a meet with it.

If I had gone with the auto, I'd have the luxury but would always day dream about the 5spd.

You could swap leather seats in but not auto climate, which is a lovely addition, as well as heated seats.

I'd check ebaymotors for a 5 spd semi or fully loaded, and see if thats cheaper and fly out and pick it up.


I would have went with 5spd if it was my first car.

 

i had to make up my mind about the 2 as well. I went with the GLE. i'm pretty pleased with it. Yea the GXE would of been almost 1 second faster. But for me i'm enjoying the heated seats a lot and the leather. The Bose isn't that bad either, i mean yea it has its minor issues and what not but it does sound decent w/o any aftermarket stuff.

I would get the GXE only if i had a full race intentions or aleast some.

 

Pansy...j/p 10charowned

 

Back when i was thinking about buying a max I was prepared to make the decision between a loaded GLE and a not-so-loaded SE 5 speed. Well, I got lucky and found a loaded SE 5 speed, and I have to say that I appreciate the creature comforts more than the tranny. (I do like both, however).

 

5 spd, cus it would prolly cost less to buy the bare 5 spd, and add all the options that the other car had, than it would to do a tranny swap. plus every other auto driver on the org HATES, complains and regrets buying an auto max. Get the manual, you def won't regret it.. also, you had a GLE before, time to switch it up a little.

 

OK guys im about to go to the dealership to test drive the car and to check just about everything in it. These guys want 7,995 for the 99 bare GXE 5spd with 76k miles. If i bring the price down to 7k without taxes/title, im probably buying it, if not, then im leaving the dealership. Wish me luck, im hoping to drive home in a manual!

 

Test drive the hell out of it

 

that price for the gxe is way high. my car was the same price and it has every option with 10k more miles, almost 2 years ago. unless that car is in pristine condition dont bother with it for less than 6500. bare bones sucks a pile of munkey nutts.

 

Well I just got my car, its fully loaded but auto, although I did want a manual but didnt have choice. If I had to choose though, I'd still take the auto over an empty stick shift. If I lived close to a track though, then I'd think about it more carefully.

 

i got a loaded GLE, then converted to 5 spd. Best of both worlds.

 

Got it, check out my thread in members rides forum.


http://forum.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=438550

 

My car is a barebones GXE as well and the only 2 options it had were the sawblades and dealer installed spoiler. I preferred it vs a loaded car to be honest...also it was much more rare when searching for maximas vs loaded 5 speed SE's.

 

Can't argue w/ that!

 

barebones 5sp.

LEMAR

 

think ill just add to the thread by saying i went the same but yet opposite way. i HAD a 99 SE with no options, and a 95 GXE with even less (spoiler) both were auto and ive only owned 5 spd before that. So i sold the 99 and got a 5spd turbo eclipse and drove the heck out of it after putting just under 3K into it but it just wasent the feel of a maxima that i loved, it was tiny and hard to get grocieries home and i missed the max so sold the eclipse and found my current 97 SE fully loaded 5spd with DVD, auto climate, heated leather ect for 5K. Had a few problems needed to be worked out but got it done and its now a GREAT car that treats me right day in and day out.

-Ryan

 

Well that an opinion choice depends do you want to mod heavily with little stuff in your way or mod lightly

 

I think you're making the right choice by going with the bare-bones 5spd. I have a bare-bones SE and I don't miss the sunroof of leather seats or bose system because I think my car is a little lighter without all of that.

If I had the Bare-bones GXE I'd miss the white-faced gauges the most, everything else (wheels, springs, spoiler) you would probably want to upgrade anyway even if you had an SE.

 

I have a 5-speed SE with every option, but I could easily go without them. It was the first 5-speed I found in my price range, so I bought it. It also adds about $800 to resale. I drive about 30K miles a year and mostly non-highway, but I would never take an auto.

 

Me niether.....ever again that is........

 

If I had an automatic maxima I would have sold it by now.

 

Stop! I'm trying to get those ideas out of my head!

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by kingrukus
If I had an automatic maxima I would have sold it by now.



Stop! I'm trying to get those ideas out of my head!



ME TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (see other thread)

 

anyway seriously i wanna change my vote from get a loaded auto and swap it, to get the 5 speed, im gonna shoot myself for not gettin it.

 

i wish i had stick, im going to convert it soon

 

collect the parts over the winter then save up some gas money for a drive to good ol WI and ill do it for ya im really looking for a project like that though