So im looking at buying a Maxima and I've been trying to decide between a 97-99 5 speed or a 02-03 6 speed. I've posted this the the general maxima forum but im trying to get some bias so im posting it here. I also am not sure about a lot of the pros/cons ive listed for the 5.5 gen so maybe some people can clear ir up.

Pros: 4th Gen

Cheaper
Better Shifting Transmission
VQ30DE more durable engine
Over all more reliable
More aftermarket parts available
With bolt-ons potential to be as fast as a stock 5.5 gen
Easier to work on
Better build quality ie. interior and engine

Pros: 5.5 Gen

Faster
Newer
Slightly better gas mileage (probably lower real world mileage)
A little easier to find
Larger car
Better handling

Cons 4th Gen
Older car
Coil pack problems on 99's
Less Power
Harder to find
No 6 speed
Overall slower car
Knock sensors tend to go bad

Cons: 5.5 Gen
MAF sensor tends to be bad
Can burn oil starting around 70k
Bad synchros in the tranny
Brakes wear quicker
Overall parts are more expensive
Bad O2 sensors (sometimes bad on the 4th gen)
Tires more expensive
Car is more expensive
Less reliable over all
Notchy shifting(i think i could get used to it)

 

I was in this position, it was either a loaded to the gills 99 with like 70 on it with one owner, well taken care of or a 03 6 speed w/sunroof 34k from dealership. Went with the 03, wish I got the 99. 3.0 should get much better gas mileage than a 3.5. I wish i got the 3.0 cause i find myself driving just to save gas so i may as well have a 3.0. 2 save money. 3 not have to worry about it as much, no lights to steal, paint can't be as bad as 03, its just obvious you won't have to care as much about a cheaper car. maybe think about what your piers drive too. So what made me get the 03? the 6-speed, 3.5, HIDs, i really like the style, sweet headlights with the circles, 6 speed was really talkin to me, i was blown away after i drove the five speed then drove a 6 speed, 80mph at 2500rpm

 

dont buy a car thats almost a decade old....
go with 5.5
you wont regret it

 

LOL....weak argument.

 

I figure so what if the car is 7 or 8 years old it most likely will give me less problems then a 5.5 gen.

 

Does this really need two threads?

 

haha I agree that was a weak argument. Go with the 4th gen, get a low mileage straight body nicely taken car of max and start moddin! Personally I like the look of the 4th gen better as well...and we currently have 3 4th gens.
95 56k mile de-k/modded/5spd/ pearl while/black leather.
96 5spd black/gray cloth rest black/105k? something low.
99 SE-L auto navy blue/black leather 130-140k mostly highway.
They have been Excellent to us!

 

Why not go with a 5th gen. You kind of get the best and worst of both worlds. To elaborate: You get the larger, albeit slightly heavier body of the 5.5 to cover some of the pros and eliminate some of the cons you mentioned. And you still have the 3.0. At 222HP, it has 32 more HP than the 4th gen, and 17 more than the 99 SE-L. Or try and fine a AE edition to had 5 extra HP. You wont have to worry about the 3.5's oil appetite either. If you want the HID's, go and swap em out. Once you start moddin, it may not have the full potential as the 4th, but they both can be faster than a stock 5.5.

I was stuck on the 4th for years. When I was ready to buy, with cash in hand, I came across my 5th at the same price as a fully optioned 98-99 4th. I got it and never looked back.

 

What? Your lack of knowledge is dripping off this post.

 

A whole lot of 5.5 gen bashing going on here...

Never had my lights stolen
Oil is fine
MAF is fine
Better gas mileage than my 99 (which was an auto, I now have a 6 speed),
My stick shifts like butter
My interior build quality is far better than my 99
My engine quality seems just as good as my 99

If you're going to buy a 4th gen and mod the crap out of it, you'll spend as much or more than price difference to get it up to 255 hp, and when you do you will get much worse gas mileage than a 5.5 gen.

The TRUE cons? Bose is better on 4th, handling was a bit better on my 99, styling was a bit nicer. Interior is better on the 02, passing power is awesome, 6 gears is great, 6 disc changer, memory seats, HIDs. I enjoy my 02 better than my 99. Just my 2 cents.

 

Again, this is an age old argument and is getting almost day to day around here.

1st, look at your goals, 2nd, does your $$ look like.

There are 2 things that I praise the A32 over the A33B. that is throttle response (but this can be remedied) and agility. the A32 feels more nimble and easier, more predictable. Again, this can probably be 'fixed' or 'modded' to my liking, but this is my opinion.

On the other side, the A33B > A32 in most notable areas such as.--> power/torque, interior and just about every other luxury(pre se) aspect. Not to be misleading, I still love my A32, aznd actually still drive it from time to time, but the A33B is just better. But this is comparing my 4g and 5.5g. Whereas you can find a nicely loaded 97-99 for cheaper and it will be greater than my A33B 'stripped' Ti edition. ...

They have both been reliable, the 5.5g more than the 4th g, but I've had the 4g for logner so.... it's not a fair comparison at this point.

I don't think it even needs 1 since this is becoming a 2x/week thread.

Exactly Credibility just took a downward spiral...

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If you can't decide, get a 4th gen 5-speed and never drive the VQ35. If you don't experience the extra power in the 5.5 gen, you'll likely be very happy w/ the 4th gen.

 

Rydicule made some very good points.

 

damn right. dont ever drive a VQ35. i took a coworker out for lunch and had to merge..he was like, damn, this cars got *****..he has no idea

 

Since we're on the subject of speed.............Full VQ35 in A32 > A33B

 

5th Gen all the way... I drove the 5.5 and for what I'm using it the 5th Gen was fine for me... I figured (and this is a personal opinion) the 2001 to be the most solid of all the 5th Gens.

 

But the OP wasn't asking about the 5g.. Just the 4 & 5.5g.. Maybe your post will change their mind.

 

I know... Just giving him a third option.

 

Any why exactly do you say that? The 5th gen has 222Hp, the 4th gen has 190, hence 32 HP. The AE edition has 227 HP. I may be wrong but I was informed that only the 99 SE-L came with 205 HP. I'm only about 12% sure on the latter though. I think I was quoting the TQ. But the rest, I can bet on.


Hey man. It was late, I was tired, and my thoughts weren't exactly in order.

 

the 5.5th gen handling can be fixed with few mods, coilovers, sway bars, tower bars, but to go from 190hp to 255hp NA, your gonna have to spend alot. i live in jersey and never have gotten my lights stolen, its really not a problem unless you live in the ghetto area.

 

No DE-K, no care.

 

its really not a problem unless you live in the ghetto area.[/QUOTE]



sure i forgot the thieves go Only to the ghetto to steal your precious lights

 

One word vq35swapbaby

 

I hope you hit the DynoJet before you pressurize..

 

Yep i live in jersey too, i lived in Princeton for 7 years...now i just started college and had my 2k2 6speed for 8 months or so and am in New Brunswick for college, and my headlights got stolen. I was parked in a parking lot without cameras or anything so u only have to worry about this stuff if you are in an unsafe area, or just an area with a lot of theft. It happened to me, but **** happens.

anyways my friend has a 99 SE-L in red and its nice. but after driving my car so long and feeling the power of a vq35, i cant have a 4th gen. everyones right, dont drive a vq35 at ALL if you are really liking a 4th gen you drove. That friend always asks me for rides haha.

it comes down to your budget, both are great cars with their own pros and cons get the one that YOU like the most, and what your instinct tells you. you wont be dissapointed with either decision. its a maxima.

 

yeah brunswick is where i got my clear sides stolen, i go there from time to time, but damn, you just gotta watch out.

 

I had a 99' auto and now a 02' 6-speed, the 02' completly blows the 99' out of the water. More power, Better interior and i get better gas mileage. And The older automatics just plain suck; the hesitant shifting, you never know if it is going to kick down a gear when flooring it sometimes. I have 38000 miles on my 02' and mine consumes no oil. Did i mention that aftermarket exhausts sound better, intake doesn't sound like a mid 90's GM car when heavy throttle is aplied just mean growl. (Aftermarket I/T)

 

Having owned all 3 gens of the car (4, 5, 5.5), I found the 5.5 to be superior to the 5 in terms of refinement and power. Refinement meaning the cabin noise was reduced due to more sound deadening material used in the 5.5. The 5 for me was the weakest of the 3 gens, it might have 222hp but the added power can not compensate for the added weight compared to the 4th gen. The 4th gen was the least refined of the 3 but was still plenty fun to drive because it is extremely light weight for a family sedan. All 3 gens suffers from the beam suspension. And all three gens have really ****ty structural rigidity to the point where if I was to jack the car up on one jack point the door would not open and close smoothly. That to me is the reason why ride quality is poor on all 3 models as Nissan had to soften up the suspension but still the frame was absorbing a lot of the bumps in the road. I would have stiffened up my chassis with BrehmCo but I thought it was time for a change. The beam suspension was really the nail in the coffin for me, because once I experience how a real suspension is supposed to feel like (BMW e90), there was no going back. So, here is my order of merit: 5.5 gen > 4th gen > 5th gen.... the 4th and 5th gen being a close call... the 5.5 to me is better than the 6th gen and miles ahead of the 4th and 5th, housecor was right, whoever says a 4th gen is fast never drove a 5.5 gen. I actually picked the 5.5 gen back in Jan 03 after I saw what the 6th gen looked like. I still think the 6th gen is the wrong direction for Nissan to take the Maxima, and man is it ugly as hell. The new Altima > any gen Maxima.

 

my 5.5 6 m/t is fast

 

Its kinda hard. I had a '95 max 5 speed with EVERYTHING! Super fast car! I live a mile high so naturally cars a a little slower here than sea level but I was able to get it down to a 14.3 Second quater mile! Then I started having TONS of tranny problems around 134,000 miles. Still a sweet ride.
I now have an 2k max that is much slower but more refined.

 

I just recently purchased an 02 SE. When I looked at the car at the dealer I was skeptical about its speed but confident on its quality knowing its a maxima. So I after googling the specs of the car I saw it had 255/246 motor! Still skeptical I test drove it and couldnt believe the power that it had. Its almost like a mustang killer. Top end is amazing, it will pull hard way after 90! The hardest thing about driving this car is trying not to make it spin the tires from a standstill. For the first couple of days every light I took off from the tires squealed. Its like a total sleeper sedan. Ive already raced several cars on the highway on the way home from work and it didnt get pulled on at all. Several Acura TL's , some bmw's, and even a mercedes E-someting. They were all really impressed when I was right beside them and coming on strong.

I would never go back on my decision of buying this car. I drive a sportsbike for speed (2006 Ninja ZX-6RR) and I just wanted a simple reliable car to get back and forth to work. I was originally looking at a base model Camry with some 157Hp 4 banger and then the Maxima caught my eye. THANK GOD!! I got a luxery car and a performance car all in one.

 

I would test drive both a 4th gen and a 5.5. Otherwise, you might end up kicking yourself later when you start asking what if. They're both quick cars, but I'm guessing you aren't just looking for power, because if you are, there are cars a lot cheaper with more power. If you're looking for a family sedan with *****, a maxima is the way to go.
As far as reliability goes, all cars have their problems. I've had transmission and o2 sensor problems, but its hard to get an unbiased sample of the whole by looking on message boards. 90% of maxima owners would probably just take the car into the shop, no questions asked.
If price is any issue at all, you probably already know that you can get a 4th gen for less than half the price of what a good 5.5 will run you (depending on condition). If you like to mod, a 4th gen would probably be a good bet. As far as 6 speeds go, they're not all they're cracked up to be. It was a major reason I bought the car, but now I think its mostly a gimmick. Unless you're dead set on a maxima, you might want to give a 2002+ altima a look also. They're usually a little cheaper than maximas are and you still get the 3.5VQ.