Ok, so from my last thread I've narrowed down my 4th gen year selection to 1999, now the only question I have is: how do the 4th and 5th (00-01) gens compare to each other? A 5th gen may cost anywhere from $500-$2k more than a 4th so I'm wondering if it has some worth while upgrades. I'm not asking for a list of changes but rather a list of what was improved and what was made worse. Here is a list of what comes to mind:
1. Which has more problems and which is more reliable overall?
2. Which gets better gas mileage?
3. I am aware that both of them get very similar performance numbers but if anybody has anything to say about this, go ahead?
4. Which is safer?
5. Which is more fun to drive in your opinion. I'd assume they're both pretty much the same.
6. Overall which is a better bang for the buck when looking at 2 fully loaded cars.

Those are just the questions I had off the top of my head, I'll probably think of more and them in later. Feel free to post any other productive comments. Also, for those who feel the need to make one of those useless "OMG REPOST" posts, please refrain unless you have a link to the thread you are referring to. I did use the free search tool and it's not the most concise tool; I didn't find anything good.

 

i love my 4th gen, but i wouldnt mind a 5th gen at all. sorry i wasnt any help. cant go wrong either way though IMO

 

I would suggest getting a 5.5 gen. Skip the 5.0. I know a guy who has one, its a nice car and all, but I also know a guy with a 5.5 and I would take it over a 5.0 any day. I have a 4th gen, and I love it, but I would take a 5.5 over it.

 

Depends on the car you get. But I'd go w/ a 2001, AE, 5MT as being the most reliable.

Depends on how you drive it. It's negligible.

I love top end power, so, once you fix the VIAS, you'll be fine, A33>A32 for top end power.


00-01, but again, negligible.


Aside from the gauges, thy feel the same, A32 feels smaller/lighter/more nimble.


. 01 AE, 5MT.

 

the only diffrence is in styling

the 5th gen has varible intake that gives it the 222hp VS the 190hp on the 4th gen. but it can be put on the 4th gen as well. cost of like $500 or so

4th gen has IACV issues and the 5th gen has VIAS issues.

price i would assume 2k price differnece and well, if i had to do it again i would go for a 5th gen mildly loaded rather then a 4th gen fully loaded.

personally there aren't too many "upgrades" other then styling and newer car. i think the 5th gen has rear fold down seats. the 4th gens do not have rear fold down seats they have a small slot that doesn't fit anything.

 

I have a 2000 GLE, they have fold down seats like you said but its still a hole and not a complete opening which can be very gay at times...other than that I'd go with 5th gen. I love all maximas really, but ive driven both 4th and obviously 5th and tho they are very similar in performance, i enjoy the 5th gen the most. Classy, Sporty, and tuner friendly. All maximas make for great sleepers tho dont they.

 

you cant have fold down seats and only have the silly opening. its either your rear seats fold down all the way or they dont. my 4th doesn't instead i got they little opening that does nothing

 

from what I know the '99 has coil pack issues and 00-01 has maf issues either way it'll cost you a pretty penny unless the previous owner already took care of it.

 

ahhahah

 

The 5.5gen is on my other list of cars I want, for around $14k. Am I correct to think that most 5.0gens go for about $9k with an avg amount of miles? How much do 01 AE's go for nowadays?

 

it serves a purpose! one day my bolts came loose on my trunk latch and i couldnt open my trunk! i sent my little brother through that useless hole with a electric drill with a phillips on it. it worked lol

 

lol, ok this thread is starting to head the wrong direction. I do not care about fold down seats vs little hole in back of trunk. It makes absolutely no difference to me and frankly, I'm amazed that it does to some of you. Anyways, back on topic...

 

Actually, to many people having folding seats or not is a deal breaker, since you can haul much more **** with folding rear seats. I think that's why it was brought up...

 

Eh, I'm not much of a hauler and if I ever needed to carry something big I could just borrow a friend or family member's truck or van. Problem solved. So anyway, how much do 01 AE's usually go for with 70-80k miles fully loaded?
(no I did not look it up on kbb because those prices are never realistic.)

 

hheeeyyy the fold down seat does make a difference man, ever tried to haul floor standing speakers back and forth ? try that for a living -- my buddy hates my car when we have to do that and i try to help

get the newest car possible, if u can afford it

 

4th gen all day baby it has a better body style to me

 

Is the extra $2-3k worth it? To me, it looks essentially like the same car...

 

5th gen has hints of domestic car and I find it long. 4th gen has a more balance organic look that is classic and timeless.

If you're looking at 5th gen, check out the 2001 anniversary editions. Same 3.0 litre engine (better on gas).

 

yea man dont get a 3.0 in a 5th gen... i think the 4th gen looks better and only reason to get a 5th is for the 3.5.

 

I guess the main question of this thread currently is: Is the price difference of $2-3k worth it for essentially the same car but with different looks and other little things?

 

but that question is normally answered by yourself the owner. some people look at 2-3 to be very minimal in terms of a car and some people look at it to be a breaking point. 2-3k is about an extra 6 months in payments. also 2-3k can bring a 4th gen above and beyond a 5th gen stock performance with a couple of nice overall mods as well. or would you like a newer car. we can go back and fourth but the answer is within yourself. just go drive both and put an end to the many comparsion threads you have created over this week. everyone's thoughts and feelings towards a car is diffrence and in no way are they the same.

if i had to do it again i would go with a 5th gen, if i was in your shoes wanted the whole FWD under 12k type thing. personally i'm looking at cars in the 16k range and a maxima is no longer what i want.

 

I don't know about the reliability or the performance, but I would pick the 5th gen's over the 4th gen any day. They just look so much better, with essentially the same car. (This is my opinion only, not trying to put anyone down)

 

what about those fold down seats???......

 

What do you mean by that? I had to ask.

 

He means all the elements and styling match and flow better on the 4th Gen than the 5th Gen where it sometimes looks like the styling was not really thought out. Proportions are little off and somethings look like an afterthought.

 

i'll never get an answer for it oh well. if i'm going to buy a 5th then its the first thing i look at. i'm not planning so i dont have a reason.

 

I started 2 main threads comparing 2 types of cars in my 2 choices of budgets. This thread is a side thought after looking into 4th gens and seeing that the price of them and 5th gens isn't too much different. My threads are divided into two categories, less expensive and more expensive. I'm asking other users opinions on their experiences with the cars. I can't gain much experience with a car and make the best choice with a 5mi test drive... I've now narrowed it down to one type of car (4th gen price range) so I believe my threads were successful no matter how many I had to start to make the best decision possible for me, which in this case was only 3 total.

 

I like my 5th gen. But it seems like a 4th gen is more solid, lighter.

I don't know what you 4th gen cats think.

But I love my 5th gen mayenggg!!

 

I gotta 4th gen(99.5). I have close to 250k and still goin strong. My bro has the 00' 5th gen...startin to have problems @ 170k. But again, mine's a mt and his an auto. I'd save the extra $ and use it for moddin the 4th gen. IMO it looks better anyways.

 

Bringing this thread back from the dead to ask one more question. I notice a lot of you say if I were to get a 5th gen it would have to be a 01 AE. Those seem to run about $10k on average. If I were to find a 99 and an 00 for the same price (I've seen this happen) is it worth going for the 00 or should I stay with the 99 and only go up to 5th gen if it's a 01 AE? I know this is an opinion question but I don't know enough about these cars yet to have an opinion, therefore I'm asking you guys .

 

AE has no extra performance upgrades (newer muffler, the same as found on 5.5 gens giving it the 227 vs 222 hp 00-01) and no extra safety features. All it has extra is the body kit, gunmetal alloys, aluminum shift ****, door sills, and foot pedals. It also has a silver engine cover. IMO for $2K more its not worth it.

Go with the 99 fully loaded, you will not regret it. And if you want the power you are missing out on from the DE-K then just get an 00VI for $500 or so. Done. MAKE UP YOUR MIND NOW!

 

My mind is pretty much made up but 99s in 5MT are hard to find whereas 00-01s are slightly more common. Basically I was just asking if I were to find an 00, if I should go for it or wait for a 99 to come up.

 

Seeing that I am making the decision for you....wait for the perfect 99 5MT. Doubt you will find one soon with >80K miles but definitly >110K.

But seriously, if you find an 00-01 you like buy it!!!

 

lol, your not making any decisions for me unless your paying for my car but this entire forum is helping me decide what I should be looking for and helping me make my overall choice for my next car. I've decided to extend my search from 98-99 to 98-01 just to make things easier. I'll take your advice on the mileage thing because I agree that finding a 5MT is hard enough as it is. Black on black 99 is still my pref though...

I was just checking if there was a reason that nobody in this thread said much about the 00 and skipped right to the 01 but I guess not.

Thanks for your help 99BlackMaxMS.

 

Haha I was only being sarcastic. Trust me it is aggravating when searching for a car, especially when you know exactly what you want. My father actually convinced me out of getting a 99 SE-L Sterling Mist with 82K miles for $6000 cash only because the catback was rusted out and he knew that around 80-85K miles, cars usually need some type of major work.

I got my 99 SE fully loaded with 107K on the clock for $5500 cash. I am not afraid to tell people this, especially because I got this from a local car dealership. I am the third owner, 1st to 47K, 2nd to 107K. The car was traded in at a Ford Dealership then auctioned off, as a small dealer purchased it. All fluids, filters, ect. were changed before the car was auctioned off and I have been completely satisfied with my ride. The 4 month wait was well worth it.

I know that I was as picky as you when searching, I wanted a 97-99, (particularly a 98-99) as I didn't want any car with more than 120K miles, only Black, Sterling Mist, or Dark Green, only Black Leather, BOSE and auto climate.

I searched daily on these 5 websites listed below...hopefully they can help you out!

www.craigslist.org
www.autotrader.com
www.cars.com
www.autoextra.com
www.vehix.com

Good Luck and Happy Searching!

 

So your saying I should skip the 80-90k range because that's when most cars need work and go straight to 100k and hope it was all taken care of? Which site did you end up finding your car with?

 

Yes I would recommend getting one with around 100K miles. Most major work has been done to cars by that point, minus the clutch and tranny usually...but you would know immediately if they were on their way out.

I actually found about 3 fully loaded black/black 97-99s on craigslist, however I found my car on autoextra.com (last website I searched on the weekend before my midyear exams....long story...PM me if you want to hear it) I would say that craigslist, autotrader, and cars are the top 3 definitely.

 

This could also work the other way and someone starts having their 80k problems at 100k and sells the car because of the problems... I don't think it's too likely that someone would fix a major problem and soon after sell the car.

 

No one can answer that question but yourself. I would be inclined to opt for the 00 if the prices were similar, as well as mileage.

Quite frankly, I wouldn't buy a 99. I would look for a low mileage 97 or 98.

Buy the car with the lowest mileage at the cheapest price.

If money weren't a consideration, I would look for a low mileage 2003, loaded, with 6-speed MT.

At the rate you are going, none of these cars will be in existence by the time you get off the pot! Make up your mind and get on with life.

 

i dont agree with bobo much lately, but i do agree with him here, i understand u want the best and all that for ur money, but u will not end up buying a car if u keep sitting in front of ur PC monitor.

go out there and test drive, find cars, look at them, if u notice a problem come back here to find out if its serious or something u can fix urself or pay someone else relatively cheaply to fix.

like u expect us to tell u what to get, none of us know ur finacial situation or whatever so how can we tell u whats best? how do we know whats available in ur area?

im not trying to be an a$$hole here, but cmon man seriously, no car is perfect, u r buying a USED VEHICLE and i guarantee u THERE WILL BE problems that need to be looked at. people sell for many reasons, unfortunately one of them is because the car has problems...

PS: hehe u r probly the most knowlegeble maxima person (141 posts as well) who doesn't have the actual car yet. HAHA i just think this is kinda funny!!!