I was looking for a budget car and came across this website. I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad about the article:
http://www.beaterreview.com/botw/Bea...ew_botw_23.htm

Jae

 

Reason 1


Reason 2

 

Yeah, I guess I got offended that it was labeled "beater", yet at least they wrote about 3rd gen's finer points.

Jae

 

Truth be told,stay away from higher mileage vg automatics(serious transmission issues)some members have remedied this issue with a 5 speed swap..

The 89-91 se 5 speed has the best potential for the 3rd gens(no vtc issues/some come with a factory 5 speed)..The 92-94 SE 5 speed with the dohc VE30DE(My car in pics) is also a ton of fun to drive/modiify, but it has it's share of problems(vtc failure),but can be easily fixed if you have more than average mechanical experience..

Over all,i wouldn't trade my 3rd gens(wife also has a 94 gxe) for any other gen maxima...

 

Race cars do not make good beaters, go with a 4th gen...

 

LOL
I have my 4th gen... just rolled 200k, catching up to my bro's 3rd gen. Just want something that runs, trouble-free, that's easy/cheap to fix.
Jae

 

my beater = 93 SE 4spd 250k+

 

but you already have a beater..

 

Not that it's news to me, but it makes quite an impression on readers that they really didn't have much to say in terms of downsides.

 

Can't argue with it. My third gen ran like new at 185K or so when it got wrecked. My second gen's engine was good (transmission was pretty rough though) at over 200K when I traded it in on a Mazda.

 

Interesting site, and I too wondered why the Maxima lagged behind the Accord and Camry...

 

maybe because maxina only came in v6? the camry and accord was the 4cyl econobox back then. so maixma was exclusive, until now where the camry and accords have v6 options.

 

Hey, that is the middle name of my Maxima.

 

Interesting article. It seems pretty fair to me.

The writer could have done a little more research and listed some common problems (AT in the VG, window regulators, manifold studs) but otherwise, I think it was good.

I have had two VE 5-speeds now and I am happy with them. It is a good "beater" rig, IMO. My car has over 150k miles and I would feel comfortable taking it on a 1k mile trip or using it to commute every day. My brother-in-law recently bought a 94 Camry to use as a commuter and it isn't half the car my Maxima is and gets the same mpg, even though it's a 4 cyl. I have better braking and handling, more comfortable seats and tons more power. Plus, even he agrees the body on the Max is better looking.

 

beaters>>
.

 

I love my maxima, never thought i'd own a jap car though cause my dad doesnt like them tha much but hey i like it better than my sisters cavy.

 

Yeah, but the Maxima was a flagship car. Not the the Toyota Cressida or Avalon would have had anything on the Maxima. RE styling: Toyota's own fault for getting caught up in the bubble look. Anybody remember the Previa?

 

Yup, mom still drives hers. Aka: Jelly Bean. I'd consider this minivan a beater... our 1992 has 160k on it and recently had the engine rebuilt as a precaution. It's never left us stranded, unlike my 4th gen.

Jae

 

Previa = cockroach lol

 

I was over at Stillen 1 time and saw some brochures they have of "JDM" body kits for 3rd gen Maximas and Previas... they're hideous. Body kits on either cars make them look heavier, instead of faster. Low, wide, bloated. Ew!

Actually, I think beater cars are found in 3rd world countries... they need cheap reliable cars that are easy to fix. I saw buncha corollas when I went to bolivia, many had over 300k miles. Reminds me of the Top Gear episode when they tried to kill the Toyota Hilux and failed... that truck keeps going no matter what!

Jae

 

Go to Africa. You'll see blue and white Toyotas by the thousand performing taxi duties. the Hilux and younger (newer) siblings are all over the place as well.
surprisingly enough, I took a ride across Pointe Noire, Congo in a Ford Ranger of all things. it was the biggest vehicle the company owned, so they used it to haul around me and my 6'4" 290lb co-worker. you don't find many people that size in Africa!

back to the point of the article. the 3 and 4 both make a great beater if you're looking for something better than a Corolla. power everything, quality parts and materials (at least in the 3 gen case), which means they'll last a long time, and Nissan's infamous free-falling resale value. 10 year old car for under $3000 is my definition of a beater... and I've seen more 4th gens on the side of the road recently than just about any other car (my other sign of a beater is how many I see broken down on the side of the road).

 

But you don't want a beater that breaks down a lot. That the definition of a money pit.

 

I beat something else everyday....

 

Properly maintained, any car should theoretically last 1,000,000 miles. most of the cars I see on the side of the road are the ones that haven't had the oil checked in 15,000 miles, let alone actually changed.
to keep pretty much any Nissan on the road, the only things required are to change the fluids and swap a water pump every 100k miles or so (throw in 60k timing belts for the VG too)... and don't beat on the tranny. otherwise they'll last 300k+ without a problem. just a matter of routine maintenance.

 

Wait, I'm at 200k and haven't changed out my water pump. Is that something I should do even tho I'm not getting any symptoms?
Jae

 

But if you see more 4th gens than any other car on the side of the road, are you saying 4th gen owners don't know how to take care of their cars? It still wouldn't inspire confidence in me. I want to know that a beater can take the punishment, including owner negligence. What's the point of getting a beater if it can't take some abuse?

 

Look at what guys are doing to them on this forum. they can take abuse. they just can't take neglect. there's a difference.

And yes, I'm saying many 4th gen owners don't ever bother opening the hood of their car. they just put the key in and drive. then one day it stops in the middle of the highway and they don't know why. it's quite typical of people that buy a sub-$3000 car. easier to throw it away than to pay to fix it.

 

a 91 buick regal is a beater then...

 

My 3rd gen has 190k miles and I wouldnt consider it a beater by any means. Runs and drives absolutely flawlessly. Of course, like Matt said, it's all in the maintenance.

Now I picked up a true beater a while back. An '89 Honda Civic DX hatchback with 240K miles. I kid you not, I drove that thing for 2 months with ZERO oil unknowingly. When I discovered this I filled it up and have been driving it ever since. Didnt spin a bearing or anything! It gets 45 MPG too - no oil and all

 

It does look like crap, but hey, where else can you get a mid-engine minivan with options for 5MT, supercharged, and AWD?

Changing plugs in those things...is a *****, to say the least. I think a 5 speed supercharged AWD previa would be kind of cool, personally.

Of course that whole driveshaft on the crank pulley thing kinda weirded me out the first time I saw it...

 

Less drag = better mpg.

 

holy moly, Even Car And Driver calls Maximas "Beaters"!

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...sel-page2.html

Jae

 

^^ Well, they are talking about an '83 after all. The bottom half of that is pretty hilarious.

 

I don't know about that. Camry and Accord have had v6's as an option for a long time. I have friends with a 95 accord v6 and a 94 camry v6. All the same, though, they were available with an I4, so that probably is a reason for their better sales. That and just the name that toyota and honda have made for themselves over the years.