A dealer just called and i was tlaking to him about a Maxima, and i told him what i wanted and he said GLEs dont come in a standard, only automatic... this isnt true, is it?

 

True. The GLE is the luxury model. You can get a 5-speed on the SE or GXE model. Either one can be "optioned up" to approach the GLE.

I admit to a bias on this subject because I drive a GXE 5-speed. IMHO the GXE gives you a lot of car for relatively little money. Edmund's says a '99 GLE has a current market value of $18,560, while the '99 GXE is valued at $13,960. Those prices are for a GLE with automatic (which you don't want) and a GXE with 5-speed (which you do). The $13,960 isn't so very much more than the $11,900 price tag on that '96 GLE you looked at. You could look at it this way: the $4K+ you save with a GXE will pay for five years' worth of insurance.