Hi
I'm trying to find a nice , resonable milage 5.5 gen ... however , I test drove so far 2 5.5 gens,one is with 134K miles and the other is 80k miles,both are autos.........man....the 4th gen is much much smoother and quiter car ..maybe I'm much used to my 4thy,i don't know....
for those who know well the 4th and 5.5 gen (and the 5th gen),should be there that much of a difference between the 4th and 5.5 in terms of quietness and smoothness ? is what I felt normal , or those 2 5.5 genies are junk ?

 

5.5 are junk, the quality and reliability was last manufactured into the 98 maxima, 99 and after the maxima just went into disaster mode.

 

ha-ha-ha, yeah right.
what is junk? Engine? nope, tranny? doubt it.
the only weak link in 5.5 gen is suspension, struts to be exact.
I;m on my 2nd 5.5 gen bought my first one in 2006 auto with 49K miles it was totaled in 09 with 89K in all that time all i had to do other than maintenance was front struts endlinks and right wheel bearing(after i hit a curb).

right now i'm driving 6 speed one, both were SE titanium editions.

what i can tell you is by 90K or so 5.5 gen needs to have suspension update. while shopping for new car i test drove few others like 06 G35, 06 S60R 6 speed and other 5.5 gens
and decided its not possible to get anything under 20K(like S80 V8) to be as reliable fast and comfortable as 5.5 gen. sure i could get 540i but i would pay in repairs, TL-S ehh not feeling that car.

I cant compare 5.5 to 4 gen cuz i never driven one but they are different cars by far, but but saying that one is junk is STUPID and thats an understatement.

BTW my old auto rode rougher than my current one for some reason, or maybe its all in my head.

 

Um....yeah sure....whatever you say buddy......I don't know what the OP test drove....but I can tell you that my 5.5 (and most well taken care of 5.5's)....is as smooth as heck....is extremely quiet...at least....when I want it to be .....and lastly.... has proven to be a very reliable car....the best car I have had to date!

 

did you drive and have a pristine 4th gen before the 5.5 ?

 

sounds good

 

my 95 has 280k miles i just put tranny in it and water pump thats it runs great.

 

I had a 3rd gen and a 4th gen till some moron t-boned the 3rd gen. now I have a 4th gen and a 5th gen. Based on comfort & ride, my preferences are:
#1 - 3rd gen
#2 - 5th gen
#3 - 4th gen

 

I had a 3rd gen too. THe DOHC version. I gots alotta respect for that car.
when my last car was destroyed in a car accident and i was looking around, I test drove 2 5spd 5th gens and neither felt as quick as a 4th gen. THink its cuz of the different gear ratios. But they felt more substaintial than a 4th gen.

I dont like all the electronics nissan has added to their V6 engines in recent years. Makes me nervous/leery for electronics failure. I bought my second 4th gen cuz i was comfortable with the engine and fixing it. I was mortified with the 5th gen engine, the Variable Intake, and all the other wires i saw. The 3.5L engine is nowhere near as refined as the 3.0L. I was driving yesterday and hrd a 5.5/6th gen emiting all this valve noise. Althoug it still one of the most powerful 3.5L engines u can buy. I drove a 3.5L dodge charger and it didnt even move as quick as my 4th gen.

IMO, 4th gen the best maxi nissan made. 3rd gen second, 5th gen third.

 

I would probably agree. I have a friend who has a 5.5 gen, and he loves it. I've driven it a few times (6-speed) and it definitely is fun, mainly because of the manual tranny compared to my auto, but it definitely doesn't feel nearly as refined as my 4th gen motor-wise. Mines a 1998 with 195000 miles and still hardly any issues. NO GENERATION OF MAXIMA BEATS A 4th GEN RELIABILITY WISE.......thats for sure.

The 4th gen engine is great to work on too. Some electronics, but not too much. In my opinion, best engine ever made in the history of automobiles....

 

I think the 4th gen is amazing. i have 230k on mine and i would prefer to take that on the 12-14 hours trips to the beach instead of my girlfreinds 2004 loaded jetta. My car seems faster, smoother, quiter, and a lot more comfortable. 4th gens cant be beat!!!

 

I give the 3rd gen #1 on comfort, but I give the 4th gen the performance.

 

I have driven brand new cars with less refined, noiser engines. Its pretty funny. Any car i buy will always be compared to the 4th gen. THe only engines that are more refined, quieter, are toyota and honda 4 cyl and the BMW 3 series inline 6 cyl. Nissan older 2.4L kinda sloppy and loud to me.

EDIT:

THe Nissan 2.5L not bad.

 

Ive never ridden in a 5th gen but I cant sit here and think they are bad. They're a nissan after all.

 

really? my uncle has a 02 4cycl camry and I hate that engine. it always sounds like it's working hard... though it does pull pretty decent at low speeds