HI,

I am looking forward to become a 98 Maxima owner and have narrowed it down to 2 cars. Please tell me which one you think is a better choice.
Both car are onw owner car, both very clean and in good condition.

98 Maxima SE, fully loaded, sterling mist with black leather every available options, such as ABS, heated seats, sunroof, side airbags etc. Has 94,000 miles and cost $10,000.

98 Maxima GLE, White with tan leather, every available options, such as ABS, heated seats, sunroof, side airbags etc. Has 117,000 miles and cost $7,500.

Which one do u think is a better deal? I checked kbb.com, nada.com, and edmunds.com and both cars have the same trade in value of $9,000 to $10,000. So I think basically the GLE is a better deal as I am getting it below trade in value. But it lacks the 16" rims and spoiler that the SE has. So basically I have to spend like $800 to upgrade the GLE to 16" rims and a spoiler.

I plan on keeping this car for about 2 years. If the price difference now is $2500, will the sale price also be only a $2500 difference in 2 years when I decide to sell it? or do u think the GLE will depreciate faster since it will have higher mileage?

You advice and suggestion is greatly appreciated.

cabby850

 

personally, im an se man, i dont like gle's or something.....

 

if theyre both automatic, you might as well go for the GLE, since its $2500 less, and since youre only keeping it 2 years, you should have no problems with the mileage.. (and I like white more than sterling mist)

 

The GLE is best for you.

 

The GLE is the better value for you.

 

I just bought a 99 SE about 3 weeks ago. I passed up many GLEs and GXEs because I wanted the rims and spoiler. However after reading alot up here on the board including the for sale section I have found that you can get a spoiler for less than $100 and rims for $300 to $500.

The big difference in the SE is the suspension. The suspension on an SE is stiffer which makes the car handle better but you sacrifice a little in ride quality (minimal in my opinion)

Also don't forget if you decide to buy the GLE and add the spoiler and wheels your goinf to have to paint the spoiler (unless you find one the same color) and buy new tires since the GLE ahs 15 inch rims on it.

Jim

 

gle is the best trim of the maxima available............go for it..........unless you want to upgrade the stereo or sumthing.....then i say go for the se

 

Me too. If both were sitting next to each other on a lot. I wouldn't even have looked at the GLE. Even if it was $3k less I would have just ignored it.. I bought my 98 SE last October with 82k on it (now has 90k) and I paid $10,800 at an auction which at the time was $1k below loan. I love this car and am glad I got it!! Love the rims and spoiler.

 

It really is all about personal preference. If you are going to be in a ton of bumper to bumper traffic, the stick option may not appeal to you. If you are after the oem looks, then the GLE may not appeal. If you are looking at it from the performance side, the SE has a slight edge in stock trim, but not enough to make that the only thing to consider. Basically, look at it like this, you're only keeping the car for 2 years, so How much are you going to really do to either car in 2 years. If you are going to try and have a sweet ride to then sell, you'll lose money either way. BTW I have a 95 GLE, converted to an SE, so I can tell you from experience that if you don't plan on keeping the car for a long time, the "true" convertion to an SE from GLE can get expensive.

 

I wonder my nissan makes other trims?

 

I own a GLE 95 and I LOVE IT, in every way from steering (feels like them rich mercedes steering) to everything, SE doesn't have that nice steering but if you want to drive stick like I do, I would get the SE cause u can put everything except a few minor things to make it look and feel like a GLE...you'll never get the full GLE touch though, but stick is my thing now and if i can go back in time, i would get an SE for the sake of that....

 

How profound.

 

 

Define "best" in this context.

 

BOTTOM LINE: SE handles better, looks sportier and comes mostly the way you want it. GLE is more luxurious, worth a little more $$$, but will require you to add a few things....what do you prefer?? I'd go with the SE. Chad

 

I love sterling mist, I'd jump on that deal. everyone seems to have the white or black maximas, sterling mist is better in my opinion. gle and gxe, sorry but i wouldnt buy one of those if you want people to respect your car as much as an SE. Spoiler, rims, audio, springs, almost everything's a step up on the SE. But if you're just buying a car to get around and dont really care what people think, then the lower deal for that gle is a good steal.



Teddo

 

will cost more than a GLE. A fully loaded SE will be the most luxrious/sporty/expensive Maxima you can buy.

I am just partial to the body colored handles, white analog dash, spoiler, fog lights, rims, sports suspension <<<-(I guess you can call it sports??lol), ect.

 

What are your driving needs?
Daily commuter, lots of traffic, rough roads, or you looking to have a little more fun than the average driver?

 

If you get the GLE you can try and have the dealer throw on the spoiler for free. Thats what I did and it probably doesn't cost them much to do. The 15' GLE rims don't look that bad either on the 97-99s so really the only major difference is the suspension so I'd say take the GLE.

 

I would go with the SE, simply because I like the black trim around my car ! really dont like chrome alot.

 

where have you been hiding?

 

if the se is an auto i would pick the gle, and add fog lights. gle has a much nicer(cushier) demeanor then the se.

 

gle is best, i have GLE with 106k never had a prob

 

Get a GLE, blow the tranny, throw in a 5spd and you're better than se.

 

the GLE has the leather, bose system, sunroof and most of the goodies except for the spoiler..........thats best you just want to keep your car stock..........it appears that he doesnt really want to do much to his car as he said he only wants to keep it for 2 years........if u wanna modd, GXE is the way to go

 

Sorry, I forgot to mention both are automatic and I plan on doing only basic mods, such as spoiler, 16" rims, exhaust, intake, clear bumper lens, tinted windows, thats all. Since I am gonna keep it for 2 years, I don't really want to go overboard with the mods.

I am in the real estate business so I need a roomy and reliable car to take people around the town. Most of my driving will be in Queens, NY.

Personally I do like the SE better because of the spoiler, 16" rims, and the white dash. and I also like black leather better than tan leather. But I also would realy like the $2500 in my pocket if I go with the GLE. Thats why its such a tough decision!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.