Hey guys I am considering buying a Maxima and trading in my 96 Altima. I'm leaning toward a 4th gen but noticed that 2000's and 2001's are close to the same price as some 4gens. I was wondering if there were any features on the 5th gen (besides the '02) that make it much better than a 4th gen. I noticed that the stock horsepower was still about 190 for a 5speed until 2002, but those are more expensive. thanks for your input

 

The 4th gen max is a great car. The power went to 222hp in 2000 and 2001 now 255 in 2002. In my opinion the 5th gen interior is nicer than the 4th gen. I do like the looks of the 4th gen better as the rear of the 5th gen has never settled with me. If price were the same I'd buy a 5th gen, I feel it is more of a car than the 4th gen.

One thing though..........either way you can't go wrong buying a MAXIMA!!!!!

 

oh okay I thought the 2000/01 hp was at 190. 222 makes it more enticing... how is aftermarket support for 5th gen? i know it is quite good for 4th

 

Well both are good cars, they're very close performance wise. A 4th Gen. has 190 HP while a 5th Gen. has 222 HP but added weight that makes it about the same as a 4th Gen. I guess it comes down to looks, whether you like the looks of a 4th or 5th gen., I personally don't care for the 5th Generation rear. There really isn't anything specific that makes a 5th gen. better than a 4th, it pretty much comes down all to subjective things.

 

by the way i mostly mean cosmetic aftermarket support like headlights, tails, air suspension (probably custom...), dash kits, guage faces etc

 

RICE

 

In that regard, the 4th gen aftermarket support is bigger.

DW

 

while to most people it may be small...

2000-2001 Max's have NO control of windows from the remote.

 

The 5th gens are bigger... and noticeable so inside... but the weight increase offsets the increase in power.

I like the looks of 4th gens a lot... to me, the deciding factor was getting a '99 with as low a mileage as the 2k1 I found. I couldn't.

BuddyWh

 

it is going to be very hard to find a nice fourth gen with low miles, especially a manual. Take your time and shop around, maybe you could find a nice AE for under 20K.

 

The 5th gen engine is very similer to the engine in the fourth Gen. The biggest difference is the fifth gen has a variable intake manifold that gives more power over 5000 RPM. Under 5000 RPM power is about the same. There is now a variable intake available for the fourth gen for about $500, it doesn't boost HP to fifth gen levels but it is a great Mod and an OEM part.

I considered a fifth Gen but it was a little bigger than I wanted and I really didn't like it any better than the 4th gen.

 

basically, early 5th gen are boosted up by vriable timing intake.....engine wise, I think it is pretty much the same, even though we are branded as a "K" engine.

aftermaket parts support : i.e. 4th gen has 3 shocks (that I know of) that were made for their car...but 5th gen...this is only 1 official shocks (tokicos)

so depends on ur need...
btw, I still think the best exterior looking maxima is the 95th

 

I can't remember where I saw it... maybe somewhere on the ORG... but I saw some extropolated HP/RPM curves of 5th gen (2k/2k1, non AE) engines illustrating we can't exploit the full 222 HP as it occurs after the rev-limiter. Not without a chip, at least.

Dunno if this has been verified, though.

BuddyWh

 

I had a 96 Altima, before my new 2k2 and I haven't regretted it yet!

One thing I found was that the 6-speeds tend to sit on the lot longer than automatics, at least around here. Now that the 2k3's are out, you could probably step up to the 2k2 with more horses, 6spd, remote window feature, low miles, etc. for a fairly inexpensive price!

Just something to think about!

 

The biggest difference I noticed when I traded my 4th gen for the 5th was the interior quality, and solidity of the car. The 5th gen feels more solid, I guess it is the added weight.

 

I would go with the 4th gen especially a Low mileage 97-99 SE,they look great. I feel that my 97 is built better than my 02, feel much more solid and you definatley can tell that the 02 is heavier. Performance wise the 00-01 manual and 4th gen manuals are neck and neck, auto the 4th gen autos are a tad quicker.

 

5th gen is better

 

I would LOVE to have a 2k2 but I am in high school so I would be selling my 96 altima and making up the difference. what should I expect to pay for a 2k2? gxe or se seeing as how I would probalby replace the leather anyway

 

The 5th gen is alot more solid down the road. acceleration wise, the VQ30/VQ30k should be the same. The VQ30 has more usuable power for around town, the VQ30k is a highway demon compared to it.