best maxima years

[auto180sx]

im looking into buying a maxima, some moding, ie: intake and exaust for sure, and mostlikely a turbo, just because i love boost. but this is a car i am going to be taking to collage, so i want somthing that should last and looks nice. so, what are some of the pro's and cons of the maximas between 89-98?

[Jeff Williams]

I liked my 1990 GXE

I Loved! my 1992 SE 5 Speed

I really liked my 1995 Se (except it was an auto)

I wanted a 1999 SE 5 speed, but had to settle for the 2000 I30t Sport.

[98I30t]

Id stay away from the 98-99 maxima, these have the least amount of aftermarket parts available, with the 95-96, you can get the JWT Reprog. ECU, and the MEVI (Middle Eastern Variable Intake), and get quite a bit of HP/Torq out of that pair on the topend, throw a Y-pipe, 2.5" to 3" exhaust, one of many versions of intakes, and you could be running the quarter in 13.5s (5 speed) Cattman has just released the headers, which they claim will give 18HP/18torq in the mid-high range, but they are a hefty 750$. Lots of susp. options, Eibach, Sprint, Maxspeed, H&R, Progress, with possible Koni,KYB Adjustables, Tokico Illuminas as shocks. JIC are the best coil-overs for the maxima, but there Ground Control, or the dead Cattman ones(stay away from these)defintely check with hal (nick hlh0501) for your turbo needs, hes by far the most knowledgable about turbo'd maxima, and his kit if entirely complete, much better deals than getting the stillen supercharger, or those other couple guys, hope this helps.:ylsuper

[I30T]

yeah, but the 98 I30t is the best looking exteriorally. But maxima-wise, definitely talk to hal.

[98I30t]

Preach on brother I30, preach on.

[JPRempe]

95-97...lots of S/C and T/C kits available. Even if you get an automatic, you can swap to a 5 speed for $1200~ish doing the work entirely yourself (it might even be cheaper than that).

[Altiman94]

I would go with a 95 se 5 speed. Black w/ black leather.

[99WhiteSE]

I would go with the newest possible model year with the most mods available the 97 SE. Five speeds are hard to find in the Maxima. You can do a swap if you wanted as mentioned above. The '97 probably has the most mods available for it since it is a 4th generation and being able to get the Jim Wolfe ECU. I do have a '99 5 Speed and looked at a '97 5 Speed before I bought my '99 so five speeds are out there it just might take awhile to find one. A Maxima would make you a great college car, dependable, fast, and room for 3 or 4 girls! I would stick with the SE package due to you being able to get everything the luxury model has plus more.

[deftdrummer]

the newest maximas look the best. I dont know much about performance but i know that :-)

[Gaap repz]

im not feeling the new maximas as much as the 2000-2003 ones.. but its all good

[Altiman94]

I would like a 2002 or a 2003 6 spd. I don't like the new ones at all.

[Infamous]

i would give my left nut for a 2004 Max SL with elite package triple black:eek:

[jEzTeR]

The 04's look great with a custom grill.stock the power is there and so is the price tag!

I think that the question was toward a project car.look for the parts that you are thinking about getting and which years have the most parts out there.

all Maximas Rock so it wont matter which one you get.

[87UELEVEN]

The second gen Maximas were definitely the ones that put this "four door sports car" on the map for good,especially the SE 5speed! A great machine in terms of performance and technologyat that time. Great alternative to the BMW 3 series also.:ylsuper

[574-240sx]

How much are you looking to spend. I was looking for a 97-99 SE with black exterior with black interior. 5-speed was a must. I ended up with a 97 SE 5-speed, dark green, tan leather interior, and 107K for 6500. Nick

[theTony]

There are several aftermarket parts available for especially for third and fourth generations. Third, fourth and fifth gens are my favorite Maximas. I'm not feeling the new sixth gens that much. They are just too friggen big for my taste.

[nlzmo400r]

i say if u can't afford a 5th gen 6spd with the vq35 (and still look amazing, with 255hp to back it up) then get a 97ish 4th gen 5spd, those are very clean looking, and i blieve Stillen has some nice mods for it (i.e supercharger)

[UNCDooD]

Id stay away from the 98-99 maxima, these have the least amount of aftermarket parts available, with the 95-96, you can get the JWT Reprog. ECU, and the MEVI (Middle Eastern Variable Intake), and get quite a bit of HP/Torq out of that pair on the topend, throw a Y-pipe, 2.5" to 3" exhaust, one of many versions of intakes, and you could be running the quarter in 13.5s (5 speed)

13.5s?? I highly doubt that. Fastest I've seen was with a bit of weight reduction and slicks is a 13.62. I would pay good money to see someone pull off a 13.5 with that setup.

[574-240sx]

Hey UNCDooD, where did you get a vlsd transmission. Nick

[Lordrandall]

Personally I love my 92 SE 5-speed, but there are no S/C, and only a few turbo versions out there. I think it's the best bang for your buck Maxima, but if you must have a turbo, go with a 95-97. 95/6 is a a bit different than the 97, and they are dirt cheap.

Whatever you do, get a 5-speed.

[ceasars chariot]

get a 96 and be done with it .. . its lighter, less emissions and ready to be modded.

[UNCDooD]

Hey UNCDooD, where did you get a vlsd transmission. Nick

came stock with the car.

[cullenj76]

what's up uncdood and ceasar!

I'd still go with a 95-96 if I had to do it again. But if I had the money.... 2k2-2k3

[ceasars chariot]

i hear that ...2k2-2k3 are MEAN !

[574-240sx]

My maxima is my daily driver. I can't mod it heavily because I need reliability and it needs to be driven in the winter/snow. Yes a 2K2 or 2K3 would be nice. I wish I had the money.

[nlzmo400r]

actually , the 2k2's 2k3's are going down in price since the new (7th gen?) maximas came out some time ago, you could pick up a 2k2 5spd (harder to find in sticks than the older ones though) for probably about 18k-ish

[darbowmach1]

Loved my 95 5speed SE, traded it in for a 2002 Maxima SE 6 speed. I would get a 95-96 for looks also, they look more aggressive than 97-99 years also cheaper to buy and then modify, mine's on Autotrader.com right now for $3050 (auction price from VIneland NJ dealer- Team Nissan) I had a Stillen intake as my only modification.

[Max240]

i'd say go with a 96-98 in good shape. then you would still have some $ to mod and the car would already be very nice and reliable.

[Lordrandall]

actually , the 2k2's 2k3's are going down in price since the new (7th gen?) maximas came out some time ago, you could pick up a 2k2 5spd (harder to find in sticks than the older ones though) for probably about 18k-ish

So true. Plus nissan resale value hasn't exactly been sky high.

2004 is the 6th gen, and the 2k2/2k3 manuals are 6-speed tho.

[tex240]

i am kinda loking t max's as well. i like the tail lights on the 97-99 better then the 95-96. would the earlier ones be better for performance and such?