I am looking at another Maxima and am wanting a 4th gen. Anything I should know about the car in particular like:
Any major differences between 95 to 99? SE, GXE, GLE - Any recommendations? Anything I should look for when inspecting the car? How many miles do these cars go with regular maintenance?
Any help on this is greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Small incremental improvements were made, nothing to write home about. Such as, the '95 doesn't have speed sensitive steering, but this was added around '98. These cars go almost forever if they aren't abused (transmission life 150,000+ miles, engine 250,000+ is pretty typical). Seriously consider taking any potential purchase to a mechanic for a checkup, regardless of make. SE rides harder than the other two, you make like it at first and regret it later. Between GXE and GLE is a matter of how fancy you like your cars. You can read up on the differences, and compare between years, on edmunds.com. Generally, any 4th gen Max is a very good purchase.
JM
The only recall for the 95 was for the alternator. That's it. Check government websites or Edmunds for other year recalls. My only beef with my 95 (bought used) is the Auto trans. Shifting is off; it does not easily go drop back into first gear on a rolling stop-you really have to stomp on the gas. Which then surges the car forward. It also lugs in fourth gear around 35/40 mph and takes its time downshifting into third. As another poster said to me once, "Well, second to third works fine!" Some have said a new tranny chip may be needed -- for mucho dineros. Presently, I have accepted the nuisance rather than plunk down multi-hundreds of dollars. Other than that, these cars are great. I prefer the SE for the handling. Drive as many cars as you can as you shop. Even with the same model, there are variations in feel to each car. Did you ever own a third gen Max? They were really the best ones IMO. Tight, comfortable and fast. Good luck. Bob
95 SE Auto 89 SE Auto tradedabout.
abused
typical).
I agree with JM. I have been owning my 1999 Max since day one until today. The car seems to serving me well without any major problem yet. The engine is still running smooth and strong. However, there a few minor problems happened after it got close to 50,000 miles. The Service Engine Soon light suddendly on. I have read all info about problem in this newsgroup as well as on the Haynes repair book. The
95-99 Maxima model was a first engine that Nissan had designed (distributorless) to use each cynlinder or spark boot with each individual ignition coil instead of one coil with distributor. Therefore, this first ignition coil seemed to be failed on all Maxima 95-99 after 40-50k miles. If it hapens to your car, Nissan dealer would recommend you to replace all six coils, which will cost over $700. I have asked the Nissan technical website whether has this coil been redesigned to make it last longer. So, beware of this problem if you buy a used 95-99 Maxima without these coils have not been replaced.I thank my esteemed colleague for his compliments
Woops, got too happy with that "Enter" key...
What I was going to continue to say was,
I don't think, however, that the coil problem is anything approching a universal ailment. It is definitely a known "gotcha" if it happens, because it is too expensive to fix it 6 times at dealer prices. But almost anyone can put in a new coil at non-dealer prices with little more than a screwdriver. The hardest part of all this for most people would be a proper diagnosis of the problem.
So, I don't see that this occasional problem is any reason to avoid the car.
JM
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