Who knows late 90's Maximas???

'99 SE. 110K miles. 1 failed O2 sensor. 1 failed power antenna. Otherwise

100% bulletproof.

I can't sing. Ripping is for CDs.

Best of luck. Mike

Yep, I concur. Mine's pretty tough too. 121k, 97SE 5spd. Although there is a differential issue with some 95-96 5 speeds, see

for details on that.

Dave

'97SE 140K not a single failure. Still has the original exhaust. You should visit

to hear from lots of other owners .

Also:

Replaced: starter, alternator (under recall), that's it. I have a CEL related to a very intermittent starting issue I need to check on (my first CEL since I've owned it). Replaced the shocks once, but probably didn't need to.

Dave

One of the first 95 SE 5 speeds off the boat (purchased May 94). Initially heavily autocrossed (both SCCA Solo II type events and wide open road racing track). Currently 10 years old with 110K miles, original clutch. Replaced starter and right front wheel bearing long ago. Just replaced 3rd injector (1st failed under warranty). Running 2 day high speed autocross on 2 mile track this weekend. Still a joy to drive.

So I had no reservations about recently purchasing 2001 Pathfinder with

99K miles at half the price of a new one to replace my old 86 Ford F150 4x4.

I have a '99 GLE with 141,600 on the clock. Runs like a champ. Probably the best car I have ever owned.

95-99s are pretty much the same in terms of engine and body. They are also known as the generation 4 Maxima, Gen 4 for short. They all thave the same very good reliability record. I tend to know 97-99s better, so here's what I can tell you;

With the introduction of the 97 year, the gen 4 got an updated look. The most significant change was the bumpers. 95-96 Maximas can get ALOT of damage on their rear bumper from a simple 5mph hit. The 97+ have been beefed up. Even though the 97-99s look exactly the same on the outside, here are the little details differentiating them;

97 - 1st year of the newer look. That newer look comprises beefed up front and rear bumpers, plastic "clear" headlights replacing the older glass ones,a new fornt grill and completely re-designed taillights. Also, the Maxima SE got 16" wheels. The optional BOSE system got an updated newer looking head unit. There may be more, but rest is foggy. 98 - Everything on the 97 PLUS: a digital odo with 2 trip meters replaced the analog odo and analog trip meter, a newer automatic climate control system was introduced which even could tell you the ouside tempurature. This new unit went onto even the Gen 5 Maxima I believe. I've heard that the 97 auto climate unit was buggy and prone to failure alot. The feul gage was switched around to be more symmetrical in the instrument cluster. Before, the feul gage and the temp gage faced the same way, left. With the 98 and later years, they face each other, in a more prettier symmetrical fashion. I think the ECU became a 32 bit one, making it much harder for the aftermarket to break the code and mimic. 99 - The last year of the Gen 4 Maxima. To make it go out with a bang, so to speak, Nissan introduced Limited SE models, more popularly known as SE-Limiteds. Those limited SEs got Gold tinted white face gages (instead of the usual white face gages in the SE), gold tinted SE 16" wheels, and even some fancy floor mats, I beleive. Those are the limiteds . . .except for one thing that I'll save for last:)

For the 99 model year, the 99s have everything the 97 and 98s have PLUS: the introduciton of a chipped key security system and the optional BOSE got an even better looking Headunit. Despite the difference in the Bose head units thorugh the years, they all (95-99) have a 200 watt system. Amongst BOSEphiles, the Gen 4 Maxima was one of the better BOSE systems. Electronically and aesthectically, Nissan made it even harder for the aftermarket to make products for the Gen 4 because 1) the California emissions 99 Maximas have 4 O2 sensors in the exahsut path, instead of the usual 2, one of which was shoved way up the forward exhaust manifold, making it even harder for the aftermarket. 2ndly, with the

2000 Maxima around the corner, Nissan was 'experimenting' with new stuff for the 2000 inside the 99 Maxima. The front struts in the 99 have mounting hardware similar to the 2000, and getting the codes in some 99 ECUs has become as difficult as in the 2000 and later.

Now, the most rare and unique Gen 4 Maxima would be a 99 SE limited in RED. The red color for a Maxima was only offered in 99 SELs, that's it. Given the common nature of these cars (on a bad year Nissan still sold about 80,000 gen 4 Maximas) if you want a rare one, the most rare would be a 99 SEL in red, black leather interior, with a 5-speed manual transmission. If any of you out there own one, I am extremely envious:)

That's about all I can recall. If there's more, I'm sure someone else will post. And yeah, Gen 4s (97-99!!:)are still my favorite Maxima.

CD

Heh, I'll bite:

This will be a bit of GM-bashing and a bit of Nissan promotion...

First off, I just got back from a two-week trip to Florida with my family. We rented a (supposedly) mid-range car for the trip, an '04 Buick Century. For the most part, the car was fine. However, just try to pass somebody on the expressway when you're doing 60 or 60MPH. I was often reminded of my mom's underpowered 3-speed '84 Cutlass and her way-underpowered '92 Voyager. Also, I felt crampt in the cabin, even with the seats all the way back, there's no tach on the instrument panel, and visibility was limited.

I say all that in comparison to my '98 GXE. At 68,000 miles, I've only had a few issues (aside from being hit from behind at 45MPH - no injuries, just $15,000 of damage).

The car drives like a champ, and has power pretty much across the board. I don't have a stick, so I rely on the 4-speed to take care of things for me, it does. I have no problem passing somebody at 80+ MPH, and feeling confident.

The roominess is pretty good for a compact car. My knee does hit the steering column occasionally when I go to brake, but I compensate. The ride is nice but not mushy - I feel the road but not too much.

My only compliants are: the 4th gen cars don't have independent rear suspension, but supposedly a sway bar can compensate. also the CD changer takes forever (10+ seconds) to change CDs.

I do look occasionally at the G35's I see out there, but think again when I realize that they are $30K+ to buy.

HTH kai

|| g2004 at g3prod.cotse.net

Well, this is a very detailed set of chains of replies. Well, just wanted to add a little bit more info on the 95-96s as Codifus described the

97-99s very very well. Thanks for the info about the rare "RED" SELs...hmmm gotta find some pics and start looking for one! :P

Anyhow, I am a proud owner of an 96 SE in Dark Emerald Green (looks like Black in the evening!). Basically the only edge I can see from the 95-96s is mainly one thing...which is that the front/rear lights sets are of better quality than the later years. As mentioned before, the front headlights are "glass" instead of plastic...which depending on preference is a better set.

Most importantly, the 95-96s have a unique "side-marker" like that lights up when you "signal" the turn signals. It is especially effective when you drive and turn at night especially when you park! The extra lighting on the side marker makes life easier for you to see! This feature was carried over from the Generation 3 Maxima.

Who knows why they didn't carry on with the later Maximas after 96...hmmm! Ask Nissan about that but I sure think this is a real nice addition to my beloved Maxima...96 is the last year they ever offered this!

As for problems with my Maxima...this thing is bullet-proof...so far my baby have travelled almost 200k at 197000kms and it still goes very smooth without much problems. The only problems I encounter was that the "MIL" lights have came up quite a few times over the ownership my Maxima. It is not 5-speed unfortunately but my AUTO never break down yet and still shifting strong. Another note, I never changed the muffler so far...Nissan genuine mufflers are SOLID STATE...holy cow! Quite a few layers have been taken off over many years of winter driving but the remainder skins are still strong...will last at least another year more....9 years of muffler life...holy cow!

Lastly, of course the ECU unit is very flexible...you pretty much can pull the ERROR CODES effectively with the 95-96s. So basically you know exactly what's going on with the car if the car does fail you.

That's my 2-cents of paragraph...Cheers!

Tedson