Pros and cons of each? I’m interested in a nice maxima and don’t know if I should ponie up the extra money for a 2002+ 3.5L 6 speed car over a 3.0L 5 speed car.
Any advice? Thanks
what year is the 3.0 5spd…my personal opinion get the 02+ with 3.5 the 3.0 in both 190hp and 222 hp versions is enough power for the car…but the 3.5 is realllly nice and honestly makes it a pretty quick car.
It would be a 1999+ car either way.
I want the car in dark grey with black leather. So nice.
They are nice I have a 00 GLE dark silver with black leather but its auto.
Hows the MPG? I was hearing mid 20’s? Is that close
I don’t know yet, I am still on my first tank. the sticker says 20/28.
it is definately lower 20’s
Maybe i’ll just save myself the money and go with the 222hp 5 speed…I don’t need the car to be fast. i’m assuming the 3.0L will get better MPG then the 3.5L
Do these cars have any issues to look for?
1999 has the 190hp 3.0 and 00-01 have the 222hp 3.0 and 02-up are 3.5 255-265 hp…I used to get high 20s highway in my 98 with the 3.0 the 3.5 is like mid to high 20s…with the 6spd guy i worth with verfied that just now
there are really no issues with them at all…knock sensors like to give false codes and o2 codes are fairly common…if you can find an 01 anniversary edition you are baller…they have LSD where as 00-lower it wasnt available in US models and 02-up its an option
I am a huge maxima fan, as was Chris… throwout bearing seems to be common problem on the 4th gens at least, I dont know if they resolved that on newer models. I’ve had a 4th gen auto and 5spd, auto got about 25mpg and the 5spd is supercharged so its gets awful mileage.
i still am a fan…dont worry…i miss mine everyday
i never had issues with my TO bearing but I also never had o2 or Knock sensor…one thing i did forget is alternators…99-older like to eat them for lunch for some reason…00-up i see less and less issues with them on maxima.org
the 222 was overrated and the 255 was under rated… so the difference is pretty big when you drive them.
I have an 02 SE 6-speed, blue w/gray cloth interior. I’ve had it for about a year now and I really enjoy it. My last car was a 94 sentra xe - so this was a substantial upgrade for me. I dont know to much about the 3.0L’s but this car pulls in every gear, gets solid gas mileage - mid-upper 20’s and no mechanical problems to speak of. I’m having some rust issues on the lip of the rear wheel well - so thats something to look out for. Its an open front differential so there is a decent amount of torque steel when you lay into it, you’ll be looking at an 03 or newer for the optional LSD. Handling is so-so, the ride is nice and smooth - although on rough city streets - its a bit jittery with the solid rear axle. Im a big guy - and I wanted a decent size car that has balls and manual tranny - thats what led me to the maxima. I dont know what the prices are of the cars you are looking at but I paid $12,500 for it last summer. It had 19,700 miles on it when I bought it. I felt I was pretty lucky to find one that had the 6-speed - and the first one I found - I bought, i dont like leather - so that was never an issue.
Hope this helps.
Yah I have been looking and you can get a nice 2002 6 speed loaded with say 80K on it for ~8500…and I want it lol
the vq35 has been on the top ten engine list since they started making it about 9 years ago or so.
well they started making the vq30 in 95 and its been on the list since then
no question… the entire VQ series is superb.
I have a '99 5 speed with the 3.0 and it’s been a great car. I’ve owned it for just about 4 years and 110k miles and it has been nothing but rock solid reliability wise.
Gas mileage is very good for what the car is. I consistantly get mid-upper 20s in normal driving. Only downside is that it takes Premium.
In the '02+ models, the 6 speeds sometimes have a rough 3rd gear (seems to be referred to as “3rd gear crunch” on maxima.org) and some people seem to have oil burning issues.
Like mentioned though, the drivability differences between the 3.0 and 3.5 are very noticeable. I’d personally go with a 3.5 6 speed if I were buying another one, which I very well might if this thing ever dies.
u dont have to use premium…i used 87 in my 98 a few times and nevre had an issues…premium is recommended for best performance