1997 Nissan Maxima - An excellent all around performer! With good aftermarket support.

I purchased my 1997 Nissan Maxima SE when it had 70000 miles. This was about a year and a half ago. As of January 12th 2004, It now has 99900 miles, and I figured what better way to get back into writing Epinions than to write a review on my car that has been through so much.

When shopping for a used car to replace my 1993 Altima, the 4th generation Maxima was not on my list, I did not consider it to be a “fun” car, nor did I think of it as a fast car, both of which were big factors in deciding what to buy. My first choice was a 1997- 1999 Audi A4 1.8T with Quattro, but after further research, at the time I decided I was not financially ready to maintain this car, and I did not like the high-priced repairs that may have needed to be done if problems were encountered. My next choice was a 1996 Volvo 850R, with a 240HP turbocharged engine, an awesome interior, and great simple European styling, I thought this should be my next car, but like the Audi, it would cost lots of money to fix if something went wrong. So I kept looking for a car that was right for me.

One day at the hectic used car lot, a Rosewood (Maroon/Purple) 1997 Maxima SE caught my eye. I had no reliability problems with my 1993 Altima I previously owned, I just wanted something quicker, and more refined. That said, the Maxima fits right in. It was priced at $10,500 which was well within my range and although it did not have as many options compared to other Maxima SE’s, it had everything I actually needed, and a couple things extra. Power windows, locks, keyless entry, sunroof, spoiler, foglights, etc. etc.. After test driving this car, I came to realize that what I wanted did not have to be in expensive to maintain European cars with questionable reliability, this car has 190HP and 205TQ thanks to one of the best V6’s ever produced, the VQ30DE. I eventually purchased this car for $9100 and went home happy.

One thing that bothered me however and still does is the 4 speed Automatic transmission, although it serves its purpose and gave me no problems, I really wish I purchased a 5speed Maxima. My suggestion to any prospective buyer is to look into a 5 speed manual, there is a big gap in performance between the automatic Maxima and the 5 speed Maxima, nearly a whole second difference in the quarter mile time, and about half a second in 0 – 60 MPH.

The performance of this car is excellent, the 190HP V6 has no problem responding to full throttle acceleration (which I do rather often), and gets the 3000lb Maxima to 100MPH with ease, with enough room (and courage) the car will easily do 130 in stock form. And even at high speeds the car is very stable and not hard to control, I was always impressed with the way this car handles speed.

Fuel economy is good, I average about 20 miles per gallon (mpg) on premium gas. All highway I could pull 28mpg, and hard driving / city will yield about 17mpg. I have no complaints with the fuel economy of this car, even with the constant high revving, I still find myself averaging anywhere from 19 - 22 mpg, 65% city, 35% highway.

Another major factor of performance is handling, and in stock form, this car is not too great. Its ashame Nissan made this car with an awesome engine, but with the suspension that looks like it’s for a small SUV or Minivan. In stock trim the Maxima rides very smoothly and quietly, potholes are not much of a problem, its ashame that Nissan needed 3 inches of wheel-gap to make it ride so smoothly. Not only do I find the stock ride-height of the 4th gen Maxima an eyesore, I also found it to have lots of body roll in turns, limiting it’s handling capabilities. Because of this, I swapped the stock springs and struts with aftermarket units, Eibach Prokit springs and Tokico HP (Blue) Struts are on each corner improving handling 1000%, and making it look so much better. I also installed a Rear Sway Bar (cattmanperformance.com) to better the handling, I highly recommend this item for anyone looking to drastically improve the handling characteristics, even if kept at stock ride height.

The 4th generation Maxima was marketed as an entry level sports sedan, and there are a couple things that I feel could make the Maxima a better car. The seats equiped on this car are poor. The seats have poor lateral support, and when throwing the car around turns I find myself grabbing the door so I do not slide around. Why Nissan could not give the Maxima a sportier interior is beyond me.

I have had no reliability issues so far with this car, even with my extreme hard driving, it starts up daily and shows no problems whether it be 95 degrees out, or -6 degrees. This is partially due to the Optima red top battery I installed to help handle the load my aftermarket stereo puts on the battery and alternator. Even after 30000 miles, I have not had to replace one bulb on the car, and there have been no problems that make me question it’s reliability. As with most cars, the Maxima needs to be maintained, oil changes should be done every 3000 – 4000 miles and one should not skip over the 90k service (which can easily be done yourself with the help of a service manual and the proper tools) such as replacing the belts and spark plugs.

I plan to keep my Maxima as long as it will run, which should be good for countless years, my next car shall be a 2 door sports car, and I do not plan to give up my Maxima, even when at 200000 miles, I am confident it will serve me as a great bad weather driver and a great grocery getter, with the balls to take on most cars on the road at stoplight battles. I highly recommend this car for anyone who loves to drive and especially for someone who enjoys customizing and modifying their car – there is a world of aftermarket performance parts available for the Maxima, from something small like a Cold Air Intake, to something big, like a turbocharger or a supercharger that would allow the Maxima to run with high end sports cars on the drag strip. Visit websites like cattmanperformance.com, and custommaxima.com. There is also a large online community that you could use for technical advice and assistance, maxima.org. This Epinion is dedicated to my Maxima. Thanks for reading.