What other cars...
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What other cars... Within the next month or so i'm looking to get into a new car. I was looking at a Type R but just found out today that it got sold. I want something with more power and a open market for parts. I'd say that the car can be no more than 21 grand. What other choices should i look into? I've already looked at the SRT-4, GTI 1.8t, Civic Si, and a couple other. I want to get more into the performance now. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. 
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Originally posted by luvvegas777
2001-2003 nissan maxima, those things are pretty fast stock, good sleeper look
2001-2003 nissan maxima, those things are pretty fast stock, good sleeper look
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Maximum Sedan
All Sedans Are Not Created Equally
By Maurice Durand
Maybe you need a new car. And, unlike our entire staff, you’re in a position to actually go out and buy a new one. New as in it’s never been owned, I drove it off of the lot new. As in not just new to me but new–new. If these impossibly long compound adjectives describe your current consumer situation, consider the 2000 Maxima from Nissan. But, you know what? Even if that’s not your present monetary circumstance, consider it anyway. We liked this car a lot. We’d buy this car. Really.
In his evaluation of the 2000 Sentra in the July 2000 issue, Cap’n Rich took you through Nissan’s recent and tumultuous model-killing history (closing with the demise of the 240SX and 200SX in 1999). Of late, this history suggests with a subtle swat to the back of the head that Nissan’s focus is not on sports cars, but mid-size sedans and SUV’s replete with numerous cup holders. However, with the 2000 Maxima, Nissan echoes the sentiment that driving a practical, mid-sized sedan doesn’t equate to sacrificing one’s zest for the driving experience. In fact, Nissan suggests that a solid, attractive, practical mid-size, front-wheel-drive sedan can be more fun than a sack of wet mice. Over the moaning and wailing of the SX fans, we’d like to shout the merits of this new Maxima.
Subtle improvements abound in comparison with the previous generation Maxima. A stretched wheelbase, increased two inches for a total of 108.3 inches, yields additional cabin space and legroom. Overall exterior styling focuses on creating something with a little more “hey, what’s that” appeal for Nissan’s flagship four-door sports car. The front end features a tapered, lower profile fascia with a smaller radiator inlet that leads up to a more rakish windshield profile. Both styling elements effectively reduce wind resistance for improved mileage. It’s the tail end treatment of the new Maxima that leaves a lasting impression though. Looking more like two menacing-red eyes at night, the rear composite-taillight package represents a styling break with just about anything else on the road and is sure to get noticed.
The interior of the car, which seats five adults comfortably, also carries some nice bells and whistles. The standard equipment list now reads like a who’s who list of items dealers once had to squeeze buyers to have added to their rides, such as air conditioning, power assists, cruise control, tilt column, keyless entry, and quarter-operated-vibrating rear seat (no, not really). You get the picture here. Nissan isn’t so much trying to create the best-outfitted car in its class, but given its relatively low price, equipment, and performance, rather it is trying, with the Maxima, to define its own class.
The all V-6, all the time ethos attached to the Maxima is something to celebrate. If you’re used to piloting a four-cylinder economy car around town, the extra oomph those two cylinders bring will definitely win you over. Ward’s Auto World voted the 3.0L one of the 10 best V-6 engines for five straight years. In this new model, the Maxima attacks the road with 222 hp; that’s 32 more horsepower than the previous Maxima. This year’s version of the all-aluminum powerplant benefits from a few more tweaks. The new intake uses a variable intake tract design with a resin plastic intake collector. Also, Nissan employs a less restrictive exhaust system and an improved engine management computer to achieve the extra ponies. Devoid of any hesitation, the Maxima’s V-6 responds to the impulses of the right floor pedal in a near telepathic way, seemingly trying to rev its lightened components to infinity. Perhaps the fact that so much attention has been given to the engine’s internal components has to do with this seemingly frictionless operation of the motor. In addition to lightened pistons, rods, and a triple-forged crankshaft, the micro-finishing of the camshafts and crankshaft-friction surfaces and moly-coating of the pistons indicate some of the thought Nissan engineers put into improving this motor.
The suspension of this front wheel drive maintains its basic layout from previous generations. The Macpherson strut suspension up front benefits from mild tweaks such as a larger anti-roll bar and larger, softer bushings. At the rear, the redesigned Multi-Link Beam suspension also benefits from a larger stabilizer bar and a repositioned transverse link. Additionally, a re-worked, engine-speed-sensitive rack and pinion power steering unit promises the driver greater road feel than previous incarnations of the Maxima. Swell, but what does all of this mean to the driver? For its price category, you’ll be hard pressed to find a sedan as roomy as the Maxima that still offers the same performance level. We drove the five-speed SE model, with the “check-me-out” rear-wing whose styling was reminiscent of those seen on German built Mercedes sedans offered by AMG. The reality is that the Maxima performs all of the basic sedan duties so well, and in such an effortless manner that you would forget about its dual personality.
A glance to the SE’s titanium colored finish on the gauges reminds you that this isn’t mom’s Volvo (or maybe it’s that fact that you can’t smell the spilled coffee). Depressing the right pedal reveals the more menacing nature of this car, which takes great delight in winning the “Stoplight Nationals”, and is absolutely in its element in highway driving. The acceleration is abrupt, and the motor revs so easily and quickly that you forget this sedan weighs 3,200 lbs at the curb.The car’s highway manners are excellent, with enough passing power on tap to ensure confidence in any freeway skirmish. The suspension of the car, though compliant enough for long trips even in SE trim, reminds you that the car can be very at ease in faster corners. Rather it’s a sports Sedan, that is especially responsive to driver’s input, and comfortable enough to take on really long road trips, yet nimble enough to remind the driver that they are not driving a clumsy sedan.
Driving the Maxima serves as a lesson that not all sporty cars necessarily have two doors. Nissan has succeeded in creating a car that combines the feel and excitement of a sports car with the practicality of a responsive sedan that simply goes like a scalded cat, and in doing so, hopefully redefines the four-door car paradigm for the consumer.
SIDEBAR ARTICLES
Jonny Wong
Joseph Kissel
Richard Chang
Specifications
The Hypertronic CVT M-6: Nissan’s High Tech Tranny
SUPER STREET is the magazine dedicated to the personalization and performance enhancement of compact cars.
Subscribe to Super Street now and get 12 issues at the special online discount price of $19.97. You'll save 67% off the newsstand price.
It's easy! Just complete the information below and click submit.
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Address Line 2:
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Features
Tech
Models
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Road Tests
Maximum Sedan
All Sedans Are Not Created Equally
By Maurice Durand
Maybe you need a new car. And, unlike our entire staff, you’re in a position to actually go out and buy a new one. New as in it’s never been owned, I drove it off of the lot new. As in not just new to me but new–new. If these impossibly long compound adjectives describe your current consumer situation, consider the 2000 Maxima from Nissan. But, you know what? Even if that’s not your present monetary circumstance, consider it anyway. We liked this car a lot. We’d buy this car. Really.
In his evaluation of the 2000 Sentra in the July 2000 issue, Cap’n Rich took you through Nissan’s recent and tumultuous model-killing history (closing with the demise of the 240SX and 200SX in 1999). Of late, this history suggests with a subtle swat to the back of the head that Nissan’s focus is not on sports cars, but mid-size sedans and SUV’s replete with numerous cup holders. However, with the 2000 Maxima, Nissan echoes the sentiment that driving a practical, mid-sized sedan doesn’t equate to sacrificing one’s zest for the driving experience. In fact, Nissan suggests that a solid, attractive, practical mid-size, front-wheel-drive sedan can be more fun than a sack of wet mice. Over the moaning and wailing of the SX fans, we’d like to shout the merits of this new Maxima.
Subtle improvements abound in comparison with the previous generation Maxima. A stretched wheelbase, increased two inches for a total of 108.3 inches, yields additional cabin space and legroom. Overall exterior styling focuses on creating something with a little more “hey, what’s that” appeal for Nissan’s flagship four-door sports car. The front end features a tapered, lower profile fascia with a smaller radiator inlet that leads up to a more rakish windshield profile. Both styling elements effectively reduce wind resistance for improved mileage. It’s the tail end treatment of the new Maxima that leaves a lasting impression though. Looking more like two menacing-red eyes at night, the rear composite-taillight package represents a styling break with just about anything else on the road and is sure to get noticed.
The interior of the car, which seats five adults comfortably, also carries some nice bells and whistles. The standard equipment list now reads like a who’s who list of items dealers once had to squeeze buyers to have added to their rides, such as air conditioning, power assists, cruise control, tilt column, keyless entry, and quarter-operated-vibrating rear seat (no, not really). You get the picture here. Nissan isn’t so much trying to create the best-outfitted car in its class, but given its relatively low price, equipment, and performance, rather it is trying, with the Maxima, to define its own class.
The all V-6, all the time ethos attached to the Maxima is something to celebrate. If you’re used to piloting a four-cylinder economy car around town, the extra oomph those two cylinders bring will definitely win you over. Ward’s Auto World voted the 3.0L one of the 10 best V-6 engines for five straight years. In this new model, the Maxima attacks the road with 222 hp; that’s 32 more horsepower than the previous Maxima. This year’s version of the all-aluminum powerplant benefits from a few more tweaks. The new intake uses a variable intake tract design with a resin plastic intake collector. Also, Nissan employs a less restrictive exhaust system and an improved engine management computer to achieve the extra ponies. Devoid of any hesitation, the Maxima’s V-6 responds to the impulses of the right floor pedal in a near telepathic way, seemingly trying to rev its lightened components to infinity. Perhaps the fact that so much attention has been given to the engine’s internal components has to do with this seemingly frictionless operation of the motor. In addition to lightened pistons, rods, and a triple-forged crankshaft, the micro-finishing of the camshafts and crankshaft-friction surfaces and moly-coating of the pistons indicate some of the thought Nissan engineers put into improving this motor.
The suspension of this front wheel drive maintains its basic layout from previous generations. The Macpherson strut suspension up front benefits from mild tweaks such as a larger anti-roll bar and larger, softer bushings. At the rear, the redesigned Multi-Link Beam suspension also benefits from a larger stabilizer bar and a repositioned transverse link. Additionally, a re-worked, engine-speed-sensitive rack and pinion power steering unit promises the driver greater road feel than previous incarnations of the Maxima. Swell, but what does all of this mean to the driver? For its price category, you’ll be hard pressed to find a sedan as roomy as the Maxima that still offers the same performance level. We drove the five-speed SE model, with the “check-me-out” rear-wing whose styling was reminiscent of those seen on German built Mercedes sedans offered by AMG. The reality is that the Maxima performs all of the basic sedan duties so well, and in such an effortless manner that you would forget about its dual personality.
A glance to the SE’s titanium colored finish on the gauges reminds you that this isn’t mom’s Volvo (or maybe it’s that fact that you can’t smell the spilled coffee). Depressing the right pedal reveals the more menacing nature of this car, which takes great delight in winning the “Stoplight Nationals”, and is absolutely in its element in highway driving. The acceleration is abrupt, and the motor revs so easily and quickly that you forget this sedan weighs 3,200 lbs at the curb.The car’s highway manners are excellent, with enough passing power on tap to ensure confidence in any freeway skirmish. The suspension of the car, though compliant enough for long trips even in SE trim, reminds you that the car can be very at ease in faster corners. Rather it’s a sports Sedan, that is especially responsive to driver’s input, and comfortable enough to take on really long road trips, yet nimble enough to remind the driver that they are not driving a clumsy sedan.
Driving the Maxima serves as a lesson that not all sporty cars necessarily have two doors. Nissan has succeeded in creating a car that combines the feel and excitement of a sports car with the practicality of a responsive sedan that simply goes like a scalded cat, and in doing so, hopefully redefines the four-door car paradigm for the consumer.
SIDEBAR ARTICLES
Jonny Wong
Joseph Kissel
Richard Chang
Specifications
The Hypertronic CVT M-6: Nissan’s High Tech Tranny
SUPER STREET is the magazine dedicated to the personalization and performance enhancement of compact cars.
Subscribe to Super Street now and get 12 issues at the special online discount price of $19.97. You'll save 67% off the newsstand price.
It's easy! Just complete the information below and click submit.
Outside the US? Canada or International
Email:
First Name:
Last Name:
Address Line 1:
Address Line 2:
City:
State: Zip:
Subscriptions Subscriber Services Help Privacy Policy Part of the Automotive Network Newsstand Locator
Copyright © Primedia Magazines, Inc. All rights reserved.
HISPAnIC CAUSIn PAnIC
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 4,394
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From: sacramento, California, US
Rep Power: 0 if you are really into imports test drive a stang gt or trans am or camaro or some muscle car and dont be biased about it i think you would really like the out of the box power and those engines are insanely de-tuned. i hear alot of people here talk about how they think a k20 or b16/18 have alot of potential but to get power out of them you need to drop big bucks and those mods kill then engine. take a ls1 headers and cat-back ,intake will drop well more than 50hp to the ground.
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From: san diego,ca
Rep Power: 0 Nissan Maxima SE
More power, more gears, more speed, less distinction.
BY TONY SWAN
October 2002
Nissan Maxima SE
Vehicle type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
Price as tested: $28,635 (base price: $25,989)
Engine type: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, Nissan engine-control system with port fuel injection
Displacement 213 cu in, 3498cc
Power (SAE net) 255 bhp @ 5800 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 246 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual
Wheelbase 108.3 in
Length 191.5 in
Curb weight 3316 lb
Zero to 60 mph 6.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph 15.7 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph 6.5 sec
Standing 1/4-mile 14.7 sec @ 97 mph
Top speed (drag limited) 145 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph 182 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad 0.82 g
EPA fuel economy, city driving 21 mpg
C/D-observed fuel economy 21 mpg
More power, more gears, more speed, less distinction.
BY TONY SWAN
October 2002
Nissan Maxima SE
Vehicle type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
Price as tested: $28,635 (base price: $25,989)
Engine type: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, Nissan engine-control system with port fuel injection
Displacement 213 cu in, 3498cc
Power (SAE net) 255 bhp @ 5800 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 246 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
Transmission 6-speed manual
Wheelbase 108.3 in
Length 191.5 in
Curb weight 3316 lb
Zero to 60 mph 6.0 sec
Zero to 100 mph 15.7 sec
Street start, 5-60 mph 6.5 sec
Standing 1/4-mile 14.7 sec @ 97 mph
Top speed (drag limited) 145 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph 182 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad 0.82 g
EPA fuel economy, city driving 21 mpg
C/D-observed fuel economy 21 mpg
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From: Joppa, MD
Rep Power: 0 Originally posted by Boilermaker1
SE-R Spec V, Mazdaspeed Protege, SVT Focus, Used WRX, Used GS-R
SE-R Spec V, Mazdaspeed Protege, SVT Focus, Used WRX, Used GS-R
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