Just wanted to send along a farewell to the group..
I'm trading in the 02 Max for a MINI Cooper S.
(the price of gas you know!)

From now on I'll be hanging out at mini2.com.

Regards,
Pat
93 SE
00 SE
02 GLE

<baba (AT) booey (DOT) com> wrote

You gained what, 4 MAYBE 5 mpg? And for
half the space.

"Pooty Lizard" <pootylizard (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote:


Actually a lot more (and less!) than that.

Unfortunately my 00 & 02 Max's NEVER gave me better than 21.5 (usually
less) highway mileage, even when driving like granny. At least I got
23+ in the 93.. and enjoyed driving that car more than the 00&02.

The Supercharged MINI 'S' is rated 25/32, and while I might not
achieve that, MPG matters because I often make 200-mile round trip
drives for work while carrying only myself and a laptop. Now the wife
has the family/cargo vehicle (RAV4). I told her I needed a more
economocal car, but don't you believe for a minute that MPG was the
primary reason for the change!

The MINI's handling is 100 times better (MORE FUN!) than the 5th gen
Maxima, which went downhill when they opted to leave out an
independent rear suspension.

I've had 3 Maximas over 12 years... it was just time for me. The MINI
is a different car for different reasons, don't knock it until you've
tried it!!!

I'd still take a Maxima over any other family sized sedan, anyday!

baba (AT) booey (DOT) com wrote:
handling, just sheer size. The Maxima just keeps getting bigger and
bigger. I wish they stayed around the size of the 95-99 year.

Not a bad choice with the Coooper S, supercharged lil bad boy

CD

Codifus <codifus (AT) optonline (DOT) net> wrote:

Thanks..
In my current commute there's a nicely curved exit ramp with an
unbroken but washboard surface. It aggravates me every time I drive
over it, the rear end hops like mad, even at relatively low speed. I
doubt there's anything wrong with the suspension.

I'm still quite partial to my former 93SE, which allowed me to 'throw'
it all over the place while sticking to the road nicely. It deserved
to have the 4DSC sticker!


***P.S. I have the following parts, unused but out of the box, that
I'm going to sell cheap. Anyone near north of Boston, feel free to
make an offer!***

- Stillen RSB
- Custom Maxima FSTB, silver chrome

P.S. my handle used to be 'Pat@BostonHarbor' , forget why I changed it
a while back.

<baba (AT) booey (DOT) com> wrote

In my opinion, the best Maximas made were the '92-'94 SE's. Plenty of
power, but still had the independent rear suspension. The '95-'99's were
nice too, but the handling just wasn't as good. Plus, I think the 3rd Gen
is still the best looking of all the body styles (especially with the BMW
headlight mod!).

I wouldn't even think about another Maxima at this point. The 3rd Gens are
too old, and I don't like the other's looks.

Until Nissan comes out with an AWD car, I'm probably moving to some mini-SUV
or maybe a Subaru, Audi, or BMW 330xi. I need AWD here in the upper part of
the glove of Michigan, but still want (need) some performance in my car.


Bill G
'91 SE Auto

have you considered
http://videos.streetfire.net/Player....3-43C12761FC1B
some times it's the car, some times it's the driver.

"Bill G" <rbatty00 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

"john" <synthetical (AT) faked (DOT) add> wrote

Not really sure what I'm supposed to get out of this video. He's not
driving a Maxima, he's not driving in snow ...

Your point?


Bill G

point was some times it's the car that limits
some times it's the driver, that guy driving up
pikes peak could out drive me in a Chevette,
even if I was in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII.
The maxima with snows on it performs quite well.
yet there are other cars with better drivetrains & weight
distribution if you are planning on drifting through the
corners. I found that on gen 4 maxima's 50 lbs in the
trunk seems to help me in the winter. I also have a spare set
of rims & studded tires for winter duty. you might want to
look into eBay for some inexpensive rims and some
good tires before you abandon the maxima entirely.

"Bill G" <rbatty00 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

Your point is well taken but doesn't really apply here..

I've no problem admitting I'm not a 'great' driver.. no driving school
or anything like that, but I've driven lots of different cars
including 3 new Maximas (93SE 5sp, 00SE 5sp, 02GLE Auto) and have had
my share of both intentional and unintentional road acrobatics. I've
spent years in the forums and consider myself 'aware'.

In this latest Maxima (the 02 GLE) I probably drive it less hard than
it can be driven, at least on corners, because it just isn't any fun.
Granted, it's not an SE, but I have 4 recent Michelin Pilot Sport A/S,
very slightly oversized. It's great in the snow, but the rear
suspension can suffer a lot of wheel hop.

I have an uninstalled RSB and FSTB that I never got around to, had
hoped this would improve things.

In any case, I'm reverting to a new car (MINI) which will be closer to
a former love, my 87 Nissan Pulsar SE. Now that car stuck to the
road!


"john" <eatmore (AT) gorp (DOT) not> wrote: