torque, torque and more torque nice and low in the rev band too. The VG30DE was better on paper - but you had to rev that to get the extra power. Also, the early VG30DE's had valve train issues (noisy, tapping)
I always thought this was the most handsome Maxima. My neighbor had a clean one when I was a kid and I fell in love with its simple, yet sporty design.
One of the main reasons why I continue to ignore modern Nissan cars that aren't the 370Z or the GT-R. Hopefully now that Carlos Ghosn's ousted from Nissan, some of its own mojo will creep back up the tires of cars like the Maxima, and the Altima, for that matter.
@@josemanuel5749 I haven't forgot about the Armada SUVs and Titan pickup trucks. Same with Rogue, Rogue Sport, and Pathfinder (a.k.a. "mallfinder"). My cousin, who has three young daughters had got an ex-rental 2017 Nissan Pathfinder SV 2WD in brick red with anthracite black interior in August 2018 because her 2010-16 Chevrolet equinox LS 2WD with the fake tacked-on turbo emblem and side vents stopped working and the repair costs are too heavy to fix.
@@nakoma5 Not trolling. They've never really made any compelling products. Not everyone is a massive weaboo drooling over the Skyline. I can't think of a single Nissan that I'd consider cool, much less a Maxima.
@@herbiehusker1889 Hmm, fair enough. Though I do recommend you personally try models such as: 90s Sentra coupe SE-R and 200SX SE-R Pulsar and NX Twin Cam 93-97 Altima SE 3rd gen Altima SE-R 92-94 Maxima SE with the DOHC V6 300ZX Twin Turbo 240SX Datsun 240Z and 510 And that's not to mention all the non-USA performance models that didn't make it here from the old Sunny/Pulsar GTI-R AWD hot hatch, turbo AWD Bluebird/Altima, and twin turbo Silvia and Stagea [basically a wagon GTR].
Today, if a family sedan doesn't get to 60mph in less than 6.5 seconds, it's "slow." Also great how you can't see out of the windows of anything newer than 2008
Are they kidding about the white/black gauges???? That was always the coolest part of the old Maxima SEs. I had a '97 with the white gauges over an all black interior and loved it.
Professional car testers tend to dislike anything unorthodox about the dashboard area. I think it's a side effect of driving a hundred different models of car every year and being thrown off by different control layouts an owner would get used to in the first week.
@@nlpnt Yeah. Still stupid though, those exact white gauges were one of the most appealing things about the Maxima SE, as a child/teenager at the time my friends and I all thought they were awesome, then I actually got a Maxima that had them. Still miss that car 20 years later.
Preston Thugman mine went through 8 fuel injectors, 3 stereos and 6 window motor regulators over the 23 years I owned it. Other than that it was all the normal wear stuff like tires, brakes etc. and a few one offs. No fires for me! The original battery lasted 15 years which was completely unreal. Rust and leaks did it in, but it still drove smoothly at the end.
As a car kid, I was in love with this (among many) cars. Maxima, 929, Diamante, Supra, Legend, etc. They had real presence back then, or at least they did to me. Much to my parents chagrin, I would use my car magazines as a reference and call the toll free 1-800 numbers for car companies and order catalogues on every car I could. Jag even sent a VHS!
The name "Diamante" probably failed because of the bad valve guides found in the Mitsubishi 3.0L engines. I received a VHS tape for the 1995 Maxima and I loved it.
@@jorgelara7860 yea that year model had a unique styling that matched it's era it's the Maxima that you would take to get detailed on the weekend after getting a clean haircut and going for a ride maximas have changed the new ones don't look as good anymore
I LOVED the gauge cluster! I bought one of these for pizza delivery in college. It had 240k when I got it, and still ran at 350k when I sold it. It developed a rod knock with the next owner, but was still driving it at 400k the last time I talked to him. They definitely don't make Maximas like they used to.
I actually loved those black on white during day and white on black at night gauges. I thought they were the coolest thing I had seen on a dash in my first 25 years of living. I loved how in twilight they were changing over, but not quite there.
@Ike N Interesting choice to call this generation of Maxima a "J30" but not call the G20/Primera a "P10". Especially considering that the Nissan Leopard J Ferie (Y32) was called Infiniti "J30" stateside. Super easy for someone not in the know to be confused. Anyways, you're right about design language. That's what I was trying to allude to. Now I wouldn't consider the U12 Stanza in the same design language as the J30 or the B13 for that matter. I personally think in the case of Nissan, the design language is based on what store sold them considering it's normal in Japan for a brand to have two stores. Not sure if they still do that now but I know at one point it was a dominant feature
The 1989 Nissan Maxima. The official car of.. Dad's having a midlife crisis but is keeping his wits about him and not buying a M5, yet he's listening to Paula Abdul constantly.
I see tons of these still on the road, but only the ones in this trim. My grandma had a GXE trim in light blue. It didn’t have the spoiler, but it had a very tasteful scalloped wheel design. Since my grandma has since passed, it now belongs to my uncle and it’s still going!
I hope he has lived to regret calling this dash ugly! To-This-Day: The finest set of instrumentation gauges I have ever laid my eyes on! Point. Blank. Period.
the 89-94 maxima se 5 speed is an awesome fun car with mods. I had one back in the day with lowering springs and kyb gr2 struts, wsp y pipe, intake, exhaust, quite a few other things and it was extremely fun and not slow
This generation Maxima has always been my favorite. The Second, Third, Fourth and 5th gen are my favorites. 90s Japanese sedans aged so well. If I had all of the money, I would buy a garage and buy a bunch of 80s 90s and 2000s japanese sedans and suvs.
One amazing thing is that underneath, it looks very similar to a 1985 Maxima. Even the wheel alignment specifications are the same. However, they went from being one of the most unreliable Nissans into one of the most reliable Nissans. I don't know how Nissan managed to achieve that.
Hoping to see a video about the later revision, from 1992-1994 the SE still the same gorgeous body, but with a 190 HP V6 instead, and a limited slip differential!
My dad had a 1990 Maxima GXE that he bought used with 60,000 miles in 1994. He then drove it for more than 340,000 miles over the next 7 years before trading it in. He ran it ragged from all those miles, but it was a good, comfortable car. Had the same engine as seen here, but regular white on black gauges.
They bumped up the power towards the end of this model's lifespan and it was actually pretty quick. Zero to 60 was a little under 7 seconds with the five speed if I remember correctly.
That's because in either '92 or '93 they changed to a 4 valve per cylinder engine making 205 or 215 hp. Big jump from the 160hp it made in '89. Such awesome cars!!
In 1993 the SE got the very short-lived VE30 engine which upped stock hp from the VG30's 160 to 190. Drove them both and the 30 extra was a huge difference. Sadly, the VE was around only 2 years as the redesigned Maxima in 1995 got the VQ30 with 190 hp.
+ctranger Yep, it was all downhill after 94. The 97 I had was a gutless 190hp compared to the 93. I mean it was really noticeable how slow it got. 2000s got a different intake which gave it 222 hp.
All down hill? Back in the day my 96 maxima GLE with 230k Miles was neck to neck with my friends almost new 2002 GS300. We were both in shock and he was so butt hurt
My favorite part of these old videos is watching the tester get in and rip on all the seat adjustments. I'd freak out if someone hopped into my car and started doing that. @motorweek - you guys should make a compilation video.
You can still see these running around today. Though it's hard to find one for sale. Not a lot of 89 Taurus's still on the road. I'm surprised there were no complaints about the automatic seat belts which MW complained about on most cars.
jeepthing98 probably resigned to the fact that those auto-belts would be mandatory for 1990. I remember this gen Maxima was one of those cars that had both a driver’s airbag and auto-belts.
I bought one of these for $650 in 2006, all I had was $150 in my pocket I moved back to Dallas and I'll tell you the manual V6 was a beast, I drove it cross country and that engine is tough as nails.
I was about 14 when this generation of Maximas came out and wanted one so bad. My mom was car shopping at the time and no matter how much I pleaded with her she ended up getting a Buick Park Ave instead.
Was anybody really cross-shopping Tauruses with this Maxima? The Taurus was revolutionary, yes, and inspired countless rounded cars to follow, but the Maxima was a tight little sports sedan by comparison. I think it competed more with contemporary cars like the top trim level Honda Accords, Mazda 626s and perhaps even Mitsubishi Galants. All I know is that as a kid in high school when this video was produced, I would have LOVED to get my hands on a brand-new Maxima like this one! Nissan didn't overstyle it at all; the car was smooth and functional, inside and out, and that V6 is one of the best motors produced in the 1980s/1990s. Today's Nissan cars may be competitive but they lack the same excitement of this Maxima.
Blooming Onion, Maximas are grrrrreat! (grin) My '99 (4th gen) has 200,000 miles, purrs like a pussycat and gets 30 mpg. She's peppy and tons of fun to drive. Ergonomic and comfortable like an old pair of shoes. Radiator, serpentine belt. alternator and starter lasted 150,000 miles. Everything else is factory original -- including radio, brakes, injectors and most light bulbs.
BloomingOnion thank you for bringing this up, I was thinking same thing.....nobody was cross shopping the two. The Maxima back in the day was so much classier and on a different level than a Taurus despite possibly having similar dimensions and specs in certain areas that they really appealed to different buyers
I was just out of high school in '89 and I didn't know anyone my age that would have loved to own a Maxima... You were a strange kid! We all wanted VW 16v GTI's and Scirocco's.
I'm sure I was strange but I can promise you I was not the only person who thought the way I did. Sure, there were the guys who liked muscle cars and what kid didn't have a Countach poster on his wall or sweat some other exotic? I certainly liked and appreciated VWs back then, just as I do now, but I've always had a soft spot for understated performance and luxury. I've always preferred four (or five) doors to two (or three) doors, but that didn't make me strange, that just meant I valued practicality. Like the Taurus SHO, the only Taurus worthy of a comparison to this Maxima in my opinion, the Maxima showed some performance and sportiness that was missing from most other family sedans of the day. It didn't show off its power with over the top plastic add-ons or painted stripes and logos; the classiness of the car was in its simple elegance. The styling of this car was understated given the silky power that fabulous V6 could produce. Cars have come a long way in 30 years. There are four-cylinder "family" cars that are faster than this Maxima was in 1989, and many are certainly more roomy and comfortable. But back in the day, when my gf at the time had a brand-new but boring '89 Honda Accord - and some of my other friends lucky enough to have new-ish cars were driving Tempos, Civics and Bronco IIs - this Maxima was like a breath of fresh air. Yes, I would have loved it.
"Attention Motorweek staffers: Do we have anyone over 7 feet tall that can sit in the backseat of this Maxima and make it look torturous? We have to come up with 2 negatives"
Anti-lock brakes are the greatest thing ever. Back in the seventies it was commonplace during panic stops to have the back end break loose on you. You could easily get into an accident while trying to avoid one.
When the 300ZXTT went on sale, I instantly wanted one. I going to give part of the credit to mom's 1985 Maxima and part to the fact that turbo power sounded so magical back then.
I've been waiting for MW do a review of the 1989 Maxima thanks so much this is my favorite version too besides the new model these were the best Maxima's ever.
I had this car from 1994 to 2017. Nissan used to build them well. Would have bought another had quality not collapsed. That engine lasted forever and I miss those cornering lights.
We picked up a 93. One owner GXE. Red leather interior. Yes. RED. 138,000 on it and it basically works like new. The later bose radio wasn't amplified and has individual amps per speaker. And ours has automatic seat belts. Even with the auto it actually makes a great daily and I see no issues getting to A to B comfortable and at a reasonable pace. And it actually has near mecedes like vault quality, solid doors, great materials etc.
I loved the white face gages. I used to have a white 1990. This model was made from 1989 to 1994. Those power numbers can easily be bumped up with a few slight changes to the intake and exhaust. Makes a night and day difference.
@Ike N I had 3 of these. For the most part they are titled 1989 to 1994. Regardless of what they call the car, on the title it will always be what it is. There might be a 3 month discrepancy but as far as parts are concerned that dont mean a thing. I learn about what was compatible and not because I had 3 of them over time. When a car becomes used that nonsense means nothing. You go by the date on the title. Especially when ordering parts.
My parents had that exact car. It was white. 5spd. Good looking car and where it really went was the highway. Top end all day long. But it was good on back roads too.
Before Nissan looked to pregnant aliens for styling inspiration... I actually love the styling of these late '80s and '90s low beltline/tall greenhouse sedans (Maxima, Accord and Legend in particular). Like their early SUV counterparts of that era (Explorer and Cherokee), the visibility from the driver's seat was phenomenal.
The Accord was a blatant ripoff of the Maxima. Just like VTEC and everything else. Honda blows. They wait until Nissan does something, then replicate it.
You're really going to love when it falls apart, it's a soulless cheap Agenda 2030 cuckbox like every modern car. After the J30 Maxima's final year that was it for Nissan. Nothing but regression since. Actually, now that I own a CA5 Accord I now realize Nissan was always junk, they simply used to make junk that looked good and drove good. 80's-90's Honda & Toyota are peak Japanese.
Dude! It was obvious this guy (or anybody for that matter at that time) had NO idea that the Maxima would seriously surpass in longevity and quality over the stupid Taurus. I had the pleasure of buying a used 89 Maxima In 1993 when I was 20 years old. The car had almost 65k miles. 10 years and 280k of trouble free miles I finally gave it up to another Nissan enthusiast. It was a wonderful car. It drove me and my family through the scorching 125 degree Death Valley and drove us through -10 degree Wisconsin winters without missing a beat. I miss those old quality Nissans 😭
I adore this era when all the higher class Japanese Sedans all looked exactly the same. Zero complaints from me, it was an amazing time for car reliability and ease of repairs. My 1988 Toyota Supra and 1994 Camry are worlds apart on ease of repair. It's not a crazy comparison once you realize the 88' Cressida looked EXACTLY like all these cars, but had the same motor as my Supra.
This Maxima solved all the problems with the 1985 Maxima. It might be the second or third most reliable Nissan Maxima and probably one of the most reliable cars Nissan ever built. The 1995 Maxima was better, and making a car better than this was hard to do. One thing you had to remember about the VG30 engine is that it uses a timing belt. My family never knew what a timing belt was until 1994 when it snapped on mom's 1985 Nissan Maxima. If you replace the timing belt and related components on schedule, the VG30 lasted for ages.
Growing up, around '99 both of my older brothers had this gen Maxima. Both SEs, a '92 and '93, in black and white respectively. Such cool cars, can't remember the last time I've seen one driving on the road
I drove thése brand new back in the day - EXCELLENT high speed, long distance cruisers and very quiet to boot, with better than average gas milage. Quite roomy inside too, due to the front wheel drive layout.
I put 235K miles on a charcoal gray one of these. I loved my white gauges though!! I also had a ‘95 and a ‘00 SE with a sad little 4cyl Altima somewhere in between.
Not really; the Taurus was quite modern when it was introduced, other than the anemic Vulcan v6. It had an independent rear suspension when most fwd cars did not, and the high-speed handling was quite good. It was also very roomy; the same era Maxima, Accord, and Camry were noticably smaller inside. The only reason the Maxima ever got the later 190 and 220 hp engines was due to the SHO - it could do 60 in 6.4 and hit 144. Even the BMW 325 only did 60 in 7.9 and could not top 130. Due to the size and styling differences (many people did not like the "aero" Taurus styling) I don't think there was as much cross-shopping as you would expect. I did have a '91 SHO but would never have bought the standard model.
I consider the previous Maxima to be the example of the car. I see this as a 1985 Maxima with styling upgrades most of the design flaws removed. As for independent rear suspensions, Nissan Maxima sendans used them from the beginning until 1994.
Back in the 90s, I wanted two of these. A pearl white over tan GLE and a black on black SE, especially when they bumped up the power in the SE to 190hp. I still like the design.
I had a 91 SE and a 92 SE. Both were very reliable and looked great. IMO, the best looking sedan of the 90's by far. I currently drive an '02 SE 6 speed manual but this will sadly be my last Nissan as Renault ruined them.
You are right Nissan quality has changed since the 90s so can't blame you for changing brands but have you ever went up against any newer model maximas with your 02 6speed?
I had a 1991 GXE, barely made it to 100,000 miles, transmission sport mode went first, the suspension was horrible in the winter. The engine timing belt had to be replaced a few times. The final end, the engine went. Yet I still see it on the road, sold to a local person who needed to contact me on some issues.
I remember when they had "4DSC" stickers in the back side glass.
I want me a 4DSC decal right now and they're iconic on a Nissan j30 maxima!!
They still do that.
@@Smithj231 Yeah its kinda hidden on the side of the tailight or is it the headlight? Dont remember
It stands for 4 door sports car. I miss mine. Deep forest green with tan interior. 190 hp 3.0 DOHC..... fully loaded. Ugh new cars suck
The 2010 maxima has this...
I always liked those white gauges. Good ol' VG30E engine. A classic.
Had an 85 Maxima with that engine. Hard to kill those. My dad's 2 Mercury Villager minivans (93 and 97) had the same VG30
I think Nissan made the toughest V6 engines of all time. The VG30 was great, and the VQ30 was even better.
torque, torque and more torque nice and low in the rev band too. The VG30DE was better on paper - but you had to rev that to get the extra power. Also, the early VG30DE's had valve train issues (noisy, tapping)
@@beb1527 the Engine you are referring to is actually a VE30DE, the VG30DE and DETT were in the Z32 300zx.
I like those gauges too! I think the only company to do them now is Porsche and probably as a expensive option.
I always thought this was the most handsome Maxima. My neighbor had a clean one when I was a kid and I fell in love with its simple, yet sporty design.
Nope the 98-99 SE was the most beautiful and desirable
@@titusrome2863opinion,I'm with them on this gen.I like the generation you said third,the current one second.Least favorite to drive though for sure
That was a great car. I bought one with 93k , and traded it off with 210k with no issues. I wish that era of Nissan still existed.
BULL SHIT !!! These 89-94 Maxima had weak transmissions and motor mounts always go
@@titusrome2863I had one with 190k miles with no issues as well…
@@titusrome2863Calm down, compadre.
@@titusrome2863 Watch the tude' kid.
@@titusrome2863 The transmissions couldn't be any worse than this CVT bull$hit.
Back when Nissan didn't have the horrendous continuously variable transmission in its cars.
One of the main reasons why I continue to ignore modern Nissan cars that aren't the 370Z or the GT-R. Hopefully now that Carlos Ghosn's ousted from Nissan, some of its own mojo will creep back up the tires of cars like the Maxima, and the Altima, for that matter.
@@krwilliams3876 Me too. I don't like the horrible CVT transmissions.
Dont Forget Armada/Titan.
@@josemanuel5749 I haven't forgot about the Armada SUVs and Titan pickup trucks. Same with Rogue, Rogue Sport, and Pathfinder (a.k.a. "mallfinder").
My cousin, who has three young daughters had got an ex-rental 2017 Nissan Pathfinder SV 2WD in brick red with anthracite black interior in August 2018 because her 2010-16 Chevrolet equinox LS 2WD with the fake tacked-on turbo emblem and side vents stopped working and the repair costs are too heavy to fix.
Kevron Harris CVT’s suck
Back when nissan was cool.
Nissan was never cool.
@@herbiehusker1889 Nissan 300 Nissan 280 those were very cool cars
@@herbiehusker1889 Boy, tell me you're trolling.
@@nakoma5 Not trolling. They've never really made any compelling products. Not everyone is a massive weaboo drooling over the Skyline. I can't think of a single Nissan that I'd consider cool, much less a Maxima.
@@herbiehusker1889 Hmm, fair enough. Though I do recommend you personally try models such as:
90s Sentra coupe SE-R and 200SX SE-R
Pulsar and NX Twin Cam
93-97 Altima SE
3rd gen Altima SE-R
92-94 Maxima SE with the DOHC V6
300ZX Twin Turbo
240SX
Datsun 240Z and 510
And that's not to mention all the non-USA performance models that didn't make it here from the old Sunny/Pulsar GTI-R AWD hot hatch, turbo AWD Bluebird/Altima, and twin turbo Silvia and Stagea [basically a wagon GTR].
The 5spd SE w/ 190HP was quite the beast back in the day.
Nowadays a car with 300HP is underpowered.
Today, if a family sedan doesn't get to 60mph in less than 6.5 seconds, it's "slow."
Also great how you can't see out of the windows of anything newer than 2008
Steve Lee This had the 160 HP SOHC.
My buddies dad bought one of these in black and he let us take it out from time to time. It was fast!
@@user-tb7rn1il3q part of the problem today
Are they kidding about the white/black gauges???? That was always the coolest part of the old Maxima SEs. I had a '97 with the white gauges over an all black interior and loved it.
Professional car testers tend to dislike anything unorthodox about the dashboard area. I think it's a side effect of driving a hundred different models of car every year and being thrown off by different control layouts an owner would get used to in the first week.
@@nlpnt Yeah. Still stupid though, those exact white gauges were one of the most appealing things about the Maxima SE, as a child/teenager at the time my friends and I all thought they were awesome, then I actually got a Maxima that had them. Still miss that car 20 years later.
@@Austin86646 those white gauges are classic Nismo add-ons on the Skylines of the time too.
Best generation of the maxima IMO.
Nissan white-face gauges did for aftermarket gauges what the Toyota Altezza did for tail lights.
I miss this maxima plus this is when you didn’t have to worry about a cvt
Or plastic timing chains smh
This generation Maxima was extremely reliable. My mom had a 93. It stayed in the family until 2008, when unfortunately it was totaled.
Preston Thugman mine went through 8 fuel injectors, 3 stereos and 6 window motor regulators over the 23 years I owned it. Other than that it was all the normal wear stuff like tires, brakes etc. and a few one offs. No fires for me! The original battery lasted 15 years which was completely unreal. Rust and leaks did it in, but it still drove smoothly at the end.
khakuda I had a battery like that one time it lasted 15 as well in a 1991 190e I couldn’t believe it.
Mine had 278,000 miles on it when I gave it to somebody else. I had a seat break, and 2 window regulators blow.
Back when tacked-on fog lights were considered cool.
Tacked-on infotainment screens are better 🙄
@@nate678 distraction its a car not a iPad
@@nate678 nah buick had em
That was meant to be sarcasm. People that don't think fog lights look good tacked on but somehow think that the infotainment screens do?
What the point of fog lights they never helped me in the fog
As a car kid, I was in love with this (among many) cars. Maxima, 929, Diamante, Supra, Legend, etc. They had real presence back then, or at least they did to me. Much to my parents chagrin, I would use my car magazines as a reference and call the toll free 1-800 numbers for car companies and order catalogues on every car I could. Jag even sent a VHS!
D@mn, you said "Diamante"...now that is name you don't hear often. Kudos, for taking me back.
Rod H. Good times!
The name "Diamante" probably failed because of the bad valve guides found in the Mitsubishi 3.0L engines.
I received a VHS tape for the 1995 Maxima and I loved it.
Skyline Fever I feel like I might have gotten that tape too!
@@skylinefever LOL...you said VHS!!! Stop it with taking me to nostalgic world...you and Law S
Hefty price for the time but much better than any Nissan built today.
That was hands down the BEST looking Maxima of all time. The linear yet aerodynamic styling still looks chic to this day
@@jorgelara7860 yea that year model had a unique styling that matched it's era it's the Maxima that you would take to get detailed on the weekend after getting a clean haircut and going for a ride maximas have changed the new ones don't look as good anymore
I love the nice *4DSC* decals on the rear passenger glass of Nissan's J30 Maxima. Looks nostalgic and cool!😎💖
I wanted one of these back in the day. I finally got a 99 maxima GXE 5 speed. LOVED it. 0-60 in 6.6 seconds.
George Walters That was my first car.
4th Gen Maximas are legendary. My dad had a 96 SE that was solid af. I still miss it to this day.
had a 98 GXE, I miss it everyday
To me 1995 to 2000 was the best generation of Nissan Maxima's!
That’s the same 0-60 as ‘19 Impreza WRX STI.
Had a 90 SE. Loved the black-on-white and white-on-black gauges.
Definitely the best era of the Nissan Maxima's, Nissan was definitely at its prime in the late 80's/early 90's.
Yeah when everything in there line was desirable....300ZX. Maxima, Stanza, Pathfinder, 240ZX.
Tripping maximas stopped truest being good and beautiful until about 03
I LOVED the gauge cluster!
I bought one of these for pizza delivery in college. It had 240k when I got it, and still ran at 350k when I sold it. It developed a rod knock with the next owner, but was still driving it at 400k the last time I talked to him. They definitely don't make Maximas like they used to.
Everytime i see one i think of Menace 2 Society
That one was nice too
"Look at the mutha fuckin wheels" 😂😂
do do do I stutter mother effer?
@@alexyoungberg5232 Bahahahahaaa! I was just about to type that. Cain and odog still live on! Along with bitch ass Chauncey.. Hahaha
No paid in full? The car made an appearance there too
I actually loved those black on white during day and white on black at night gauges. I thought they were the coolest thing I had seen on a dash in my first 25 years of living. I loved how in twilight they were changing over, but not quite there.
This car influenced the 90 Stanza and 91 Sentra in the next 2 years after this car
And the Bluebird, in which the first generation Maxima was based on
I'd say the infiniti g20 aka Nissan primera as well. It looks like a mini maxima
@Ike N Interesting choice to call this generation of Maxima a "J30" but not call the G20/Primera a "P10". Especially considering that the Nissan Leopard J Ferie (Y32) was called Infiniti "J30" stateside. Super easy for someone not in the know to be confused.
Anyways, you're right about design language. That's what I was trying to allude to. Now I wouldn't consider the U12 Stanza in the same design language as the J30 or the B13 for that matter.
I personally think in the case of Nissan, the design language is based on what store sold them considering it's normal in Japan for a brand to have two stores. Not sure if they still do that now but I know at one point it was a dominant feature
I didn't think the Stanza looked much different. However, I think it was a big influence on the first Altima.
The 1989 Nissan Maxima. The official car of.. Dad's having a midlife crisis but is keeping his wits about him and not buying a M5, yet he's listening to Paula Abdul constantly.
Hahaha
Are you a fan of regular car reviews?
Hilarious!
Oh, RCR fan huh?
C C C Cold hearted, Ssssssnake!
The one thumb down is the guy who bought the Taurus lol.
LMAO not the sho tho
I see tons of these still on the road, but only the ones in this trim. My grandma had a GXE trim in light blue. It didn’t have the spoiler, but it had a very tasteful scalloped wheel design. Since my grandma has since passed, it now belongs to my uncle and it’s still going!
I hope he has lived to regret calling this dash ugly! To-This-Day: The finest set of instrumentation gauges I have ever laid my eyes on! Point. Blank. Period.
the 89-94 maxima se 5 speed is an awesome fun car with mods. I had one back in the day with lowering springs and kyb gr2 struts, wsp y pipe, intake, exhaust, quite a few other things and it was extremely fun and not slow
This generation Maxima has always been my favorite. The Second, Third, Fourth and 5th gen are my favorites. 90s Japanese sedans aged so well. If I had all of the money, I would buy a garage and buy a bunch of 80s 90s and 2000s japanese sedans and suvs.
The 4DSC (4 Door Sports Car)
Still one of the most impressive redesigns in Nissan history, considering what it replaced
One amazing thing is that underneath, it looks very similar to a 1985 Maxima. Even the wheel alignment specifications are the same.
However, they went from being one of the most unreliable Nissans into one of the most reliable Nissans. I don't know how Nissan managed to achieve that.
Hoping to see a video about the later revision, from 1992-1994 the SE still the same gorgeous body, but with a 190 HP V6 instead, and a limited slip differential!
95-99hp SE V6
Also the 2003 SE with the 3.5 and 6 speed!
My dad had a 1990 Maxima GXE that he bought used with 60,000 miles in 1994. He then drove it for more than 340,000 miles over the next 7 years before trading it in. He ran it ragged from all those miles, but it was a good, comfortable car. Had the same engine as seen here, but regular white on black gauges.
This is still the best generation Maxima. The build quality (especially in the interior) and the twin cam, 4 valve V6 were incredible.
This had the single cam engine
They bumped up the power towards the end of this model's lifespan and it was actually pretty quick. Zero to 60 was a little under 7 seconds with the five speed if I remember correctly.
My 93 was fast as hell, and I didn't even know to put premium in it!
That's because in either '92 or '93 they changed to a 4 valve per cylinder engine making 205 or 215 hp. Big jump from the 160hp it made in '89. Such awesome cars!!
In 1993 the SE got the very short-lived VE30 engine which upped stock hp from the VG30's 160 to 190. Drove them both and the 30 extra was a huge difference. Sadly, the VE was around only 2 years as the redesigned Maxima in 1995 got the VQ30 with 190 hp.
+ctranger Yep, it was all downhill after 94. The 97 I had was a gutless 190hp compared to the 93. I mean it was really noticeable how slow it got. 2000s got a different intake which gave it 222 hp.
All down hill? Back in the day my 96 maxima GLE with 230k Miles was neck to neck with my friends almost new 2002 GS300. We were both in shock and he was so butt hurt
My favorite part of these old videos is watching the tester get in and rip on all the seat adjustments. I'd freak out if someone hopped into my car and started doing that. @motorweek - you guys should make a compilation video.
True, but he is wearing driving gloves, so…
A compilation video of John Davis complaining about the lack of oil pressure and volt meter gauges would be my favorite TH-cam video of all time.
You can still see these running around today. Though it's hard to find one for sale. Not a lot of 89 Taurus's still on the road. I'm surprised there were no complaints about the automatic seat belts which MW complained about on most cars.
jeepthing98 probably resigned to the fact that those auto-belts would be mandatory for 1990. I remember this gen Maxima was one of those cars that had both a driver’s airbag and auto-belts.
Nissan made these from 1989 to 1994. Singling out one year of Taurus wouldn't be fair.
Remember when Nissan made good cars? I miss the good ol' days.
My neighbor drove his 3rd gen Maxima all the way till 2018. Nissan made such good cars back in the day.
DJ MotoVlogs He beat me! I had a ‘94 to 2017!
One of the best interiors ever! Beautiful car.
I bought one of these for $650 in 2006, all I had was $150 in my pocket I moved back to Dallas and I'll tell you the manual V6 was a beast, I drove it cross country and that engine is tough as nails.
I was about 14 when this generation of Maximas came out and wanted one so bad. My mom was car shopping at the time and no matter how much I pleaded with her she ended up getting a Buick Park Ave instead.
My favorite generation of maxima
Was anybody really cross-shopping Tauruses with this Maxima? The Taurus was revolutionary, yes, and inspired countless rounded cars to follow, but the Maxima was a tight little sports sedan by comparison. I think it competed more with contemporary cars like the top trim level Honda Accords, Mazda 626s and perhaps even Mitsubishi Galants.
All I know is that as a kid in high school when this video was produced, I would have LOVED to get my hands on a brand-new Maxima like this one! Nissan didn't overstyle it at all; the car was smooth and functional, inside and out, and that V6 is one of the best motors produced in the 1980s/1990s. Today's Nissan cars may be competitive but they lack the same excitement of this Maxima.
Blooming Onion, Maximas are grrrrreat! (grin) My '99 (4th gen) has 200,000 miles, purrs like a pussycat and gets 30 mpg. She's peppy and tons of fun to drive. Ergonomic and comfortable like an old pair of shoes. Radiator, serpentine belt. alternator and starter lasted 150,000 miles. Everything else is factory original -- including radio, brakes, injectors and most light bulbs.
BloomingOnion thank you for bringing this up, I was thinking same thing.....nobody was cross shopping the two. The Maxima back in the day was so much classier and on a different level than a Taurus despite possibly having similar dimensions and specs in certain areas that they really appealed to different buyers
All I can guess is they are gushing over the SHO version of thr Taurus
I was just out of high school in '89 and I didn't know anyone my age that would have loved to own a Maxima... You were a strange kid!
We all wanted VW 16v GTI's and Scirocco's.
I'm sure I was strange but I can promise you I was not the only person who thought the way I did. Sure, there were the guys who liked muscle cars and what kid didn't have a Countach poster on his wall or sweat some other exotic? I certainly liked and appreciated VWs back then, just as I do now, but I've always had a soft spot for understated performance and luxury. I've always preferred four (or five) doors to two (or three) doors, but that didn't make me strange, that just meant I valued practicality.
Like the Taurus SHO, the only Taurus worthy of a comparison to this Maxima in my opinion, the Maxima showed some performance and sportiness that was missing from most other family sedans of the day. It didn't show off its power with over the top plastic add-ons or painted stripes and logos; the classiness of the car was in its simple elegance. The styling of this car was understated given the silky power that fabulous V6 could produce.
Cars have come a long way in 30 years. There are four-cylinder "family" cars that are faster than this Maxima was in 1989, and many are certainly more roomy and comfortable. But back in the day, when my gf at the time had a brand-new but boring '89 Honda Accord - and some of my other friends lucky enough to have new-ish cars were driving Tempos, Civics and Bronco IIs - this Maxima was like a breath of fresh air. Yes, I would have loved it.
"Attention Motorweek staffers: Do we have anyone over 7 feet tall that can sit in the backseat of this Maxima and make it look torturous? We have to come up with 2 negatives"
I’ve been waiting for this to come out for years !! Thanxs :) I have a 91 and I love it !! I try not to drive it as often to keep it nice :)
I find driving with leather gloves makes picking my nose difficult at best.
The trials and tribulations of being eight years old...
And these Maximas were the start to something soooo beautiful and powerful... I love the 95-99s, the 2000-2004, and the 2007-2015s...
3rd gen was the peak my friend, not the start.
Still got my 1990 Maxima
I had a 1994 model with the dohc 3.0 V6. Loved that car.
My Aunt has a beautiful 95 Maxima that my late uncle bought new and it sill runs today! Love that car.
The 1995-1999 Maxima was probably the greatest car Nissan ever built. It was better than the 1989-1994 Maxima.
Anti-lock brakes are the greatest thing ever. Back in the seventies it was commonplace during panic stops to have the back end break loose on you. You could easily get into an accident while trying to avoid one.
I enjoyed this throwback. My mom had one of these, I loved this car. A 90's legend for sure, along with the 300ZX that came shortly after.
Eddie-Daimon Barber and the Sentra SE-R and 240sx. The whole lineup was good back then. I had a 92 SER and it was a hoot!
When the 300ZXTT went on sale, I instantly wanted one. I going to give part of the credit to mom's 1985 Maxima and part to the fact that turbo power sounded so magical back then.
As a kid, I remember thinking that those door-mounted motorized seatbelts were cool.
Boy, the 3rd gen Maxima's paved the way for Maxima's to come. This is when Maxima's were built prove.
I’ve been waiting on this review for YEARS!!!!
Me too, as this was the second best Nissan Maxima ever built.
Definitely my favorite generation of the Maxima.
This era of Nissan was the bargain of the century - many survive as dailies in 2021.
These were built like tanks and drove beautifully. This was Nissan's renaissance era.
I've been waiting for MW do a review of the 1989 Maxima thanks so much this is my favorite version too besides the new model these were the best Maxima's ever.
I had this car from 1994 to 2017. Nissan used to build them well. Would have bought another had quality not collapsed. That engine lasted forever and I miss those cornering lights.
Love these retro reviews!
We picked up a 93. One owner GXE.
Red leather interior. Yes. RED.
138,000 on it and it basically works like new.
The later bose radio wasn't amplified and has individual amps per speaker.
And ours has automatic seat belts.
Even with the auto it actually makes a great daily and I see no issues getting to A to B comfortable and at a reasonable pace.
And it actually has near mecedes like vault quality, solid doors, great materials etc.
One of the great designs, these cars were amazing. I was always impressed with the power and handling, and I loved the gauges on mine.
I love during 0-60 run, rev it, dump the clutch and burnout!
I loved the white face gages. I used to have a white 1990. This model was made from 1989 to 1994. Those power numbers can easily be bumped up with a few slight changes to the intake and exhaust. Makes a night and day difference.
@Ike N I had 3 of these. For the most part they are titled 1989 to 1994. Regardless of what they call the car, on the title it will always be what it is. There might be a 3 month discrepancy but as far as parts are concerned that dont mean a thing. I learn about what was compatible and not because I had 3 of them over time. When a car becomes used that nonsense means nothing. You go by the date on the title. Especially when ordering parts.
My parents had that exact car. It was white. 5spd. Good looking car and where it really went was the highway. Top end all day long. But it was good on back roads too.
Before Nissan looked to pregnant aliens for styling inspiration...
I actually love the styling of these late '80s and '90s low beltline/tall greenhouse sedans (Maxima, Accord and Legend in particular). Like their early SUV counterparts of that era (Explorer and Cherokee), the visibility from the driver's seat was phenomenal.
The Accord was a blatant ripoff of the Maxima. Just like VTEC and everything else. Honda blows. They wait until Nissan does something, then replicate it.
Back in 1995 my aunt had one of these....the thing was a spaceship 🚀. I thought she was the richest person in the world!
RIGHT!!! The fun Aunt, the Fun Cousin drove this!!! It was AWESOME!!!
This was my first car. Loved it. Had lots of rust issues but none the less it was a great car.
Another great motor week video!!!! We want more!!!!
Wow Nissan came a long way. Just got a new 2019 Maxima and I love it!!!!
You're really going to love when it falls apart, it's a soulless cheap Agenda 2030 cuckbox like every modern car.
After the J30 Maxima's final year that was it for Nissan. Nothing but regression since.
Actually, now that I own a CA5 Accord I now realize Nissan was always junk, they simply used to make junk that looked good and drove good. 80's-90's Honda & Toyota are peak Japanese.
Dude! It was obvious this guy (or anybody for that matter at that time) had NO idea that the Maxima would seriously surpass in longevity and quality over the stupid Taurus. I had the pleasure of buying a used 89 Maxima In 1993 when I was 20 years old. The car had almost 65k miles. 10 years and 280k of trouble free miles I finally gave it up to another Nissan enthusiast. It was a wonderful car. It drove me and my family through the scorching 125 degree Death Valley and drove us through -10 degree Wisconsin winters without missing a beat.
I miss those old quality Nissans 😭
I remember these having a keypad under the door handle for keyless pincode entry into the car and thinking that was pretty high tech for the time.
The previous Maxima had that too.
when this guy opened the trunk I was worried about what we'd find.
Doug is the kind of guy who binge watches these kind of videos
About damn time! Thank you!
I still want an 80's blue Motorweek jacket :)
I adore this era when all the higher class Japanese Sedans all looked exactly the same. Zero complaints from me, it was an amazing time for car reliability and ease of repairs.
My 1988 Toyota Supra and 1994 Camry are worlds apart on ease of repair. It's not a crazy comparison once you realize the 88' Cressida looked EXACTLY like all these cars, but had the same motor as my Supra.
Good video love the car love your retro reviews hope to see more.
Love it too
This Maxima solved all the problems with the 1985 Maxima. It might be the second or third most reliable Nissan Maxima and probably one of the most reliable cars Nissan ever built. The 1995 Maxima was better, and making a car better than this was hard to do.
One thing you had to remember about the VG30 engine is that it uses a timing belt. My family never knew what a timing belt was until 1994 when it snapped on mom's 1985 Nissan Maxima. If you replace the timing belt and related components on schedule, the VG30 lasted for ages.
I was in high school when these came out, I wanted one of these so badly!
Great car. Loved my 97 se 5 spd. Also loved the white gauges and nimble handling. Power was smooth and linear.
Growing up, around '99 both of my older brothers had this gen Maxima. Both SEs, a '92 and '93, in black and white respectively. Such cool cars, can't remember the last time I've seen one driving on the road
I drove thése brand new back in the day - EXCELLENT high speed, long distance cruisers and very quiet to boot, with better than average gas milage. Quite roomy inside too, due to the front wheel drive layout.
Wow didn't release the 4DSC thing went back to the 80s
My early 90s Skyline had 4 wheel ventilated disc brakes...which also surprised me
This was the first Nissan to advertise 4DSC.
This was so spot-on in overall execution, that every subsequent Maxima generation went downhill from there.
The next Maxima was better, but following Maximas were worse.
the 87 sanza was my first car. 91 max was my 2nd car. now I have a 2010 max sv I love my maximas
I put 235K miles on a charcoal gray one of these. I loved my white gauges though!! I also had a ‘95 and a ‘00 SE with a sad little 4cyl Altima somewhere in between.
I dont understand why they dont like the white on black gauges, I loved them!
I had a 92, 96, and 97. ALL SE'S. 96 WAS MANUAL. Absolutely loved them. Talk about emotional attachment... 2003 was the last good year for Maxima IMO
The first real modern vehicle. Great car. Has a place in history. Comparing the Taurus to this is a joke.
Not really; the Taurus was quite modern when it was introduced, other than the anemic Vulcan v6. It had an independent rear suspension when most fwd cars did not, and the high-speed handling was quite good. It was also very roomy; the same era Maxima, Accord, and Camry were noticably smaller inside. The only reason the Maxima ever got the later 190 and 220 hp engines was due to the SHO - it could do 60 in 6.4 and hit 144. Even the BMW 325 only did 60 in 7.9 and could not top 130. Due to the size and styling differences (many people did not like the "aero" Taurus styling) I don't think there was as much cross-shopping as you would expect. I did have a '91 SHO but would never have bought the standard model.
I consider the previous Maxima to be the example of the car. I see this as a 1985 Maxima with styling upgrades most of the design flaws removed.
As for independent rear suspensions, Nissan Maxima sendans used them from the beginning until 1994.
Had one just like it in the same color - so much fun!
Back in the 90s, I wanted two of these. A pearl white over tan GLE and a black on black SE, especially when they bumped up the power in the SE to 190hp. I still like the design.
i had a 1990 Maxima back in the day, it was a decent car.
This was way better than the Taurus. I really miss when Nissan used to make fine machines.
I had a 91 SE and a 92 SE. Both were very reliable and looked great. IMO, the best looking sedan of the 90's by far. I currently drive an '02 SE 6 speed manual but this will sadly be my last Nissan as Renault ruined them.
You are right Nissan quality has changed since the 90s so can't blame you for changing brands but have you ever went up against any newer model maximas with your 02 6speed?
Always liked this style Maxima. LoL the Taurus casts a long shadow
Loved my 89 SE, she never let me down and after muffler/cat delete sounded mean AF! Still a great looking car.
I owned a 1990 Nissan Maxima SE automatic from 1996-1999 and loved every mile behind that wheel.
I had a 91 se 5spd. Awesome car
I had a 1991 GXE, barely made it to 100,000 miles, transmission sport mode went first, the suspension was horrible in the winter. The engine timing belt had to be replaced a few times. The final end, the engine went. Yet I still see it on the road, sold to a local person who needed to contact me on some issues.
E Gold the gxe was meh. My se was a tank. That motor would not die. The 5 spd tranny was tough. I drove it from Miami to Seattle and back. No issues.
I still see these maximas from time to time, I couldn't tell you the last time i saw an 89 taurus on the road..
I had the 89 Maxima and was a great car. The power train was solid.