[Guest]

i currently have a modded 4th gen. nissan maxima. nice car, runs high 14's, but i want a manual and have become bored with my maxima. i have been looking everywhere for a 5speed manual 4th gen maxima for a good price but its hard

so i started to consider other cars, and the mx6 v6 manual is an option.
it looks like most run low 15's with a good driver, correct?
how is the handling of the car
most importantly how is reliability? i would be getting a 2nd gen like 93-95 with around 100k miles.

also, what would it take to bring the car to 14.3-14.7 without using FI or the j-spec motor swap. if you are a good driver, can you hit mid 14's with exhaust, intake, pully, clutch, and headers?

sorry for the newbie questions, but i dont know much about these cars, and i want to do my research before i go test driving.

thanks

 

[skiingman]

also, what would it take to bring the car to 14.3-14.7 without using FI or the j-spec motor swap. if you are a good driver, can you hit mid 14's with exhaust, intake, pully, clutch, and headers?

sorry for the newbie questions, but i dont know much about these cars, and i want to do my research before i go test driving.

thanks

With those mods, and a little weight reduction, you might be able to hit the slow end of that range.

 

[rylinkus]

Re: Re: considering mx6 v6 5MT, got a few q's

With those mods, and a little weight reduction, you might be able to hit the slow end of that range.

The easiest way is to look at what others have done and see what they run. StreetThisMX5 is probably the shining example of a KL03 (Aspec) 2.5L V6 that's not forced induction. He runs in the 13s. We're jealous. :shrug:

 

[ragincanadian4]

sweet ass handling.

 

[shiny]

Certainly it'll handle better than that Maxima and probably be a bit more fun...

It handles well for a FWD vehicle, but as you probably know FWD isn't exactly optimal for steering under power. The performance is what you'd expect from a 160hp engine in that weight of a car -- not too much fun unless you've never had anything better, but nothing to complain about in every day driving. Stopping performance is good enough.

I cannot stress this enough, but it's a commuter car, it isn't a "race car" or "sports car" in any sense of the words and shouldn't be treated as such. There are better cars for project cars if you want to make a custom recreational car(though it does sound like you're not planning to do any major work on it). For some reason these forums try to make it out as being more than it really is.

If you're buying a car with 100k miles on it, be sure you know what you're getting into. If you're not sure what you should be looking for when buying a car of that age then you probably shouldn't go for it.

Maint on it will depend on how you drive it, if you're doing a lot of high-stress driving you should expect engine life to be shorter and various other drivetrain components to fail more often. Obviously the previous owner's maint on the vehicle will also determine how it treats you...

I get 20-25mpg milage in seattle, probably could get better in places with less traffic and fewer hills.

Engine is pleasant sounding, certainly not a muscle car, but certainly not a whiney 4 banger.

All that said, I find it to be pretty comfortable, great for moving in and around traffic on freeways freely with enough power for just about all situations, and it looks pretty smooth(certainly better than most of the new cars coming out from most automakers). If you don't wanna shell out big bucks and want a fairly well rounded car, the MX-6 LS can be a good buy.

 

[parisifal]

Exactly what shiny said.

My mx6 is definately my daily commuting car. That said I've spent enough on suspension and power mods to handle and accelerate with the best of them out there.

It does have alot more power and handling capabilities than the majority of cars out there so it can be considered a sport coupe. Not a sport car, but a sport coupe it certainly qualifies for. Great car on the freeway, better than my Lexus and almost as nice as my previous rx7's. In 5th gear as you hit 85mph the engine is in it's best powerband and passing is almost effortless. If you like to drive slower a quick flip to 4th will enable you to take on anything but the pure sport cars.

But as shiny said, this is by no means a drag car. If you really serious about 1/4 than get yourself a 5.0, I like to reserve the Mx6 for a great all around daily driver. Certainly it is a much more sporty car than your nissan maxima and the manual tranny is nice to play with. The gearing is a bit tall for 5th, wished it came with a lower 5th and a 6th gear, but we do with what we recieve.

To sum it up, if this is a "project"car than you cna certainly find much better cars out there. But if this is intended to be an affordable, decently powered, commuter car that is used everyday than definalte the Mx6 fun factor can't be beat. You can't touch anything this good for below $3,000. The starting price leaves alot of room for modification, you can hit 14's and 13's easily with the amount of money left over from the initial purchase of the car.

Oh and it is a gorgeous car....compared to say a Ford Focus. One of the most sexy cars I've ever own, it oozes pure sensuality. The engine sounds amazing with some breathing mods and decent mileage. YOu should get closer to 30mpg, most of the low ball figures are from improperly running engines and people with bad o2 sensors. Mine is messed up and I only get around 22mpg, but once replaced I expect it to be closer to 30mpg.

FUN CAR!