Main Street Rides

With more than 40 cars to reminisce, I’ve felt challenged on which ones to start with. Some of the cars I’ve owned will undoubtedly warrant multiple stories. With CHD 10 fresh in my memory, the S2000 was a natural place to start; I may as well continue with recent events! 2025 marked the 20th anniversary of Z Nationals, one of the largest gatherings of Nissan & Infiniti performance cars in the country. I’ve spent the last several years working for Z1 Motorsports, where Z’s are life and where Z Nationals is traditionally hosted.

This year was my opportunity to attend Z Nationals as a simple enthusiast of the make. Ironically, I didn’t have a Z to bring (I’ve owned a baker’s dozen), but Z Nationals is open to all Nissan and Infiniti models, so… I met up with several friends who were bringing their own Z’s (and a token Datsun 510) to the show, and I brought a 1995 Nissan Maxima!

A Maxima probably seems like an odd car to be on someone’s list of favorite cars, unless of course that car represents your first car. Technically, my first car was not a 1995 Nissan Maxima, but a 1988 Pontiac Bonneville, a car that was as maroon on the inside as it was on the outside. While powered by General Motors trusty 3.8 liter V6 and equipped with… well, comfortable seats, the Bonneville wasn’t exactly a teenage boys dream car. Particularly not one as studied in automotive culture as I. So, when the day came early in my high school career that my father blew up the engine on our way to a soccer tournament, I was not all together burdened with grief about the fact that I would be driving my parents 1993 Nissan Maxima SE instead. That Maxima deserves its own story; more to come on “The Red Rocket” later.

Maxima enthusiasts (yes, we do exist), will point out that my ’95 is all together a completely different generation of Nissan sports sedan than the ’93 that I drove in high school. While true, I love Maxima’s of several generations. It’s my personal opinion that Nissan was one of the great makes of the 80’s and 90’s. Nissan built great cars into the early 2000’s as well, but the Carlos Ghosn era of leadership was not kind to the Japanese Industries auto maker. I consider 2003 to be the last year of the great Maxima’s.

The 1980’s and 1990’s were an era of innovation for many automakers with Nissan being one of the boldest. Active aero, four wheel steering, twin turbos, electronically controlled suspension, and variable valve timing. These were all the rage in the 90’s and Nissan was at the forefront of pushing the boundaries. Economically, times got tight with a recession halfway through the 1990’s, causing Nissan’s halo car, the 300zx Twin Turbo to approach prices that were out of reach for most sports car shoppers, ultimately leading its discontinuation in 1996.

The need to cut costs applied to most models in Nissan’s lineup, as 1995 approached, the 3rd generation Maxima (1989-1994) that I drove through high school and the 1995 that I currently have had some significant differences. The J30 (3rd generation Maxima) was a stellar sports sedan, particularly the 1992-1994 SE models which were equipped with a potent VE30DE DOHC V6 and a trick rear indpendant suspension system that made the Maxima akin to a front-wheel-drive BMW. To keep costs down, Nissan took some cost out of the A32 (4th generation Maxima), with most of that coming at the expense of handling prowess. The J30 Maxima is equipped with an independent rear suspension system while the A32 has a rear beam axle. Early Maxima’s were marketed as four dour sports cars with 4DSC stickers in the rear quarter glass. While the A32’s don’t inspire the same kind of handling confidence as the J30’s, they are still a fantastic example of a 90’s sedan with a Toyota level fit and finish and quality.

How I found the A32 Maxima

It was a sad day when I had to say goodbye to my ’93 Maxima, but due to a costly repair that hadn’t gone well with the shop that was working on it, I was finding that not many people knew how to work on the VE30DE that was under the hood. For the time it was a fairly advanced engine and with only a two year production run, not a lot of people were familiar with them. That hasn’t stopped me from wanting another Maxima ever since. There are a handful of models that I’m consistently combing the internet for, 1992-2003 Maxima’s are one of them. I’m particularly always looking for examples equipped with manual transmissions. Roughly 10% of Maximas (at least with the A32) were equipped with a stick shift, so they are quite rare, and I will always default to a manual if it’s an option. A few years ago, I met a guy at Japanese Classic Car Show (JCCS) in Long Beach, CA who was walking around with a white board strapped to his back, advertising that he was selling a 1993 Maxima SE with a manual. I wanted it to so bad, but it was the wrong place at the wrong time.

The good Maxima generations only get older and harder to find each year. So, when the Maxima I have now, popped up on Craigslist I was hard pressed to not get a little excited. Aubrey and I were on vacation together in Florida and as the evening was winding down, I was casually browsing for Maxima’s specifically. I found a listing for a 1995 Maxima SE up in Chicago, IL. The Maxima was black emerald with tan cloth interior and the kicker, a 5-speed manual. SE models have fog lights, a spoiler and specific wheels that give them a sportier appearance. Under the hood of a 1995 Maxima is also the early VQ, the venerable VQ30DE. Nissan’s VQ is arguably one of the greatest mass produced V6 engines ever produced from any manufacturer. If engines received movie awards, the VQ would be a 16 time Oscar winner, earning a spot on Ward’s 10 best engines list from 1995 to 2008.

With a reasonable price and two boys nearing drivers ed age, it didn’t take much convincing for Aubrey to give me the green light to purchase the Maxima. I was admittedly far more excited to fly to Chicago and drive a 30-year-old sedan home to Georgia than any normal person would be. As I continue to write about the cars I’ve owned, you’ll find that I have a habit of buying cars that aren’t close to home and road tripping them sight unseen. I may be unhinged but it’s become quite a hobby of mine that I think most people just don’t understand.

As drives go, the route from Chicago to west Georgia isn’t exactly anything special. I’d done almost the identical drive a couple of years earlier in a 2008 Nissan 350z Nismo that I’d bought. Any drive is more exciting though, when you’re in a new-to-you car. Particularly a car that you have an affinity for. Flying into O’Hare airport on a Friday evening (exactly a year ago today), I was picked up by the sellers father in the Maxima. You never know if pictures have done a car justice until you see it in person but my first impression of the Maxima was a great one. This car was much cleaner than the photos suggested. Sliding in the passenger seat, I was blown away by how clean the interior was. Not a stain, tear, or any other blemish marked the light colored interior. The un-tinted glass of the Maxima was bizarrely perfect, to the point that you’d mistake the windows for being rolled down.

I was chauffeured to a meeting place near the airport where we met the actual seller of the Maxima. Clearly an enthusiast, he showed up in a right-hand drive Nissan Cedric and I learned that he also had a manual swapped Infiniti I30, basically the same car as the Maxima but in a suite. After talking shop and nerdy 90’s era Nissan lore, I handed over the cash, signed the title and took the keys to the Maxima. I loved the fact that the keys were identical to the one I drove in high school.

With the sun going down, I stayed the night in Chicago before heading out the next morning. The Maxima was on old tires that were technically expired, so with an early appointment at Discount Tire, the A32 was shod with new Falken rubber before I hit the road south for Georgia. I immediately noted the night before that Maxima had something wrong (nothing i was concerned about) with the suspension or potentially a motor mount. Broken pavement and pot holes would slam the Maxima on the passenger side. Halfway home, I started to noticed some symptoms of a fuel starvation issue as well. Occasionally the engine would hesitate and stumble. Soon after arriving home, it would develop a misfire.

I had a few bugs to figure out, but it wasn’t altogether surprising, the Maxima was 30-years-old after all, even if it only had just over 80,000 miles. In the first couple of months of ownership, I narrowed the needed repairs that the Maxima needed to injectors, and a bad strut. Always one to upgrade instead of just replace, I upgraded all of the factory struts to BC Racing’s BR coilovers which when paired with the bronze 18″ 350z track edition Ray’s wheels… well, the Maxima just really pops now. The previous owner had also installed a period correct Stillen lip kit which really takes the Maxima’s 90’s aesthetics to the next level.

Since purchasing the Maxima last year, I have taken it on several road trips to Cheaha mountain, Radwood Florida (This trip will get its own story), the Skyline Invitational, and of course, Z Nationals.

While the A32 Maxima isn’t exactly the car I drove in high school, it is still in the bloodline of the great Maxima’s. Great power, white faced gauges, handsome Japanese 90’s styling, and a solid connection to quality and performance. One of my favorite features of the 1995-1999 Maxima? The clearly defined fender flares that are integrated into the flow of the front and rear fenders. They really pop with a good wheel and tire setup.

Nissan has recently teased the return of the Maxima, this time with the specific intention to get back to its 4DSC roots. I’m certainly a fan. A four door sedan with a manual transmission and twin turbo power could be a massive hit, I would certainly raise my hand to drive one.