[Shotimes] new to mailing list

Tue, 11 Mar 2003 09:59:27 -0600

The '99 SHO had a sicker price of $29,600. With all my discounts, plus
throwing in the ESP, taxes,etc, mine was ~$29,600 out the door. Maximas were
cheaper.

John Semchena may weigh in here, as he has a '94 ATX, plus an '02 Maxima
6-speed.

As a 14-year SHO owner who has also driven a number of Maximas over that
time, there are certain things that the Maxima does well. Engine aside, The
"car" part of the equation has always favored the Maxima, IMHO. Once they
came out with the newer Maxima engine (not an expert here, but probably in
that '95 timeframe that Ian mentioned), the Nissan engine is as sweet as the
SHO. Yeah, SHO was first, blah, blah, blah, but other mfrs have equaled and
bettered the original Yamaha V6.

Time marches on. We are now dealing with older enthusiast cars here, and
comparisons to current cars on the market are apples-and-oranges. There were
a number of OHC & DOHC engines way before the SHO, as well as independent
rear suspension sedans, etc. The SHO was a highwater mark for an American
mfr at the time, but was "old" technology for the Europeans and other mfrs
around the world.

Ron Porter

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net
[mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Steve Tatro
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 8:58 AM
To: 'Ian Fisher'; shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] new to mailing list

Well, the Maxis up in NJ must be different than the ones around here ;^)

I'm not knocking the Maxima.  I just know a lot of Max owners that
admire the SHO.  They seem to think more highly of it than I do of the
Maxima.  I'm not sure why.  This is based partly on the 4 Max owners I'm
good friends with.

Sure, my friend with the '99 may laugh when I tell him when something
goes wrong on my SHO.  He's had nothing go wrong in the 50k miles he's
driven his car.  BUT, he spent $26k for it.  He thinks the SHO has a
certain "je ne sais quoi" (pardon my French, it's been 10 years since
high school).  It's a rare beast, still gets noticed on a road full of
other sedans, has one of the most beautiful engines ever, and these are
all HIS words.

I'm confused why you still own your SHO.  Do you like the Maxima better?
It seems I've been reading posts from you that have praised the Max for
years now.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just curious
why you haven't switched.

Anyway, I guess there's a fair amount of envy that SHOwners have for
Maxis.  I personally don't see why.  I used to be a big fan of the Maxi.
Heck, I may buy one for my next car.  Driving one just doesn't bring the
instant gratification that the SHOs do.  Of course, this is just me.
This all reverts back to the "Soul" discussions from months ago.
Everyone has a different opinion of "soulful" cars.

Later,

Steve Tatro
Red/Black '93 with 166k miles
Cincinnati, Ohio

-----Original Message-----
From: Ian Fisher [mailto:ianf@eden.rutgers.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 9:30 AM
To: stevetatro@att.net; shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] new to mailing list

I hope that you are joking about Max enthusiasts being jealous of the
SHO? My Max friends have spent less on mods, almost nothing on
maintenance and can hang with me on the straight aways and twisties and
laugh at me every time my SHO breaks.

When I had mentioned the Maxima, I was referring to the 4th gen and
higher (95-current). The automatic Max's aren't that much fun to drive
but then again, neither are the automatic SHO's (at least in my book). I
guess its all personal prefernce, but there are a ton of Maxima's out
there with soul and enough kick in the butt appeal to leave you sore for
weeks. Add a simple cone filter so that you can hear the intake and all
of a sudden the car seems like a different animal. I am 6'5" and 300lbs
and I would sit in any seat of the Maxima for a cross country trip. I
wouldn't even consider doing that in the SHO. I can sit in the back of a
Maxima and cross my legs; I can barely get my legs into the back seat of
the SHO to begin with.

Ian

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net
[mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Steve Tatro
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 8:58 AM
To: 'Ian Fisher'; shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] new to mailing list

I've ridden in the back of a couple of older Maximas, and I didn't feel
there was much room.  And I'm only 5'10".  I've driven a couple, both
automatic and manual, and although they seemed like nice, solid cars,
they didn't inspire me at all.

On the other hand, my next door neighbor has a '94.  I've helped him fix
a couple of small items, and he was impressed by the beauty of the SHO.
I asked him if he wanted to take it for a spin, and he gladly accepted.
When we got out onto some back roads near our subdivision and he opened
it up the first time, I could see by his wide-eyed expression that he
was impressed.  His comments after we were finished cruising around
included "The two cars my be equals on paper, but the SHO is hands-down
the more fun to drive".

That's all I needed to hear.

My friend with the '99 automatic admits it's a nice cruising car, much
more refined, but has no "kick in the butt" at all.

The only thing I even remotely envy about the Max is the reliability
history.  I realize all cars have occasional glitches, but the Max motor
is solid.  My friend's '91 has 290k miles, and he has no idea how to
properly maintain a car.

I think that the Max owners secretly are all jealous of the SHO.  They
may not swallow their pride and admit it, but they are.  The ones that
don't haven't driven a SHO and only see the "Taurus" on the back.

Steve Tatro
Red/Black '93 with 166k miles
Cincinnati, Ohio

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net
[mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Ian Fisher
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 8:32 AM
To: 'Ron Nottingham'; Raiden1000@aol.com; shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] new to mailing list

Actually, the Max has the SHO beat (by a long shot too) in the rear leg
room department as well. The Max is a much better laid out car.

Ian

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net
[mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net] On Behalf Of Ron Nottingham
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 8:21 AM
To: Raiden1000@aol.com; shotimes@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] new to mailing list

Welcome to the list!!  Don't apologize for the Fiero GT's!!  They are
cool cars, and one of the few GM's I would consider owning.  There are a
few list members that have Fieros also.

Now, what are your reasons for wanting a SHO?  What are the reasons you
want one?  Because it is fast?  A four door?  If these are your main
criteria, also look at a Maxima SE with Nissan's DOHC V6.  The Maxima
has a little smaller back seat leg room, but everything else is
SHO-like.
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