Show of hands if you remember Nissan’s Maxima station wagon. I’d completely forgotten such an animal existed until I noticed this listing for a 1987 model surfaced by Mitchell G. It is in surprisingly nice condition and has to be a rare find these days. Calling St. Petersburg, Florida, home, this high-end family hauler is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $8,700.
I owned a Maxima at one point; it was during the “4DSC” (four-door sports car) era, and the wagon had been discontinued by then. Station wagons were offered within the first two generations of the Maxima, ’81 to ’84, and then ’85 to ’88, and in this case, it’s outfitted in GXE trim. The boxy lines of this Maxima are typical of many cars of the eighties, and I have to admit I prefer it to the later, more rounded, aerodynamic designs. The code 329 Dark Red Metallic finish looks perfect, and the seller adds, “professionally corrected paint and applied Ceramic Pro coating with lifetime transferable warranty.” The odometer reads 96K miles, so this Max has seen some usage over the years, but the seller states, “Stored in Air-Conditioned Storage Garage and paint and plastics reflect absence of heat/sun damage,” further explaining this car’s pristine appearance. As a testament to proper storage, even the exterior black plastic trim pieces, components that are often faded and brittle from the sun’s effect, show perfectly.
Maximas were about power, and in this case, the prime mover is a 152 net HP, 3.0-liter V6, driving the front wheels via a four-speed automatic transaxle. My experience with this engine and its variants is that they’re bulletproof. The seller adds, “Drives and Shifts with No Issues, No Known Mechanical Issues,” and also mentions:
- 2025 oil service and new battery
- 2024 oil service
- 2024 new muffler and tailpipe
- 2024 undercarriage and engine dry-iced cleaned
- 2020 new radiator hoses and flush
The interior features what look like overstuffed velour upholstered bucket seats, and I guess the environment is in nice overall shape; the velour shadowing makes some portions of the seat fabric appear dirty, but I don’t believe that’s actually the case. The dash is oh-so-1980s-Japanese-car typical; its angular lines reflect those of the exterior. The wayback shows well condition-wise, though the gray carpet doesn’t match the remainder of the interior’s hue. The seller claims that the A/C is “cold“.
While there is a lot of collectibility with old domestic station wagons, Fords and Chevies, in particular, there’s always room for others, but those are usually domestics too. As far as Japanese wagons go, the big issue is trying to actually find one; those that were directed to the U.S. market aren’t that numerous or commonly found today. Well, if you’re looking to stand apart from the usual station wagon crowd, this Maxima station wagon is one way to do it, wouldn’t you agree?
This one is a winner, and I have no issue with the asking price. This is a great color, and you have to love the fancy stereo with the EQ.
Love this one, never saw these up here in Canada, were they offered to start with? Although i remember the Cressida wagon from Toyota. The inside looks beautiful also and i’m guessing a.week ends worth of shampooing and detailing would make the guys at the local Nissan dealer go wow. Now is it me or the rear ens.looks a bit K-Car ish
Nice little wagon at those miles its due for the timing belt and water pump replacement but shy of leaking it should make someone a nice little commuter
I had an ’88 Maxima sedan, and I just loved it. Rode well, handled well, and was an.overall joy to have. If I needed another or different grocery better, I’d be getting after this one. Pretty car!
Wow. My sister had the sedan. Those were the most comfortable seats ever made. Very nice car. Love this wagon.
I had the sedan twin to this. Was a nice car. These wagons seemed like they were hard to get a hold of when new and rarely showed up as a used car. Dad had his choices narrowed down to one of these or a 626 Touring Sedan. The Maxima was just outside of what he was allowed to spend and the 626 Touring was unobtainium. Ended up with a 626 notchback sedan. Still a very decent car.
World’s biggest automatic shifter!
This era Maxima handled extraordinarily well with a suspension derived straight out of the Z car of the same vintage. Rarest of the rare would be this with the optional 5 speed. I would rate this one a buy.
I owned an ’85 Maxima SE with a five-speed manual. It was one of the most fun cars I ever owned. I bought my first radar detector when I got it, and it was needed. I can’t blow up the picture of the console in this car enough to see if it has the ride adjustment I had on my ’85. That was a lot of fun, especially when we drove the mountain roads in NW Arkansas. You could feel the car lower immediately, and although the ride was rougher, you could take curves like a pro while listening to the awesome stereo. There were two drawbacks I remember, though. There was a panel of idiot lights that went all the way across the dash to the passenger side. They were huge and annoying. My car also had the “voice” that told you repeatedly if your fuel level was low or a door was ajar. I’m unsure whether or not those features were still on this model.
Well, no question to anyone with rational thinking, this was simply the best Nissan to come down the pike, for a family. Wagons are usually top of the line. I read this car cost a whopping $18500 new, or about $3grand more than a LTD wagon, or $4grand more than a Taurus wagon, it’s primary target. It’s probably no surprise I never cared for Asian interiors, generic as heck, and heaven help you if this thing needs a transmission. At almost $7grand, it’s one of the most expensive transmissions to replace. They were great cars when new, but today, I wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole.
I always liked Jerry Seinfeld. He made a joke about Asian car names,,,Maximum? No, Maxima, Accurate? No, Acura, Lexicon? No, Lexus, and so on,,
“Maximas were about power.”
I concur. I had a 2002 Maxima GLE and if I drover her hard, she’d squeal tires shifting into 2nd gear.
Her fuel econo
my sucked and she spark knocked horribly even with premium for the last 5,000-8,000 miles I had it. But it was a nice car.