VINCE'S MAXIMA - GOOD CHOICE OR BAD CHOICE?

[@MidnightAspec]

Honestly, the Vince character comes off as a Mustang GT character.

[@bhcamaro2002]

"Looks like you got all the help you need brother!" 💨

[@joshhuffine4522]

I always loved the fact Vince drove a 4 door "sleeper" unlike the rest of the crew. That Maxima was perfect

[@joemurdock6032]

Jesse and Mia both had 4 door sleepers too. Jesse had the 4 door VW Jetta and Mia had a 4 door Integra.

[@pkdude5334]

I actually like the choice for a Maxima.

[@scottvincent3062]

Back in 2002 I was a manager at an autoparts store in the city, one of my workers whose day job was a mechanic and he was into the import scene. He bought a loaded auto maxima for his daily driver, he gutted it removed the interior, carpet, door panels, headliner, ac, removed the power leather seats for a single cloth bucket, he even removed the power window mechanism, even went to the extreme of cutting the metal out of the door facing the interior and replaced the side glass with fixed lexan. He planned on putting a full roll cage in it later. He said he did all that to save weight and go faster when he planned to hit the drag strip on the weekends but didn't do a thing to the engine. I asked him why he did that if it was his daily and not touch the engine or suspension and he said buying the car cleaned him out so he had to save for that and he didn't want to wait to do something to it. Well it was summer about 88 degrees and since it was in the city during rush hour, he got stuck in traffic and basically came in to work soaking wet with sweat. Everyday that summer when he came to work I'd go wooo how about this heat, he'd give me the dirtiest look.

[@theninethrees8044]

300ZX TT would’ve been the most obvious and perfect choice for Vince since they were on the theme of Nissan.

[@rj5485]

One of the coolest Maximas I've seen, back then! That year model of Maxima, that Craig owned, is still revered today (it had a traditional transmission, CVTs weren't a thing yet)...Fun fact the Infiniti i30 is the Infiniti version of that Maxima!

[@markmarougi2163]

I am the current owner of the Maxima. It’s a great car and thanks Craig for the great video and information. I do want to make one point though. In the video you mentioned that we met at fuel fest. I’ve never been to fuel fest or met you in person. I would never be rude and walk away from you like that. Anyone who knows me will tell you I am not that person. Hopefully we can meet one day maybe this year at Fuel Fest.

[@Bravemeister]

Pics or it didn't happen

[@markmarougi2163]

@@Bravemeister Pics of what?

[@Waterfordmaxx]

I know the guy who owns the actual movie car!!! He is local and I can confirm that the car sounds EXACTLY like it does in the movie!!! Supercharger just screams even at idle!! It's so cool lol

[@twofstu1]

Get him on video do an interview.

[@andydhillon1977]

Now thats pretty cool! Is it the guy Craig mention in this video?

[@RezboaDog]

Yeah! I met him on Woodward a few summer's ago. It was cool to see the car in person.

[@joelsims98]

I’d sport one of those…in red.

[@parkermorris90]

That's great that the owner keeps the car exactly like it was in the movie

[@Lucianontheinternet]

Craig always putting out the most informative f&f content, always makes my day when this man uploads

[@mgopaul27]

I daily drive a BMW and a Mercedes in the summer and winter months, respectively, but I will forever swear by these 4th generation Maximas. This movie just made me want one even more when I was younger. I still have my '96 GLE Auto, and '99 SE 5MT, with the same Stillen kit.

[@Smacked785]

Lowkey a z32 would of been a good option same aura and everything from the max just on the z32 I wouldn’t be mad but still love the maxima

[@sundaydriver2117]

weird how they gave vinc a maxima even though he is more of main character and gave leon a freaken R33. i woulda switch those 2 cars around with the characters just my opinion though but maybe there was a reason for it

[@jonnycollison]

I like this car as it's not something you automatically assosciate with street racing at the time, so it gives a bit more depth to Vince and makes him look like more of a connoisseur. Even the Jetta looks like something a racer might have had with the VR6 (I know it didnt) but a Maxima... It's interesting.

[@FawknHayn2986]

I bought me that year maxima it was v6 5spd very very very rare in hawaii it was quick AF. Than i heard vince had nitrous so i put a wet 25hp, i grew up with NITROUS SBC so i was familiar also had the parts from my nova. Im only 37 so i grew up in the middle of all this.

[@DawleyDude]

The car would have been worth more if they'd kept the damage from the fight scene on the car but that's just in terms of value to collectors, nice to know the car is still owned and loved. The franchise may not like cars very much but its nice to see those involved and the fans of the firdt couple movies do love cars.

[@marcusjohnson7441]

The Maxima was my fav from the first movie, simply due to that awesome footage and raw audio of Vince leaving.

[@MrCalverino]

the Maxima is my all time fav!!!

[@fast97z24]

I feel like when Jesse said "just tune the NOS timer and you'll run 9s" he was being sarcastic. In other words, he didn't actually mean it would run 9s. He just meant it would be fast.

[@halleffect1]

FWD on those tires, he'd need traction control and 1500hp to run in the 9's

[@NightsN2dr3ams]

all wheel drive too @@halleffect1

[@PewPewGuy85]

I remember hearing the automatic transmission during the burnout scene but didn’t hate it. I loved the Maxima in the movie

[@SanseriIIDX]

Love the insight of the Maxima. Always thought “why”? It makes a lot more sense now.

[@GingernutSnap]

The Maxima was a great choice as it helps flesh out a spectrum of cars in the movie (especially among Dom's team) that in turn was part of a wider collective of elements that made the movie relatable or 'accessible' as they say. It wasn't all just the most famed, expensive, flashiest shaped or lesser-produced-numbers-cars being used. The Shark graphic was also perfect for Vince given the fiery nature of his character, and like the Muscle-man rocket on Dom's RX-7, it contrasts well with the plainer rocket designs of the 240, Jetta and R33. I love all the particular details and visual balances that went into the first film, funny thing is that I've been piecing together a motorsport film concept for a few years myself and am still struggling to decide what 2 cars should be used for a road race scene even though I have the characters pretty well developed.

[@psi23k]

One of my favourite cars from the first movie. And that scene was epic.

[@muscle_car_guy2338]

The one thing that I appreciate is that this car had its actual engine sound and didn't have something else in its place like dom's RX7. You could tell it was original especially from the scene that Vince does the burnout. I love that scene 😅

[@johnnyutah9939]

of course it was a bad choice , his fuel map had a nasty hole , That's why he was unloading in third !!

[@halleffect1]

Now me and the mad scientist gotta rip apart the block and replace the piston rings you fried

[@098cpt]

memories, my 1st car. Had a 1996. Kept it from 2005 to 2015. SE , evergreen, stillen body kit, drop, wheels, apexi AFC and full exhaust (350z muffler) . It was a 5speed. 13.4 sec at the 1/4 miles and 5.5 sec 0-60. Had ton of fun. very very reliable. every time I took it, i red line it, and no issue at all. reached 300k km before selling it.

[@jacobasuncion3132]

To bad that the budget wasn’t big enough cause a Z32 300ZX would’ve worked perfect for Vince

[@RacingHeartMedia]

And that STILLEN SC kit is still hard to find nowadays

[@vdochev]

Nice to see a story where the car was not destroyed in the end.

[@Graver81-69]

I thought the Maxima was logical because even back then there was always someone that had an out of place car in the group. Back in my day there was this dude that had a V6 Mustang in a group of imports. He tried to make it faster but back in 1999 there wasn’t many options. In the end his car was beaten in a race by every other member lol. Come to think of it he had a similar mindset to the Vince character. The only car that didn’t fit to me at 18 was the R33. I was familiar with the Skyline through watching JGTC and of course Gran Turismo. Back then any Skyline was out of the question

[@streetwatcher_]

Viper blue with the stillen graphic alone was definitely 👌 for the car

[@MrTilbin]

Yes. The Maxima was always advertised as Nissans sport sedan rocking a very solid 3.0 V6.

[@tashatorrid]

4DSC

[@Boatanchorperformance]

I remember the 5th gens being known as the 4 door 350z. People slept on these cars and some had the 255hp engine (which was very respectable in the early 00’s).

[@matthewf3586]

All things considered, it was not a bad choice. Many years ago I owned a 96 Maxima Se 5spd in grandpa gold, best sleeper jdm around, I only did headers and a nice cat delete. Very well made car, does not even exist in today's market, 5 speed n/a v6, Japanese quality, leather, sunrroof digital climate control, bose speakers, low cabin noise etc. That generation maxima might be one of best fwd sedans ever mass produced. If Universal did not need a duplicate car I think any generation z car even 60-80s. would have been the perfect fit. A small car fits his character. Runner up would have to be Vince just wanting to take Mia out in his Miata. Lol might have changed that cars reputation as a chick car seeing little Mazda peel away.

[@mikeypv6]

This was actually my favourite car from the movie... loved it when Vince did a burnout just trying to pull off and you can hear that supercharger scream

[@tashatorrid]

I had a 2002 Maxima SE I built for commuting too. What a great car. I miss it.

[@scubasteve9715]

The maxima was waaay underrated

[@julianosorio7905]

Hi, Craig. I really enjoy your videos, especially the ones where you talk about the vehicles from The Fast and the Furious 1, because for me, it was the best movie of them all. I find it amazing that you talk about all the vehicles in this movie. I’d also love it if you could tell us something about the motorcycles featured in this movie (The Fast and the Furious 1). I’d like to know more about these motorcycles, for example, the sport bikes used to intercept the Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the enduro bikes that are used in the chase scene with the Toyota Supra at the end of the movie. It would be incredible to know if you were involved in this process in any way. And anything related to these motorcycles would be great. Your videos are awesome. Keep making more content like this. Greetings from Bogotá, Colombia.

[@PumpkinDefender]

Chris, I’d love to see you make a video on the cars you would give each character if you went back in time with an unlimited budget and full creative control and remade the movie.

[@jonnycollison]

Yeah I'd love that too

[@TufteMotorsport]

I would love that three

[@trk327]

I owned a 92Se 5 speed maxima, when I saw this car I HAD to get me a 4th gen. I still have my 98 20 years later.

[@jamesalmeida4979]

I had a 20th anniversary maxima 5 speed in 2003 it had every bolt on under the sun carbon fiber everything all high dollar parts had the car for 10 years and beat lots of cars but yes the one in the movie was pretty nice the 1st fast and furious will always be my favorite I like the channel and like always God bless 🙌

[@justingrabb852]

I was 15 at the time and my dad loved Maxima's and had multiple ones that he fixed up and made faster. So it was so cool at the time seeing a maxima in this movie. One day I want one to fix up like he did

[@wessreiley8275]

I had an 2003 maxima se with black interior and also an auto and the 3.5L. Also it was 1 of 500 that had the factory upgraded GPS panelveiw for that year. Was pretty reliable and a daily driver.

[@WaitForYouu]

I feel that the Lexus GS fit Vince's character perfectly

[@speedjunkie13]

I'll always love the car guy saga. Buys daily driver "I kinda want to modify it, but I'm not gonna go crazy" Goes crazy "Damn, I need a daily driver"

[@timothy9969]

If you came for the car just skip the long opening and repeat add in every video to 2:45

[@timothy9969]

Thanks bro

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

10:23 And its essentially a band aid to a badn aid, such as a "bleed off valve" like you see some people put on "budget" turbo cars. You bleed off a bit of boost before the waste gate spring/sensor sees it, Tricking the engine into running more boost than it knows is there (because you are bleeding off some before it can sensor it). Doing this without the band aid causes massive lean conditions when shifting and often the cause of subarus shitting pistons. The extra band aid feeds additional fuel on top to help richen the mixture making it more safe. Man the goofy stuff we did back then to get more power.

[@strongboy7289]

That's fantastic. As a Maxima owner i never realised one was in the Fast and the Furious franchise.

[@coreyclark75]

Fun fact, first vq in North America. The auto is very reliable, but this car is much more fun with stick.

[@CornPop2]

lol when he described the upgrades, he sounded like me telling my wife the same stuff

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

11:20 SHOULD HAVE LEFT IT LIKE THAT! Would have made for a nice piece of history. Of course at this time nobody thought these movies would be anything good at all..

[@GoGT-R]

Just noticed for the first time, at the 4:00 min mark of this video, Paul wreccks the R34 and there is obviously no airbag and he has no seatbelt/safety harness on.

[@_baller]

lol such a tuner, buy a commuter car, and just for the hell of it just start modding it lmao

[@jasonhudson8336]

I personally think the perfect car for Vince and for the film would’ve been a 300ZX turbo.

[@markmarougi2163]

I own the Maxima and I think John may have been the guy who you talked to at Fuelfest. He told me he was there and talked to Craig for a bit. I personally have never been to Fuelfest.

[@craiglieberman]

Was he a short, older gentleman?

[@markmarougi2163]

I was thinking it may have been John Tysseling that you spoke to because he mentioned to me that he talked to you there briefly. He’s not real short but he’s a little stocky and if its been a while since you seen him he may look a little different.

[@motov8-garage832]

Ive always loved my nissans, trucks and cars. Back when i was 19 i had a white 99 Nissan sentra SE limited, 5 speed manual with a SR20 (fwd version obviously), same 2.0 dohc they had in maximas around 98-99 i believe. I wish i still had that car, drove great, had good power, sunroof, black interior, the SE limited had a more sporty body trim kit and a big oem carbon fiber looking rear trim across the trunk. I put a injen cold air intake, lowering springs, tinted the windows and taillights and corner lenses, got some black with chrome lip msr 17's and ofcourse a proper 6" exhaust pipe😅 Ive only ever seen 2 other sentras like that my whole life, havnt seen one in years. Sentras and maximas were far from cool back then (and kinda still now), but that specific sentra would really be a rarity today. It was a 200sx with a 5 speed, sr20 and 4 doors, 180hp. 😅

[@derekdreke4990]

Nissans are fukn awesome 🤟🤟🤟🤟🤟

[@frankiem749]

All Maxima's from 89-00 had 3.0 liter V6s none came with a 4 cylinder engine. However from '95 and up Nissan changed to a DOCH 3.0L V6. And later to the 3.5 L just not sure if '01 or '03.

[@MarkMeadows90]

I love the Viper blue color, Craig. One of my favorite shades. Thanks for the information.

[@gen-X-trader]

Terrible choice, Vince's Maxima was the ideal candidate to use the 300ZX. I remember pricing back in the year 2000 and you could pick up running reasonably clean 300ZX's for 5 to $6,000. Nice twin turbos under 10K

[@blue6gun]

I'd love a Maxima to drive daily. It'd be a fun contrast to my 86 Z31...I have an 87-89 front, spoiler and skirts on it tho, so it doesn't look quite as ancient but still OG ^_^

[@rogal6661]

I doubt you read all the comments, but I have an idea for a shirt. Maybe a Johnny Tran s2000, with "Too soon Jr." . I always cracked up at that line. Anyway thanks for the consistent videos. Great content!

[@N3cr0n0mIV]

strange they used the actual audio for the burnout scene, when most of the other cars had sounds edited in post production

[@ironmanmachine]

Not really, that thing sounded so good it didn't need any editing.

[@N3cr0n0mIV]

@@ironmanmachine 😂😂😂😂😂

[@cheynevoss8994]

I would have left the dent in the back. That would've been pretty cool. Awesome video as usual!

[@_RiseAgainst]

Exactly what I was thinking but Hindsight = 20/20. Also this car was a rolling billboard so it probably couldn't have a dent for sponcers to pay up.

[@andydhillon1977]

I love these stories. My brother had a 1996 Maxima at the t8me of this movie. It was a pretty fast car at the time. 6:36 One of my pet-peeves in the car community. Big brake kits are not needed just because horsepower is increased. It might sound good in theory but it's absolutely not true in the real world. Most people will never drive their cars hard enough to make use of bigger brake calipers. Performance brake pads and good tires is all 99.9% of cars need, modified or not. Just an FYI. Not an attack.

[@Boatanchorperformance]

Good brake pads, stainless steel lines and DOT5.1 fluid and you’re done.

[@Arrozconchopsticks]

I liked that car, Maximas were and still are cool, the old ones of course.

[@AshPil98]

Unpopular opinion, but I always liked the Maxima, we didn't have them in the UK to my knowledge

[@MrTilbin]

Not as the Cedric or something? I thought this was a world car.

[@AshPil98]

I think it may have been named the Sentra, but we definitely didn't have those in the UK

[@AshPil98]

So due to the obscurity of the Maxima I really appreciate the choice of car, however I do agree that the second in command of the top street crew should have had a faster car that was higher in the JDM food chain.

[@AshPil98]

Just think that the Stillen bodykit on the car was a perfect example of how a fairly subtle kit can drastically change the looks of a car

[@AshPil98]

Also, would've been interesting to have seen a couple Pulsar GTI-R's in the film

[@tanyguch_kun1330]

these maximas had potential to build into jdm spec cefiros and with impul bodykit, so cool

[@JZKDutchYT]

That 3000GT with the blue white looks sick 😍😍😍😍😍

[@iTzDeXx_Dc5]

Craig's Maxima is the definition of bought a daily need a daily 😂 casually dropped about 10k in mods

[@VQ350Z]

4th gen maxima is an absolute classic. I had a 1996 5spd SE, front and rear end facelifted to 97-99 style, stillen kitted, best car I’ve ever owned! miss that car to this day! 😂

[@checkthisout6072]

I’m so glad I found your channel about these cars I always been a fan I wish the maxima got more screen time I loved the style of it with the shark wish Mia’s gsr integra got more screen time also but that scene with Vince and the burnout I always wondered why the car bogged down 👌🏽👍🏽❤️

[@craiglieberman]

Thanks for the sub!

[@TufteMotorsport]

I think it really fit VInce. A big guy trying to seem bigger and more important than he is. Leon drives the fastest car in the crew but is laidback. Vince drives a flashy car without too much merit. Status over quality. (No diss meant for your build)

[@kasso187]

awesome stillen supercharged Maxima

[@eddiecorderojr5746]

I honestly loved this car from the get go and love the graphics. I personally owned a 2009 maxima sv and had planned on doing a modern version of the car but ended up selling it

[@sbeezy562]

atleast it wasn't as ugly as Bow wow hulk car

[@MrWayne__]

Tastefully done. I had some Sir Michaels parts on my Ford Lightning. Great Quality Products.

[@tonynguyen6735]

At 12:08 Are those some Racing Hart wheels with hex nut locking center caps? Awesome that your wife’s GS was tastefully modded too. What spring/shock combination was she running at the time?

[@davetheplugpalumbo1621]

The Impreza was such under used car in the origin story.. they missed how iconic it would become but i remember you saying the wrx wasn't out for another year.. Some of the choices seem bizarre now..at the time we were just starved for anything so it got a pass

[@markchapman2585]

I had to get rid of my Lexus GS400 in 2014 I got T-boned in the winter time. I love that car i only had few bolt-ons and beat a few Mustangs Camaro with it. Plus it was reliable and comfortable. Awesome channel 👍

[@ironmanmachine]

That's crazy for a commuter car.

[@NewDesignVinylGraphics]

The maxima is a sick build. You got me into to stillen Craig

[@Naztalgic]

Fantastic!!! Thanks for all the amazing informed info and brilliant videos!

[@Picks_Productions]

A mate has one of the manual SMX maximas. Only 20 made.

[@timothy9969]

I had no clue they were that rare! Crazy

[@brenthatesashley]

I always loved that Maxima! My favorite car of the series

[@mack_mcmillan]

3:53 - They didn't like the graphics... Then they purposely CHOSE the dumb graphics for the cars like the nuclear shark and nuclear gladiator...

[@20rocket]

They trusted u with cars so much that they would use whatever personal car u had

[@MyzteryMedia]

I loved your 4th gen in this movie. They were great bulletproof cars which is why I owned 2 4th gen’s and a 3rd 😅

[@manuelcontreras7126]

That Maxima from the first movie made me get a 01 Maxima i would like to get 1999 Maxima and try to build a replica of the car. Wonder if it will be hard to do but im willing to do it.

[@lethalassassin1754]

Honestly I'm not saying it would be cheap, but considering it wasn't one of the standout rides with lots of screen time, and the fact that the rest of the crew had lower budget rides, it's possible. I'd find and research the rims, body kit, design wrap, anything else you can about replicating the build. Some parts might be discontinued or damn near impossible to find, especially affordably. You should be able to find a 99 maxima for a few grand, I'd say go for it.

[@Brickz9uno5]

That maxima was so clean. My first car was a 01 max my mom gave me 😂 I thought I was the shi 😂 😂

[@chrisstephenson8311]

I got to be in a caravan with the F&F maxima with Craig Lieberman from Florida to nopi nationals in Georgia back in the early 2000’s with my 94 integra GSR and it was red…Edwin didn’t do us teg guys any favors 😝🤦🏼‍♂️ that was an awesome weekend! Good times that I miss…the car scene was better and the people compared to now😞

[@AndyBettencourt]

The only other car that fit worse than this Maxima, was the Jetta at Race Wars.

[@kmena05]

yall should've got a Nissan Cifero A31 it looks like a Maxima but it's RWD I seen one in drift set up it looked clean the front headlights make it kinda look like a 4 door s13.

[@MrMan_47]

Vince needed a Camaro. He was definitely a Camaro guy!

[@basshead.]

Nah, he was an Audi TT guy.

[@fast97z24]

He was a helicopter-motor-driven bike in Torque 😂

[@Treaxvour]

Craig going through his "dont mod your daily" life lessons. Kinda paid off for him, though.

[@NYHeeb]

Please do videos about your cars. The supercharged mustang, Isuzu,and others.

[@S62Uce]

Vince looks like he drives a hellcat swapped magnum wagon

[@StaredownGames]

Have you seen Junkyard Dave's Trackhawk-swapped Charger with a Magnum roof? Vince. All day.

[@ironmanmachine]

@@StaredownGames that's a Magnum with a Charger front clip.

[@StaredownGames]

lol no sir It's a Charger that he welded a Magnum roof to. He's the only one that has done this. He did it so well it looks factory. Take one look at the rear and tell me it is still a Magnum.

[@4dscdriver]

I like the Maxima.

[@itsnevo8757]

You can go to the Japanese Cars Cars and Coffee at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, Michigan. The owner brought it last time and I’m sure he will bring it again to the next show

[@craigpitts7949]

If they wanted to keep in Tuner cars Vince should have being in a 300zx it would have suited him more but I feel he should have being in an old ruff American muscle with a massive engine in it to go against the pack

[@AnthroGearhead]

300ZX mostly fit to men wearing suits or lady killers, fact

[@craigpitts7949]

@@AnthroGearhead fact his character didn’t suit a 4 door fwd family car

[@ShiningJudgment666]

Budget but it would've been cool. It's on the level of the other JDM tuner cars of the time despite being overshadowed by the GTR.

[@craigpitts7949]

@@ShiningJudgment666 they were pretty cheap back then really. Would have cost about the same as a 240sx. Defiantly cheaper than the Gtr and the maxima had more screen time

[@Che1seabluesdrogba11]

Just got the hot wheels of it a couple weeks ago. Years ago wanted to supercharge my maxima, the forums had everything you needed even someone that could make the supercharger plate to mount it to the engine. Haven't been on the forums in a long time so idk if it's still possible to get everything to do a 4th Gen build

[@snoozeflu]

Why is the Toyota emblem on your Supra at 5:03 upside-down?

[@ggj1987]

The bodyshop guys did that as an in-joke to see who would notice

[@craiglieberman]

When of the mechanic put the Toyota logo upside down on one of the stunt cars as a joke.

[@TripleZ89]

Now we need to know what happened to that awesome bmw!