For the 1985 model year, the Maxima went to front-wheel-drive and finally ditched the last vestige of Datsun badging at the same time. That Maxima generation kept the squared-off styling of its predecessors (as did its Toyota Cressida rival) and got even more futuristic electronic gadgetry. Here’s a discarded example of the final model year for the Box Maxima, found in a Nevada self-service car graveyard last summer.
These cars were common sights in junkyards until maybe five years ago, when they must have hit the all-important “not worth scrap value even when running and seemingly not stolen” threshold.
The Maxima name was born as a trim-level designation for the Datsun 810, which was sold as the Bluebird in Japan and the 160B/180B/200B in Europe.
Things got confusing during the 1980-1984 period, when there was the Datsun 810 Maxima, then the Datsun 810 Maxima by Nissan, then the Datsun Maxima by Nissan and finally the Nissan Maxima from Your Datsun Dealer.
The 1989 Nissan Maxima got in on the flush-glass/bar-of-soap-shape aerodynamic trend begun by the likes of the Audi 5000 and Ford Taurus. I prefer the look of the Box Maxima, despite its not-as-good drag coefficient.
The 810 and rear-wheel-drive Maxima shared a lot of their chassis and powertrain hardware with the same-era Z-Cars. The 1984-1988 Maxima kept part of this tradition alive, by using members of the same 3.0-liter V6 engine family used by the 300ZX (though flipped sideways and powering the front wheels).
This one was rated at 157 horsepower and 168 pound-feet.
These cars could be had with five-speed manual transmissions, and I’ve even found one so equipped in a junkyard. This car has the more typical automatic. At least it doesn’t have every single fluid (including washer fluid) replaced with brake fluid.
You know who doesn’t love complex 1980s car factory AM/FM/cassette systems with metal, Dolby, auto-reverse and seven-band analog equalizers? Bad people, that’s who!
I have a collection of at least a couple dozen of these SECU-RITY indicator lights.
This car is in absolutely beautiful condition, and it never even saw 100,000 miles on its odometer. I’ve only found one junked 1985-1988 Maxima with better than 300,000 miles at the end of its road.
Even the driver’s seat is in nice shape. This car’s owner or owners took good care of it.
There’s not a speck of rust, which is non-shocking in low-road-salt/bone-dry Nevada.
The emissions sticker shows that it was sold new as a California-only model rather than a 49-stater. Carson City is very close to the Golden State, and so plenty of California cars cross the border.
It probably still ran at the end, but its final owner parked it illegally and then couldn’t or wouldn’t bail it out after towing.
Must you sacrifice value in order to get comfort and performance? Not with the Maxima!
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
1988 Nissan Maxima sedan at Carson City wrecking yard.
[Images: The Author]
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