The story of my beloved Maxima - Long Read
09-10-2015, 03:39 PM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Avon, CO---Boca Raton, FL
Posts: 37
The story of my beloved Maxima - Long Read
Dear Maxima forum readers,
The thought that I wouldn't have my beautiful MAXI, which is what I call it, is all that went through my head after the first few months of purchase, but all that changed on the day of 09/07/2015. It all started on a sunny day in the Vail valley, Colorado 04/06/2015. Browsing for cars that I had saved up for all winter and I wanted it to be something sleek looking, quick, reliable, and comfortable. I stumbled upon this 2000 Nissan Maxima SE in Florida, I live in Colorado, and as soon as I saw the pictures and spoke to the owner I knew that this car was for me.
First of all, I LOVE Nissans and figured a Maxima would be a perfect fit even though I had never been in one before. It had all the options with sunroof, Bose sound system, leather, and most importantly it was a stick shift. I told my father to inspect it and if it checked out, I would transfer money to him to purchase it for me. Following his inspection and the test drive, he concluded that the car was in good shape and I told him to buy it immediately and within a couple days later, the deed was done.
In the beginning, the car seemed to pass all the tests and everything was satisfactory. All of a sudden, he said there was a possible leak and I quickly became concerned. We took it to a mechanic and he said we needed a new transmission and my heart dropped to think that I might have bought a lemon. The mechanic examined the car and quoted us around $2400 for the whole thing, so we had to think wisely what our next move would be.
As a result, we decided to order a used transmission online from a company that contacts places around the USA who had the part a customer was inquiring about. We ended up ordering one and some of my excitement started to return. The transmission arrived and the mechanic began working on it for a day or so and came to conclusion that the second transmission had a leak in it as well. Whether or not he was telling the truth, we had to go with what he informed us. I begrudgingly paid the mechanic $750 for the labor of swapping the leaking transmission for another leaking one.
Consequently, I ended up getting a refund for the transmission and the company said they would contact us to pick it up, which they never did. Thus, we told to mechanic to proceed with a transmission rebuild and he was able to use parts from both transmissions to rebuild it. After all was said and done he said he completed the rebuild. I ended up paying him $2200 including the $750 fee for doing nothing but putting in and removing both leaking transmissions. Finally, my dad drove off with it and all seemed work done seemed to be up to satisfaction. However, we were oblivious to a new problem that would surface under the car.
As a result, we noticed that liquid was slowing driving on the driveway and after we concluded that it was still occurring we called the mechanic, seeing as we have a 90 day warranty with him. He ended up saying the leak was coming from the axle seals and said they would have to be replaced. Despite having a warranty the newfound problem wasn’t covered on the terms as it was a part he hadn’t replaced. Mercifully, the mechanic ended up charging us only for the part which came out to $170 and not for the labor, thankfully.
Thus this new found issue caused me to question whether or not the axle seal was the problem to begin with. Either way, what was done was done. Drop off the car and wait to see the result. In any case my dad picks it up and seems to be in working condition. After a couple of weeks we conclude that the problem has finally be fixed and all this happens by 08/11/15, mind you this is after 4 months of not even driving the car that I purchased and hadn’t seen it in real life other than seeing it on the lift at the mechanic shop when I visited Florida in May when I intended to pick it up and drive it back to Colorado. With all things considered you could have built a car from the ground up in this time period. The only issue after all that was one time my dad was driving it and the clutch wouldn't catch gear and he had to pull over and fill it with clutch fluid which we concluded to be the issue and it hasn't been since then.
Despite all those adversities, we now had a new matter at hand and that was shipping the vehicle to me in Colorado from Florida. We searched high and low for a transporter at a reasonable price. After considering a few options and with price in mind, we found the transporter we were going to rely on and I could sense the VQ30DE-K, the model of the engine, would be revving freely in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. The driver estimated that the time of arrival would be 9/8/2015, which also happened to be my birthday, so obviously I was ecstatic.
On a chilly Monday morning, 9/7/2015, at 8 AM I get startled from my slumber by a phone call and the area code said it was from Texas. My first thought was that the driver might be coming in early or just trying to coordinate what time the next day. Low and behold he was arriving a day earlier and would arrive around 5 PM, so naturally I was jumping for joy. I watched some movies to pass the time and received a call around 4:45 PM, in which the driver informed me tire issues will cause them to be running around 2 hours behind the driver said that he had a tire issues and would be running a two and half hours late. I was a bit irked but in hindsight, this wasn’t that big of an issue seeing how it been a little more than 5 months since I purchased this vehicle.
I proceeded to take care of a couple of errands and as I was arriving back to my humble abode, the driver declared he would be at the drop off location within 10 minutes. As I arrive to the location and feast my eyes on this beautiful piece of machinery, I could tell it was everything that I envisioned in my head. Hopped in the car for the first time and as soon as I lightly pressed the gas, I could feel the torque and knew that this wasn’t your average family sedan.
The interior and outside of it was in very good condition and the engine had a nice purr to it. The Bose speakers had nice tone and deep bass. The transmission was smooth as butter, as I expected. Just to give you something to compare it to, I had a fully loaded 2002 Accord V6 before this and this 2000 fully loaded Maxima is leaps and bounds better. Smooth as the I30 Infiniti and just as comfortable.
After all things considered, the 5th Generation of the Maxima has to be one of the best built machines of its time. The turning, braking, smoothness, and quickness, keep in mind I am comparing it to cars in its class and it surpasses all those vehicles. My brother had a C240 2001 and if I had the choice of having that brand new or the Maxima, no questions asked it would be the Nissan. I am hoping to not part with this vehicle for a long time and very enthusiastic to work on it and customize it to my personal preferences. I have to say the next time I purchase a car, the Maxima will definitely be highly considered.
In conclusion, the Maxima does have its perks but unfortunately has one minor down side. That one down side is when you purchase a Maxima, hopefully you were smart enough to get it in a manual transmission, when I am at work all I am thinking about is having my hand wrapped around my Nismo short shifter snatching gears like a champ. For anyone considering buying this beautiful piece of machinery you will have no regrets except the regret that you hadn’t purchased this vehicle beforehand. I am very thankful that I kept faith in my in Nissan and they didn’t let me down with their ingenuity. To sum it up, I am grateful to finally get to experience the pleasure of driving a 5th Generation Maxima that so many of their owners told me about.
The thought that I wouldn't have my beautiful MAXI, which is what I call it, is all that went through my head after the first few months of purchase, but all that changed on the day of 09/07/2015. It all started on a sunny day in the Vail valley, Colorado 04/06/2015. Browsing for cars that I had saved up for all winter and I wanted it to be something sleek looking, quick, reliable, and comfortable. I stumbled upon this 2000 Nissan Maxima SE in Florida, I live in Colorado, and as soon as I saw the pictures and spoke to the owner I knew that this car was for me.
First of all, I LOVE Nissans and figured a Maxima would be a perfect fit even though I had never been in one before. It had all the options with sunroof, Bose sound system, leather, and most importantly it was a stick shift. I told my father to inspect it and if it checked out, I would transfer money to him to purchase it for me. Following his inspection and the test drive, he concluded that the car was in good shape and I told him to buy it immediately and within a couple days later, the deed was done.
In the beginning, the car seemed to pass all the tests and everything was satisfactory. All of a sudden, he said there was a possible leak and I quickly became concerned. We took it to a mechanic and he said we needed a new transmission and my heart dropped to think that I might have bought a lemon. The mechanic examined the car and quoted us around $2400 for the whole thing, so we had to think wisely what our next move would be.
As a result, we decided to order a used transmission online from a company that contacts places around the USA who had the part a customer was inquiring about. We ended up ordering one and some of my excitement started to return. The transmission arrived and the mechanic began working on it for a day or so and came to conclusion that the second transmission had a leak in it as well. Whether or not he was telling the truth, we had to go with what he informed us. I begrudgingly paid the mechanic $750 for the labor of swapping the leaking transmission for another leaking one.
Consequently, I ended up getting a refund for the transmission and the company said they would contact us to pick it up, which they never did. Thus, we told to mechanic to proceed with a transmission rebuild and he was able to use parts from both transmissions to rebuild it. After all was said and done he said he completed the rebuild. I ended up paying him $2200 including the $750 fee for doing nothing but putting in and removing both leaking transmissions. Finally, my dad drove off with it and all seemed work done seemed to be up to satisfaction. However, we were oblivious to a new problem that would surface under the car.
As a result, we noticed that liquid was slowing driving on the driveway and after we concluded that it was still occurring we called the mechanic, seeing as we have a 90 day warranty with him. He ended up saying the leak was coming from the axle seals and said they would have to be replaced. Despite having a warranty the newfound problem wasn’t covered on the terms as it was a part he hadn’t replaced. Mercifully, the mechanic ended up charging us only for the part which came out to $170 and not for the labor, thankfully.
Thus this new found issue caused me to question whether or not the axle seal was the problem to begin with. Either way, what was done was done. Drop off the car and wait to see the result. In any case my dad picks it up and seems to be in working condition. After a couple of weeks we conclude that the problem has finally be fixed and all this happens by 08/11/15, mind you this is after 4 months of not even driving the car that I purchased and hadn’t seen it in real life other than seeing it on the lift at the mechanic shop when I visited Florida in May when I intended to pick it up and drive it back to Colorado. With all things considered you could have built a car from the ground up in this time period. The only issue after all that was one time my dad was driving it and the clutch wouldn't catch gear and he had to pull over and fill it with clutch fluid which we concluded to be the issue and it hasn't been since then.
Despite all those adversities, we now had a new matter at hand and that was shipping the vehicle to me in Colorado from Florida. We searched high and low for a transporter at a reasonable price. After considering a few options and with price in mind, we found the transporter we were going to rely on and I could sense the VQ30DE-K, the model of the engine, would be revving freely in the beautiful mountains of Colorado. The driver estimated that the time of arrival would be 9/8/2015, which also happened to be my birthday, so obviously I was ecstatic.
On a chilly Monday morning, 9/7/2015, at 8 AM I get startled from my slumber by a phone call and the area code said it was from Texas. My first thought was that the driver might be coming in early or just trying to coordinate what time the next day. Low and behold he was arriving a day earlier and would arrive around 5 PM, so naturally I was jumping for joy. I watched some movies to pass the time and received a call around 4:45 PM, in which the driver informed me tire issues will cause them to be running around 2 hours behind the driver said that he had a tire issues and would be running a two and half hours late. I was a bit irked but in hindsight, this wasn’t that big of an issue seeing how it been a little more than 5 months since I purchased this vehicle.
I proceeded to take care of a couple of errands and as I was arriving back to my humble abode, the driver declared he would be at the drop off location within 10 minutes. As I arrive to the location and feast my eyes on this beautiful piece of machinery, I could tell it was everything that I envisioned in my head. Hopped in the car for the first time and as soon as I lightly pressed the gas, I could feel the torque and knew that this wasn’t your average family sedan.
The interior and outside of it was in very good condition and the engine had a nice purr to it. The Bose speakers had nice tone and deep bass. The transmission was smooth as butter, as I expected. Just to give you something to compare it to, I had a fully loaded 2002 Accord V6 before this and this 2000 fully loaded Maxima is leaps and bounds better. Smooth as the I30 Infiniti and just as comfortable.
After all things considered, the 5th Generation of the Maxima has to be one of the best built machines of its time. The turning, braking, smoothness, and quickness, keep in mind I am comparing it to cars in its class and it surpasses all those vehicles. My brother had a C240 2001 and if I had the choice of having that brand new or the Maxima, no questions asked it would be the Nissan. I am hoping to not part with this vehicle for a long time and very enthusiastic to work on it and customize it to my personal preferences. I have to say the next time I purchase a car, the Maxima will definitely be highly considered.
In conclusion, the Maxima does have its perks but unfortunately has one minor down side. That one down side is when you purchase a Maxima, hopefully you were smart enough to get it in a manual transmission, when I am at work all I am thinking about is having my hand wrapped around my Nismo short shifter snatching gears like a champ. For anyone considering buying this beautiful piece of machinery you will have no regrets except the regret that you hadn’t purchased this vehicle beforehand. I am very thankful that I kept faith in my in Nissan and they didn’t let me down with their ingenuity. To sum it up, I am grateful to finally get to experience the pleasure of driving a 5th Generation Maxima that so many of their owners told me about.
Last edited by hez8813; 09-10-2015 at 04:09 PM.
09-10-2015, 03:55 PM
#2
Glad you got everything worked out. Enjoy the 5 speed! I don't personally think the auto is a necessarily a downside to the Maxima though. Funny how excited people can be about getting a old Nissan. I know the feeling, but people who don't appreciate the Max like we do are always confused until they go for a ride.
09-10-2015, 04:19 PM
#3
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Avon, CO---Boca Raton, FL
Posts: 37
Glad you got everything worked out. Enjoy the 5 speed! I don't personally think the auto is a necessarily a downside to the Maxima though. Funny how excited people can be about getting a old Nissan. I know the feeling, but people who don't appreciate the Max like we do are always confused until they go for a ride.
09-11-2015, 11:12 AM
#5
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Avon, CO---Boca Raton, FL
Posts: 37
05-30-2016, 07:54 AM
#6
Supporting Maxima.org Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Cumming, GA USA
Posts: 65
I own a 2002 6-speed. Needs some of the more common work - probably an ignition pack on one of the cylinders, valve covers need gaskets, but other than that - I get in and it just goes. This is my 3rd Max, 155K now, and as long as the a/c keeps working, I know that manual transmission will never fail (I never slip the clutch - well, maybe a little, but you know what I mean).
Took it into the dealership for the Takata air bag issue. Had two people inquire if I was interested in selling
- the mechanic and the service manager. lol
Took it into the dealership for the Takata air bag issue. Had two people inquire if I was interested in selling
- the mechanic and the service manager. lol
05-30-2016, 02:21 PM
#7
Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 113
Nice pick up! Congrats on the Max. You may have mentioned it, but how many miles?
I've got over 250K on my '00 SE 5MT and it still drives like the day I got it over ten years ago. I'm sure you'll take good care of her. Post some pics when you get a chance!
I've got over 250K on my '00 SE 5MT and it still drives like the day I got it over ten years ago. I'm sure you'll take good care of her. Post some pics when you get a chance!
05-31-2016, 11:14 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Hertford, NC.
Posts: 332
Nice. I definitely understand the excitement of getting a max.
I have owned 3. A 2k, and 2 03s.
Only one is a manual though. Love this car to death. Still modding it. Want to do a 4inch intake, 75mm throttle body, larger injectors, and then get it tuned.
As for the auto. I find it to be a down side for the 2k and 01. The 3.0 just doesn't have the power to push it that well. I always felt that it needed another gear. Though in my 03 the extra power from the 3.5l helps it along nicely and feels like it was mentioned to be. Granted I really like the 6 speed manual better.
Congrats on the new car and enjoy it!
My old 2k has over 300k on it now and it's still running strong (I work on it for the lady I sold it to)
I have owned 3. A 2k, and 2 03s.
Only one is a manual though. Love this car to death. Still modding it. Want to do a 4inch intake, 75mm throttle body, larger injectors, and then get it tuned.
As for the auto. I find it to be a down side for the 2k and 01. The 3.0 just doesn't have the power to push it that well. I always felt that it needed another gear. Though in my 03 the extra power from the 3.5l helps it along nicely and feels like it was mentioned to be. Granted I really like the 6 speed manual better.
Congrats on the new car and enjoy it!
My old 2k has over 300k on it now and it's still running strong (I work on it for the lady I sold it to)
02-06-2017, 05:33 PM
#11
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 2
Glad you got everything worked out. Enjoy the 5 speed! I don't personally think the auto is a necessarily a downside to the Maxima though. Funny how excited people can be about getting a old Nissan. I know the feeling, but people who don't appreciate the Max like we do are always confused until they go for a ride.
03-12-2020, 12:06 AM
#12
Newbie - Just Registered
Join Date: Mar 2020
Posts: 1
Not trying to revive an old thread, but I have useful information about this topic that is relevant on how to fix a common issue with these infinity basslink subs
I made a video on the issue and how and what is needed to fix here:
fix cost less than $6 and just need some diy skills and a basic soldering iron
I made a video on the issue and how and what is needed to fix here:
fix cost less than $6 and just need some diy skills and a basic soldering iron
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