I had been planning to buy a new or slightly used Maxima in the near future, but I am growing concerned about the quality of the car after reading people's posts. The main reason I am going with a Maxima is that is blends sporting performance with the Japanese reliability I have come to expect from my Hondas and Toyotas. Has cost cutting degraded quality to the point where Maximas can no longer be mentioned in the same breath with Camrys and Accords? I keep cars 10 years so this is very important to me.

Mike Dushane

 

20K miles on my wife's 2000 GXE and 10K miles on my 2000 SE. So far, so good.

PS: I've never owned an unreliable Nissan. And I've owned several of them.

 

My most standards the maxima is not in the same class as the camry and accord. Some compare it some don't depending on the model of max and camry and accord. I think the car is reliable, I've had it for over a year, 25K miles on it and the car runs stronger then the day I got it, I work on it myself so I know pritty much everything about the car. I would say any car now a days will last as long as U take care of it. My sister has a Ford aerostar van with 185K miles on it and that hasn't fallen apart in 10 years so I would say the maxima would hold up right with the camry and accord. also another thing U have to consider, about 80% of maxima owners drive the hell out their cars vs a camry or accord owner so just a few things to think about when the reliability issue comes into play.

This forum is maybe 10% of maxima public out on the road. If U tell me that Toyota and Honda sell more camry and accords then Nissan sells maxima I would say NO, WHY, HOW MENY V6 LE AND XLE Camrys U see on the Road and How meny V6 Accords U see on the road vs the Maxima that only comes in a V6. Sure overall they sell more but compare apples to apples.

 

Consumer Reports reliability ratings for the Maxima are on par, if not better, than those for a Camry or Accord over the past ten years. Check it out. The 2000 Maxima is a new model and new models usually have some bugs that need to be worked out in the first model year of production. I doubt that they would affect reliability over the long term.

 

The max is super relaible! All cars have problems here and there. Go and see some message boards for accords and camrys..you'll see the same stuff that is on here. Also, lots of the guys ( and gals) on Maxima.org. drive the sh*$ out of their cars..meaning racing ..etc... As an everyday driver, you should see very few problems.

If you see, most of the problems posted on here are regarding rattles!

 

The Maxima has excellent reliability (current Consumer Reports rating), but its not perfect. This board represents less than 1 tenth of owners in the US. Seeing that there are 2600 subscribers and there are over 1 million Maximas on the road.

We tend to beat on our cars more than the average public. So far I've had problems with my rotors, TCM, and the early 2000 bumper scratch.

 

14k enjoyable miles on 2k SE stick. Not a squeak, not a burp, not a shake, 24/29.5 mpg average. Just wish the styling was a little less tacky (but I can't see it while I'm driving).

Dave

 

OOOOOOH man, Pioneer....Lemme take a picture of the Odometer on my dads 88 Aerostar. I believe it is somewhere around 540,xxx miles. NO BS, bought brand new and I'm sure he changed the oil every 3K. It has rust, but its pretty old. Its only had 1 tranny changed...I'M TAKING THIS PICTURE THIS WEEKEND

 

WOW...Thats a lot of miles....Post it...I want to see it too.

 

Mike, Nissans are very reliable cars. My family, as well as other family members own Nissans and they are great. No complaints here, and I think they've been more refined over the years. Personally, I wouldn't go with a Honda because of the high theft rates of Hondas here in Hawaii. But in your experiences with Hondas and Toyotas, I know the reliability that you are talking about. The main reason why we decided on a Maxima was because it "blends sporting performance with the Japanese reliability" like you said. We also keep cars for a long time, since we can't afford to change cars every 5 years, and as long as you take care of it it'll take care of you, like Pioneer says. I truely think that everyone who has posted so far on this topic has a strong case as far as reliability/quality goes. Good luck on your next purchase, hopefully it'll be a Maxima!

 

I want to assure you that the Maxima is a very safe purchase. I have seen a lot of people post things on this board about the trunk scratching the bumper; the fan blower (air conditioning) making a noise; brake rotors being warped; just to name a few. My Maxima is an early off unit, produced in June 1999. Had it for almost a year and a half (20,000 miles) and I have had NONE of these problems.

I have looked at Hondas (wouldn't ever consider an UGLY Camry) and the Accord is just "ok". It's refined and all that, but when it comes to nice little touches like ALL the power window / door lock switches being illuminated it just doesn't cut it. And when you talk about power, well the Accord is lacking. Not to mention it doesn't come standard with a V6.

Test drive a Maxima after driving an Accord. That will make your decision easier.

 

i've had my car for little over a year.
i've racked up over 32,000 miles just last year.
and i've also worked on my car including my y-pipe this week.
it maxima was not reliable, i would've seen many problems by now...since i'm taking apart parts and putting them back together...

well, don't worry about a reliability issues. i'm not saying all nissans are perfect and reliable, but that also applies to hondas and toyotas.
i've seen people driving accords and camrys and had numerous problems with their cars.
but i have yet to met a person who had so many problems with their maximas....

besides, in japan, nissan and toyota are rated as top-quality cars...not Honda...

 

Mike,

Aside from the Maxima being an extremely reliable car, IMO it can not be compared with the Accord or Camry anymore. I feel Maxima is another step beyond Accord or Camry. Maxima is an exciting vehicle to drive, Accord and Camry bore me. The best way to describe a Maxima is 4DSC!

Mark

 

The Maxima is a good car. Some ppl have trouble with the first production models (mine has a manufacture date of 4/99, and I still don't have any real problems). I had a Sentra before my max with over 100k on it. The only major problem I had with it was the A/C compressor went out once -- under warranty and was replaced for free. That's it. That car never once left me stranded.

We complain a lot coz we're really into our cars. Even with the Bose unit pumping, I can still hear the tiniest squeek or rattle (while my friends in the car look at me like I'm nuts coz they don't notice anything).

We're just always looking for things to fix/mod on our cars!

 

MMMMMM......the supercharger.....mmmmmm......