Hey Guys,

Tomorrow I will be taking delivery of my very first new car, a 2003 Maxima SE Titanium Edition fully loaded with Navi, it will be replacing my 1991 Maxima SE with in-dash Alpine DVD and screen. Upon taking delivery what kinds of things should I look for on the car that could possibly be wrong with it before I sign the papers? Also any rebates that I should be aware of? Thanks in advance.

 

obvious such as scratches/dings, that all applicable (and verifiable) TSBs have been complied with -verifiable 'cause some are only 'upon symptoms', that it has everything (manual, spare keys, jack, tools, etc.) it's supposed to have and that everything works.
Other than that, go enjoy!

 

Just make sure you inspect it during the day light and check every square inch of the paint. I noticed (but didn't say anything) a sub-surface dent on my rear driver's side door. It's wierd, the paint isn't damaged, but there is a dent underneath. Others have done this to their own Maxes accidentally with very little pressure so be careful (let the hood drop on it's own, don't push with your hands).

Other than that, mechanical stuff you can bring back...you will see a ton of threads on the 2k3 problems:

- Dim SES light
- Warped Rotors
- Flaking Rims (some people had this, not me)

To name a few. I've got the same exact car (except Bose, no Navi) and I absolutely love it. It's an awesome car, despite it's little quirks.

Congrats!

 

I've seen people do this with looking at houses and it probably would work well here. Compile a list of all the things you should check. Some of the items that I've seen/heard: paint good/no dents in body, lights working, radio/cd/navi/speakers, interior clean/no cuts in leather/seatbelts work, spare tire good/jack there, trunk clean, tires clean/no nails/caps included, etc. If you do this I think you should post it as in the FAQ's. You might also want to do a yahoo/google search and see if some other ORG has done this already.

 

If you dont want them to mess it up, tell them to leave the plastic on. Tell them you want every protective piece of plastic and cardbord still on the car when you get there.

Just roll it off the truck and wait for you to get there.

 

Do yourself a favour and ask the salesman for the keys before you finalize any paperwork. WITHOUT the salesman, sit in the car and go through every system one by one: engine,tranny,brakes,hvac,electrical(lighting,wind ows,door locks,seats,dash gauges),sound system,interior trim and then the exterior, body,engine bay,wheels and tires,glass, even take a look under the car. When you are satisfied that all is to you liking,return to close the deal and make mention and an appointment to correct what you don't like.Of course this once over must be performed in the daytime.I have followed this procedure for every car that I have owned and it has definitely been to my benefit. No BIG surprises when I arrived home with the car.
Good Luck and Welcome to the .Org