Had an '85 Accord prior to the max. Chose the max since it was the only decent car in my price range with a V6 + manual tranny option. I considered the 255hp more of a bonus (almost 3x more power than the old Accord!!)

 

A 91 Nissan 300zx Twin Turbo in mint condition with 56,000. SHOULD HAVE KEPT IT. 400hp

 

1999 Ford Contour SVT

Purchased the '03 GLE because I was tired of getting my a$$ handed to me by a bigger automatic 4 door car...


Actually, at the time my wife was driving 90+ miles a day back and forth to work/home from in between Athens, GA and where she worked (on the west side of ATL), through the most horrid traffic ever, while driving s standard tranny...

 

I drove a 1996 nissan maxima gle for my first car. I put a weapon r intake and ram air into it. Thats it for performance mods. But now i have a 2002 maxima modified.

 

Traded the 87 Maxi for an 02 Max. I originally didn't want too, but my
wife blind sided me and bought the 02 Max for me. Now I don't feel so
bad in losing the 87 Maxi. I miss her voice though....

Mike

 

91 300zx 2+2, 93 se camry 5sp, 93 v8 grand cherokee, 97 se max still own and my 03 TE max. I was going to buy a used 2k gs300 but it was the same price as a new max so i got the max.

 

I had a '97 Max SE 5-speed, bought it new and totalled it in 3/03. Bought an 02 Max auto 2 weeks later. I wanted to buy another Max because my previous Max never let me down for the entire time I owned it. Did not have any major problem with it. I wanted to by the 6-speed, but could not find it (needed a car quick). I love my Maxes.

 

1998 Honda Accord V6.

Modded with bolt ons, no prpblems.

Wanted a 6-speed and the dealer gave me much more than I owed on the Accord. Happy with the choice.

 

There are lots of 98-02 Accord V6 converts.

 

2000 mazda 626 ES_V6 5spd (170 hp) so damn you can imagine how the max felt when i drove it.

 

I especially can't believe how many coupe owners converted.

Keep them coming guys.

[QUOTE=SteVTEC]There are lots of 98-02 Accord V6 converts. QUOTE]

 

'51 Chevy Truck 6-cyl 3-spd w/granny gear
'87 S-10 4-cyl 4-spd
'80 Z-28 bought for $300, sunk $2K into the 355 ci small block alone-sold due to ignition issues
'92 Saturn SL-1 after graduating HS
'87 Z-28 305 ci carborated 5-spd, hit in driver's side
About 30 others as demo's (sales consultant for Saturn)
'97 Saturn SL-2 loaded

Which leads us to my Maxima purchase. Bought a 2002 because a guy I work with had a 2000. I liked the thought of 255 hp even after I heard about the wrong numbers. Didn't really matter after I drove it.
'02 Maxima SE Auto

 

2000 Honda Civic Si - Needed more displacement, torque, room, luxury, better-built, safer car..

 

my 02 GLE is essentially my first car...i picked it out because of the power mostly. overall, the car is ok. perhaps it's not the perfect car for me. if i had to do the process over, i would probably pick something with better quality, more solid construction and give up some power. V6 passat or 325i even. the cabin noise (road, wind, etc), flimsy doors, cheap leather, and thin paint bother me the most.

point is that i think i'm one of those who fell for the nissan marketing, big time :-)

 

V6 pASSat, heh... trade in the max then

 

Just another case of VQ envy.

 

First car '91 Buick Skylark 2.5l 4cyl
Then got 2-yr old '99 Alero GL (2.4l 4cyl) coupe. Car was great for about the first year and a half until I moved to Michigan and winter really kicked it's butt. Was in and out of service shop frequently and developed some annoying squeaks and a bad smell. Extended warranty was running up, so wanted to get out while I could. Wanted a '00-'02 A4 1.8T or 2.8 but was hard to find a stick, and they were so expensive! Z28 or SS was not practical for all year driving. My Boyfriend was looking at an '03 Altima 3.5 SE and I really liked that car and kinda got sold on Nissans. After seeing a Polished Titanium on a delivery truck, the car was stuck in my head, man, what a hot car!! Wanted something more reliable and powerful than my Alero and Maxima fit that. Ironically, I hated '00 Maxima's design, did not care for the droopy-butt look. Now, it doesn't bother me. Did not know about HID theft and thin paint prior to purchase, and while disappointing, still would do over again. Optimistic HP claims also don't sway me, as car feels very quick to me.

I know I don't have 1000 posts, but I am somewhat of a to both this board and to Nissans so I figured I'd post my story too. Sorry so long

 

2001 mitsu galant es.....18s...eibach coilovers...image intake....impo muffler.....and then came a tree....equals dead galant

 

When my son got his learner's permit, he had enough to buy a car (99Civic EX). Since he couldn't drive it by himself, I got rid of the 95 Grand Caravan, and was going to car shop the following August.

In June, the wife's A/C acted up in her 91 Previa, and we needed a car that could carry all of us, and have A/C.

The 255 HP attracted me, but it was the test drive and the 6sp that sold me on a 2k2 SE 6sp.

(not quite a newbie, but far from frequent poster)

 

How sad am I....95 max 5 speed, 00 max 5 speed, then 2002 Max 6 speed. Liked the extra power and the extra gear. Actually gets better mpg than the other two I had. Sold the 95 to a guy on the .org for a very fair price and it has over 130K miles on her now. Guy I sold the 99 to modded it and he autocrossed it.

 

I traded a 98 mustang gt conv. I have been a Ford guy since day 1 and fell in love with the Max after driving one as a rental. :newbie

 

Traded in 2kSE for 2k4SL. Decision not based on hp marketing.

 

92 Mercedes 300E

 

2001 Toyota Tundra Limited Edition.

 

Lets look at it this way..

Had a 95 PGT. I loved that car. It was very solid...Paint SUCKED, but it was BETTER than the Maxima paint. And NO rattles for a 6 year old sports car with 100K on it.

At the time many were telling me to wait for the 2k2 to come out. I opted to buy my 2K1, regardless of the power. I was worried what problems would show up on a "first" year platform. And, to this day I do not regret it.

I bought my 2k1 for HP/Manual reasons. I also thought I was going to get better paint than what was on my PGT...SURPRISE, I was way wrong. The paint on the Maxima is WORSE.

This is my last Nissan. The marketing charge BS, the salesmen lack of knowledge and the el crappo service departments. To bad, some of their cars are nice...but Burn me once.....I spend lots of money on cars...if a company cant give me support when I NEED if versus the **** they call service now...SEE YA!

And I go through cars like water...ask my wife...I am looking again and Nissans/Infinitis are NOT on the list.

 

90 SE maxima
I have loved maximas ever since that one. Still do.

 

I traded my '98 Nissan Frontier, I always wanted a Max and finally took the plunge. I was willing to wait for the '04 until I saw it.

 

I traded my 2000 Civic LX (sedan) for the 2002 Maxima SE in July 2002 because my pregnant wife couldn't wait until September 2002 for me to buy the G35. (She didn't want to climb up into her SuperCrew anymore.) I was waiting for September because there would be running changes to the 2003 G35 like standard Xenon's and a different trunk treatment in addition to most of the initial production kinks/bugs being worked out.

BTW, because it was a manual and had a MUCH better suspension in stock form (IRS), my Civic was more fun to drive despite having 185/70 R 14 tires and only 106hp.

When the new Altima came out at the end of 2001, I wanted it. However, when I had to replace the Civic the Max had a better interior and (allegedly) 255hp, so I didn't even look at the Altima.

I've tried to get rid of it twice since then with no luck (resale value dropped excessively). I suppose I'll keep it for four years until my daughter is 5 and then get a true sports sedan.

 

I returned a 1999 Cadillac Catera that was a lemon and wanted a reliable, but fun to drive car. I had enjoyed my 1998 GLE (R.I.P.) until the day she was destroyed by an older Ford F-150 who hit me at 45 MPH when I was at a dead stop. I was shoved 20 feet forward into the back of a Chevy Malibu. The Maxima's trunk and engine compartments were demolished, the rear doors were pinched shut, but the main cabin was completely untouched other than that. No airbag deployment either.

So when I went to look at cars, Nissan was top on my list. I got the Maxima because I truely enjoy the car, as I did with my 1993 GXE and my 1998 GLE. And as if my signature doesn't give it away, I still will return to buy more. Oh, and I don't use the service department unless I have to, so service isn't really an issue with me.

 

1990 Olds Cutlass. couldn't complain about it. it was a good solid car.
went to a '97 stang GT. piece of crap.
and now happy with my '03 MAx. (except for the damn cut out on the radio. just replaced the second one)

 

i had a 96 infiniti i30 T than got a 00 Maxima

 

97 Chrysler Town & Country I got stuck with in a divorce. She got to keep my 89 Maxima! Dammit It's all good now...riding in the Gen5...but I still miss my 89!

 

98 Dodge Dakota Sport, Clubcab, 3.9V6

Had been considering trading the truck in for a few months, till it got totalled by a reckless taxi cab/van driver.. spent a month test driving the various midsized sedans..(Accord, Camry, A6).. nothing could compare to the feel of the Max.. Took me a while to find an 03 Majestic blue in the area (with low miles & in good shape), but am definitely very pleased I had the patience to stick it out & wait for my baby to come in.

 

1999 V8 SHO

 

Traded in a 99 Buick Regal GS with the supercharged 240hp 3.8. Put 95000 miles on it in just under 3 years. Liked the power, (I think it was quicker than my 03 GLE Auto).

But in under 3 years, the cat died, the window lifts twice, (the first one on the second day of ownership), the seat belts jammed, the Monsoon stereo head unit and speakers died, several tail lights went repeatedly, and the air conditioning compressor rip'd.

Engine & tranny still ran like new. Warranty was about to expire at 100K, and I was getting nervous, needing a car that was fast, reliable, and can deal with 30K a year. Not just the engine, that Buick 3800 is about as reliable as they come, but the rest of the car too.

I think my Max was the best choice - but I do miss the stealth of the SC'd Buick. Most ricers never saw it comin...

 

Well My first car was a 98 Explorer which I pretty much hated got rid of that and bought a 2001 Maxima SE. I really loved my 2001 but once I test drove a 2003 Maxima SE back in March, I knew I had to trade it in my 2K1 for the 2k3. So I said **** it and finally did it.

 

I traded in my '97 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP sedan. It had 240hp V6, but only 'cuz of the supercharger. I've always liked the idea of a sleeper - a car nobody would expect could blow the tires of their POS Ford/Mopar. Tranny was going out on the GTP (too much torque), and liked the jump to 255hp (so I was told), as well as the good track record Maximas had for repair, or lack thereof. Still happy with the purchase, but wish JDM parts were as easy to find as they are for Hondas.

 

Not a newb AND not a 2K2+.

Jeez...grumpy.

 

1989 GXE 115 k miles and ran great. Was still solid, no rattles, great pick up and handling. Had just a few annoying little problems like the power antenna quit working. Other than normal maintenance no problems. Would have kept it if I had had a place to keep it. It was the best car I have owned so far. Traded it in on a 2k3 GXE (which was really hard to find). So far it is an extremely fine automobile and I don't understand all the criticism you guys dump on the 5th gen Max's.

 

Hey, I am in this boring town of Varkaus in nowhere Finland. I get a Get out of jail free card for this tour of duty!!!



By the way, I have driven a few Opel and Citroens and Volvos. They all need to talk to Nissan and let Nissan either buy their trannies or tell them how to make/buy a tranny that does not feel like rubber! These cars dont have serious HP, but man...the snick-snick of the gearbox is SOOOO much more enjoyable then the "hmmm, I wonder if its actually in gear" of the Nissan gearbox! And these are wagons and other "notchback" type cars.