Hey guys,

My buddy's looking to get an 00 or 01 Maxima. He's looking at different cars, and asked me what he should look out for. I advised him to find a 5-spd, but if he was looking at automatics he should check the trans fluid to make sure it was nice and cherry colored. Also, I suggested he check the underside of the car for leaks, CVbooot condition, etc. Off the top of my head I couldn't think of much else...

Is there anything that he should specifically check in an 00 or 01 before buying?

 

I have a 2000 GLE. It had Engine Coil problems that hit me around 43k miles. I'd go with a 2001 model if you can. Check out the rear tray rattle too when you turn up the base.

 

Demand the maintenance history for the vehicle. I am constantly amazed that buyers don't obtain this. I would be somewhat skeptical about buying a car if the owner/vendor didn't provide the mntce history, as it tells a lot about what has been done and consequently, what may need to be done.

 

Yeah, the maintenance history is key, I already advised him to do so and he agreed it was important. I was just looking for anything specific to the 5th gen cars, to watch out for - common problems, unusual traits or tendancies. I don't really expect there to be much since the Maxima is such a high-quality car, but I figured I'd check with the 5th gen folks...

anybody with other thoughts?

 

Look out for that small 3.0L engine.

 

rotors wear out quickly, mass air flow sensor issues, many have experienced the catalytic converters and/or ecu faulty causing the P0420 code. Dealers sometimes can fix this. Watch for tranny slippage if it auto.

 

Just watch out for faulty coil packs

 

cheap paint

 

Hey now...

So coil packs will cause irregular firing, correct? Therefore if an engine is idling and revving smoothly, there should be no coil pack issues (yet). How much do they cost to replace (I've never had to replace one). Should my friend demand to have the computer codes pulled at the dealer to prove that there are none in the system (there can be silent codes, correct?).

 

Unlikely you'll see any problems at idle. Usually you get detonation under load that you wouldn't normally get. Frequently no codes - but if you do get one - 1320 it will set the light off.

 

Brakes .... It would be great if the front rotors were replaced with aftermarket (originals are crap). Rear deck rattle ... Turn the audio up, listen for rattles. Hopefully it was already taken care of. There is a TSB on this. Original rear suspension is too spongy with three or more adults inside. The best thing to do is get a '02, all these things and more were corrected in the '02, and even more in the '03.

 

Get an '02-'03...an extra gear. +0.5L, and DDEs are reason enough!

 

Relying on the codes to detect any problems is fairly, well, unreliable. Those codes can be cleared with the proper equip. And they usually take a bit of time to come back, probably quite a bit after the dealer's sold you the car. Just my $.02...

 

I agree with you whole-heartedly...but I'm not the one buying the car and I don't think horsepower is priority one for my friend (he's also looking at a 5-spd Altima 2.5S). Having driven my dad's '02, I have come to love the VQ35.

What are DDE's?

This is very true...I don't know if this goes for the 5th gens, but you can clear the 4th gen codes with a screwdriver in about 60 seconds.