Peanuthead

iTrader: (9)

I'm looking to replace my daily driver ('00 Frontier Desert Runner) with either a '01 AE Max fully loaded with leather or a '02 Max SE with cloth. They both have near the same mileage, price and both are automatics. The only difference is the motor (I just want to use 87 octane as much gas as I burn) and certain creature comforts (leather) really. I'm just sort of torn on which one to get. I really like the AE but I alos like the fact that HIDs are stock on a '02. Is the cloth interior on the '02 chessy feeling with little support or what? I just need some direction on this. TIA.

sickmax

iTrader: (17)

thats a tough decision. i can always up grade the head lights on the 01 and ae are Very rare. do u plan on moding or driving stock.. also both motors are recomended u use 91 + octane garoline

Peanuthead

iTrader: (9)

I will probably just keep it stock. Good brakes and suspension is most likely the extension of me modding it. Both motors are good, reliable and torquey so I really don't need to have gobs or power on hand so to speak. I have a Se-r to beat on if I need to. I know 91 is recommended so I think I will just have to bite the bullet.

Off topic: Could you PM me on what the headlights would be upgradeable to? I've seen HIDs but I don't like idea or complexity of the wiring on my daily.

bigmike8771

imo id go with the 02, bigger engine, more power... who needs leather, forget it freeze your *** of in the winter, and burn it in the summer... just my .02...btw i have cloth in mine its feels fine to me.

duderiffic

Yea, cloth interior is for base model pickup trucks. I'd take the AE with leather.

Is $4 a fill-up really that painful for premium? (Honest question) I think most people don't break it down, as gas has gone up so much in price think about how much cheaper premium gas has become as a precentage...

$1.20 v $1.00 is a 20% increase (I can see complaining about that! )

But $3.20 v. $3.00 is a 6.7% increase... which is just noise in a years worth of buying gas. You're looking at another $16 a month if you fill up 4 times which is probably around 15k+ of driving a year

OutMaxxed

iTrader: (7)

well if your not concerned with power then take the 01 AE. I have an 00 SE and my mom has an I35. Her infiniti is a hell of alot faster. I really think you should go out and drive both. As for the cloth vs. leather thing, i really like leather. To me looking at a nice car like the max and then seeing cloth inside jus makes my face frown =/. Like the other guy said, you can always up grade to HID's and since you said your not going to mod it besides the suspension get the AE. It has the AE kit on it and EVERYTHING else.

MaximaGT-R

iTrader: (7)

well i would say the 02 for the fact that you said they are almost the same price and if you think about it you will be getting a bigger motor more power for the bucks.

rmd0311

iTrader: (4)

Same mileage... I would say 01 because its fully loaded. But you should drive both. The one in the better condition you take. I would prefer the 01 AE.

HotshotVQ35

iTrader: (5)

get the 02. bigger motor, way better looking seats, HIDs, dont have to worry about coil problems, just burning lots of oil instead

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

I think the cloth on the 5th gens is actually really nice. I have leather but would much rather cloth...easier to maintain; more comfortable; your back doesn't get stuck to the seat on long trips; not hot in summer and freezing in the winter, etc.

However, both are very good cars. My mom's 00 max has over 230k miles on it right now and it still runs very nicely. Mine has actually given me less problems than hers did up to 60k miles (she had to replace the coils and MAF at 60k and I've only had to replace the tranny under warranty and my rear VC was leaking but not broken) but since 60k she's only had to replace 2 motor mounts which I think is damn good for a car with that mileage...not sure how well mine's going to hold up but I hope as good as hers. I would just go test drive both and see what you think, because they're both excellent cars and if you take care of them (no 87 octane gas here..) they'll both last

realtor

Get the '02. I used to own 2 '03s (one was totaled by my son when he was 14 and took it for a spin without permission and the other became my ex-wife's car after the divorce). Both had cloth seats and I prefer them over leather b/c Nissan uses cheap leather that gets very wrinkled and brittled prematurely. Besides you'll get a more powerful engine (by using 93 octane gas) and HID xenon headlights. Now I own an '02 that I just bought 3 weeks ago with cloth and it's in better shape than the '03 that I lost to the divorce b/c I'm no longer taking care of the one my ex-wife owns. She only puts gas in the tank and drives.

jvelos3

iTrader: (2)

02. its newer...plain and simple

u also get HID and the bigger motor will feel much better for city driving premium is recomended for both. and leather is over rated.

oldmanshirt

I really like the cloth in my 2k2, it almost feels like terry cloth and I even had a person ask me one time if it was suede. And with the SE you still get leather on the steering wheel and shift ****, so you're still touching leather in the places where you can really feel it. I went from a 2k1 GXE to a 2k2 SE, and almost everything that bugged me on the 2k1 (seats, cheap feeling cupholder lid, grab handles, steering wheel cover, the way the headlights looked) was upgraded on the 2k2. Plus you get the HIDs and one-touch up/down windows on BOTH sides! And have I mentioned the 33 extra horsepower?

pbn85

iTrader: (8)

I LOVE the cloth in my 2k3...Im not just saying it b/c I have it. everyone who sits in my car always says how comfy it is

CaTalyst.X

iTrader: (6)

The leather is not that great, Nissan does use cheap leather in the older max's, i have an 01 AE with leather and the rear is very good but the front is getting rippled and brittle

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

^^ my mom's 5th gen has over 230k miles on it and the leather is actually still in remarkably good condition. I think the 5.5 gen leather is a lot nicer, but the 5.0 gen leather still is pretty good...

chris in va

If I may point out one thing...

The absolute lowest gas mileage I've seen on my '00 is 20mpg, with mostly in-town driving. The highest has been 29 on a long trip from VA-NJ-PA-NJ-WV-VA, and that was a lot of mountain driving at 75mph.

So don't balk at using premium on the Max. It's worth it.

Apparition

iTrader: (5)

AE= wow factor+

'02= power+

lowincash

iTrader: (2)

you can't go wrong with the 02...with the 02's you can roll down your front windows with your stock remote it's just a cool feature haha plus the front end looks a lot better (that's main reason i bought the 02 than the 01 when i was looking for a maxima i was about to get a 6th gen but i like the 5.5gen look a lot more) front bumper, headlights, and side skirts look great! only thing i didn't like was the ugly chrome tail lights on the 02's =/ but i fixed that by getting the 00-01 black se ones

the car is just so much fun to drive and even after a year i still can't wait to get off work to drive home and as for the leather...i would never get a car without leather, it just makes the car a lot better looking and very classy lol the leather on my maxima is softer than the ones on my 2000 accord v6 so i'm pretty happy with them...never had a problem. good luck with your car shopping.

oldmanshirt

I must've missed something...how exactly do you do that?

Trurida18

iTrader: (4)

thats what im wondering

lowincash

iTrader: (2)

you just hold on to the unlock button and the window will roll down. i can't use that feature anymore since i don't use my stock remote.

oldmanshirt

I just tried it, THAT IS THE COOLEST FEATURE EVER! You can even roll them down part way by letting off the button.

duderiffic

Hahaha... I had read that at one point looking at the Maxima's features, but never saw how to do it (I'm still waiting on delivery of my Maxi) I couldn't find anything so I'm glad to know that other people are equally clueless. Near pointless gee-whiz feature, but I'd rather have it than not. Can you roll the windows up in any way?

ouzo99max

iTrader: (2)

i thought the '02 was a stick, i saw the poll from the main page and didn't see the thread beforehand. I guess I would still go with the 2002. It just looks better overall. If you want luxury buy the I35 or I30, thats just my thinking.

oldmanshirt

For some reason, you can't roll them up...which kinda defeats the purpose a bit At least, i couldnt figure out how to do it.

Larrio Motors

iTrader: (23)

the AE is just a fancy fully loaded SE. IMO, the determining factor shouldn't be for the leather, heated seats, and sun roof.

The only advantage the AE has is the VLSD transmission and the body kit (assuming you are not modifying both vehicles). Everything else is a waste of money and trust me, the leather isn't to die for (I prefer cloth so I don't slide around so much).

02+ has more capability to lug around the 5th gen's extra weight, more hi-tech motor, and pretty much the same interior wise to the 00-01's for relatively the same or slightly more than an AE.

Peanuthead

iTrader: (9)

The more I hear from everyone here, look at other modified Max's and think about it...it makes more sense for the '02. I forgot about the sunroof until now. I really do want one too.

matts95max

iTrader: (11)

remember the oil burnin problem...just take that into consideration

Dust N Bones

iTrader: (1)

One thing to consider is that the 3.0 VQ's are considered bullet proof. Luckily I've had no problems with my '02 3.5L but many have experienced oil burning issues. Having said that though I've owned both a 5th gen and now a 5.5 gen and the 5.5 gens are way nicer IMO. If you think you'll be happier with leather but really want a 5.5 gen just wait and look for a loaded '02 or '03.

steves01max

Base your decision on which one is in better condition. If the AE edition is in mint condition jump on it, you dont see many of them. I just bought one, Black on Frost fully loaded and just having the options there is nice to know. I originally wanted an 02-03 max but couldnt find one that was well taken care of or had decent mileage. My car is in perfect condition and runs smooth. Granted it doesnt have the 3.5L engine but the 3.0L has plenty of power. Plus the AE gets a lot more attention than any 02-03 stock maxima. They just have a more aggressive stance with the kit and gray rims along with the blacked out headlights. Both are hot cars and and the driving factor that made me want an 02 with everything but leather was the engine and minor interior differences. Other than that, theyre still both maximas. Just make sure u get something thats in good condition, cuz if something goes on these cars right away soon after u buy it, theres a good chance that something else is also waitin to go.

707SE

iTrader: (2)

He brings up a good point. They're both Max's in the end and I personally don't think you could go wrong either way. I'd love to have gotten leather in my 02 but the cloth is way above average and is high in quality IMO.

I personally prefer the styling on the 5.5 specifically the headlights. I did swap out my taillights last weekend to 01's. I plan on blackening the headlights. Any feature that sticks out to you on the 01 is usually fairly easy to add to the 02.

It's ultimately up to you though. For the record I haven't had any probs with burning oil...knock on wood.

rmd0311

iTrader: (4)

Wao., this is seriously pretty evenly matched... Let us know which way you go...

silversurfersg

I love my AE for its stock body kit, chrome and awesome interior. I used to drive a mustang so the speed loss is tough. Honestly I was making the same choice and went with looks over performance. I think another factor is manual vs Auto. If you get auto totally got AE. If you get a stick ull definitely have more fun with the 02.

ptviperz

Not pointless at all if you live in Florida, roll down your windows on the way to the car and let all that hot air out before you ever get in the car. I even have 18% all the way around.

Trurida18

iTrader: (4)

DAMMIT cant do that with the 01!

00MaxSE

iTrader: (25)

AE FTW! But be sure to check for paint chips. on the hood and bumper.

Woody

iTrader: (1)

well I don't think that there is much to decide over. More power, better looking, 6 speed, takes better to mods, hids, better interior (cluster, seats, ect).

Just make sure that you don't buy one that had been beat to **** from the get go. I think that leads to most of the oil issues.

I put over 60k hard miles on my 02 in one year and have no issues at all. 83k miles right now.

aamir

iTrader: (2)

This feature also worked on my 1995 Maxima. Did Nissan stop using it for the 5th gens and then start using it again on the 5.5's? Anyway, I recently bought my 2002 Maxima and am extremely happy with it. I love it, but sometimes I do wish I had gotten cloth instead of leather. Good luck with your purchase.

Rydicule

Leather interior FTW!!!

Either go with the AE or hold out for a loaded 5.5. Don't settle on anything, this is gonna be your car for a while, you gotta love it.