I am planning on buying a 5th gen (selling my 2nd gen ). I would like to know what major problems I should be looking for that are common to a 5th gen(i.e VIAS problem, etc). In other words, how do I know they have this problem?? are they going to be so very obvious that I shouldn't even be asking this???

 

i have a 2k with 116k miles on it original owner, and well maintained. only had two major problems(knock on wood)

1. Needed a new cat at 112k
2. MAF at 116k

all other repairs were normal maintenance ie brakes, tires, lights, etc

 

Coils, MAF, hubs, VIAS, exhaust rust off in no time, paint that comes off the car if you look at it wrong, OEM brakes are a joke and pads are the butt of the joke, o2 sensors, pre-cats...

I am sure I missed a few...

 

get a 5.5 gen!

 

same question here, except i dont have a 2nd gen to sell. so yeh, how do we find if our potential cars ahve these problems?

 

Then all of those problems still are there, except the VIAS... Just replace that with oil burning.

 

ooh burn!

Yes, again, VIAS, bearings, rotors, coils, MAF's, exhaust rust, 5.0 gen passenger side axle brackets... That's all I can think of right now.

 

When I got my 2002 SE I had to replace all 4 brakes and pads, get 4 matching tires, 4 wheel alinment (sp?), oil change, and new battery.

The car had 55k miles on it and I paid $16,500 2 years ago.

 

any thoughts on the 01 se ae, 00 se or 02/03 se?it will be manual for sure. are there any other major changes other than 3.0 vs. 3.5L engines, 5spd vs. 6spd, halogen vs HID? i'm not a big fan of the 02/03 head/tail lights

 

It all depends... I went more on budget, mileage and condition rather than 5 or 5.5th Gen.

I wanted a reliable, nice, semi sporty sedan. I found an 01 with 50k and jumped on it. The only thing I hated was the headlights, which I changed out for the 02/03 HIDs.

 

I'm an original owner of a Merlot AE with manual transmission and about 70k miles.

One big difference in manual transmissions with the switch to the 3.5 was the manual linkage mechanism - which went to cables in '02 (I think it had to do with some kind of clearance issue with the 3.5 wouldn't allow a direct rod linkage). Cable linkages give a bit more rubbery feeling than solid rods, IMHO.

Also, the 3.0 throttle is directly connected to the gas pedal. Blipping the throttle to match revs on the 3.0 is instantaneous. I haven't driven a Maxima with the 3.5; but I have driven an '06 G35; and that delay with the computer controlled throttle was a big turn-off to me. I started to give up on instant throttle response as an evil trade-off of computer controlled throttles for emissions control purposes; but I discovered the '07 Acura TL-S is almost as responsive as my '01 Max. A friend who works in engine control systems suggested the throttle delay on some cars is a software solution to filtering out dirty signals to the engine control computer (assuming common denomitor on flywheel mass, turbo or not, etc. that would also affect throttle response).

Now, to make folks take my post with a grain of salt: My Max is for sale on Cars.com in the Midwest US (Indiana). (Sorry can't post it on this site - too much of a newbie - lost my original handle and password from 2001 when I was all over this site doing research)...

 

A lot of good information. The 00-01 5-speeds are definitely good cars. My mom's auto went to 240k before we sold it. I definitely prefer rod to cable shifters so IMO the 5-speed feels better but it's still nothing to write home about. In general, maxima transmissions just don't feel very good. However they're still MUCH more fun to drive than an auto.

The 3.5 has much more low end torque to get you around town and better highway mileage, but I think the 5.0 gen is more reliable (particularly the transmission).

 

I'm in the same shoes and will probably be looking for a 5 or 5.5 gen in the future. Can you guys restate those common problems but with short descriptions of each and if possible, how common they are? It would be a great help to noobs such as myself. I'm still deciding on 5 or 5.5, I need the car to be very very reliable till at least 135k miles, as in no taking it to the shop and blowing money on it. I'd imagine the 6spd is more fun to drive than the 5spd even if it "feels worse" right?

Oh BTW, I'm coming from the Spec V Sentra forums so I know about some of Nissans most infamous problems...

 

5.0 gen: Solid car. The 01's have the updated MAF and coils so they generally don't have as many problems with those as the 00 maxima. My mom replaced her MAF and coils on her 00 with 01 parts at 60k miles and they lasted all the way to 240k. The only other thing she replaced on that car was the motor mounts. VERY reliable.

5.5 gen:
-A lot of people have 3rd gear synchro issues. The gear grinds a little going into third gear at higher RPMs. It doesn't affect the driveability (at least it didn't for me) but it's kind of annoying. I got it fixed under warranty.
-Some VQ35s are oil burners. We've basically isolated the issue to the piston rings, but the issue doesn't affect the majority of the cars out there (though the percentage affected is kind of uncomforting..).

The 5.5 gen is much more fun to drive than the 5.0, but some people like the smoothness of the VQ30 over the VQ35. The only thing I can advise is to do some high RPM shifts (>3k rpms) into third gear on a test drive, and also ask someone to rev the engine near redline and check if a decent amount of smoke comes out the exhaust. The smoke 'test' isn't definitive by any means but if you notice a large amount it might be an oil burner so you should ask them to monitor the oil level a couple thousand miles after you buy the car. If it burns oil, try to get it replaced under warranty.

My car has been pretty solid. I had the synchro issue and an o2 sensor go out on me, but the engine doesn't burn a drop of oil and it still runs very good at 67k.

 

So even the the 5spd "feels better" the 6spd is more fun to drive? Also, is there anyway to know if it burns oil besides the smoke test, maybe like a certain range of VIN's had the problem while others didn't?

I'm in no rush to buy a car right now so I have all the time I need to find a great deal and I'm looking for a fully loaded manual with under 50k miles. What would be a price for an 03 and an 01 that if I saw I would be an idiot to pass up?

(sorry for thread jacking, I hate this 15 post minimum to post new thread rule )

 

Well the reason the 6-speed is 'more fun to drive' is pretty much because it's faster. lol. Like I said earlier, I'd much rather the rod shifter on the 5-speeds than the cable shifter on the 6-speeds.

Nissan hasn't formally acknowledged that there is an issue with oil consumption in the VQ35DE. This is because it's basically in every single vehicle on their lineup and it would cost more to fix the problem currently than to lose a few customers I guess...stupid but that's how the world works. That being said, there's no announced range of vin numbers that are affected, and as far as I can see, it affects a pretty decent amount. We've seen issues with both 2002 and 2003 MY cars but the 6th genners don't seem to be catching it although I'm sure it will become more common with them as they have the same rings as us. It's the most common in the RWD rev-up VQ35 seen in the 2005+ Z/G's.

Honestly, just let the dealer know when you're buying that you understand there is a problem, and that if your car does have the problem they need to fix it. The only way to do this is to monitor oil levels over time, so I would definitely get one with >60k miles that's still under the Nissan powertrain warranty.

 

2000 Maxima

MAF a while back (while in warranty) = Free; One axle replaced = $300; Cat seems to be gone. Other than that it's a great car.

 

I'm assuming you meant less than 60K?

 

2k maxima

1.ignition coils
2. O2 Sensors
3.Front rotors/pads tend to wear quickly unless you get a brake kit.
4.MAF
5.Sunroof switch fuse blows (pretty common, sunroof gets stuck and have to push it again)

 

2k2 se...

1) definitely front brakes...

2) if you get an se with 17" rims, beware the tires are a little more expensive to replace

3) if you get one w/ the bose cd changer it has a common defect that is not cheap to fix if its out of warranty, even putting an aftermarket stereo in it requires an adapter to fit

not at all a big deal but a few things to to think about.

hope you get one...i love mine more and more everyday!

 

Coils, pads and rotors, MAF.

 

There have been tons of threads on this, no need for another one.