Drove the '02
08-25-2001, 09:03 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2001
Posts: 147
Okay, I am sure there are zillions of posts about driving the '02 so consider this a zillion and 1, hehe...
My neighbor is the finance guy at my local Nissan dealership and they got a Sterling Blue '02 in and he drove it home. Walked over, tossed me the keys and said have fun (he and his wife know i am a fanatic about maxima's!)
Let me tell you, I LOVE THIS CAR. The power blew me away. I can't believe how fast and quick they have made this car, even over the 2000-01 model.
My thoughts:
1. Engine power...F*cking awesome! That would be my selling point alone! Topped 135 in like no time at all with little effort quite honestly.
2. Gear Shift - Love it! Loved the fact a small movement put you into overdrive instead of the button. Looks classier too.
3. Gear switching - The automatic is much smoother than my '01, or it felt so. No jerking or hard changes when you punch it or anything.
4. Love the new radio/cd player and the options on it. Much more functionality than previous models.
5. Starting - Starts much better without the zoom when you start.
6. Headlights - Love them! Hate the fact that the fog lights aren't matching though. Takes away from the overall look of the new bulbs but still love the headlights.
7. Taillights - Like them, interested to see them on a white or black car. Not real partial to the blue color.
8. Temp guage on dash - Loved that! I love knowing temp all the time. Small function with big results.
9. Instrument guage - Love the 00-01 better, more titanium on it. The new ones only have titanium on speed and tach portions. 00-01 has it on gas and temp guages too.
10. Less noisy AC. AC was much less noisy from the outside. Apparently they noticed this and made changes. No roaring at full blast.
11. Less noisy at full throttle - I punched it from a standstill and you can hardly hear the cars external noises from the inside or outside. I have noticed you can hear the tailpipe some on the 00-01 models. Not on the 02.
12. Handling/Ride - The different suspension makes a big difference over bumps and for a smoother ride over the 00-01 models.
All in all, I love it. Didn't like the sticker price. The one I drove was fully loaded with every available option and the window MSRP was slightly under $35K.
One question...Are they changing the body style in '03 or '05. I've heard both so I'm not sure anymore. If you guys get a chance, GO DRIVE ONE! You will be VERY impressed!
My neighbor is the finance guy at my local Nissan dealership and they got a Sterling Blue '02 in and he drove it home. Walked over, tossed me the keys and said have fun (he and his wife know i am a fanatic about maxima's!)
Let me tell you, I LOVE THIS CAR. The power blew me away. I can't believe how fast and quick they have made this car, even over the 2000-01 model.
My thoughts:
1. Engine power...F*cking awesome! That would be my selling point alone! Topped 135 in like no time at all with little effort quite honestly.
2. Gear Shift - Love it! Loved the fact a small movement put you into overdrive instead of the button. Looks classier too.
3. Gear switching - The automatic is much smoother than my '01, or it felt so. No jerking or hard changes when you punch it or anything.
4. Love the new radio/cd player and the options on it. Much more functionality than previous models.
5. Starting - Starts much better without the zoom when you start.
6. Headlights - Love them! Hate the fact that the fog lights aren't matching though. Takes away from the overall look of the new bulbs but still love the headlights.
7. Taillights - Like them, interested to see them on a white or black car. Not real partial to the blue color.
8. Temp guage on dash - Loved that! I love knowing temp all the time. Small function with big results.
9. Instrument guage - Love the 00-01 better, more titanium on it. The new ones only have titanium on speed and tach portions. 00-01 has it on gas and temp guages too.
10. Less noisy AC. AC was much less noisy from the outside. Apparently they noticed this and made changes. No roaring at full blast.
11. Less noisy at full throttle - I punched it from a standstill and you can hardly hear the cars external noises from the inside or outside. I have noticed you can hear the tailpipe some on the 00-01 models. Not on the 02.
12. Handling/Ride - The different suspension makes a big difference over bumps and for a smoother ride over the 00-01 models.
All in all, I love it. Didn't like the sticker price. The one I drove was fully loaded with every available option and the window MSRP was slightly under $35K.
One question...Are they changing the body style in '03 or '05. I've heard both so I'm not sure anymore. If you guys get a chance, GO DRIVE ONE! You will be VERY impressed!
08-25-2001, 01:59 PM
#8
Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 256
I drove the '02 too and broke it!
On my way to work out last night, I decided to scan the Nissan lot for either a new Altima, or Maxima. As I drove up near the customer parking area, I spotted the Max and the HID front lights! the color was OK, it was some sort of blue-green (I forgot the exact name). The major options were; sunroof, leather, and Bose. Sticker was 29 and change.
So I decided to go in and set up a test drive for next week soemtime, thinking they were about to close (it was around 8pm) and the salesman says "take it out NOW", and he throw me the keys! I was so psyched about driving this car alone. This thing is soooo sweet. I normally hate automatics but I was very impressed with the performance of the auto. I pulled a few hole shots and it spun the front tires easily. Pick-up from 40-60 is awesome! The brakes were excellent with very little front dive during hard braking. The HID lights are stunning. Looks just like daylight for the first 15' or so in front of the car.
I don't understand (someone else mentioned this also)why they didn't have matching lenses on the fog-lights.
Anyway, as I head back to the dealer I decide to punch it one last time. This time, the power died and it felt like it was in "limp" mode. The service engine light also came on. I said "God, I hope I didn't blow this tranny"!
I get back to the dealer with a sad face and told the salesman what happened and he said, "no problem....we've been beating on the car all day...I'll just have the service guys look over it in the morning".
I was relieved, to say the least. I'm going to stop in tomorrow to see what the problem was and to take it for ANOTHER ride.
So I decided to go in and set up a test drive for next week soemtime, thinking they were about to close (it was around 8pm) and the salesman says "take it out NOW", and he throw me the keys! I was so psyched about driving this car alone. This thing is soooo sweet. I normally hate automatics but I was very impressed with the performance of the auto. I pulled a few hole shots and it spun the front tires easily. Pick-up from 40-60 is awesome! The brakes were excellent with very little front dive during hard braking. The HID lights are stunning. Looks just like daylight for the first 15' or so in front of the car.
I don't understand (someone else mentioned this also)why they didn't have matching lenses on the fog-lights.
Anyway, as I head back to the dealer I decide to punch it one last time. This time, the power died and it felt like it was in "limp" mode. The service engine light also came on. I said "God, I hope I didn't blow this tranny"!
I get back to the dealer with a sad face and told the salesman what happened and he said, "no problem....we've been beating on the car all day...I'll just have the service guys look over it in the morning".
I was relieved, to say the least. I'm going to stop in tomorrow to see what the problem was and to take it for ANOTHER ride.
08-25-2001, 04:36 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 3,628
umm i dont think i'll have any of my opinions given out about how the car performs.. some people say, "oh its nothing more than a 2000-2001 max with 222.. i dont feel the extra hp", others say "WOW I LOVE THE POWER". i was thinking it'd perform pretty damn well with the flatter power band and the extra hp with the 5900rpm max power... while the car shifts at 6000 something. but... i guess not, so until i drive it, i'll know. 
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