This thread is for max owners who have owned other cars (hondas, toyotas etc) in the past or present time.

How does your Max compare to the other brands??
How do you rate your max with your other cars in terms of ownership, maintenance costs, performance, reliability, comfort??
What's good and what's bad (there can be nothing ugly )about ur Max ??

Even though I have driven other cars, owning a car is quite different from just driving it now and then. My 2001 SE is my first car. So, I do not have many inputs except that my Max seem to be maintenance intensive and gas guzzler.

 

This 03 is my 2nd Max, I also owned a 97 SE that I'll be comparing as well. I'm comparing them to my 90 Saab 9000S and my 87 Saab 900S. The 87 Saab was great, gas wise and maintenance wise, I only replaced the battery and a few things here and there over a 2 yr period. The 9000S on the other hand had all kinds of expensive issues, starter, alternator twice, airbag sensor, transmission linkage O2 sensors, and coils.

The 97 Max was owned for 9 yrs and I spent a little over $2k dollars in repairs, I would buy that car back today if the guy would sell it. The 03 has been good, but its not good to me at the pump. I get about 280 to 310 miles per tank, while the 97 easily got 400 per tank.

I also just got a speeding ticket, (which I don't mind) (97mph in a 70). I hadn't received one since 2003 when I finally got the German Autobahn out of my system. The car drives so smooth, I personally give my 03 SE a B+ rating or on a 1-10 scale it definitely gets a 7.5 rating. I think the oil burning issues, and other common problems could be addressed better by Nissan.

 

My experience with 105,000KM(60,000MI) on it right now

The good: Agreesive look, loads of power, nice interior, and that VQ growl. I get plenty of compliments on my car. Mine does not burn any oil!

The bad: Maintenance intensive, not a very good aftermarket following, cheap paint.

At my age the Maxima is a ballin' car to own. And for the price, it wins hands down against the competition. This past year with my car was a pain, lots of things had to be replaced...some of which I feel shouldn't have to be. I want to keep my car for at least a few more years and right now it's running great. Overall, I like the car and have become very attached to her.

8.5/10

 

How old are you skidz? Born in 88? I was born in 88.

 

Yea, 19.

 

I am comparing the car to a few cars i owned/drove in the past (or still have).
I had Audi 100, '98 Corolla, 2004-2006 Hyundai Elantra & Sonata and now we also have Acura TSX.

Reliability - Compared to all the cars above....my 03' Maxima has been the most reliable car...no comparison, especially considering that the other cars had some problems even when they were newer. The Audi was the worst of all - lots of hard to do repairs and $$.

My Max has 107k miles now and it runs ALMOST perfect, except some rattles, clunks and poor paint on bumpers. I do take VERY good care of it. I always use Mobil 1 oil, i always check all fluids, i always keep up with maintenance....it is very well taken care of. Maintenance cost - not high compared to any other cars i had. I do a lot of things myself, i buy tires, filters and brakes online, i do the work myself....so you can see why the cost is low. I can't complain. This goes for the other cars i had too. The most expensive maintenance items i had to buy were for the Hyundais....due to fewer parts options.
TSX, Maxima, Audi, Corolla....were all easy on the pocket when it came to regular maintenance.

Build quality & final touches - i would have to rate the Maxima as "Average", almost disappointing. The car has some rattles and the road/tire noise are a HUGE problem for me. A lot of plastic inside - no sound insulation. This is "top of the line" Nissan, right?!
My 13 y/o Audi (with 190k miles) had fewer rattles, it was more quiet, and felt a lot more solid than my 3-4 y/o Maxima. I give the old Audi higher grade! Hyundai Sonata also feels better built with ZERO rattles after 60k+ miles - very solid and really quiet. Acura TSX, compared to the Maxima is better built too, BUT, it already rattles here and there....and it has only 60k miles...not cool.
The two cars that i would rate worse than the Maxima are the Corolla and the Elantra. Both of them had cheaper materials inside and had more rattles/noise - not a surprise considering that they cost only half the price of the Max.

Fun to drive - Even though the Maxima has a lot more power, i would have to rate the Acura TSX as a more sporty and more "fun to drive" car. It connects to the driver better. If TSX had a better, more powerful engine, it will be the clear winner! My Maxima is a great, fast, highway cruiser. I builds speed very fast and it stops very well - better than any other car i had. (i have BBK) I wish it was more "tight" on the turns...but oh well.
I should also mention that my 13 y/o Audi also felt great on the road. It was so solid, so inspiring to drive on the freeway, so smooth....even being underpowered & heavy, it was still such a joy to push around. Maxima and TSX both lack this strange feeling.

For the money.... the Maxima is still a very solid choice. It is very reliable and powerful and this is what i care about the most. It gets the job done and it can do it fast....if pushed. I only wish it was more quiet inside and had some better/more luxurious interior + more solid road feel.

 

I've had 6 Maximas. Mine: 1990 & 2001 SE AV, Oldest Son has a 1993, Youngest Son 1995,1996 & 2000 (wrecked the '95 & '96). I still see the '90 I had and with 300K on the clock and it's running great. I can say hands down that the 3rd and 4th gen max's are more reliable than the 5th gen. Yea, the new one's are quicker but it's reliablity that counts. My '90 had 1-02 sensor that a woman could replace. The 00 & 01 have 4-02 sensors and 2-cat converters. It took me all day to replace the O2 sensors in my 01. My son's 2000 just had the front cat go, $1200.
Haven't said much about the 3rd & 4th gens have I? Other than a trans rebuild on the '90 and injectors on the '93 nothing major. If I had to do it over again I would have bought 2-more 4th gens instead of these POS 5th gens. You can keep all that speed and bling.

 

Maint intensive?

I have an 01SE and my replacables have been
Tires
Fluids
Plugs
Brakes
O2 sensor

If you take care of the car, it will last forever. Also, on a car that is seven plus years old, its not maint free.

Gas Guzzler? Ease up on the right foot. Problem solved. Again, this is applied to any car.

Paint? Doesnt matter which manufacturer you get now, paint is even worse. On my wifes Rav, I inspect it every night for bird poo in the summer because it takes NOTHING to etch it. ANd I have Zaino on the Rav.

I also got the Xpel put on within a week of owning the car too.

Its a good car and has served me well so far. I hope to get another 7 or so years out of it.

 

Well I was seriously looking for another car, and was very close to buying a Z. But when I realized I would have to sell my Maxima I backed out. So I guess that attests to how much I like my maxima after recent mods. Yes it does guzzle gas, because I drive it very hard. I'm at 108k miles with no problems.

 

well i've owned a 95 taurus, (which i hate), two 95 GXE maxima's one totalled by my cousin the other i sold, but my current is my 00 gxe, as far as durability the taurus had to be the best, i've never had to change anything but oil, as far as comfort my 00 is the best, but i must say im still in love with 4th gens and they're fun, but i love the 5th gen body styles best... if im to get another car, it would be a 99 civic with a GSR type R swap

 

I've had the car for a year now and so far I've fixed/replaced the following:

Airbag sensor
DTRL module
Rear valve cover
Ign. coil #6
Bose HU(now have aftermarket HU)
Brake Rotors(mine warped after 15K, now using aftermarket)
Wheel bearing and hub
Main Cat

This is on top of all regular maintenance like plugs, fluids, etc. which I know is normal. I take care of my car like a GF lol. One of the best Nissan techs in the area services my car. No detail is ever overlooked and I don't abuse it(do drive spiritedly at times though).

 

I think nissans are top notch. The 3.5 is a great motor. I have a 2002 max gle and a 2003 nissan pathfinder se. I love them both.

 

i'v owned a bunch of maximas...

3rd gens: the 92 is a blast tons of miles and it just keeps going fun to drive. very good reliability. i did replace the 5sp lsd gearbox 10k miles ago it had a bad input shaft bearing. but i got a used tranny for 350 shipped. and i'm going to rebuild the one i have and resell...

all my 4th gens never had any problems other then usual maintenance. most i had was 155k on one of them...

5th gen is to new to have problems...or so i tell myself.


all my friends who have owned American cars fix them more then my nissans.

Japanese imports are all rather decent.

European imports are generally good, but expensive to fix.

 

Who reads these threads? I guess it be a good link to link to a

 

My 02 and 03 max have both been trouble free. Very reliable cars. I've owned a 87 Ford escort gt which I'd have to say was pretty reliable except it keep eating through cv joints. My 92 VW jetta was the worst car ever. Fun to drive but always at the dealership. Now my mazda protege was just as reliable as my maximas. Not a single problem in 100,000 plus miles. Car would easily go 200,000 mile.

 

I think it's funny when people try to establish reliability based on a their individual experiences.

Statistically significant sample size, anyone?

 

ok my turn

first car i ever owned was a 02 nissan pathfiinder loved it to death and sold it cuz of the how much gas it eats now i drive my 03 maxima and my 91 teggy i would have to say the maintenance was about the same with the pathfinder and after market parts...but power wise maxima gets the gold medal so much more low end torque than my pathfinder now for the comparison from my teggy....is like night and day my teggy is soo hard to maintain that thing burns oil like a **** power wise no question either though the teggy is LSV(bought the car like that) i would still drive my maxima to the tracks....overall my rating for my maxima is a 8.5 out of 10

im 19 too

 

Cars I've owned:

1997 Nissan Quest: (my mom's) Well, it's a minivan...obviously it's comfortable, has a lot of passenger/storage room, good quality interior, reliable as hell, actually pretty quick, and a nice array of options (large moonroof, auto climate control, rear A/C, 6 CD changer, etc.). However, it's a minivan which automatically makes it unable to compare to the driving experience of a car..enough said.

2000 Nissan Maxima: (also my mom's) Basically my car but slower and with more options. It drove very similar, but it was an automatic DE-k.

2002 Honda Civic: Good quality interior, great gas mileage, and excellent resale value. I only drove it for a year, and I absolutely loved this car. All I replaced was the battery outside of oil changes, and it handled well, was very comfortable and pretty quiet at highway speeds. However, my maxima is more comfortable and quiet, and is obviously way faster with a smoother and better sounding engine. The maxima didn't handle as well as the civic when I first got it, but after all my suspension mods and the craptenza delete mod, I think it handles better.

Cars that I've driven extensively:

1992 Honda Accord: Reliability that just won't quit, felt pretty tossable, and actually had decent pickup for a 13 year old 4-cylinder car. However, my maxima pretty much does everything better....

2007 Hummer H2: Worst. Vehicle. Ever. Never in a million years would I even think of going close to one of these. It's my dad's and his reason for buying it is to tow. Laughable. My car is >>>>> this, and so is any other fullsize truck available right now.

2007 Nissan Versa: Very nice interior that is actually even more roomy than my maxima. The ride quality is better than my maxima was with stock suspension and it's actually pretty taut. With wider tires, I think the versa could handle very well. It can't hold a candle to the acceleration of my maxima, but it's pretty quick for a car that can be had for $11k (the one I drive is fully loaded with bluetooth, intelligent key, and CD changer at $16k though). The versa is a better riding car, but the maxima is the better driver's car. I also think the maxima looks way better, so I'll stick with it

2008 Nissan Maxima: The things I liked better on the '08 were the seats, the small thick steering wheel, and some of the options like all auto dimming mirrors, power steering wheel, and dual zone climate control. Everything else I thought my 2002 did better. It has a better quality interior, a way less floaty suspension, feels more stable at highway speeds, it's faster, has less of a blind spot, and is lighter.

Overall, my maxima has been an excellent car. I bought it for $16.7k with 29k miles on it back in 2004, and it's been very reliable. I had the transmission replaced under warranty at 36k for the 3rd gear grind and an o2 sensor replaced, but other than that it's been regular maintenance. I've been on several road trips (550 mile trip from Covington, LA to Ft. Worth, TX at least 15 times, to Destin, FL a couple times, and from LA to Phoenix, AZ once) and it's never let me down. For the money, I really couldn't have found a better car. I get great gas mileage at around 20-22 all city, 25-27 mixed, and 30-32 on road trips. It's fast, handles well enough with suspension mods, comfortable, has a good quality interior, and it's roomy.

 

I had a 92 Honda Accord also. Probably one of the best cars ever built. I could not kill it if I tried. Almost 200K miles, never burned oil, never leaked oil. Was purchased brand new and the only thing ever replaced was the distibuter ( which was covered by a recall, so the work was done for free)

My 02 Maxima has been more expensive to maintain, but the power advantage, not to mention the looks, makes up for it.

Next car would probably be another Maxima or a TL

 

i love every thing about my max except for my poor gas mileage. if i go back to stock intake and stock exhaust i guess it could improve a bit. been getting just about 300 a tank. i used to get 360 easily. ive owned 87 legend, 92 240sx, 98 pathfiner.

 

the worst think might be its ability to retain value. trying to sell, so one is even offering close to book.

 

I purchased a couple months ago a 04 WRX.

Old Car 00 Max

How does your Max compare to the other brands??
Comparing the Subaru to the max is really not apples to apples. The Subaru is much more fun to drive (Note here my max was an auto and WRX is a 5 sp that has some thing to do with fun to drive factor I am sure). It has a great engine that just has a finely tune note as it goes through the powerband. It is a different driving a turbo 4 cyl car. The max was quieter and a better cruise car with more room. The maxima wasnt slow but definitely didnt pull like the WRX (again this is not a fair performance comparision I am just giving my experience). The maintenance on the WRX is a little greater because of adding in the AWD system (changing differential fluids). All other things are about the same because I use good fluids or every car I drive.
How do you rate your max with your other cars in terms of ownership, maintenance costs, performance, reliability, comfort??
In maintenance as I stated above it is about the same as other vehicles. I didn't burn oil or anything. Costs was pretty cheap (tires, gas mph was decent etc). Comfort was pretty high. I would say probably too much for me as I like sporter cars however for what it was Maxima's really do there best to accomidate that need. On reiablity compared to my other cars I have owned (91 Integra, 90 Cadillac Coupe Deville, WRX) I would have to say it is below average. my tranny was getting iffy at time of sale (105K) which I was religious about changing and not driving it crazy. Also, there is this coating on interior parts that was degrading and looking hideous.

What's good and what's bad (there can be nothing ugly )about ur Max ??
The Good was a clean profession comfortable car. It has good looks that most people like and has a pretty decent interior space. It was easy to work on as well. The bad I guess was my overall confidence in the car and value retention.

Overall, I think the Maxima is great for what it is. It is Nissan's attempt to bridge sporty and luxury. Sure it has its negatives but it was a good car to me. However, if anyone is looking at Subaru's I cant say enough about what great cars they are. A WRX though is in no way a competitor or a similar car in any way. Anyways, hope that helped.

 

please stop

 

well the max was my second car...my previous car was a 2000 honda accord v6 coupe.

maxima
the good:
- awsome power and low end torque!
- heated steering wheel and auto dim mirror
- one touch open/close windows and sunroof
- automatic on/off xenon headlights
- seats are comfortable
- nice stock exhaust note
- pretty aggressive looking front end

the bad:
- too much rattle
- too much road/wind noise
- eats too much gas (15-19 average)
- interior gauge lights kind of too dim
- the center armrest pop up thing feels cheap as hell lol
- wide turning circle
- trunk sinks in...the stupid board is all deformed

accord
the good:
- gets decent mpg
- quiet...not much road/wind noise
- rattle free
- smooth ride
- easy to park and manuver

the bad:
- crappy low end torque
- doors feel like tin can
- weak halogen headlights lol
- airbags didn't deploy when i wrecked my car =(

maxima: 7.5/10
accord: 8/10

 

you cant have everything dude..its a payoff

 

Before my Maxima, I had a 2001 Toyota Camry 4cyl that was bought new. I sold it when I got my 2000 Maxima SE 5spd.

Camry:
Good
-good fit and finish
-no rattles
-reliable
-Handled well (Tein s-techs/tokico)
-low maintenance costs
Bad
-slow

Maxima
Good
-power
-gas milage is the same as with my Camry with almost double the power
-handles well (s-techs/illumina)
Bad
-Horrible turning radius
-Check engine light
-Interior quality (creaks)

Overall though, I think I am a lot happier with the Maxima despite the little things that bother me. The Maxima is so much more fun to drive.

 

In my case, I owned 2 Maximas and I would say the following:

Maximas vs Caprice:

'94 Maxima
- Better Fuel Economy
- Handled Better
- Better Performance
- Better Reliability

Caprice
- RWD
- V8 (Too bad it was a 305)
- Way too many problems

2002 Maxima

- Decent Reliability, despite the phone book sized list of TSBs
- Enough Performance to keep pace with a Mustang GT or beat it
- Comfortable and ergonomic interior
- 4 Speed Auto sucked **** around 135

2008 Ford Edge
- Pretty Reliable
- Can give a VQ a run for its money
- Comfortable
- Handles decently
- Cargo Room

 

for being 19, this ain't a bad car to have

what i should be driving as an asian is a four banger civic....

 

well my first car was a 97 c-rolla(carolla) it wasnt bad besides the fact that it was slow. i didnt spend alot on maint. and it was trouble free even though i rode it like a horse, like a tank of gas a day i racked alot of miles on that baby. hate it cause u had to open doors and window manually and did i mention slow.

then sold the c-rolla and got a 98 i30 had a wreck loved the car didnt really have many problems in but i only had it for a year until a dang blazzer hit me

after i30 was totaled got a 98 audi A8. man it was a quick buy without alot of research. had it for a year it was awsome 4.2 v8 quatro everything in that car was awsome until i had to repaire it. expensive parts. oil change alone was 120.00. im telling u everything is expensive i remember i went ot audi to ask for the piece that goes under the engine bay and they guy was like 400 dollars i was like why he said it was fiberglass i said cant i have a plastic one he laughed. but then it started to misfire 1 and 5 canged plugs and all sparks still nothing car had like 115xxx miles i think. it was a money pit i regret buying it cause i could have bought the other car on the lot (i30 but it was green w/tan dont like that) but the car had all the laxury u could want in a 98
it pulled real nice and had a good feel to it but gas was horrible like 60 bucks a tank for like 4 day or so
sold it luckaly to some guy and bought the 02 max silver on black love the car planning on doing alot of stuff and hopefully no more wrecks.havent really done anything besides change my oil myself ttwice and a new air filter and about to get the berk intake on wed(cant wait) probably gonna do another one soon but i like nissans i want a 240 next so we will see what happens next

 

i know...i didn't really do my research when buying the maxima...after i got into a wreck with my accord i just wanted a car soon and the maxima sounded nice with the power it has. i knew i made a mistake when after i bought i drove it home and was watching the needle going down and down lol actually when i first got the car i never really cared about the mpg...ever since gas price got up there then i started to regret this car lol

 

we have this argument with my family.... That Nissan/Infiniti Doesnt Have Fit and Finish.... They need to work on that...
after the VQ's came out.. i think reliability Has increased alot...

 

I have been driving my max for almost a year, no problem at all.

 

been driving maximas (00 then 02) for 5 years.

no complaints...just normal wear and tear that happens on any car.

 

Yea man...I always seem to rest my arm on the armrest button thing and as soon as I move my arm, it pops up. I do this at least a few times a day and it gets really annoying. BAD DESIGN!

 

My 2002 GLE is my third car, with the first being a 1989 Pontiac Grand Prix and the second being a 1996 Pontiac Grand AM SE. I bought all three cars new, put 150K on the Grand Prix, and 30K on the Grand AM before it was totalled (with me in it). Right now I have ~30K miles on my Maxima.

The bad: The obvious-
1. the crappy BLOSE HU, although the sound is great. It was replaced once and I was stupid not to get it fixed again before my warantee expired. Had to break down finally and go aftermarket.
2. The cheap-o paint. I have so many chips my car looks like the face of a teenager working at Burger King.
3. The cheap sun visor that starts to crack when you drive faster that 65MPH. I just removed it in the last year or so- you can still see where it was if you look close enough.
4. Sun roof- occasionally gets stuck open for some reason.

The GOOD:
1. GREAT engine with the best value of power/price in a foreign car. It's got serious zip for a sedan on par with my Grand Prix. It's in the same price range but much better overall. Yeah, I know it's really the same as the Altima but this car is much more classy with a MUCH nicer interior.
2. Quality of materials- especially the interior- after a few years door reflectors were falling out of my Grand AM.... No problems yet with the Maxima. The leather seats are still clean and smooth. Nothing rattles, no panels falling off.
3. Reliability. Yeah, I know I only have 30K miles, but I took out the "silver" warrantee (6 years) and never had ANY problems with the car. It still runs as good as new after 6 years.
4. Great mix of luxury with performance. I have yet to drive anything that is as satisfactory... excluding my friend's M6. It drives like a Benz, has all the same options, but costs half the price.

 

First Maxima was a 2000 GLE good car,warped rotor issues other than that nice comfy ride soft spring/dampner! traded in....>
Second Maxima 2003 SE Titanium Packege, great car, modified but subtle and clean (78,000 mi) own>
Third Maxima 1990 SE modifying as we speak, engine on stand! Chassis completed! I love these cars, they're realtively inexpensive to own and maintain and they provide plenty of bang for the buck! I really enjoy drive them!

 

if my gsr had teh same room and comfort as the max does...hands down integra...gsr still to a point i like better, especially w/ 29-32mpg opposed to 25mpg

 

I bought the car new back in 2002. I've never had a car this long and put over 115K+ miles and still love the car everytime I drive it. It has had some issues here and there but the car has been very good to me. I also had a 2000 SE auto brand new, but traded that in for the 2002 when the 3.5L 6-speed came out. Didn't have any problems with the 2K and really didn't want to give it up but wanted the speed instead. I've had other cars in the past, 1996 Acura Integra SE, cool car but wanna be racers always wanted to race me and mine was bone stock. The factory GSR wheels got stolen 2 days just buying the car. Also had Chevy Camaros, Trans Ams, and a '83 Mazda RX7. None of the cars in the past compares to the Maxima. The Maxima has been the best car I've ever owned.