It's an absolute no brainer with this community. Especially since both have lower miles. You'll kick yourself for not getting the 6MT. I do just about every day.

03 SE 6MT.

 

friend is looking at a 03 GLE fully loaded, needs valve covers replaced, and I dont know wat else to look for as far as things that might need replacing or repaired on the car. It is at a local side dealer, I personally think that 8K is alot to pay for a 10 year old car. But It drives like a champ, everything inside works has navigation heated seats, auto climate control ect. Has great pickup and power! 3.5!!!! I hear alot about oil consumption, and the rear valve cover looks to be leaking oil down the rear engine parts. This has been the cleanest One Ive seen so far as far as being fully loaded. I would like some input, wat else to look out for ?

 

You're right, that's too much. NADA, Edmunds, and KBB are great sources. Tell your buddy to think about the repairs that may or may not have been done yet, that we know our cars are prone to:

High pressure power steering hose
Valve cover gaskets
Regular maintenance (transmission fluid, oil, etc..)
struts
wheel hub assemblies
etc, etc...

There is a lot to consider.

 

I still have my 03. The only big repairs I've had to do was replace the radiator ($300), and the valve cover gasket and plugs ($700). Nissan did the work. Also replace the oil pan ($100) because someone buggered the oil plug threads. The rear woofer speaker system has been a problem with these cars, as mine is too. I live with it. The car (mine) to me is worth more than $8,000 but on the market probably not. It's been a good one with lots of power. I did noticed oil consumption while these leaks were happening but I've not checked since the repairs have been made. I'm told that a quart between oil changes is normal for these cars according to Nissan. The car now has 100,000 miles on it. I bought it new.

Update:
I now have 108,000 on my 03 GLE. I just went through an alternator. Was over $500 to replace by Nissan. It left me on the side of the road, never knew what was coming. The car does burn some oil in the 3,000 miles. Still has plenty get-up and go. Now got a oil leak I'm told on one of the camshaft sensors but not bad enough to be concerned about just yet. Replaced the front struts last year. That's was not a cheap fix either.
It's still a good car and worth, to me, more than $5,000.

Update 2: Ha..camshaft sensors died. Car shutdn but restarted and got me home. Replaced both (by Nissan). Damn what's left?..Oh transmission, window regulators, crank sensor, starter, water pump, injectors..enough!

I added up all of my cost I've paid out on this 03 and, not counting oil changes, came to around $10K (new tires and struts are included here) for 13 yrs. 25 yrs ago I'd done some of the maintenance myself and saved some of that $.

To me I still love this car and like it more than my wife's 08 Maxima.

 

^
That thing is still a baby

 

8 gs is really steep. If u really want the 5.5 u can find them under 5gs. As long as the car is in good shape outside and in. With a grand you can do tune up and mateinence. Both valve cover. And some upgrades. These cars do consume oil like you said. Not sure if its mainly valve covers or burning. But its up to your friend to spend that money. Just to me even tho I love my max for 8 you can get a decent Audi or something else that's also fast and a lil more luxurious. You might even get lucky in the classified section here and pick something up that's been maintained for alot cheaper.

 

Hi all, I am in need of a bit of your experience as Maxima owners. I am interested in buying a 5th gen I have checked out 3 just today and have found some interesting results.

1st maxima 01 179k miles, smoke gray GLE, tan or grey leather interior(cant recall) Nice drive but seemed like the shift points were a bit rough and there was a rubbing noise coming from the front passenger side. Searched around but couldn't figure what the exact cause was and the owner acted like he didn't notice or he didn't know that there was an issue $2700 negotiable

2nd Maxima 03' 159k miles, black on black GLE great looking Vehicle with some issues, Hit a snow bank and cracked the bumper on the passenger side, Has a wheel hub issue on the passenger front side, leaking power steering fluid and needs to has something welded between the muffler and cat converter. All in all I liked this guy he was very forthcoming about what was wrong. asking 3000 super negotiable.

3rd Maxima 02 144k Miles, black on black maxima with tons of gadgets inside heated steering wheel, memory seating, remote starter, and clean interior. This one seems to have issues with the heated seats, Drove fine but the bumper seemed to rub the wheel when I made turns aside from that it was pretty darned good. The owner had one of the WORST handshakes I have ever experienced in in my 35 years of life....oh he's asking 3300 but is negotiable.

Any tips you can supply are greatly appreciated

 

Hello all...looking to get an 03 Maxima GLE, one owner, with 88,000 miles. It has a great Carfax report with 27 service records...mostly oil changes. Should I be looking at anything (or testing anything) regarding the transmission on this car? Anything I can test or look for, as the engine seems to be well taken care of. I will be test driving it tonight, so looking for some advice in this area.
As well...it seems the right air bag assembly was replaced...should I be concerned of a crash that was not reported to Carfax, or is this a common replacement?
Thanks for ALL the help....I really appreciate it. I hope to be a new 5th Gen owner by tonight.

 

^
How much you paying for a 03 GLE? The GLE supposed to be the "luxury" trim so it comes with all the goodies? Heated seats, steering wheel, leather etc?

The AT transmission can be minor headache... Check for 2-3 flare!!

VQ35DE are known to burn oil. Check oil dipstick & ask the seller

Airbag replacement could be related to the airbag recall

Rear brake calipers seize constantly.

 

Thanks for the help...He is letting it go for $5500. Thats a really good price from where I am located. All others wanted over $6,000 with higher miles.
Yep..it has heated seats, leather, etc.
Thanks for the help with the tranny...I'll definitely feel for the 2-3 shift.
Hopefully it is the airbag recall...I did not realize there was one for the 03.
Thanks again!

 

Lucky there's sellers willing to pay almost $6,000 down there. Here it's usually $3-4k

 

Hey all...just got back from picking up my 2003 Maxima GLE!!!
Thank you to ALL who helped with this thread...it was extremely helpful.
I listened to everything you guys said, and checked all the things on the car. Everything checked out to the best of my newbie eyes and ears. A couple of things are in need of attention, so I do have some basic questions regarding it..but will post to the correct forums for those...just wanted to say thanks! This is a great thread!

 

I have a 5th gen with the VQ30. It's a beast. Take your time and find one with the manual trans. You won't regret it. It pulls hard in every gear. Easily keeps up with 5 series bmw's. As with every car it has its snags. Keep an eye on the MAF sensor, the IAC valve, and exhaust system. Mainly your O2 sensors. Past that you should have fun roasting tires all the way through 3rd gear

 

I know this is a few months old but Im just curious as most here seem to be SE owners, I have an 03 GLE magestic blue with Meridian Package, did you get the Meridian package? Things I really like over other Maxes are the 17" OEM polished wheels and interior features that come with the Mer. package like the seats, sunroof, trim, heated steering wheel, ect. Only thing I dont like is the 4AT that slips from 3-4 on occasion and oil burning but I also got 165k miles.

 

Hey guys! new here and want to join the community. Went to see my first 5.5 gen max. 2003 SE 6spd, no sunroof or leather. Silver exterior, silver cloth interior. 145k miles, original owner with a stack of receipts from mechanics. Clean title, just one accident with an animal that caused it to replace the front end.

It drove well. No rust, clean interior. Everything worked. Will need new front tires. It had a aftermarket muffler tip i think, which sounded aweful and droned in low gears.

But my main worry is this.

1-2 qts of oil consumption every gas fill-up. Is that high? That seems like a red flag to me. Does not leak oil on the ground. A little seepage on the valve covers.


Asking 3500, i could probably get it for 3000 though.

Should i pull the trigger? Or keep looking.

Thanks
-Dan

 

^
You'll get tired of that engine oil consumption pretty quickly

Find one with the HLSD transmission too

 

Yeah, that seems like a lot. Thats a disappointment, because the car was very clean otherwise.

 

Just wanted to know if there are 2 check engine lights on the 02-03 maximas. I went to look at one. Turned the key on, and only saw the service engine soon light illuminate at the top center of the instrument cluster. I didnt see the check engine light at all. My question is, is the check engine light sopposed to be in the right corner of the cluster?? If so either someone removed the bulb or it burned out by chance. Think I will have to take the car to get codes scanned or bring a scanner with me.

 

CEL = SES ... all the same. Earlier 4th gen model's had the CEL, but the 5th gens have SES, doesn't matter, half dozen of one 6 of the other. They're the same and 5th gens have the SES

 

Thanks for that response man, I feel better about the car now lol.

 

Hey all new here jus bought an 03 max SE auto for 600 dollars with 178k just replaced the coils had an P0300 code now I have the dreaded P0420 but other than that she drives beautifully anything I need to know ? Drove an 07 Camry 4cylinder before this machine lol

 

gut your precats and check your oil levels often. enjoy the car!

 

How much would that normally run

 

gutting precats would be a DIY thing, don't think it's legal for most (any) shops to take on. good preventative maintenance to protect your engine. maybe costs a can of pb blaster and whatever chisel/drill bit you use to take out precat material

oil costs whatever, hopefully you're not burning too much but definitely want to make sure levels don't get too low.

 

So I have decided I want to sell my Grand Prix to buy a 5.5 Gen Maxima. I'd like this gen over the 2000-2001 years because I want the added power from the 3.5L. Yes I know these motors burn lots of oil, but my question is, how much? Obviously a car that has been only driven in the summer with no miles will burn little to no oil, but what about a car with 150000 miles? What determines that they will burn oil? Also, are there any other common mechanical issues? I know the wheel wells are destined to rust, but any other motor problems? Thanks!

 

Hey guys, first post here, but not my first maxima.

My first car ever was a '93 se automatic. Too much car for a 16 yo, will watch out for snap oversteer in the future...

Many years later and I want another four door sports car. My most recent affair, a '92 prelude finally died at 250k with a '95 Vtec H22, 5sp, LSD inside. The rest of the car was original 250k miles, wretched but working. I drove it everywhere on the edge because that's my way of getting around, at least when traffic allows.

I'm looking at a 2001 SE 20th Anniversary Edition. It's $3k which is a grand under blue book so i'm pretty excited about that. It has 108k miles which sounds on the low end in this thread especially now that the car is in its teens. It lived in NY for 50k miles (so i'm checking for salty car syndrome). It spent the last 50k in NC where I am. CARFAX is squeaky clean, 1st owner took it to nissan for regular service A LOT.

I think I see where most of the maxima problems lie. This one already has an ailing MAF Sensor but I've bought one to install for the upcoming test drive, figure it's worth it if I can get this much car (man it's loaded) for that price. Beyond that I've gathered that just about every sensor from maf to o2 is a suspect so i'll be eyeballing anything that's breathing what i'm burning, including the cat and precat as well. I also know power steering leaking is a NISSAN problem from a 240sx I used to have and the aforementioned '93.

I'm guessing this guy really doesn't want to deal with a 100k mile tune-up, I should be getting a new timing chain right? Not to mention replace anything that's liquid or rubber. Atleast he threw on some new tires and brakes.

It's a 5-speed!!!!!!!!!! It's the only reason I'd consider getting, well ANY car. I just don't feel right in an auto anymore. So here's a red flag, or a selling point? He's had the transmission rebuilt, reason unknown to me at least. But hopefully it was rebuilt well and as long as I don't thrash it too much it'll live with the car, plus it now has a new clutch. I'm sure the test drive coming in several days will tell me all about the transmission. I know to check 3rd gear at a high speed and intend to do that and as much else as he'll let me as far as high speed action is concerned.

So what am I missing? I know most of you are into the SE's and would love any knowledge that might be specific to the 20th ed. if anyone reading has one. He mentioned the timing chain was "checked" and said to be ok, but that sounds like crap because why check it when you can replace it, you're already waist deep in maxima at that point, heck throw in a water pump while you're down there.

And for those of you who REALLY enjoy driving. How's the balance on this car through the bendy parts? I used to chuck that prelude into anything and it would either stick or push, if i had too much understeer I just back off til I'm turning again. It was the easiest car in the world to drive, with a transmission feel that i can only say is perfect: short throws into gate-like accurate gears with just a perfectly depressed tap of the clutch ALL DAY LONG. Every shift felt like hitting the jackpot on a slot machine. It was faster than any auto and probably only beaten by modern flappy paddles.

I know with a maxima i should expect a clunkier box of cogs to work through but i'll make up the track time with the extra hp over an old honda.

So I'm sorry for the long post, but also not, I had a fun time writing it, I'm TOO excited about getting this maxima as my interim car is an auto '99 carolla, basically invisible traffic fodder.

BUT let me know what you think, especially if you drive... enthusiastically. How does she handle? I know it's a lot of car but 4DSC still means sports car to me. Do you miss a lot of shifts when you're getting a little too racey? Or have you found that sweet spot in the pedal and tranny? Does it understeer or oversteer or both? I'm pretty sure i won't be testing the limits of the car with the owner in the passenger seat. But if i buy it i'll be testing the limits of exit/entrance ramps all over town. Because yellow signs are only a suggestion

My post is probably a little different than most. I'll take any kind of response and i'll be grateful for any information.

Thanks
-j-

 

My 2003 doesn't use any oil. I haven't had to ever add oil to it after it's changed. it's a 6 SPD, HLSD.

 

Hey guys long time member here but sold my 00 Maxima se auto back in 07. Now I decided to purchase one again specifically 5th gen. How strong are the 6speed vq35? I found one locally and I'm very tempted to buy it. How much should I pay for it with no maintenance record?

 

Hey guys, I just picked up a 2003 maxima for cheap and the transmission seems like it's ready to go and the junk yards near me have several of them they only want $70 apiece for or ones from a 2009 for around $500. is the one from a 2009 a direct swap? or would I just be better off getting one of the ones from a 2002 for dirt cheap?

 

Nope, not a direct swap and no, CVT’s aren’t my cup of tea. Is yours an At or MT? In any case, either can be had for a relatively good price. I’d be a little concerned if it were only 70$ though. Check www.car-part.com for good deals and decently quality parts.

 

Ah, it's an auto right now and there's like 15 of them on car part listed near me under $150. I didn't think the cvt started until 2011 or 2012 I was hoping to get like the 5 speed auto

 

600 dollars huh enjoy bro...must have like 250k or you lying lol. Nice car tho, paint looks nice too. Steal for that price IMO.

 

5AT wont fit the electronics w/o fairly extensive re-wirng, etc.

CVT been in the Maxima exclusively since 2007.

 

1 qt every ~325 miles is pretty bad. I'd pass. Most people drive 700-1000 miles per month. Do you really want to be buying 3-5 qts per month?

 

Pretty sure he's amde up his mind, that was 8 months ago.

In any case, my oil consumption slowed down a lot when I switched from Mobil 1 to Amsoil.

1qt / 3000-4000 miles now.

 

Have 2003 one night car seemed to be smoking a lil but wasn't overheating add some 50/50 antifreeze wasn't sir if it was empty then I started smelling nasty horrible antifreeze smell. Smelled so bad left mouth and throat feeling weird nasty ever since. Evening after I got oil Chang and ran water through radiator

Also gets a lil white smoke

 

I was about to sell my 01 SE maxima...but after reading up on the forum I'm thinking I might just keep it... Its got 147K miles. Cloth seats, sun roof, Black, fog lights, Its automatic and runs great. I've owned it for the last 10 years. Never had any major issues just alternator and maintenance items. It is a 3rd car for the wife and I. I was asking $3900 but after several people looking at it seems like I was going to have to drop it to $3200 to get it sold. That seems like I'm giving it away. I was concerned I might have a major repair about to hit me like a timing belt but just learned that these have timing chains and they don't require any maintenance. at least that is what I found in the forum. It has a very small oil leak. I add a little in between oil changes but not much.

So keep it? or sell it?

 

At 147k miles, I'd keep it, lots of life left.

 

Hey guys I am looking at buying a 2003 SE. It has 180k miles on it. Said he just recently replaced spark plugs and ignition coils on all 6 cylinders,New starter,AC recharge and, New Battery. Anything I should look for in particular? Thanks

 

Hi everyone! First time poster here, about to purchase my first car. I’m looking at a 2002 Maxima SE (loaded) with 95,000 miles on it. According to the car fax it has had 3 previous owners and seems to be a clean car with no accidents/damage. It is a six-speed manual (clutch was replaced two years ago), and the owner claims that the car has no transmission/electric problems, but has some minor engine problems.

The problems the seller lists:
Has a multiple misfire code, but otherwise runs good. Seller replaced the coil packs and claims the check engine light went away. Says the spark plugs have never been replaced and need to be replaced at the 100,000 mile mark.
Car has low idle, which may be due to a minor vacuum leak. He hasn’t had the time to find out the exact cause of the issue, but the car never stalled due to the low idle.
Steering wheel needs to be realigned
Shocks/struts are going out (needs replacement: car is still drivable but ride is a bit rough); seller will be including coilovers (from a company I’ve never heard of) in order to remedy this issue

The seller is asking $3250 for the car; my question is if that is a good price to pay for this car, and if there is anything suspicious above that may become a larger issue in the future. I’m currently a college student so I would like something reliable that won’t leave me stranded (my daily commute is around 6 miles round trip, with the distance from college to home (I make this trip once a month) being 130 miles one way. Also, I have heard that the engine in this specific year (VQ35DE) tends to burn oil; how can I determine if the engine oil consumption will become an issue later down the road (in other words, how can I determine how much and how quickly the car burns oil and at what point will it no longer be worth buying the car due to how quickly it consumes oil)?