I bought a black 2003 GLE automatic about a month ago with 43,600 miles on the odo.

I put new tires (Continental DWS) and new rear calipers on the car (felt the rear wheel getting hot on my first highway trip). I also changed the oil to Mobil One, and changed the tranny fluid and the radiator coolant. I put a set of Hawk HPS pads on front and rear.

My previous car was a black '96 GLE automatic that I sold this week, so that is my reference point for comparison.

In the 2003 Max, compared to the '96, it feels like I'm driving a boat or Land Cruiser. Gone is the nimbleness and road feel of the '96. The road is pretty well insulated from the driver, except for a fair amount of wind noise at highway speeds. The steering wheel diameter feels like it belongs more in a yellow Thomas bus, than a car. I thought the turning radius on the '96 was bad, but it seems worse on the '03.

The car is indeed fast, but again insulated-feeling fast.
Right now I'm one tick mark away from a half tank and I've only got around 130 miles on the trip odo from city driving. Jeez, and I thought the '96 had low fuel economy, this is heartbreaking.

So while my initial impressions seem somewhat negative, as I get more adjusted to the car, I hope I feel better about it. Maybe I will put some stiffer shocks (but not too stiff like the AGX's I put in the '96) in it to firm up the handling.

The fuel mileage, however, I don't think I will get over. I had the car on a highway trip and it didn't do that much better.

 

Well considering that it's a 3.5, gas will be a bigger issue (should of kept the 96) lol but I've had my 99 since 03 and I still can't get over how much I feel like I have more control of the car than the newer maximas I've driven. I will stick with mine till the wheels fall off ( then just buy better ones) lol but I hope you enjoy your new ride.

 

Flooring it to test the power is really gonna waste gas...but I know you love those extra 50 horses.

 

Mista0406,
I agree with you on the feel of the 4th gen car. My '96 had well over 200k, but was having too many things go, and the body had rust, so it was time for a replacement. I have no clue what they were thinking when they were designing the 5th generation in terms of road feel and responsiveness, maybe they were analyzing Buicks....

 

same for me. i went from a 97 5spd to an 02 6spd. the increase in power is crazy but the feel of the car and the stock handling between the 97 and 02 is crazy. i feel like im going to flip the 02.

the leather and heated everything is nice though.

but as my 97 was totaled by some stupid *** 17yr old (and if you are 17 and offended by this than you havent taken a good look at yourself. i was 17 once and dumb as hell and i bet any of the older members will agree that at 17 they were dumb) i had no choice but to get something new.

get stiffer springs and shocks or get coils...from all the reading ive done coils are the only way to go with the 5.5

B

 

NissanMan97,
Yeah, I will consider springs, though like I said, my experience with AGX shocks was so bad, I'd never use them again (car felt like it had concrete tires, even at the shock's lowest setting).

I would have gotten a manual except I live in such a congested city area, it would be impractical.

The only other car I was considering at the time was an Accura TSX, which was a lot more expensive, but definitely handled better. I guess my loyalty to Nissan got in the way.

 

I also went from a 4th gen (1999 SE 5MT) to a 5th gen (2003 SE 6MT). Granted, that was 8 years ago, but your observations are pretty much spot-on. The 4th gen was nimble where the 5th gen is not. Start modifying the car to find your happy-place.

Mileage...? Meh, it is what it is. And the 5.5 gen 6MT gets great mileage for its class. You should average anywhere from 23 - 28 mpg, depending on your driving behavior. That's pretty good for a car like this.

Steering wheel? The SE model has a black leather-wrapped steering wheel which is far more appealing (IMO) than the one on your GLE. I love my steering wheel. One of my favoriate features on the car.

 

charlestek go with k-sports coilovers, in my 99 I haven't had an issues, much more stiffer but the ride is not bad at all.

 

read the countless reviews on coils on this forum. it really is the best way to go if you consider the total cost of a decent spring/shock combo.

the manual in traffic does blow but it sure is fun when there is no traffic.

i waited for ever till i found a 6spd. wrecked my car 8/26/09 and bought my 02 10/20/09. not really that long but during that time i was driving a 80 something Isuzu truck.

B

 

i average 21.5 to 22 according to the car

B

 

I'm also 6'4", and I find that the '03 has slightly less room between my leg and the steering wheel on my '96, which is very little at all. I don't even know if I'd have room for using the clutch.....

I've owned 3 Saabs in the distant past with manuals, and totally regretted them around Boston. I once had the clutch hydraulics fail in ultra heavy traffic on a highway here, not fun. There are always too many other vehicles in the way, even on the highway, and you are constantly shifting.

I've got the Meridian package with the heated steering wheel and TCS, and I think this makes the padding on the steering wheel thicker. Regardless, the wheel diameter is too large.

 

same here.

but the pedal travel is shorter and put together with a STS kit on the 6spd and some ES bushings it makes for enjoyment even in some stop and go traffic but i live in louisville not boston so my opinion of stop and go is prolly far different than yours

B

 

I drove back and forth from Needham to Peabody in a 5spd everyday for a couple years. You really have to like manual transmissions to put up with rush hour in Boston. I agree, it's not for everyone.

 

I'm surprised that no one else by now has asked where in the hell did you find an '03 with only 43,6k on the odo only a month ago ?!?!?

My '02 GLE had 146k on the clock when I bought it, which I'd consider "high average", but wow, yours is barely broken in....

And I'll gladly throw in my two cents , being a "new to the 5.5th gen Maxima" driver as well, tho I will preface my statements by saying that my absurdly low entry price, $1600, gives the car an easy upside/positive vote. When you really have no or low expectations, it's easy for something to exceed them, y'know? Having no 4th gen, as some of you had/have, to reference it against, leaves me without that point of reference.....

Short reply: I couldn't be happier with "my" little sedan, err, 4DSC , it's exceeded my expectations from the moment it meowed to life. Now, that rosy outlook might not apply to all Max's out there, but it applies to mine.

I'm 6' even, and I find the seating position moved all the way back juuuuuust enough for my legs, so yeah, you being 6'4", and for anyone having to work a clutch pedal at that height, yeah, I could see that being annoying. I also don't like losing that "auto seat pullback upon ignition key off" feature that my wife utilizes, but sobeit, I don't really need it anyway

I gotta tell ya, coming from my Supra and Toyota preferential biased background, Nissan really did a lot of things right with the 5.5th gen. I don't so much mind the fuel economy, I can pretty much dictate my gas mileage based on how many horses I wake up, and how often, and what you get in return is an easy trade-off, imo.

I love the color, both interior and exterior, the black leather. I like that it's an auto, I don't want to shift gears at this point in my life. My last stick was my racecar, puck clutch disk and all, but that was what that was, at that time. This is my comfortable/fun/easy to drive daily driver. I love the factory HID headlights, the Bose audio system, complete with 6 disc in-dash CD changer. I love the heated steering wheel and 2-position memory power heated seats. Nissan really did pack a lot of technology into a "small" platform, if you think about it. I love the factory 17" wheels and rear spoiler. I love that it's got side seat airbags and active headrests (whatever that does). I love that it's got automatic climate control. I don't love the TCS/SLIP system, but it does its job, and it's there for a reason. I love the power windows/mirrors and keyless entry. Mine's PO even went so far as to get a remote start installed, which came in super handy these last few summer months.

The handling is what I'd expect it to be, a FWD with worn out struts, but it still turns in and handles like I'd expect it to. The brakes are decent, better than I expected.

So there's my opinion, I plan on keeping this car indefintely, it's just too "perfect" for what I wanted to spend, and drive, right now.

 

BlackMacks,

The woman who owned the car before was the original owner and just drove it to work 7 miles a day and that's it. She had the car sitting in the garage most of the past year when her father passed away and she was driving his SUV, which is why she didn't need the car anymore. I do find that odd, since I've managed to put about 1,000 miles on the car in a month, doing short trips.

Yeah, since you haven't owned a 4th generation, it is hard for you to compare. The 4th generation feels like a smaller car (because it is) and responds to inputs a lot faster than the 5.5. I'm not working now and job hunting, so I'm particularly sensitive to the fuel economy and fuel costs. Even if I was working, I think it would bother me. When (if?) the economy recovers we're probably going to hit near $4.00 a gallon again, and that will not be fun...

 

is this the white maxima i read about few days back?

 

I average ten more than that, according to the car.

 

This is a black maxima. Steve, I don't know how you could get fuel economy in the 30's unless you only drove downhill. I wouldn't depend on that meter at all, fill the tank, set the trip odo, drive to near empty, fill it up, and figure out the mpg....

 

the trip computer can be easily fooled. on long trips i get 30mpg..6spd ftw!

 

Like Hotshot said... the 6MT can hit 30 mpg with intake/exhaust modifications and highway driving. It's true.

Power, performance, good looks and good mileage. What's not to love?

 

Hmm, if Hotshot could enumerate the mods in his signature, it would be nice. I don't understand them with all the abbreviations.

 

No info for google on what a HP STS is at all

 

Short
Throw
Shifter

You're/we're auto, doesn't apply....

 

Im pretty happy with mine mpg's. I set the trip computer after my last fill and it said I averaged 29.7...which its off by about 3 mpg's when I do the actual math. So I was averaging pretty much 27 mpg cruising at 70 mph on the highway. Not too bad as far as I am concerned

 

That seems better than I did on the highway. As for mods, supposedly the best bang for the buck is the Y pipe and popcharger. I had a Warpspeed Y pipe on my 96, but did not really notice that much difference. There are a few different popchargers out there, I suppose I could put that first on my wish list when I have money.

 

Agreed, my 4th Gen SE handled better and had less body lean (less weight and bulk)..... We got to remember is that with the 5.5 gen Nissan started moving it more Upscale to appeal to more people and as a result it got softer, I feel that the 5.5 SE is softer feeling than the 5.0 SE. Also have you driven a 6th/6.5 gen, now they really handle and feel like a boat both the SE and SL.

 

Y-pipe on the 5.0 gen, not for your 5.5 gen. You might see 8-12 hp gain with the y-pipe on the 5.5, whereas headers will give you 18-24 hp gain... or so goes the scuttlebutt.

Don't get me wrong, I love my cattman y-pipe, and I certainly don't want to start that pissing match about y-pipe and headers and pixie dust... but it's by no means a "best bang" mod. Just saying.

 

HLSD
Helical Limited Slip Differential (OEM)

Hotshot headers
No longer made

Cattman Catback
The 2.5" variety, no longer made

Frankencar WAI
"Warm Air Intake", Frankencar went out of business

HP autoworks STS
"Short Throw Shifter", it's a manual transmission thing.

ES motor mount inserts
That's "Energy Suspension". Great manufacturer.

ES shifter bushings
Ditto, but only for Manual Transmissions

FSTB
"Front Strut Tower Brace"

RSB
"Rear Sway Bar"



Hmmmm, that's good spoon.

 

...was listening to talk radio the other day and the greenhouse gas nutty people are trying to set laws in motion to where by the year 2020, gas will hit $9.00 a gallon here in CA so that it will "force" us to use alternatives to get places.

 

Didn't have a 4th gen had a 00 Max better gas and a Honda Accord 95 4 banger real good on gas but when I drove the 03 I was like F33k this **** disappears but dont really care as long as gas prices dont hit 5 bucks a gal. I'm good but klikle the Maxima cause I drive pretty haed so it gets good gas to me especially for the way I drive!!

 

yeahp... seems reasonable too, it will just make us in return make better mpg machines.

i went from 91 to 02
apple to apple stock suspensions the 91 ruled.

 

"nutty people", eh?

And I suppose "Drill, baby, drill!" doesn't sound nutty at all?

I like nuts on my ice cream, and only occasionally in my car forum.

 

Something is wrong with the car. That mileage is complete garbage..

I can get 700K KMs any time in my car per tank. '02 6MT. That's well over 430 miles.

 

Auto and he's flooring it

 

Craig,

I'm just slightly less than half a tank, and I've gone only 180 miles. Of course the stop and go here is awful. I might try cleaning the MAF, but I don't think it will make much difference. And basically around town, I'm driving like a little old lady (I couldn't get it up to speed if I wanted to unless I want to push all the other cars out of the way)

 

If your mileage is completely around town I can see 180 per half tank being fairly normal.

If you are spending any time on backroads, freeway, secondary highways, you should see higher.

My car gets mixed, with MOSTLY secondary highway driving, and that is the mileage I get.

 

I'm getting about 26 MPG city and 34 highway, dude. My 3rd Gen. used to get about 15 MPG highway when I was lucky. Also, I really like my steering wheel. The old one felt odd, my old 240sx felt great, but this is a big car for big boys, a fatty wheel is what I like. Hope your feelings about the model change.

 

Robert,

Yeah, I'm surprised the manual would increase the mileage that much around town. And Craig, I'm at less than half a tank. It really makes you feel that Nissan put in too small a gas tank for the low mpg of the car....

 

It's already 18.5 gallons. Geesh! How large should it be?

 

Thats not too bad, I thought it was smaller. Gives around 340 miles at 19mpg.