Just bought a 03 Maxima SE at a fairly good price ($2,700).
I owned a 1986 Porsche 944 turbo so all i knew were European cars.There are some issues with the car but not so bad .

Here's what i found and done so far.
1. Transmission - The Fluid hasn't been changed for awhile when i did my initial check the fluid was dirty so i have it flushed and replace now the car changes gears alot better.

2. Oil change, spark plugs, air filter, fuel system - i had all those changed and, i thought the fuel pump was going bad or something because the fuel gauge would fluctuate, so i did a 3 step fuel system clean from tire plus and now the gauge is working fine.

now here are the other things that i found out but not sure how to go at it.
the car sounds rough when i start it, i went to get the car diagnosed because of the check engine light and they told me that the Cat Back may have went bad. Also the suspension on the car feel horrible, whenever i go over a bump it really hits hard and you can feel the bumps really bad. I did a couple search on line for the suspension system and found a few but im not sure which to go with (open for suggestions).

Well so far those are the things ive found out ill post more as soon as i do, one more thing would i need to change the PCV valve?. Also if theres anything else i should change or look for please let me know....

 

Watch for how much oil the engine goes through. The early vq35's like to eat a lot of oil and it can creep up on you if you don't watch it. If its running rough it could be any number of things. Maybe the cat. Maybe an o2 sensor. Maybe the injectors are dirty.

 

yea the oil is ok, but i think the CAT IS BAD, should i change to a high flow or back to stock?

 

sweet deal on the car, but seems like 3/4 of the people here, come here bc they bought their car with 100-120k miles, and every single one has these same issues. like these cars start crapping alittle around 100k and that sendsthe original owners running... and selling these cars cheap

cats are common...
power steering leaks eating thru control arm bushings are common...
bad motor mounts are common...

and it sounds like you may have all these

 

Could be and that is a Great Price....Good Find....

 

yea the power steering hose has to be changed i was told that, i ordered one from www.carpartswholesale.com.

 

I was told that there were 2 CATs on my car, is it necessary to change both?

 

theres 3 cats, one on each header, then a big main one like midway back. the 2 on the headers are the ones that fail majority of the time.

fix that power steering leak, then replacing ATLEAST your passenger side control arm bushings. good time to install some energy suspension bushing.

 

and if it makes u feel better, i bought my max like 2 months ago and it has every single one of those same problems. bought it with 110k miles but not quite as cheap as yours

 

As far as suspension what kind of ride are you looking for? There are quite a bit of options. I think there is a suspension thread around here in the 5th gen forum.

I think the closest stock ride would be the original stock springs and KYB GR2 struts/shocks.

 

will do those over the weekend..

 

yea the guy wanted $3,800 but i talked him down to $2,700 because of a dent on the drivers side door, also i already had the body kit for it, that's another reason why i wanted this model. its a work in progress but hopefully by the summer of 2013 ill have done putting everything on, im not going too until everything's in working order under the hood, ( what the point of having car that looks good on the outside but runs Sh!**Y? )

 

Return that power steering hose and buy one from courtesyparts.com its gotta be original oem nissan trust me you'll regret it like i did. I got the gates high pressure hose, theres a thread on it search why.

For help with your suspension ask in the thread djfrestyl difinitive suspension thread search for it hes really good.

Your fuel gauge doesnt work because the cluster is faulty the floater on the fuel pump is fine.

+1 Most importantly these motors burn oil ITS NORMAL watch the level every 2 weeks until you realize how much oil its using, i add 1qt every 1,200 miles. Mobil 1 HighMileage 5w30 is great for your engine.

 

awesome deal and everyone up there is what i was thinking +1 and i sold my 00 maxima with ****ty paint, cracked front bumper put back together with duck tape, rusted sun faded ghetto spray can paint job, bald tires, peeling back bumper cover, power steering hose leak, suspension going bad and a 2 misfires i told the buyer everything and he gave me 3250

 

Thanks will do

 

i thought i got my 02 for a deal X______x

 

Did the shop tell you the exact code? There shouldn't be guesswork on the cat. It will be one of the pre-cats or the main cat. See if you can get the exact code and post it here.

In any case, it sounds like a good excuse to open up the exhaust. Many people go for headers, but you may be able to find higher flow pre-cats. It looks like you're already looking at an exhaust system, and there are plenty if high-flow main cats out there.

 

Sounds like you may have bad trailing arm bushings as well as the things other said. If you hear a loud clunking sound from the rear going over bumps, you could have issues with the struts but it could also be the trailing arm bushings.

The bushings cannot be replaced with OEM parts, Nissan says you have to replace the whole rear axle. You can buy aftermarket bushings from Energy Suspension (I believe) and replace them yourself, it's just a ***** to do if you don't have the right tools/setup.

 

I couldn't sell my 00 maxima that needed paint on the trunk and bumpers for more then 4k. SMH.

 

yes the code that i got were P0420 & P0430, when he should me under the car he says he things the the 1st converter that has a leak. im wondering should i change all 3 or just the one he showed me?

 

I have to imagine that if one precat is going bad, the other is in a similar situation. If it's only a leak, that's one thing. The cat between the engine and the firewall is the most expensive to repair/replace because of the labor associated with getting to it. The one under the car is of course easily accessed.