This is hard to do but I've decided to sell my 2001 AE Maxima. It has 175k highway miles. I've been a member on the forum for a long time and it would be great if somebody here picked up my car. I posted it in the FS section (located in Northern VA).

I won't go into detail but it has over $5,000 invested into the sound system (JL Audio, Alpine, Pioneer Premier, DLS UP, Sound Deadening, Upgraded electrical system, etc.)

I got a big promotion at work and treated myself to a new Audi S3. The Audi is a different animal but there are things I'll miss about the Max...

-Smooth ride
-27-28 MPG
-Quiet
-Tons of options (garage door opener in visor, sunglasses holder, etc.)
-EXCELLENT visibility (Newer cars all have high beltlines... why? This is such a stupid trend)
-The sound system (I put 100's of hours into researching components and reviewing my decisions with forum members)
-Cheap parts and easy to work on (I've put in a radiator, ignition coils, alternator, wheel speed sensors, etc.)

Most of all I'll miss interacting with other Maxima enthusiasts. This is a great community of knowledgeable members. I learned a ton about cars in general from here from this sections, the detail section, the audio section.

I don't like the newer CVT Maxima's. I also don't like the design of the newest Maxima. It looks like visibility would be an issue especially making lane changes on the highway.

I probably won't get on here much in the future. If you'd like to get in touch I left my contact info in the for sale section. Good luck to everybody with their Maximas! Long live the 4dsc!

 

nice post man, gl w everything, i feel same way about this place and maximas, countless information from here, saved thousands of dollars for people.

 

Add dependability to the list of things you'll miss.

I've spent a lot of time working on European cars in a shop.
It may be a fun car to drive but the ownership experience with a VW or Audi is much different.

 

I've done the research and a lot of people mirror what you've expressed. The dealership I purchased from has excellent reviews and I went with an extended 100k mile bumper to bumper warranty.

I plan to keep the car until the warranty expires. Once that occurs I'll be upgrading the turbo and building the motor.

 

every other VW /audi i see has taillight bulb issues, and not the burnt out bulb kind

 

I think mine was built on a Tuesday so I should be OK.

 

Congrats on your new Audi, great cars but a ***** to fix. good thinking on the extended warranty otherwise you have a huge hole in your wallet. Im surprise Audi doesn't have the 4yr/50k mile maintance free warranty like in the past, seem like the Germans are cutting back on the new car warranty.

 

I wanted to go Infinity but just didn't get the same thrill. You can get the older M37X's for pennies on the dollar with low mileage but I like smaller sedans. The transmission and all wheel drive are brilliant in the Audi.

 

I dislike working on Audi's decided that within 30 minutes of looking for a coolant leak on an '01 B5 S4 Quattro. Hopefully that warranty is put to use and it's not a owner beater (breaking after 100k)

 

This is why you always use nissan parts when working on it. If you ever sell it the new owner wont get confused when having to repair replace parts.
If whoever buys it looks under the hood it should be as it was when you bought it!

 

Yeah, I do occasional work for a shop that specializes in all Euro cars. We've got the equipment to communicate with pretty much any car. We dropped VW and Audi a few years ago. It's not worth the time working on them. It's like they're made of some biodegradable material that's supposed to break down over time.

I spent several years as a salesman at a VW store too. I've been around of a LOT of used VW/Audi cars and compared them to used Jap cars side by side in the used car dept. I spent every day surrounded by them all. There's just no comparison to how they hold up over the years.

Buying one new and having it maintained under warranty is the way to go. After 100k it'll be obvious if it's worth keeping or not.

 

I jumped on the 100k warranty. They also threw in a package for 7 years of free synthetic oil changes, free annual detail, and several other goodies. It was a pretty good deal. The dealership is only 2 miles from my house so even if things need fixing it's not a major inconvenience.

 

have I not seen you vouch for generic replacement parts on here before? Including aftermarket rad supports?

 

where's the pics

 

Pics for the Audi or Max? I'll get Audi pics soon.

The Max is listed on EBAY just search 253080420098

I started it at 1,000 with no reserve but might have a local buyer.

 

pics of audi....and congrats!

 

Thanks! I might be selling to a friend. It would be nice to see my car on occasion. My mother drives a 2001 maxima SE. I liked my car so much I found her one too! If I could buy a brand new 2003 Meridian Edition Maxima I would in a second! The 2000-2003 Maxima will always be special to me. I actually sold my Supercharged C5 Corvette and kept my Maxima because overall it was the better car to drive every day.

I test drove so many cars that made me question ever selling the Maxima. It took a car worth over 40k to do it!

Here's a list of cars I didn't like as much as my 2001 Maxima:
-G37 Sedan (engine too loud, rides rougher than the max, feels bigger)
-Lexus IS350 (Way too cramped interior. I'm not very tall but the way you fall in towards the center and super thick bolstering on the doors make the interior feel claustrophobic)
-2014 Sonata 2.0T (Visibility is poor compared to the maxima. The car feels numb. It was OK but overall the high beltline and unresponsive suspension made me pass)
-2015 Dodge Challenger (I like the engine. The transmission was great too. I just do not like large cars. I want the sensation of speed even when I'm not going real fast. I don't get that in this car. Also moving through traffic wasn't as easy as the Maxima with its smaller size and excellent visibility)

Beating the Maxima is not easy to do. It still has features I prefer over the Audi:
-Sunglasses holder (nope, not in my expensive Audi!)
-Visibility (WHAT"s WITH THE HIGH BELTLINES IN ALL NEW CARS!!!!)
-Easy to work on and cheap parts (I ponied up for the extended warranty)
-Storage (I took the storage in my Maxima for granted. There are so many places to put things. This is not true in the Audi. Space is at a premium)
-Rear seat room (My son looks like he's going to be tall, I might have to use the Accord in the future)
-Buttery smooth engine at idle, cruise, acceleration

Have any of you thought about what car would make you leave your Maxima? I'm not talking about supercars.

 

I still own my 2002 maxima with 220k on it, and I love driving it every day. Beside it in the garage is a 2015 bmw 335i with JB4 tune, m-performance brakes, and bilsteins/H&Rs. But despite having the ability to drive the BMW every day, the maxima still puts a smile on my face. For that reason, I'll be keeping this car until someone takes it away from me (ie: hits me and totals it). Everyone I've talked to says the same thing about their 5th gens (past or present). They really are phenomenal cars.

 

BMW 335's are awesome! I'm sure it's a rocket with the JB4. I'm considering JB4 for my car. I might go APR or Unitronic though. I need to do more research.