Original owner of my 2000 SE 5speed, loaded with Leather, Bose, etc. More than once I decided it was time for a new car, went for a test drive, and said "these aren't any better than what I've already got!" Unfortunately I had drive seal failure and ran without enough MT oil for far too long. While it still shifts fantastic, it's making loud noise that increases with torque and road speed. I just don't trust it and I don't want to spend the money to rebuild or spend the time to do it myself. Combine that with my hobbies of being outdoorsy with ski trips and more trips to Big Bear, Mammoth, June Mtn, etc, and seeing the roads up there continually degrade into a war zone of potholes, I finally caved and decided it was time for an AWD with smaller rims and bigger tires. But, it still kind of hurts. I've loved this car, everything from the way it turns mountains into mole hills, passing on 2 lane roads, rowing through the gears, and how it can also bring home 10' pipe and lumber from Home Depot.

I never really did any upgrades other than the strut tower bar and eventually a pioneer touch screen+CarPlay (now removed), and the coolant bypass if that's an upgrade, haha.

Admittedly, all is not perfect. There is some barely visible front bumper damage from a car cutting me off in traffic, and I also had to epoxy the headlight back to the plastic mounting tab. Tesla driver lied, and I was the guy behind, and I had no proof that he was only half in my lane, so "no-fault". The driver seat bolster has just about dissolved away on one side, and I spilled a oil in the trunk which even after laundering the soft liner just didn't want to come clean (sides were fine). That was very unfortunate that not only did I put the oil in a box that the whole thing tipped over somehow, but the plastic jug also split open. Ugh! It's got its share of small leaks of course, and the paint is starting to go in a couple spots, wearing through the clear coat, primarily on the rear bumper for some strange reason. It's also go recent Michelin CrossClimate 2s (in case of mountain snow) and new drive axles/cv/boots/seals as I was hoping maybe I'd get lucky and not have it be the tranny - no such luck.

Some oddities - Never replaced the exhaust system/cats for the check engine codes, first time was around 105k miles, fixed with new O2 sensors. Another time issues came back and amazingly a new battery made the difference. Talk about sensitive. Alternator died once and so did the starter motor. Replaced the radiator but mounts were good. Replaced the clutch at 205k, which amazed me that the original clutch lasted that long. The OEM gave up its last bit of life when I taught my older son how to drive stick, doh! Ignition coils is one of the few things I paid a dealer to do, when the car was still kind of young, and then when I saw how easy it was, I was miffed. Speaking of which, I've actually still got 2 brand new Hitachis in my garage somewhere that I bought but never installed..

I feel sad sending it to the wreckers but I also didn't want to deal with all the crazies and flakes to make a few hundred bucks more, so looks like I'm going the "Peddle/Cash4Cars" route. (Unless someone in San Diego wants to DM me real fast.)

I've always been a lurker fixing my problems over the years. I thought I'd posted in the past, maybe under a different email address? Unsure. I just want to say thank you for all the great stuff everyone has written with tips and tricks and findings that really helped solve those problems and/or saved tons of money over the years (such as the dealer telling me I had to replace my entire exhaust system for $2500 instead of just the O2 sensors). Definitely has been a love affair with this car whether it be driving it or wrenching it.

I've included some photos of my old vs new. I went with the Mazda CX-50 with a low trim level. This got me everything I "needed" with AWD (that has tested well in reviews) and heated mirrors/seats and wireless CarPlay etc at a surprisingly good price. I only paid about $3k more for it than I paid for my Maxima in 1999! Yes, it's way slower than the Max, but I'm way older than when I bought the Max and can live with that. I really wanted the Meridian edition of the CX-50 with the turbo and awesome interior leather etc, but in the end I couldn't justify the big step-up in cost. And all the other trims included things like 20" rims which was definitely NOT what I wanted. Fun coincidence, my maxima included the "Meridian Edition" package. I also considered the Crosstrek Wilderness, but it was just too small of a vehicle for me right now.

Thanks for listening, I guess it's a little bit like grieving to say goodbye. My family doesn't understand but I knew you all would.

 

Hello fellow CA Maxima owner,

Hope that she finds a new Maxima enthusiast that treats her well.

 

That would be nice. Dealer only offered $320 trade-in. Peddle is $415. I figured if someone showed up with $600 cash, to cover my time and expense to get it smogged, and dealing with a private party and test drive, that would be fair. But I don't want to advertise it up on Facebook/craigslist/etc and get spammed, then it doesn't become worth my time and expense.

 

Don't know that I've seen many of these over the years, thought it could be fun for anyone who bought "recently" to see one.

 

If you are ok with it, I'll share this post on the SoCal Maxima fb group, I'm pretty sure that another Maxima enthusiast would love to pick up a manual Maxima.

 

I just picked up 2001 SE Anniversary Edition 5 speed manual last month, otherwise I would be driving to San Diego to meet you with cash in hand.

 

do you really think so? It’s scheduled to be hauled off first thing tomorrow morning. I can cancel/reschedule but really only for another day or two, too many cars on the street and paying insurance each day I keep it..

 

I ran my 6MT low on gear oil too long before. the front input shaft bearing, differential bearings and front countershaft bearing were toast, rear shaft bearings are sealed and were still ok. i think it ended up costing me over $300 in bearings plus cost to have the machine shop remove and press on the new bearings.

I hope it ends up in the hands of someone who appreciates it. don't sell it too cheap, that's a nice looking car. if it was me I would have a hard time letting it go. I've been driving around with a 3 colored 02 6MT for the past year and a half due to an accident and she's finally going in for paint next week. I've gotten really attached to this car the past 12 years of owning it.

 

I tried joining a 5th gen maxima group but maybe it’s the wrong one (still waiting on approval). I postponed pickup by the salvage truck, feels wasteful to send it to recycling particularly if someone is willing to put in the effort on it. I didn’t see anything about SoCal so yes, please, I’d appreciate the help!

 

I know that feeling! Man, once you get it painted, people will be shocked at how clean and new it looks!! Have you decided on color?

 

I'm just going to paint it a nice bright white, no pearl.

 

that car looks too good to be sent to a salvage yard 😥....

those are the times when good enthusiast/mechanic friends come in handy. I actually had to pull the tranny on my 6MT a few times. first time was 3 weeks after getting it when the throw out bearing went bad. after pulling it a few times I can have it out myself in under an hour if i work without any interruptions. putting it back in is when I have to call a friend.

 

Hi jhinsd,

I have a fellow Maxima enthusiast from Palmdale that would like to buy the Maxima from you, he could pick it up on the 23rd. He's name is Jose.

 

I would jump on this. just too far away.

 

I have this exact same car....same color, same options, my window sticker is exactly the same as yours. I bought mine in late 2000, about a year old, with 13,000 miles on it. It's gone through being a commuter car for me, then a run-around car for both of my sons. Currently, my younger son uses it to drive between home (San Gabriel Valley, northeast of Los Angeles) to UC Riverside, about 50 miles each way (he only comes home on the weekend). We have 195,000 miles on it currently, and like you, still on the original clutch (amazingly). Have replaced the radiator, starter (twice), alternator, shocks (front one, rear twice), A/C compressor, but overall, for the miles, can't complain. My paint is also fading, as it's spent the last ten years parked outside. A few years ago, got the P0430 code, which was addressed by changing the O2 sensors. The check engine light just came on again a few weeks ago, with the same code. I don't have to do a smog check until 2025 on it, so I just reset the light for now; figure I'll look at it when the registration comes up in September 2025. I've gone through several other cars since I stopped driving the Maxima, but when it comes time to upgrade what I drive, the Maxima is always the one that stays. Best car I've ever owned. Looking back at my Max, it was my first car with power anything (steering, windows, locks, etc), first car with wheels > 14 inches, first car with cruise control and a leather interior. When I got it, it was nicer than anything I'd ever owned. And, it still looks great from 20 feet away, and it still drives nicely. My son will soon graduate from college, and when he does, he can have the Maxima if he wants it. I think he wants to buy his own car, and if he does, I'll have to figure out what to do with the Maxima.

That being said, I truly think you could sell your car for way more than what you'll get for salvage, but only if it passes California emissions (in California, the seller is required to provide current smog certification). Take a look around, you can't find anything that is running and has current smog for less than $2500. And that's for a clapped out Toyota Corolla with 300,000+ on it, with body damage and no luxury options. If it were me, I'd deal with the hassle and advertise it for $3000, and I bet you'll get that in a weekend.

Keith

 

Our stories are very similar except my college kids got newer (used) cars while I kept driving the Max! And not that far apart given I'm in San Diego.
If it wasn't for the tranny needing a rebuild, you're probably right about values. I poked around and talked around a bit and as soon as people heard transmission, they opted out, even when I was going to sell it for $600. It's getting picked up by salvage this morning. I agree, blows my mind when I see cars advertised online for $1500 that won't start. But.. Over the weekend I sold the new tires off the new car because I bought some trail and snow worthy ones, and it reminded me why I hate selling stuff used so much these days, 90% of the people just auto-ping with "is it still for sale" and then ghost on the response, or say they're coming to look and never show, or open with "will you take (half the price)". Most of them are in it to buy and resell themselves from what I can tell, and 24 hours of it was about all I could take. I'm certain doing this with a car, that has problems, would be sooo much worse.

Nick did put me in touch with another Maxima enthusiast but the timing isn't going to work out. Beyond that, while it sounds insane, I also can't take seeing it every day anymore. Somehow it just hurts, like a sick relative where you're waiting for them to pass. I think you'll be knowing that feeling sometime in your future! BTW, watch those tranny seals. Mine didn't just start leaking, it completely broke wide open, the seal was literally missing part of the rubber that had cracked off!

 

Forgot to mention, I did take it out last night around 11:30 PM to some pretty empty streets and enjoy one last run around, for old time's sake. I felt like a young hooligan again, lol, what a hoot!

 

What kind of mileage on it? It'd cost me north of $1k to have it shipped out here, but if it's well-kept, I can put a used tranny in it for $500

 

sorry my friend, but I let it go to salvage. They said that it would likely go to auction or export because of the good condition. How can you put a used tranny in for $500? I looked around a bit and couldn’t even find a used one for close to that price..

 

Damn sorry to hear it go . I need some parts lol

 

maxima parts are cheaper out on the east coast. most of them have rotted away by now so parts are easy to get.

 

This one is about 350 miles from me so add about $90 in gas round trip. Or could probably have it shipped for $150-200
But only 70k miles is NICE.

Hopefully someone will save it. Enjoy the new Mazda. I've been eyeballing the Mazda6 since 2016 but last I checked, they only offer the 6MT on the base sport model. The Touring and Grand Touring with all the nice tech like HUD, LED lights, etc only come in auto.
I wish car manufacturers would stop putting manuals only in their cheapest base models. We don't buy them cus we're cheap. We buy them cus we enjoy driving!!

 

What a shame. Sounds like you have been so loyal to that car and taken very good care of it. I totally understand. Have a 2000 SE with close to 168,000 miles. Performs like a top: mountain curves, acceleration, in snow. BUT. . .failed emissions test in January. Paid over $3,000 for new catalytic converter for Blue Max. Still wouldn't pass inspection. After following all the steps the service manager of the Nissan dealer told me to do. . .nada. Service Engine light is off, but car will neither pass nor fail. Turns out there is a 2nd catalytic converter, but it's not in poor enough shape to trigger service engine light or fail. State of Virginia emissions office emphasizes but can't give me a waiver until Blue Max is 25uo, then I can get a waiver and an Antique Car tag.

So sorry you're going to have to send it to the sheet metal graveyard. My heart is with you.

Sheila

 

I have a minty OEM Y-pipe with only 38k miles on it. Might help your situation. It has the rear bank pre-cat in it. If it's your front bank cat, those rarely go bad.

 

What year is the y-pipe for? My 2001 SE could use one to pass CA smog.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll ask the Nissan service rep what he thinks. He offered to try to help me find a used or after-market cat.