Hey, looking to get either 2002 Maxima GXE or GLE. Any good or bad words that anyone would say about either one? What a good color to get for the Arizona Sun.

 

You might want to do a search on "recall" on this forum. There have been a few problems that you'll want to make sure you're aware of and, based on the ship date of your car, make sure the dealer has taken care of the TSBs associated with those recalls. Particularly as the 2003's take over the floor and the dealers are trying to unload the 2002's.

Other than that. Great car, lots of fun. I have a 2001, different engine, but the Maxima is good choice for a nicely priced four-door sedan.

 

DO NOT BUY THE 2k2.. I have always been a maxima fanatic, but the amount of problems we are suffering are rediculous..

Go look at something else first and as a last resource come back to the max..

ED

 

Well you might want to point him out some of the specifics that you have experienced with your Max. This guy is a personal friend of mine in AZ. I have a 2K and have had to deal with he same TSB's as all other 2K-2K1 owners. If there is anything really drastic, I'm sure he would appreciate your input. He's either looking at a 2K2 Max, or a 2K2 Accord V6 Ex Coupe. My biggest complains about the Max are: depreciation and lack of quality control, VS. the Accord, which I formerly owned. Even I might be looking at a 2K2, so spill the beans. Thanx.

 

Pearl white. Too much dust for any other color. Trust me on this one...

 

I personally feel that the benefits totally outweigh the costs of owning a 2K2. Here's the problems I've had, and the fixes...


BOSE Deck Rattle: Weatherstripping and the velcro on spacers
BOSE Quality: If I was to buy a 2K2 again, DON'T GET BOSE!!!!
Recall: Only control arm affects me, 1/2 day @ dealer & done
Paint: Magnetbra on hood, lots of Klasse and Blitz on Bumper

What I did get is a 255hp V6 with a great interior, good reliability, awesome exterior/interior color combo (Majestic Blue w/ Frost) for 24k. I don't think the Maxima should be a last resort @ all. I looked at the following and it moved up to first by the end:

Toyota Camry SE V6
Volkswagen Passat
Audi A6
Volvo S40
Nissan Pathfinder
Chevy Tahoe
Ford F150 Supercrew

Just IMO, I love the Maxima. I wouldn't trade it in for anything in the price range (unless someone has the G25 manual @ a discount )

Neal

 

Stay away from the 2K2 Maxima!

I have 5000 miles on my car and I have paint chips, scratches and pits all over the damn thing. The glass is poor quality as well. I won't get into the other nagging problems, like the weak "Bose" stereo system--cranked up to 31 on the volume **** and you can barely hear it.

Don't waste your money. Save up for a Lexus or stick with the TL/Accord.

 

I have 10,000 miles on my 2002 and I love it! The paint still looks brand new, all you have to do is take a few precautions.

 

Just to reiterate, don't get the BOSE. That's why it's an OPTION. I would get this if I got another 2K2.

Majestic Blue w/ Frost 6spd
Sunroof
HSLD (if avail. not required)
Side Airbags

No BOSE, no leather

About the paintm I would seriously look into using the Klasse twins. I have 2 coats of AIO and 2 coats of SG on my baby, and threw on some Meguiars Hi-Tech Yellow as a topoff. Add in the Magnetbra and it looks great. Here's another paint hint. DON't FREAKIN TAILGATE!!! I love when people are all ****ed because they have paint chips and I drive with them, @ 80 on the highway 5 feet behind a truck. LOL. I am not saying the Nissan paint is good, but you can also take precautions just like EMax said.

 

Just don't get majestic blue,,,, It is horible for chips!

 

Swirl marks and water spots too!

 

I have a 2002 Max GXE and I love it so far.

Likes:
- power of the engine
- stock stereo is pretty decent.
- pleasure to drive (now I understand, none of the previous cars I've owned or driven long term has been a pleasure)
- steering wheel mounted controls for radio and cruise
- outside temp gauge

But I will say certain things irked me:
- accelerator pedal stopper recall [repair wasn't done right the 1st time, affected me on the race track, ruined my lapping day]
- recall for control arm pins [still waiting for parts to get work done]
- paint chips easily (clear bra has helped, got 1 more chip a little past the bra)
- slight intermittent interior rattle from passenger side

Hopefully I don't have any major issues down the road. A few more recalls, and my love might lessen. My last car, a 91 Camry V6 never had any recalls and had fewer paint chips after 91.5K miles than my Maxima after 3K miles.

I'd still recommend a Maxima, but just get a clear bra installed if you start noticing chips.

 

My 2K2 only has 2500 miles so far but I have not any problems so far. I love the power. Bose is just OK - it was better in 4th gens.

The 6spd was a little notchy at first but after it broke in, it feels great now.

My only real complaint is the wind noise. It is a little excessive at fast highways speeds 85+.

I live in AZ as well and bought Sunlit Sand. I used to have a white '95 which I liked alot as well. Those would be my top pics for the AZ heat but the Sterling Mist looks really nice.

I put Quantum HP tint on my car. It cooled it off great and keeps it plenty comfortable inside.

I have a couple of minor chips but nothing too bad to complain about.

You may want to check out the Infiniti G35. It looks like a great car. The only downside is that the 6spd nor the coupe is available yet.

Good luck in your hunt!

 

Mine has none. I am with the others who mentioned that a little caution will minimize the paint chip problems.

 

i have about 4 paint chips on the hood and i have 2500 miles on my 2k2 se majestic, and i dont want to put an ugly bra on there, it wuld ruin the luxo look.

 

Have 2k miles on my car, and have gone to the dealership twice, to get recalls done to my car. Overall, I am happy with my maxima (e.i ride) and for the price range, I wouldn't think twice to get one. Yes, Nissan could have improved on the paint, and yes there are some problems, but overall, the good things just cancel out the bad.

But, It's really up to you...

Hope this helps...

Later...

 

how many actual recalls have they had 4 2k2? all i know is the suspension 1 which i got fixed?

 

I can't get past about 23 on mine and it's plenty loud enough. Are you sure there's not something wrong with your Bose, that isn't wrong with mine?

My $0.02 ... I love my car and would recommend it to anyone in the hunt for a BMW 3 or 5 series, Audi A 4 or 6, Passat 6 or W8. Plenty of room, excellent power, the leather is pretty good (not as nice as the volvo, but still pretty good), Bose does the job.

I guess my vote... if I had to do it all over again I'd look a little closer at the AWD versions of BMW (330xi?) and volvo s60 , but then the money situation changed in my favor since I bought my Max-

Given same circumstances I'd buy another Max in a heartbeat.

 

They also had a recall for the throttle.........

Later.....

 

I love my 2k2 GLE! Sure there are problems...listed above...but so does any car. IMO its a great car for the price...what other cars are you researching? And whats ur price range?

 

Nope, he is right the volume tops out at 31 and its really muted... The 99 max was much louder and cripser too!! ANd i never could max out the volume ont he 99 Max.. Oh well.. Bose systems suck anyways.. so out it goes and in goes my 145db setup..

And go hunt for BMW's?? areyou crazy?? sure in a straight line but taking a corner in a stock maxima is absolutely insane!! I need suspension mods asap... but there is really nothing much to be done aobut hte unstable rear end situation and i know RSB is going to exageerrate the problem..

I say that speeding through corners is much more dangerous in our cars because a slight bump can make the car oversteer dangerously..

ED

 

2K2 6spd here. Its a good car. I have 2500 mile and no paint problems at all. Put two coats of Mcguires on the car and its gorgeous. The recall was done in one day. The Bose is weak for a 1200.00 option and the sunroof switch can be alittle finicky but other than that its fine. There are many other cars with worse reliability than this one. Don't be afraid.

Jesse

 

why are you considering a GXE or GLE and not the SE? if you are getting worried about paint chips, get sterling mist. paint chips tend to blend in more on silver cars. people can give you their opinions on the car all they want, but i think you should just test drive it first. i'm pretty sure you're going to be impressed.
question about recalls/TSBs: if a car is still sitting on the dealer's lot when a recall/TSB is announced, do they perform all the recalls/TSBs on the car? they probably have to do the recalls, but what about the TSBs? how would the buyer know what has been done?

 

the safe answer is "no"

TSB= no, not unless you ask. TSBs are only done if the car exhibits the problem, and they're not driving every car to see

recall= should, but probably won't.

you must ask if it was done, and have them show you what they actually did. Make them prove it. And this is every manufacturer, not just Nissan.

 

i had no complains other than the recalls but most cars get recalls the world is NOT perfect!!
I love my car and i still recomend it to other people!! is worth it!!

 

I also have a majestic blue max with swirls!
What is the best meathod of getting rid of them??
There really hurting the apperence of my car!

 

Damn... I can't believe how negative this discussion has been!

It's hard to believe we got this many unsatisfied owners. Hell, my Max has been nearly PERFECT in 10K miles. My complaints are just nit-picky ones. But the good things are a list a mile long!

Most people don't pay as close attention to recalls as we do here on the forum. If there's a recall, then we'll know about it. Most people aren't even informed of ALL recalls. I worked at a Ford dealership some years back and let me tell you that there are LOT MORE recalls on cars (Ford in this case) than people may believe. I don't think the Max has any more than the normal amount. Actually, IMHO, probably less.

I don't care what anybody says... I think the Max is still "bang-for-the-buck", one of the best deals on wheels! Nobody can change my opinion of that!

 

I have a Majestic Blue 02 that had Swirls.

If you really want to get rid them use a product like 3m Swirlmark remover with an orbital polisher, it can be done by hand, but it's hard work either way and much harder by hand. Other than that you can get it professionally done with rotary buffer, but make sure you pick a good detailer because they can do more damage than good with a rotary, if they don't know what they are doing.

You can also get glazes and polishes that will cover them up for a few weeks or months.

 

I love my 2k2 majestic blue Max!

I was looking for a car that was nice and professional(I sometimes take clients to lunch), and something I could still run at the track! For a 4-door 'sport car', you just can't beat the 6-speed Maxima.

You may be looking for something different, but I'm still stuck in the 'getting older but don't want to stage'!

 

Has anybody else noticed that you can ask a question, any question, here on the .org and get a mind blowing number of completely opposite answers? The truth is it all depends on an individual's perspective. I suspect you are interested in a car that is less sporting since you mention the GXE and GLE but all Maxima models will be more sporting than Honda or Toyota. That's just Nissan's philosophy. Therefore you may like an Accord or Camry better. And if reliability is a major issue with you I suggest you go to the library and get ahold of the April issue of Consumer Reports and look in the back at their reliability ratings. They rate the Maxima among the most reliable in it's class. If you're concerned about your total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the car though I think you have to stay with Nissan, Toyota or Honda.

Enjoy the ride!

 

Honestly all the maxima's i know of including my mom's 99 never had a problem..

The only thing the 99 has ever been in for was brakes, O2 at 130,000kms and ABS controller again at 130,000kms

From 0-130,000 kms, all it took wer oil changes, brakes and other maintenance stuff..

NEVER EVER been in for a recall or TSB's and anythign else and it drives perfectly...in fact better than my 2k2...

I think out of all the maximas the 2k2 is not up to par and i think when that consumers report was out, it was reflecting previous gens and not 2k2s.

I went to the dealership and got an appointment booked for all bull SHI$T problems, and if they don't fix everything, i am going to go to the next level!!

My main concerns are the steering radius and the jerky on off throttle probelm... Everything else is a minor annoyances and i can lieve with it (although even my 96 protege that costs half as much never had minor annoyances or any problems for tha tmatter))

ED

 

clear bra=invisible........