Jules Maximus

I believe I put a similar (although not quite as blunt) statement at the end of my post. Thanks for pointing out the obvious though.

As for the other comments, good information. Thanks for the feedback.

gmc74

marmadogg is right, this is definately a problem with the manufacturer of the parts for your truck, not the assembly of it. He is also right that you were nuts to buy an "import" truck American full size pick ups are second to none.

gmc74

I think the moral of the story here is, if you buy a first year car, then be prepared for some problems and keep your whinning to a minimum. I bought one, with my eyes wide open. I expect that there will be a couple of issues, I will get over it

coffeeshark

I've heard the same, and you definitely have to be the guinea pig for the new models. I've bought a few first-year models, and haven't had any major problems, maybe even fewer problems than established models.

LDLDL

My dealer took my word for the gas guage not working. They disconnected the guages, connected the module up to some computer where it showed the gas guage malfunctioning.
For as much money as we've paid for these cars, they should take your word for anything that is wrong regardless as to whether or not it shows the problem while at the dealer!!!
By the way, I got a call from the dealer asking what my milage is because the factory needs to set the speedometer. So I should get my new guages next week.

04EliteSE

Tell them your mileage is Zero...

gmc74

what a huge pain in the *** that must be for them

Jules Maximus

You're kidding right?

The Fords are decent but Chevy and Dodge trucks (and cars) are pretty bad for reliability. Much worse than the Tundra I owned was.

gmc74

I had a Ford, and it ruled. I used to have a GMC too, and I beat the snot out of it. I have heard of nothing but complaints about the Tundra. I know that Toyota makes good small pickups, but leave the big ones to the pros

My Excursion, built on the F250 platform, was a beast! V10 power could pull a house, and it didn't do too bad in the speed department either.

4DRSpeed

iTrader: (22)

My parents don't own an '04, but they do own a '95 and '02. The '95 still runs strong, just has some brake issues, and the engine sometimes doesn't start up right, has a weird noise.

The '02 the fit and finish could be better, but I haven't noticed a single rattle in the car, and it has 25,000+ on it within a year (we take too many trips). The only issues we have are paint and the body. Paint on the hood is chipping very nicely and too me the body such as fenders are not built very well. I don't know how the dents got there but it's just pathetic. They appear magically it seems.

I'm sure the '04s will have issues here and there since they are brand new, but I would hope that Nissan will fix these issues for next year.

Jules Maximus

I said Ford makes good fullsize trucks. Toyota will also in the near future.

The Tundra powerplant/chassis just wasn't designed to haul the real heavy loads the Ford F-250 & F-350 can. As a half ton truck it was a very refined truck and fit and finish on the interior was excellent. The powertrain is right out of the Lexus fullsize sport-ute, a 4.7l DOHC V8 with 240hp and it is powerful and silky smooth. There are issues with other parts of the truck but Toyota will get it straightened out if they haven't already.

I've had the chance to see how the big three trucks stand up as fleet vehicles (we're only talking about the first 60-70k miles) and the only one that's worth a damned is Ford. The other two just aren't built to last. I could tell you stories of one friend who spun a crankshaft bearing in his well maintained Chevy truck with 60k miles on it or my other friend who spends half his time at the dealership with his Dodge but I won't...because this is supposed to be a Nissan Maxima forum.

My main point was that I wouldn't buy another first year vehicle and that Dodge and Chevy suck . YMMV.

LDLDL

I tried telling them that the mileage was 125!!!
I told them that I didn't remember as the car wasn't with me at the time of the call. I mentioned to them that the car was in for service (3,000 mile) three weeks ago and they said that they would use that milage plus 25 miles. Little do they know that the car was driven about 300 mile since then!!!

gmc74

lol I don't know how they will do mine, since I drive over 500 miles a week. I am going to fill it up and bring it over there today since it seems to happen after fill ups.

Jules, I thought the point you were trying to make was that the vehicle you bought was made in the USA and that is why it was such bad quality. That is what it sounded like on your post on page 3.

"I know I can't compare this to one made in Japan because the Tundra is only made in the USA but Toyota has a reputation for building quality vehicles which is one of the reasons I bought that truck to begin with. I don't know what else to attribute it to."

"...I for one am glad my car was made in Japan, not in the US in a new facility (like the Tundra was)..."

Jules Maximus

gmc-That was one of my points in an earlier post. One of the more eloquent and thought provoking responses (by motectransam to be exact-certainly not by you) made me rethink some of the conclusions I came to about my truck being made in the USA so I will stick to the point about first year models and retract the other conclusions.

I can do that can't I?

JAKE02

Sure ya can Jules.......I agree with your thoughts regarding Toyota's Tundra. Most definately the most refined, smoothest truck on the market. Granted, it is too bad Toyota didnt go with a heavy-duty line on the Tundra, but for my needs, I would have a Tundra in my driveway vs a domestic. I may be biased as a have a 4runner that has NEVER had a problem, counting 150K miles at present. I wish Nissan was as reliable as Toyota. Sounds like your troubles were first-year production miscues/wtih suppliers, etc. Sorry this OT.

Jules Maximus

Thanks man. It is my understanding that Toyota is planning a heavy duty version of the Tundra for 2005-06 year model complete with a diesel engine. Should be interesting.

I didn't really have a need for a truck. I just wanted one. Then my wife got pregnant and now I have a 9 month old son. The truck just wasn't cutting it as a family vehicle (very small back seat). That's the main reason I decided to get rid of it and buy the Maxima. The problems I had with it were annoying but I never was without my truck for more than a day and Toyota was very good about fixing everything under warranty. I had 43k miles on it when I traded it and I never paid for a single brake job or any other repair other than normal maint.

I owned primarily sports cars prior to the Tundra so it is good to be back in a performance oriented car like the Maxima. I'm enjoying it!

gmc74

I suppose

motectransam

Maxima is the sneaky savior for married middle-class driving enthusiasts.

JAKE02

No problem Jules A heavy duty Tundra would be cool. What do you think so far about the Nissan Titan? Difficult to tell just from the press release photos, but looks to be as large as the domestics, with a 300 hp V8. Looks like Nissan is going FULL SIZE, not like Toyota did with the Tundra....9/10 full size truck...

Jules Maximus

Regarding the Titan, I saw it at the Los Angeles auto show in January of this year (I have some pictures of it if anyone is interested) and it looks like quite a nice truck. I wish they would get away from the suicide doors though. I hated that about my Tundra. Park it in a normal parking spot with cars next to you and it is very difficult to maneuver a child seat in and out of.

You'll get no argument from me on that one!