tubells

{mar - apr 2003}

I started with the 02 max .. but could not get one (as nobody gets rid of theirs (lovely cars- right?) then went to the 03 (lots of cash discounts - even convinced a friend to buy one) but not many available .. saw /tried out the Chrysler 300 M in between (too many bad internet stories - dropped it)... then someone told me abt the g35.. tried it (only thing I liked was the analog clock, besides the braking power!! -- did not like the seat controls)

{Aug 2003}

But then I saw the MAX-04 (hollywoood music here) and I was sold!

went to the dealer at abt 4:45PM .. came out with a deal at abt 5:05 ... had my car in abt a week (one day before the blackout!)

{Nov 2004}
It's abt. 27 K and 15 months old

_____________

This story may be a bit old.. but I've sort of rekindled my liking for this car (thanks to a lot of you folks here --- it never went away- just faded for a while)

lightonthehill

tubells - I 'went' for the '04 Maxima because I have driven nothing but Maximas for twenty years, have always loved the styling and performance, and because I am on a schedule where I buy a new Maxima the first year of each new generation.

I searched the internet from May 2002 until November 2002 looking for early 'spy' pics of the '04 Maxima. By December 2002, I had several pics, and knew I liked the styling. I drove the first '04 (an SE) to arrive at my dealer on March 8th, 2003.

By April, 2003, I had also driven an SL, and knew that was my choice. But the dealer was still getting MSRP, and actually padding above that. So I waited. By June 2003, I was on this site, and finding out about several problems with the '04. I monitored this site and bided my time.

By spring of '04, my dealer was really dealing, and Nissan was making progress with the intro problems. In May of '04, Nissan began a $2000 rebate. I knew the time had arrived. But I wanted a silver SL with drivers preferred, power roof AND (very important) VDC/TCS. It was late June before that exact car arrived at my dealer. I watched it unloaded from the auto carrier on the back lot (I went by my dealer almost every day for over a year), went home and plugged the car's VIN into my already-prepared offer, took the offer back to the dealer, and drove the car home a day or so later.

I must say I have been exceptionally pleased with my SL, and it makes me very sad to see several of my fellow Maxima owners having problems with their '04s.

Souljourner

The lease on my 2000 Max was up in May of 2003. I had an old beater in the yard that still worked from college days (a '93 Ford Thunderbird), and decided I'd drive that until it fell apart... well, that happened a little sooner and a lot more literally than I expected. Late in August of the same year, I hit a bump and the front of my car lurched, and all of a sudden there's a ton of scraping and negligible steering response. I manage to pull the T-Bird most of the way off the road, and look - the right front wheel housing is resting on the wheel. Turned out later to be a broken ball joint. Fix would cost more than the car is worth, so I tried to donate it - no dice, they wouldn't even take my car for free. Junk the car, went looking for a new one.

Tried a G35, liked the power and transmission, but the backseat was really small and the dealer wasn't willing to compromise on price at all. Went to a Nissan dealership, asked to test drive a 6spd Max, and the guy looked at me like I had two heads. "We don't have any standard transmission Maximas." Huh. Ok, so I left. Went to another dealership, test drove one, loved it. They had one configured exactly the way I wanted - everything except navigation and elite - and I bought it that day. No lease this time. I overpaid somewhat, but it's in the past, and next time I'll know better.

No problems except a slight rattle at 1800 RPMs which was fixed without a problem.

-Nate

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

Are there enough pages to cover?
In the fall of 2002, a close friend (a mechanic at my work) showed my the 03 Max he was ordering. This was an Olds loyalist. He was swayed to considered Japanese autos. Looking at all the specs the Max offered, I started to like. (always knew they ran strong very long). Was very appealing, but just shy of what I desired in such a huge investment of a first new car. I started shopping around (thought I was to be hired full time there). Came across BMW. 3 series too small, 5 just right with many features to drool over. I hoped a dealer/friend could get one at auction very cheap....

spy pics/specs came out for 6th gen Maxima. (THX music) problem solved. The styling was very dramatic, aggressive, and unique. All the feature I loved in the bimmer and more: 5 sp manumatic, HID, seat memory/assist, rear suspension upgrade, layout of driver's cockpit, POWER 255/265, 6.5 0-60, Max rep. engine plus a few improvements, FWD (need her in the winter too), 20/28+ mpg, those 18 wheels/tires, Bose 8 speakers!....

so the time came this May when old '88 buick for 7 yrs failed inspection. inquried mech/dealer about auction. went home, opened paper... Nissan $2200 off Maximas. called... "yes we just received an all black SE DPP sunroof 2 days ago. I'll unwrap her for you to test drive..." first time Love At First Sight. actually felt shy and anxious to get in. a bit overwhelming. surprised how buttery smooth she felt being an SE. grip, handle, cushion, stabilitly, unbelieveable. Sat for a couple hours, got him down to invoice + $200 1.9% (thank you edmunds). being a very rare combo I relented when they held firm. I tried to sleep on it. Called during lunch to pick her up after work.

I have had no problem thus far. She was built in May of this year, the same month I found my new love.

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

Seems like most of you are previous Maxima owners. I started in the Nissan Family with a used '96 Altima GXE. At the time the aftermarket scene wasn't very large for it and I ended up selling it outright. With that money I purchased a new '02 Olds Alero GLS Coupe with every option they had offered. I liked it up until about 40k and it started to act up. The last straw was the night before going to SEMA in Atlantic City. The car went into "Limp Mode". for a couple reasons. I ended up renting an '04 Maxima with about 2.5k on it for the weekend. Drove down to Sema with one of my boys and beat the hell out of it. Just to see the potential of it. Needless to say I picked up my '04 Maxima 2 weeks later after working out the deal with the trade and all.
This is my first REALLY nice car and though I have had the shimmies, the rotor pulsation, the sunroof hitting the deflector....I don't think I'll get out of this car for a while. I can't see myself getting bored anytime soon.

SSurfer

Simple, I work for a Nissan dealership could'nt get a G35 sooo I got the next best thing. Dont get me wrong I owned nothing but Nissans since my 73-240Z

SilverBelle04

Because my heart would skip a couple of beats and i'd hear "i know it's only rock'n'roll, but i like it" playing in my head every time i saw one !

Bob

Maxceler8

Whew, does this sound familiar. I had a '99 Alero GL coupe previously. I loved most things about the car, styling and nice interior (or so I thought until I got my max) but after I moved and the car hit 60k, I just was having constant problems with it-- power steering pump went 3 times, e brake was not functioning, HVAC fan control **** had to be replaced, my radio would intermittently work for like the first 5 minutes of long drive to work, and then would just shut off, never to be heard from for rest of 40 minute drive, and there was another problem with the brakes, front hub or rotor? I can't recall, but that was done twice. Also, my driver window fell off the track when I rolled it down to stick my passkey into the secured parking lot at work. This is an urban, ghetto area. At night. So I was panicking that some bum would find my car with the driver window completely down and take advantage during my 12 hour shift at work. My poor boyfriend drove in 45 minutes to drive that car home to try and fix it in sub 40* weather. For the last 6-8 months I owned it, it developed this funky smell in the interior that I just could not get rid of (and no, wasn't forgotten fast food, I never ate in that car) despite multiple cleaning and car shampoos. Finally, my GM extended warranty was running out and it was getting closer to winter and I just was not convinced that it was "done" acting up, and did not want to pay for all these things (some of them multiple times) out of pocket. Plus there were some engineering designs on that car that drove me batty. No transmission dip stick, so that couldn't be checked. I hated the auto lights. With that car, there were always lights on. You have your DRL's, and when the car decided wen it was dark enough and would turn the lights on, and I couldn't do anything about it. If you wanted to sit incognito somewhere, to have the lights not come on when you started the car, you'd have to apply the e-brake. Or turn engine off, wait for auto lights to shut themselves off, and then apply e-brake and start the car. Auto locks would automatically lock when you shifted out of park (I kind of liked this feature actually) but would not "unlock" itself when you put it back into park. Oh god, and the car had bells for everything! You got low on gas the car would "ding" at you, or low on windshield washer fluid, or a tire was low, or needed an oil change, etc. etc. God help you if you needed maintenance and were low on gas, it dinged endlessly after startup. I had it for 25,000 miles and was not horribly sad to see it go. Too bad, as I really wanted to like that car.

Not to get off-topic, so unreliable daily driver made me start looking around, started at Nissan's cause my bf was custom-ordering an Altima, so was spending alot of time at the dealerships anyways, and new Maxes had just come out at that time. I ended up with the 03 'cause deals were a bit better, and I wasn't as sure of overall styling of the '04s, but did look at one.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

hah, my friend always had Olds (above post) and after years of the same problems/issues, he decided to look elsewhere. so he has an 03, leading to me having an 04. Now he wants an 04. I kinda feel bad, most of the 5th gen owners i know, get upset and ready to trade up when they see my 04, or we talk about them.

too_Da_MAX

Well i was an SUV guy before my 05max. But i need better handling. I checkout out the 300c but didnt like the interior, it looked cheap and not modern enough for me (built for an older crowd). Then i went for the G35, but did not like the lack of space in the interior and wasnt too pleased with instrument panels. After that i went for the 3 series bmw. After looking inside i walked away. Then i met the new Acura TL and loved it was planning to buy it, when i thought in my head crossed my mind about my cousin telling me about Niassan maximas. So i ran to the Nissan dealer to get a quick look at it to get it out of my head and say the acura is better..................wrong, i couldnt leave the damn dealer the Maxima had me captivated by its beauty. The maxima had the styling i loved, cutting edge and very modern looking. I loved the interior and it had a bigger interior volume than a TL. After driving the maxima it was all over for me with a knockout in the first round.......

Nissan fo- life

Marveloso

CoolMax

iTrader: (7)

Maxceler8: Great review, but I believe the question was: what made you go for the '04 Max?

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

Maxceler8 I feel your pain. The window guide actually broke the night I was bring the Olds to the dealer to trade it in. I've seen that pos 4 times since it got bought....I am so happy with the upgrade

wrj

I looked very hard at the Acura TL and G35. Both fine cars and I'm sure I would have been happy with either. But the Max was hands down the best value. Price versus the features sold me. Also, the torque of the VQ engine in the Nissans and G35 was much better suited to my driving style than the TL.

Maxceler8

I addressed that already :

"Not to get off-topic, so unreliable daily driver made me start looking around, started at Nissan's cause my bf was custom-ordering an Altima, so was spending alot of time at the dealerships anyways, and new Maxes had just come out at that time. I ended up with the 03 'cause deals were a bit better, and I wasn't as sure of overall styling of the '04s, but did look at one."

Surly

I used to drive a bright red '95 Mitsubishi Eclipse. In 2000, I was promoted at work and relocated to New York City. One doesn't really need a car there (and it's not safe to keep something like that on the streets) so I sold my car within a month and did not own one for the 3.5 years I lived in NYC. There were massive layoffs at my company and my job was elminated in October '03. On the day that I was let go, I got a phone call from an ex-coworker (as I was packing up my office) telling me there was a job open with his company. Unfortunately, the job was in Atlanta, but I didn't want to be unemployed so I went for it and was hired within a month.

One of my interviews was in Nashville, and as I exited the airport I saw a Max on display in one of the terminals. I did a double-take as I always remembered Maximas being tiny little cars that I never much cared for (my apologies to owners of Gen 1-5). I flew out of the airport that same day, looked at the car on display again, then bought a New Car Buyer's Guide from the newsstand as I waited for my return flight. I took notes on all the different cars that interested me, crunched some numbers, thought about my needs (both personal and professional) and decided that the Max was my first choice. I did a lot of research on the internet over the next couple of months (I didn't relocate until December) and went to a dealer in early January. I walked in fully armed with information, ready to negotiate. They had a dealer demo on the lot with about 4,500 miles on it. We went back and forth on the price, but I finally got it for 13.5% off sticker, and negotiated on the interest rate as well.

It was exactly what I wanted - Onyx SE with black leather interior. I wanted the Nav system, but none of the cars on the lot had that and I didn't want to order a car from the dealer (as I wanted a good deal). I've been extremely happy with it ever since, and I added Sirius satellite radio last month.

factorymax

Have always loved Nissan products. Between my wife and I, have owned a 1984 Z, 1989 Hard Body truck, 1995 Z turbo, 1999 Altima GXE, 2001 Altima GLE, 2001 Pathfinder LE 4X4, 2003 Murano SL and the logical next step was a 2004 Maxima SL. It helps that I used to work for NNA as a "factory rep" (still get a "great deal"!!).

I love having 2 Nissans in my garage along side my vette.

hofb99

You and I have 2 things in common... Nissans and Vettes!!! lol

Between my wife and I, we've owned 6 Nissans. The latest pair, her very reliable '01 Pathfinder and my exhilarating '04 MAX... Haven't made it to the Vette as of yet...and don't really want to own 3 cars right now. I'm patient...when I'm old and gray, I'll get that Vette. She's digging the 350Z...but she's willing to wait until our kids get older. I'm really eye'ing the new '05 Pathfinder for her...they finally put a 3rd row seat--now a necessity w/ 3 growing boys! It ('05 PATH) seems perfect so far and is really appealing to us (only other choice is Toyota Sequoia)...they have the new Pathfinders on my dealer's lot already!

But I think I'll do like lightonthehill and wait for the reviews and kinks to be worked out before I "go and see a man about a horse"...lol

jaydabee

Couldn't fit the kids into a Vette. So there was only one other cool choice, the MAX!

factorymax

Understood. The Murano is the Mom Taxi for my 2 kiddos. The vette was a gift from dad....he had it since it was new in '77 and got tired of the upkeep.

Even though it has only 13K original miles, the Max gives it a run for its money. Vette has a 3 speed tranny and tops out about 110.

Take care

MaxMus

It had memory seats (a big plus), power tilt and telescopic steering wheel, 265HP/255lb ft. of torque, it was bigger than my 2000 Max, the ride is smooth and comfortable, the car actually corners better than me SE, the Navigation, the dual exhaust, and the auto-dimming inside and outside mirrors were icing on the cake for me.

And all for a low price of 31,590 - 1000 reboate = 30,590. Try to get a G35, TL, or BMW with all of those features for that price. All in all, i'm very happy with my new Maxima.

CoolMax

iTrader: (7)

I'm nitpicking here.

The question remains (unanswered): what made you go for the '04 Maxima - not why didn't you or how did you end up with a 2003? Your response is completely (and so is mine )

Maxceler8

Aiight then..........

Guess no more Alero stories from me in this forum then....for a while

CoolMax

iTrader: (7)

j/k

blakstarz

A car accident with my Galant being hit by a stolen car and totaled my ride (which was hooked up) made me go for it.....

jeffd1979

Wife said " i want a maxima"

I said "ok"

msoemax

Got a new job and needed something to blow all my money on. Figured the maxima offers the best bang for the buck!

I looked at what other similar cars offered. The maxima offered the best performance and options for the price. The choice was rather easy. Also got free oil changes for life by choosing my maxima. No other brand offered that for me in my area. So that is WHAT made me go for the max...BTW what and why are similar questions for this thread.

Damn nit-pickers

Jeffs04SE

last december i went to look at a 2002 SE with 7,000 miles on it. they wanted $18,700 for it but i was unemployed and going to school full time so i couldent afford it. early september i saw a beautiful brunette in a beautiful onyx SE and i made up my mind that i wanted a 04 max as a replacement to my 99 GAGT. september 15 i saw a deal in the paper for a 04 that was selling for $22,700 went down and looked at it, fell in love and took her home that day.

carcus

Traded in a 98 BMW 328IC convert....

Needed more room for the family
Cheaper repair bills
4 doors

Actually was looking at a 300 Hemi but the Dodge dealer was not wanting to deal, also owned a Maxima before so this is my second one.

So far happy with it....besides the resale tank it took and the only local Nissan dealer I have sucks and offers no loaners. Wish I would have waited 5 months and saved 10 grand picking up one used. Well enough of the bad stuff.

Still great car, great power for it's size, and for mine being a base model SE with cloth....still comparable lux to my BMW....minus the convert top...damn hard to give up a convert once you own one. For a family car....this is perfect and has some guts also. Just my 2 cents. I really liked my last maxima also, was a 93.

tubells

thks all... This car does bring out the poets in some ... see below!

LOVE THIS ONE!!!
===>>>> "Some guys have all the luck!!

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

I will admit that I never really found Maxima's attractive (no offense anybody) , I did take notice of the 5th gen max but I was a truck guy (have been for 10 years) I was "just looking" around and test drove a G35 (May'04) Was semi impressed but too small inside, of course I was driving an F350 and had plenty of room, so if I was going to buy a car it wouldn't be something this small. Anyways, I went next door to the Nissan dealer to look at the new Armada, I was stoked on that but then I walked around the corner and saw my Maxima sitting there. I said to my wife "Oh yeah this is the new Maxima these things are awesome and what you get for the price..." Test drove it, came back the next day and drove home my new car...

hofb99

That was pretty interesting, jsmith... Who'd have thought you were a truck man... My impression of you was that you've owned Nissans all your life!!! lol

Really interesting...

robert kreider

I looked at the max and the 04 acura tl,fit and finish much better on the ac but dealer was 35 mi away and the max was 3 mile away, also the max has more interior room and was 2500 dollars less, so far 7200 mile and satisfied, dealer has been ok. Next time around we'll see whats out there.

CarFreak

i consider max a bargain bmw. most bang for your buck.

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

Yeah who would have known...looking back on all my cars, I 've never driven a stock car, I always put 100% effort and detail into making them different from everything else on the road:
1st car: 84 Toyota pickup, so low it would scrape reflectors off the road.
2nd car: 90 Civic SI, I had the only lowered Honda I had ever seen around
3rd car: 92 Ford Bronco: Lifted, Borla headers,exhuast, jumped reeaall good!
4th car: 97 Chevy Silverado (1st new car) Lifted, wheels tires etc..
5th car: 00 Ford F-350 Crew Cab Turbo Diesel, lifted wheels tires again
6th car: 6th Gen Max....you guys know the details...
And of course every one has a tight stereo system!!!
So as you can see I've had quite a range of vehicles, and now it's all about the Max!!!

hofb99

Quite a diverse catalog of vehicles there! Ain't hatin' on that @ all! I've pretty much been loyal to Nissan since I bought my first car ('87 MAXIMA). I loved the MAX since high school when I use to see a lot of them on post (I grew up near Ft. Dix, where my Dad retired from the Army). I looked into them and found that the MAX was a WHOLE LOT OF CAR w/o the sting of the sticker tag to go w/ it... I think back then, you could purchase a brand new one for only about $14 - $15K... Anyway, long story short, since then, I haven't been able to shake Nissans...they offer a whole lot of BANG for your buck...and they manufacture high quality cars (IMO). So has the MAX been good to you thus far?

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

The Max has been great, no complaints with my car or Nissan. I will probably buy my wife a Nissan when she's due for a new ride...probably an Armada or the new Pathfinder (Family ride!) But of course I'll probably lift it or put some 22's on it no matter what. I'm addicted, I just can't help it!!!

Mystery

Saw one in a parking lot, it caught my eye and then i went and did some research, test drove it and bam i was hooked. Haven't stopped enjoying it yet.

hofb99

I must admit it takes one w/ thick skin (so-to-speak) to stay true w/ the MAX. Since the "box-bodystyle" went out of style back in 1988, I found myself struggling w/ the new aerodynamically "friendly" MAXs that were introduced the year immediately following. Although, I did like them, I didn't have that "love" for them like I did w/ the 1st and 2nd Gens... BUT, I stayed true w/ them until the 5th Gens came out...and "OH MY GOODNESS", I had a fit! What the f#$% did they do w/ them?!! I was so hurt inside! lol But, after time, the 5th Gens grew on me and I came to adore them. But then, enter the 6th Gen...bulky, round, big, ugly eyes, ugly a$$, etc...etc... I was HIGHLY disappointed to say the least...but once again, after time, the new design came to grow on me. THEN, I sat it one. Enough said. Now, I am so curious to see what the 7th Gen is going to offer, I can $hit my pants!!! lol

TRUE STORY!!!

NissanFreak2000

I definetly know what you mean, I have been wondering and killing myself at wondering what the 7th generation Maxima will look like, and what features they will add, and how many hp it will put out.

nlt624

It was June of 2006 and my 2001 5th gen Maxima GLE kinda "burped" while I was driving on the interstate. I didn't think anything of it and kept driving. A day later, I was driving and the "check engine" light came on. I took it to the dealer to have it inspected. While it was sitting in the back all alone waiting, I saw a charcoal gray 2004 Maxima SE on the lot. IT WAS THE ONLY PRE-OWNED MAXIMA ON THE LOT!!!!.

While they were still inspecting mine, I asked to test drive the 04. After a 20 minute test drive, I told them to give me a trade in value on the 01. When I was told that they would give me 11 grand for it, I said DEAL because that was what I still owed on the loan and it was 2 grand more than book value. We negotiated the price on the 04 down from $23,000 to $20000 (they got me on the interest rate though at 13.9%, d*mn college debt) and I was out the door an hour later. A month later I refinanced it at 8.99% and have been happy every since.

I got a base model SE and the only thing I miss is my sunroof and my Bose system. But other than that, I'm still happy. I'm actually looking out the window at it right now. I can't believe that I was actually thinking about getting an Acura TL or RL when I got this one. Glad I didn't!