hmr1979

I finally traded my 06 Maxima; the car and this forum will certainly be missed, thanks for all the help.

I sadly let go of my 06 nissan maxima the last day of December; my nostalgia is over now lol so I am writing to tell y'all thanks for all of the help while I owned the car. I certainly got tons of informative and helpful discussion on this forum. I would like to also add, that of all of the three different car forums that I frequent (cause of my cars), this is the most involved, fastest, has the most members, and just all around, the best out of the three.


I was initially going to do a 90k report before I even thought of trading her, but since I traded her, I guess I will kill two birds with one stone. I will tell you why I let her go (for those who care ). In that respect (even though this is not a Hyundai forum), I can't help but compare my Max with my 06 Sonata Lx, as they were bought at exactly the same time (Same mileage, same conditions, same care that they have gotten, same driving habits, almost same everything). And yes, these cars are not in the same segment, being that the Sonata cost about 7-8 grand less depending on the equipment, but they are both 4DS and both about 3 and half liter V6 engines and obviously both FWD. Apples to apples would be Azera-Max (or now Genesis V6 vs. 09 and up Max), Sonata-Altima, and so on.


Reason why I am comparing the two is relevant to this thread simply because it is one of the primary motivations for me to trade the Maxima. Simply put, as much as I loved the car, and I did, it was just 1) un-realiable, 2) personally did not think it was not worth what I paid - value - 3) Was starting to feel like a clunker 4) continuously put money into it and I never really got the car right, never felt right. and 5) with 100,000 miles looming over and the beloved tranny stories I read on here, I figured this was a good time to call it quits. and I forgot 6) I have become a Hyundai believer after owning a Sonata and saw a pre-owned Azera at a price I couldn't pass up...so I am hoping it was a blessing in disguise.

Things I loved about the Maxima:
OK, so here it goes.
The Maxima, when compared to the Sonata, was a sports sedan. It handles great, the seats really kept you tight and snug. The car looks great, I already miss how sporty and sexy it looked *sniff sniff*.


The VQ35 is undoubtedly a great engine and I am glad I had the pleasure to have one for 4 years. The engine is really its forte. I loved that after market parts were available and it was just a much more friendlier car to mod.


It seemed more refined as far as driving habits go when compared to the Sonata. It sounded sweet especially when it reved up high and though the transmission is not the best, as we all know, it did have no problems on my car and comparatively speaking, it downshifted and upshifted much better than the Sonata's 5sp.

The car had way more road presence, even though it is not that much larger

than the Sonata, the inside felt roomier and on the road it would be a head turner compared to my other radiant silver car.


The car was pretty quick. 0-60 stock for stock has the edge for the Max. I think lower profile tires, lower squat, better aero dynamics, better shifts from 1-2- are some of the reasons why it does about .3 or .4 secs better than the Sonata. Around the track, and even on civilian road, it worked the twisties way better, I wasn't hardcored modded but had kybs and tsb and that in itself made a big difference. The Sonata with same suspension setup handled like noodles lol I never lowered either cars because I frequently carry speakers, and passengers often in my cars...didn't want to rub.
The exterior of this car really held up nicely for the 90K miles I drove it with. The paint is in tact, though my garage is full meguairs car care product, and I regular washed, body scrub, waxed it, I wasnt OCD and didnt do any more than any typical guy on this forum prolly does. With that said, all the vinyl overlay on the pillars, all the paint and materials on the panels, steering wheels, etc...are as shiny as they were the day I bought it.

Things I hated about the Maxima:

These are the reasons why I ultimately let her go. The car, from the begining, never was reliable. Without mentioning the major major stuff, even little things like both Wheel well falling apart to the point of disintegration....dead battery after two years, headlight replacement after not even two years, strut mounts continuously breaking, etc...these are minor and while some are considered "wear and tear" none of these items nudged on the Sonata. The major repairs that have literrally broken my bank are as follows:
1. Struts all the way around (I replaced cause all of the oem were literrally leaking) - 500
2. Wheel bearing _ both of them - entire assembly - 450 times 2.
3. Bent rims - I just replaced two of them oem - 300
4. Motor mounts
5. All kinds of suspension issues that I can't even add up. (This was probably the most frustrating)
Every trip to diagnose and repair all added up to be hefty
6. Shimmy issue - again this cause me to go back and forth to diagonose and to this day, the car still shimmied
After new wheel bearings, new rims, balanced about 10 different times, new rotors, new pads...nope, still shimmy shimmy. This made the car feel real cheap. I keep every receipt, documents, invoice, etc..about everything that is done to the Max, Sonata, and my other car; The Maxima's repair stack is quite thick...very thick.

Since the car now has about 93k, the rattles inside are just annoying. The fit and finish of this car is embarassingly subpar compared to the Sonata's. The car felt loose compared to the Sonata, I feel like it was the other way around, like i was driving a cheap car when I drove the Max and when I was in the Hyundai, I was driving a CLS. Just made no sense.
Without premium gas, the car (I did this only once) ran horribly, just didn't feel right. After that it was like premium was a must. Which is fine, but i'm a poor college student, kinda don't like having to put premium. And then the big one, performance.


Ok I know I said it performs better up there, and it; does 0-60, its more nimble even though it's a couple of hundred pounds heavier. However, the performance edge stops there. It seems like I had to really boil the Maxima to get the response I really wanted; 1k to 3k rpm was like I was in neutral? no pull of any sort really. The dyno sheet on the Sonata is much more flat, and even though it is about 30 hp and tq less than the Maxima, on the open straight line (stock for stock) it will embarrass the Maxima Basically it has a very tall 4th gear that goes to 130s without any hesitation, fuss, slug of any sort while the Max (as we all know) has sub-par top end speed. After 80 it's like as if I press the brakes when my Sonata pulls up.


That is the summary of my ownership of nissan's 6th gen flagship sedan. I did love the car, and in some ways, I think I will still look for Nissan's Maxima in the future if they go away with the CVT. But my 06 when toe to toe with the much less expensive Sonata, hasn't been what the sticker price demanded. The Sonata is delight to own and surprisingly quick. The reliability of the Sonata is (KNOCK ON WOOD) outrageously superb. Other than oil change and the mods I have put on it, I have not had to spend a dime on it. Obviously it's not a perfect car, one could say the resale value on the Maxima is much better...which is true. And that brings me to my next story, I found a pre-owned Azera Limited with what they call "the ultimate package" for a ridiculous price. I just had jumped on it after I had my mechanic review the car overnight -

I miss my Maxima but this Azera is really a delight. I will certainly come back on this forum to see what kind of mods you guys have come up with with the 6th gens. Everything I done or thought of doing to the Max was copied from a forum member on here pretty much lol
Yall have a Happy New Year and thanks again for the help on the Maxima!

acercomp71

99% of comments are nothing but the truth about this car. Good for you, glad it's gone. Wonder if nissan reads all this, 6th gen forum can be quite entertaining at times.

Lovemycar

I agree the 6th gen was built poorly that's the reason I traded my 04 although my max never gave me an issue at49K but I was running out of warrenty.

paulpearl

Thanks hmr1979 for the great info on the max. I almost recently bought an 06SL last week. After reading yours and everyone's comments on the tranny, timing and other issues I decided to keep my 01 max. I appreciate the detail you went into on why you got rid of your max and makes me feel reassured why I did not get the car. What year Azera did you get? I am still looking for another car if I see the right deal. Thanks again.

hmr1979

The V35 in the 6th gen (imo-I have no experience with the 6.5 gens) is a great engine that begs for a much better car. You are right, it is poorly built. I used to drive a 1996 Maxima in high school, my guardians had one, and relatively speaking, it seemed a much sturdier Max than mine was.

I guess another factor that made my experience with the 6th gen not so pleasant is that I didn't get a good deal for it from the very start; the dealer robbed me blind pretty much, I just graduated from undergrad and was clueless, didn't do any homework what so ever.

So that has a lot to do with it...it seemed like I was paying a lot more for a car, that was frankly not much faster, not anymore luxurious, far less reliable. It wasn't logical. But I did enjoy it while I had it, I miss looking at my quad tips!

hmr1979

As far as the Azera, it's an 06 with plenty of miles, but the deal is unbelievable, i just had to get it. It's a happy ending.

I will pm you and tell you about what other cars I have looked at that is comparable to the Max, if you want something sporty and you do track, I suggest Azera might not be your cup of tea. it's more luxury than sporty.

240tomax

Only 4-5 years ago I would have laughed at anyone who suggested that a Hyundai would be a car worth considering, let alone more reliable than a Nissan. I would of also laughed 4-5 years ago at anyone who would have suggested that the 6th gen. Maxima would have numerous major mechanical issues.
Hyundai is now a going concern. Lets hope the 7th and subsequent generations Maximas do not have the issues of the 6th generation. I wish my 6th gen was designed and built in Japan.

maximakid06

Wow... Though I sold my 06 as well, It hurts to read all those negative remarks about the 6th Gens. What hurts most is the fact that most of what was said is true. But to be honest with you, If I had to do it all over again i would. My maxima didn't have half the issues yours had and I sold it at 113,000 miles. My only problems were the tranny and the Catalytic converters. And oh yeah the a/c hose. Hyundai has really stepped their game up as of late. They have a great warranty and the newer models look awesome. But I have to be honest, When I went looking for another car I didn't even look at a hundai. Its was either the 2010 maxima or the 2010 G37. I opted for the G37 because it didn't have the cvt transmission. It was a hard choice though because the maxima has some features that aren't even available on the G37 (Panaoramic Roof, Climate Controlled Drivers Seat, Heated Steering wheel, Auto reverse tilt down rear view mirrors, auto dimming rearview mirrors(all)), and the list goes on. But one thing the infinti had over the maxima was power (328hp). I just feel bad when I see all these 6th gen maxima's with paper tags on them. These people just don't know what they are getting into tranny wise. Hope you enjoy the new car. And dont be a stranger to the forum. Btw though I sold my 6th gen, I still get to drive it because i sold it to my brother in-law. Had to make sure Maxine was going to be well taken care of.

hmr1979

Well I am sure each car is a little different, like for instance I had 0 issues with my tranny, but my guess is, and if Murphy had its way, I am sure it was bound to happen after 100k miles.

Oh yah, I forgot to mention the upper AC hose. I changed mine twice.. 350 each time for labor and freon refill. The G37 is a sweet car but definitely in another segment. To be honest with you, people who look at Nissan/infinity would probably not cross shop with Hyundai. And you're right, they ve stepped up their game miles apart from what they used to be in the 90s. They are not perfect cars though, but bang for buck, they are hard to beat.

ifti_sit

iTrader: (3)

Very True. I had 96 Maxima and then 01 Maxima. They felt much more sturdier. Currently I have 2004 Maxima SE, but I feel the older maxima's had less internal noises. I have upgraded suspension - New Tires still I hear little noises going over bumps which I never felt in older models..they felt more solidly built.
Then I had 06 Mustang.Good Car. Feels very cheap - the interior quiality - not a car for Maxima lovers..
I have driven new Sonatas..They are great..so as Accords.

I work in Toyota Finance (in CA Headquarter ) - and I can very well remember one of the seminars that we had and it was quoted that Toyota now sees Hyundai as the next competitor..with their solid marketing policy and good cars..Hyundai are very popular in Asia. In India they are in the top selling cars.
I never owned any Toyota's LOL. They are for my parents.

But still, end of the day - its Maxima that I like.
You get almost all the Luxury features
Dual Power seats, heated seats, heated steering wheel, heated mirror, dual zone AC, Auto Dimming Mirror, Stock HID lights, Memory Settings, Lot of onboard settings to customize etc etc. These are very common to Luxury Cars but how many in the same range offers all these ?
You get the most powerful engine in the range
You get nice handling
You get the looks
you get lot of mods easy to get
You dare to race anyone in highways BMW 3/5 series, Hondas, Mustangs etc.

Despite of its shortcomings - I would still look for Maxima;s ( without CVTs ). If I dont get any choice probably G35 or BMW.

choiiiiiiiiiii

iTrader: (20)

um, sonatas are not head turners.....

taz394

iTrader: (2)

truth in most parts


i still love my 04 maxima

130k+ miles and still strong motor

the tranny changed but thats cause of my addiction of nitrous and peoples reaction when im buses ahead lol

hmr1979

The 6thgen is great for people who want to mod and those who have the money to maintain it.
For me personally, as a daily driver, it was an awfully unreliable car. I miss her for sure, I keep seeing more and more 6th gens now lol
But when I sit in my new Azera, it is just a far more superior car. Just way more car for the money and faster.

hmr1979

I am really curious as to see where the next Maxima will go as far as the cvt.
And yes, Hyundais are slowly creeping up.

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Yes they are....

ifti_sit

iTrader: (3)

Probably Nissan realized that they can not make reliable transmission and lost millions of dollars in repairing ...so Welcome CVTs..they dont care about maxima enthusiasts..
But the question is- how many people who are not Maxima or Nissan enthusiasts will actually go for Maxima's ? Dads or grandmothers dont go to dealers and ask how much HP it has got or whats about award winning VQ engine ..

For them - they have of other options -Camry or Accord or with few more dollars BMWs.

I am not an marketting expert but basic understanding I have with which I can say - Nissan is going into wrong direction. Funny that we do not see many new maxima's around in CA

officerfrasher

iTrader: (3)

I just got my 04 SE with a 6 speed manual, I hope I don't have all the transmission troubles I'm reading about! I don't have the money to be replacing it.

99MAXPIMP

iTrader: (2)

your good man it was the auto's that had probs

Kryogen

No problem with my 04.
Ya, all 4 shocks, engine mount, and thats pretty much it.

scrui

I hope the Sonata works out for you.

Good luck.