I am looking at a used 2001 tomorrow, but like everyone else I would like more power. Is there any advantages of the 2001 over the 2002? I know I am less 44 HP, and 1 forward gear (looking at manuals). I figure in another year I can get a 2002 for roughly the same money I would be paying now - especially with the 6th generation being out. Is there a reliability issue being the first year with the new engine or transmission? Any advantages?

Thanks for any input -
Rick

 

You ever consider how much you would have to spend to get an extra 44 hp out of a 2001? In the long run you will be dollars ahead by spending the extra to get a 3.5. I just traded my 01 manual for an 04 manual. The difference is night and day and they say the 02/03 is faster than the 04. Talk about having your cake and eating it too!
Get the 02!

 

get the 2002

its a day and night difference in the power of a 2k1 5sp compared to a 2k2 6sp. maybe one sec 0-60

those 3.5liter engine have about 270 torque which gives you a lot of power in low revs. you get HIDs, cd changer, memory seats, heated steering wheel, nicer gagues, better HU....basicly get the 02

 

The 02 Max Se also has:

auto-dimming mirror
optional side airbags
audio/cruise controls on steering wheel
17" wheels
one touch up/down front windows
and of course the famous VQ35DE engine

 

On my 01 SE I have an auto-dimming mirror, side airbags, radio/cruise on the steering wheel, 17 inch rims and the one touch up/down drivers side window. Plus I do not have the bugs and MAF problems others have had with the 02.

 

very well summed up....

 

I traded in my 2K for a 2K2 and have not regreted it

 

Most of the MAF problems I've read about here seem to have after market intakes in common. Is this true or is it a problem with all of them? In my opinion my 2k1 AE was plagued by bugs.

 

Without a doubt get the 2k2

 

my 2k1 SE has about 66k. when i had 33k i could have traded it in with a 2k2 SE with the same options as i have now for maybe 8 grand and i regret it. i didnt do it because it was too much but now i regret it because i could have started on a new car, get all that power, all those options and all the stuff i did to my 2k1, i sometimes regret not having a 2k2.

also out of those 3 years 2000-2003, the 2002-2003 down the road will probably hold the value more because they are better.

oh, another thing i like about the 2k2 is the steering wheel, its not as huge as the 2k/2k1 steering wheels

 

and the seats in the 02s are WAY better, they dont look

 

the headrests on the 2k/2k1 look a lot better.

also, when you sit with the seat way back, the head rests are already tilted like in the german cars.

 

Headrests? dude, your searching! anyway, the 02s have "active headrests" which are awesome IMO. Who sits in the back of there max anyway?

 

the vq35 is enough to warrant a 2k2

 

the 00/01 also have active headrests

 

affirmative.

 

We had a 2000 5spd, and we now have a 2k2 6-spd and 350Z. If you can afford it, get the 2002 Maxima. Aside from the extra power, you get all these goodies (i.e: 6-cd player, HID lights, heated steering wheel, volume and trip on the steering wheel).

Xenon lights simply cannot be overlooked.

 

Get the 02 it so much funner to drive and the 3.5 is just amazing in auto or manual. Besides the other items the guys mentioned the 02 has the trip computer which is a neat feature to have on the car and the Xenons are great.

 

its only 33 more HP, not 44. but its still well worth it.

 

Go with the 2002 the resale on an 02 is pretty bad considering what the original stick price was. My 02 with 31,000mi is worth $18,750 private party and a little over 15K as a dealer trade-in. I paid 27K for the car new. The one advantage i would say the 2001 has over the 2002 is the Body kit selection you can get just about everybody kit available for the 5th gen with a 2001 but the 2002 has only 2 kits and they are extreme Ninja kits and maybe a stillen kit nothing subtile like an A.E. or touring...

 

2K1 has the Anniversary Edition SE which are little more rare and in my opinion that makes it much more special.

 

The 2002 is everything the 2000-2001 vehicles are but improved upon. I'd get the 2002.

 

Its not only the Max bud, TLS's,LS's a whole bunch of car buffs are complaining abou the same thing. But they are probably hitting you with a mileage deal as well with 31k on an 02. I dont want to tell you what my 350 is worth on dealer trade in it made me sick I paid 31k for it and to trade it in they will give me 24,500 and it has 4,000 miles on it.

 

The whole resale issue is related to the used car market being in a humongous slow down due to the availability of low financing/ big incentives on new cars. Odds are you can buy a new car and have lower payments than you would of had on a similar used vehicle (within reason). The issue is definetely not maxima specific, we are just in a period of time where money is incredibly cheap to borrow, hence people are able to afford more car, which generally means new car. I have a feeling you could get an 03 new if you could find it for payments very similar to the used 01.
I was in a similar situation of buying, used AE 01 vs 6-speed 02, I got the 02 with 2.9 financing over 60 mos. Pretty similar cars, but the 02 will throw a brutal raping on the 3.0L from a stop, unless the 01 it has some serious mods. Im not much into the mod scene either, seems like a whole lot of headache if its your daily driver. Just get a stock max, and then buy an old grand national that some guy already chucked a bunch of money at and you can have an easy 12 second car (albeit an ugly *** one).

 

Exactly you said that perfect, some only tend to think its the Max and its not!

 

People complaining about Max's rapidly losing value is so old.........ALL NEW CARS LOSE VALUE, esp the first couple of years. Come on Perrymaxima Monte is correct 31K on a 2K2 is a ton of miles, you can expect to get hit pretty hard on resale.....

 

Get a 2K or 2K1. Then throw a blower in there and you'll be smokin 2k2+ all day

 

I don't think SR20DEN will agree with that nor myself. BTW Im not trying to start anything your car is sweet as hell

 

I don't think SR20DEN will agree with that nor myself. BTW Im not trying to start anything your car is sweet as hell

 

I usually don't reply but all this 00-01 vs 02-03 is getting really old. Off course the 02-03 have more features, they are newer!!!

My 01 has more features than older Maximas and the new 04 has more features than a 03, that is the way it is, just live with what you got.

My personal opinion is that if you are going to buy now, it is probably better to pay an extra 2-3 grand and get the 02 rather than an 01. But if you already own a 00/01, it is not worth is to upgrade to a 02/03 just for the engine because they are basically the same car. I would rather wait another year and upgrade to a 04. Just my opinions.

 

I agree with the vast majority of what you say...except the last part.

6th Gens are just plain ugly and boatish...nevermind since they are creeping into the G35 price range, I would just go G.

 

Very well put JJS.

 

Well, on stock levels of a 00-01 vs. 02-03, replacing the stock clutch and flywheel of an 00-01 would give an instant 10-30 hp. Wouldnt that help or am i wrong ? If im not wrong, would it be a even match now by replacing clutch and flywheel ?

-Rey

 

Tanx!

 

Flywheel and clutch does not give the car any HP.

 

Yeah but adding Yellow stickers does

For the person that started this thread, as you can see there is really only one choice. But remember the 00 and 01 are not bad cars, they just don't have some of the features of the 02 and 03. I got beat by a 00 with a Place Racing Intake, Ypipe, and HKS Catback.

 

really? you miss a gear?

 

im pretty sure there is a video of this.

 

While that is true in a way it's also false... First off you are correct on the clutch, it doesn't give a car any extra power. However, getting an ultralight flywheel frees up power to the wheels so you do gain more power at the wheels while your crank hp stays the same. Essentially less drivetrain loss. Ultralight flywheel's benefit you most at low speeds.

Bryan

 

Fellas!Fellas! Chillpill please! We are drilling a Napoleon complex
on these 2k-2k1 owners- I dont recomment ANYONE buy a 2k-2k1-
Mainly because like most people on this org have modded and
beated their cars just to makem nearly as fast as as a stock 3.5
6-speed- There are maybe a handfull of virgin 3.0VQ's left in
the country- So if you choose an earlybird 5th gen have examined
by a doctor not a mechanic

5 th Gens are the shyznit- period

Lets end the nonsense- we must be bored or ran out of shyt to talk about!