It seems that lots of 04s have some real issues.

vibration in steering
back deck rattleing
CD skipping
Gurgling noises from heater core
Door handles freezing
Sport shift delays in shifting
rattles from headliner/visors/other
Nav screen issues (dust/finger prints)
Headlight issue (not sure on this one saw a post someone said they had probs)

All this from a 30K+ car

So do I get the 04 or wait until Sept for the 05

 

dude....never buy a first year production vehicle...its worth the wait...

 

I have a 95 which is the first year of the 4th gens. I have had no real issues...just maintenance

 

Yup. I'm on my second defective drivers side assembly. I'm due to have my third one installed on my next oil change. Maybe this one won't always lock into highbeam mode after a couple hours of operating time.

Also the DRL's suffer from early burnouts. Meaning a 3 hour trip to the shop to replace a $1 bulb. Could just be a Canadian thing since I don't think the DRL's are installed and operational in the US?

CM.

 

nope, no DRL on uS models. got my maxima a month ago. no real problems with it.

 

just so all of you know, almost every sport shift has a delay, it's not a simple maxima problem

 

I think you're always taking a slight chance with first year models, no matter what company. I guess I've been lucky, with no rattles, no shimmies, and an interior that seems to have been put together with some care. However, with a few '04 owners posting a number of complaints, it seems that first year quality is somewhat inconsistant.

I do remember, though, a lot of 5th gen owners complaining a few years ago about the quality of the '00 Maxima (transmission was a major complaint). Things seemed to improve with '01 and later.

 

I think the '00 tranny fix took place before the end of the '00 model run. I surmise Nissan is fixing some of the '04 problems as we go, and would not expect the '04-'05 changeover to involve much more than cosmetic changes, if we go by the second model year of previous generations. The '05-'06 changeover, however, could include meaningful modifications.

I would not feel it would be worth the wait to go from now until fall for what could essentially be the very same car available now.