Hey guys,

So im getting a Maxima again after not having one since my 98. Right now i have 03 Lincoln LS (that sucks) and im purchasing a 2004 Maxima SE Elite Package tomorrow. Now that I'm reading more and more about this car online i am extremely afraid of having transmission problems with it. The car is in excellect condition and only has 66k on it. What do you guys think? Am i going to end up with another car with major problems??

Gary

 

Man, it could be good it could be bad, have it checked by a mechanic, one that can analyse if there are any particulates in the trans fluid. Otherwise, congrats for your new ride. If it was me, i'd get me an infiniti either the i-30 or i-35 2001 and up. Cheap good cars, and not too repetitive, you barely see them out, otherwise, the buying process is like any other vehicle, check history and so on..

 

I have owned a '90 240sx, a '96 300sx, and I still own a 01 Maxima. All three of these cars were/are 'bullet-proof' as the reliability was extremely good. Then there is my 06 Maxima that I have owned for just over a year. I have replaced the entire engine and am scheduled in the next week or 2 to replace the entire transmission - thankfully both being done under waranty. If I had known about the reliability of 6th gen Maxima's then, I would not have bought the car - which is such a shame because it is so much fun the drive and looks awesome. I just assumed it's a Nissan so it has to be reliable.
The only difference between my other 3 Nissans and the Max, is the Max was built in the USA. I don't know if this is a contributing factor or not. If I were you, I would look at an Infiniti (built in Japan)

 

I do beleave it is the 00-03 Maxima's were flawless it's when they started building them in USA

 

not really, 5th gens are notorious for transmission issues...350z as well...the same noise i had in my transmission, was the same noise this 350z had in his transmission..he traded his, thinking it was the clutch...i kept my max, come to find out it was the transmission. the engines are pretty stout, but nissan needs to do more research on their transmissions, because they have been doing f'd up transmissions since at least 95 maximas, you figured they would have beefed up the transmission. *smh*

 

I have 04 maxima and it's perfect. doesn't have any transmission problems! so if you like it, you should buy it...

 

Pretty risky but so are most 6 years old cars. You just never know their history or maintanance performed. From what I read and having owned this car it is not considered reliable by any means.

 

Don't do it.

 

Get a manual.

 

For lack of better words I posted above but I couldn't really say it any better myself.

 

I'm the original owner of mine, and it will be 6 years old on 10/16. The car has 59,000 miles on it, burns a quart of oil between changes, and I've developed what may be the "dreaded" whining noise from the timing chain tensioners. Oil has been changed every 3000 miles, and the car is not driven aggressively. I don't think I would buy it again, but the OP was on 9/23, so he probably did it.

 

I have an '04 that I purchased with 78000 miles on it. I have changed all the fluids as I should and have had no problems what-so-ever. It still gets 30 mpg on the highway and burns/leaks no oil. I would recommend it to anyone and I hope my next car is another Maxima. Good luck to you.

JB

 

04's have the highest rate of transmission issues unless it's either a 6 spd or 5 auto. If you haven't bought that car then I would go with a 6.5 that has a 120k warranty on the trans.

 

The mileage isn't bad. but it is 6 years old... if you're afraid of issues, have a mechanic look at it, but maybe you should go for a more reliable ride?