ok guys lame question time, I apologize in advance.

but how am I suppose to listen to my stereo, power on without turning on engine since it has the one mode start button ?

 

Just don't put your foot on the brake. Press START once for ACC (Radio) again for ON (power to windows) If you want to turn the engine off, and leave the radio on, just tap START twice quickly.

 

yep jommbi, is correct!

BB did you end up getting a max now?!?! If you got one post up some pics so we can see the gorgeous car!!

 

took me a minute to figure this out as well

 

I apologize in advance lol but that was more like a funny question. I couldn't help but laugh! It's ok though...
Is that something that is in the manual or just something Nissan did by accident? Because I found that out on my own with my old 08 Altima. It used to annoy me because there'd be a good song on and I'd have to turn off the car, then push the button again and wait a few seconds til the radio came back on lol

Well, one day I accidentally found it out and use that feature all the time!

 

yup I did! I couldn't resist. I paid a little tiny bit more than the market rate at 21,500 plus TTL which totaled me to 24k out the door, 2009 S base with 40k miles....the going rate on a 2009 with 40k miles is about 19k making it about 21k out the door....but they practically gave me full retail value for my trade in. I figure since I have the 120k mile warranty on the CVT then it should be enough to keep some peace of mind.

the car appears to be in great shape, however it does have the minor front seat rocking movement and the very minor vibration at the 30 mph range....but to be honest it's so minimal and it seems to be a natural part of the CVT tranny. My previous 2006 pathfinder also had the same characteristics with the CVT.

even though my practicality told me to get a small hybrid, my emotions were telling me to go with the max. It's one of those cars that I could keep for over 5 years and still enjoy it. My past 91 acura legend coupe I kept for 10 years and drove it to 250k miles and I still looked for another 95 acura legend coupe but it was too hard to find with low miles. this was about 4 years ago.

it's a sexy car and looks way more expensive than it cost, I think it's a sleeper and the market has totally overlooked this stunning beauty. Why anyone would buy a infinity G series, toyota avalon, lexus ES or GS really baffles me.

however, I do notice the max isn't as refinely built as a toyota or even the recent hyundai's. The engine has minor vibration and tranny shifting from Park, to Reverse to Drive isn't as smooth as a toyota. It's on par with BMW and Mercedes in terms of the mechanics.

however the body style keeps luring me back to the maxima, I get excited every time I get into the car and that in many ways what we pay for. We can all get to point A to point B in a toyota yaris at a fraction of the cost...I figure if I'm gonna pay more then it has to be on something I get excited for every single time.

 

was this car in a accident?

 

Judging by the photo I would have to guess a yes. The way the trunk/panels/tail lights are matching makes me very suspicious of a rear end collision.

 

I dunno, to be honest a lot of the 2009+ maxima's I've seen all have some kind of mis-alignment around the trunk area.

now that I think about it, yah I'm almost sure this has been in a rear end accident as the trunk doesn't shut smoothly. I have a 7 day return policy on this so I can return it hassle free with no ding on my credit.

what u guys think ? should I return it ?

 

YES! But where did you get it? CarMax?

I also agree...that doesn't look right. I've never seen a Max like that from the factory.

You don't want a car that could possibly be hard to sell due to an accident or something that brings down the value.

 

I'm not doubting what you've seen but misalignment like that is not standard.

Look at my car below for comparison:



(excuse the crude cellphone picture)


I would be very concerned if the car has in fact been damaged and not repaired to factory spec. I think for piece of mind I would take it to an auto body shop (unrelated from the original dealer of course) and have them take a quick look at it. Just make sure you do it ASAP so if it fact the car was damaged you still fall under the 7 day return grace period.

 

ya definitely yours is aligned properly.

upon further inspection, the exhaust tips are slightly
un-aligned as well so definitely there was a hit but
I doubt it was a major one as the rear doors all close
very smoothly. I don't think it affected the quarter panels.

but either way I'll take it to body shop. maybe the
dealer can give me a discount as according to their
certification, all their cars supposedly go through
a vigorous 1000 point inspection and are guaranteed
to have no accidents...I'm thinking ya right. It's all bogus.
they send it off to a mechanic, pay em 100 bucks and
certify it without the mechanic even glancing at it.

dealer CPO is pretty lame as well, a lot of times they
put lip stick on a pig and call it pretty!

 

wrong thread!

 

BBmaxi - By all means take it to a body shop and determine whether this car was in a collision, and if so, how much damage was involved. It will be worth any fee they may charge just so you will have peace of mind.

You are absolutely correct about the possibility of the misalignment being a factory thing. Many '09s did leave Smyrna with panels (especially in the trunk area) not aligning very well, and MOST '09s left Smyrna with slightly (or worse) misaligned exhaust pipes. And keep in mind that joint lines are dark, so any misalignment is far more pronounced on a light-colored car than it would be on a dark-colored car. The angle of light hitting the car can also misrepresent the situation.

If the body shop determines the car was damaged, but not extensively, you may decide to keep the car, and always be happy with it.

But if it is determined the car was extensively damaged, then repaired, I would advise returning it to the dealer for a FULL refund. I would also expect an apology, as well as a break on any other car on their lot I might look at. After all, they should have determined whether the car had been in an accident before selling it, and they did inconvenience you.

Keep us informed.

 

yea it looks like it was in an accident because that trunk is pushed back way too far and it doesn't line up with the quarter panel

hey BBmaxi can you take pictures with the car all around so we can check it out and look for any more miss minors

 

and also check the bottom of the car if you see the under carage has any damage or metal pushed in or even sprayed back

 

ok guys thanks for all the help.

I kinda have good news, I took it to a body shop that I trust very well and they said it's a minor ding. they looked under the exhaust area and took off the rubber weather stripping and determined it was a minor one. In fact, it kinda looks like that was the damage and it was never fixed.

they also inspected the front and it was all original.

according to the car dealer, they are suppose to disclose any major frame damage so I guess they are technically off the hook..but either way I can still return regardless. If I do return this then I'm going to get a new one. I'm sold on the 7th gen max.

but HOT DAMN the car is hot! and so far it looks like it gets 20-21 mpg in the city and about 24-26 in freeway. That's pretty good for such a big car with all that muscle. If I can get 22-23 mpg steady mixed then I'm a happy camper. I'm just striving for lexus ES350 mpg range.

I can see myself keeping this one for a long time, the body lines are so sexy. The big hips, the stout, strong nose at the front and those broad shoulders WOW! oh and top it off with the hockey stick shaped rear brake lamps and the slanted headlamps. It just looks freaking mean!

Outside of Mercedes and BMW, this maxima design has to be one of the most original and intense and looks like it can stand the test of time. I can see this still looking good 5 years from now.

And the power, holy cow the power. It's definitely not meant to be in traffic that's for sure. The CVT tranny is kinda strange. When in city driving with average traffic, the tranny seems to lag a little almost like it doesn't want to get from 1st to 2nd to 3rd gear like u get in a typical 5 spd or 6 spd tranny. But once on the open road when traffic is clear then look out cuz it can rip a mean one.

 

glad to hear the news but take it back and get another one so you know your comfortable with it

 

unfortunately this is a used car dealership and this is their last one, they had a 09 black one but that one just sold as well.

 

ok quick update, I went and test drove a 2010 S base model and that one also appears to have that slight and more pronounced vibration in the 30 mph range. I don't know if maybe it was cold but the vibration was definitely stronger than my car. The alignment also pulled to the right, it had 25k miles and was a nissan CPO used car.

and the trunk was also slightly mis-aligned.

It appears that the slight vibration is a natural thing with the car, it's so slight that if it weren't for this forum then I would have never really noticed it. I drove like 4 other 7th gen max's and didn't notice it untill people were posting about it on this forum.

I do feel more comfortable about my car now. This forum rocks and it looks like there are very discerning and demanding owners here! which is good!

 

Glad this seems to be working out. I noticed in your post back at 9:07PM on Dec 30 that you feel the same as I do about the lines and sculpting on this 7th generation Maxima. I've had mine for two years, and still catch folks looking at my car rather often. In fact, as my wife and I were leaving the bank Friday, a woman we had never seen before was walking around my car, and as we arrived at the car, she said she loved it, and was going to check one out at the dealer.

 

Congrats BB!! If you do plan to keep this car, then I would go back to the place that you bought it and see if they can realign the truck a bit better, for ya. Keep us posted on what you decide. Have you thought about a brand new one? They may be willing to really deal with ya, to get rid of the "old" 2010 models. Anyways let us know what you end up doing.