I was [I]this[I] close to buying a 03 Altima SL with leather, sunroof, and the 4 cyl. engine for $5900. It had 127,000 miles. The night before I drove to go see it, I was looking around the internet and reading reviews. Several reviews mentioned problems with the catalytic converter deteriorating and getting junk in the engine. Apparently you don't know it's happened until you start burning oil. More research found a site called carcomplaints I believe. Complaint after complaint about 02 and 03 Altimas having this issue.

I have a 96 Maxima and it is just too filled with problems for me to keep trying to fix. I want another Maxima but that Altima sure was a sharp car. My budget needs to be under $6000.

I found a 2001 Maxima but then read some bad things about it. Maybe every car I look at will have stories like this, but I wanted to ask the pros on this forum their advice:

Which model years Maxima and Altima should I avoid? Only 05 and 06 back because I know I probably can't even affort that model year.

Thanks for your help!

Dom

 

My 97' just started having issues with the computer and I looked up car complaints too. Nissans are good cars but they didn't start knocking the kinks until these newer years. Which sucks because not all of us have great credit, thanks economy. But good luck finding something, they all might have something minor but at least you can sift through the more problematic ones.

 

4th gens are beasts. stock motor is a bulletproof tank pretty much. only problems are rusty radiator supports and knock sensors really.

 

don't forget coilpacks on the newer 4th gens

 

Stick with 02-03 maximas. 04 and up excluding the 07 maximas since i dont know much about it, the 04 and up do have issues. 03 and below are super solid just check for oil consumption. Not all do it though. 5th gens are infamous for a/c compressor issues, alternator and coil pack issues. 5.5 maximas (02-03) from what i have read and experienced myself are sensors, crank and cam position sensors, evap leaks, and coils. Treat the car right and you should have minimal issues.

 

I've owned an Altima and Maxima, i would say Maxima all day.

 

once my credit is better I will aim to get something new

 

I was told the 05 Altima, it was a bad year a tech told me, my mom has one, it's just to low to the ground among other things.

 

2004 6th gens are known for automatic transmission problems, pretty sure its the 4AT. 7th gens with the CVT also can have problems, but i think thats pretty much all CVT vehicles because its new technology

if you want to go older, 3rd gen GXE can have tranny problems. the RF automatic tranny in GXE's was made by Nissan for 4 cylinder engines, so being paired with a torquey VG30E they can have problems

 

I've loved my 4th Gen Maxima and I've put it through hell...

Someone mentioned the 02-03 Maximas being solid and I like the looks of them. Probably in my price range too.

I think I will keep looking for one of those or try to pick up a 4th gen with 160,000 miles for around $2000. Just searching craigslist everyday waiting for the right car..!

Thanks for all the advice..

Dom

 

The biggest problem with sites like carcomplaints.com or other internet reviews is most of the time people only write up a review or complaint because something went wrong. It's not often you'll see people go out of their way to say how awesome their car is. For every bad review, you might have 10+ good reviews. It all depends on a car to car basis. As stated in this thread already, any 95-03 maxima will be well worth the money.

 

That's because it's a complaint forum, duh...

 

As the owner of both (current 2002 Maxima & previous 2005 Altima both VQ's) I would choose Maxima. Altima is a good car but feels cheap inside imo. Nissan upgraded the interior in 2005 and its better but still not as good as the Maxima.

If you don't care about the interior then go with either VQ. Avoid 2002-2004 4cylinder Altima's.

 

FIXED

 

definitely stay away from 03 maximas. mine has giving me heartache, pain and broke pockets...lol. i have replaced the tranny 3 times and luckily i had a warranty each time. and i have replaced the motor! i finally got it running rt after its been paid off finally

 

I think a general rule of thumb regardless of the car would be to avoid high mileage automatics. Not that MT's are perfect but the list of what can go wrong is short.

 

Avoid any automatic with high mileage I would say.
1) My 03 Maxima would shift hard from 1st gear into 2nd. I took it to the dealership and was told this was normal behavior. Seemed like it got worse after a transmission fluid flush so I just sold it.
2) My friend had an 2009 Maxima that would creak constantly, even after taking it for repair and having recalls done. He eventually turned in his lease for a 2011 SV which he seems to be much better luck with.
3) 02-06 Altimas have been known to have a lot of problems. Between the precat disintegrating, sucked in by the engine and cylinder wall problems to the floor pan rusting and excessive oil consumption in the 3.5. Definitely avoid the 2002 model!:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan/...sumption.shtml
4) Current Altimas I think are pretty reliable. Not sure if it's because of age or an overall better design. Seat movement recall, TSB for CVT jerkiness at low speeds some dealerships try to charge 350-450 for, crappy stock speakers, premature brake cylinder and brake switch failure, rattles here and there.

I personally would buy from a private seller who babies their car or has super low mileage. You generally have a better idea of what's happened with the car over a dealership. Car could've been part of a fleet rental and someone abused the hell out of it. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrWJPaTjVnk). Location is big too. Here in the south for example cars typically have much less rust than up north where a lot of salt is used on the roads. Also my experience living on Long Island is that cars from outside major metropolitan areas are cheaper, have more highway miles and typically less overall wear. Of course your mileage may vary.

 

An 09 wow

 

having owned altimas and maximas (nissans since early 80's) from mid 90's up, most of what you see here is the case. every model/year combo has its issues. i agree that the 4th/5th gen vq30 is a TANK. the 3.5 is a bit more fragile but with proper maint and TLC it'll keep going. the qr25(altima 4cyl) in the early years was junk, noisy and problematic. the mid to upper 2000's seems to been better. the 04-06 max's had AT issues and lots have experienced it. as you go even later you enter the era of CVT's and i'm out (will avoid at all costs/efforts).

keep in mind these are MY opinions based on ownership and interactions with other owners-your mileage may vary.

best of luck in your hunt!

 

Not exactly the same generation as you guys are talking about, but there's a 2nd gen Maxima for sale around my area with only 63k miles. no typo, sixty-three thousand miles. It's an 87 SE and looks great, and the dealership wants like 4 grand for it...I can probably get it for 3k.

I have worries about a vehicle that is almost 25 years old, but at 63k miles, it's hard to turn down. Allegedly the dealership got it from the original owner, an older couple (80-90).

Should I jump on it?

 

i think u just need to get lucky ,,my cuzin owns a 00 maxi nd i own a 03 nd my cuzins car always givin him problems nd me i have not gotten any ,,idk depends how u treat nd how u service it i guess