Hey I am a longtime bowtie guy (Chevrolet) but I have had 1 Nissan before, a 1993 Nissan P/U that was a HS grad gift. Anyway I was impressed with the Nissan then, I had zero problems with it for the 88,000 miles that I put on it. Anyway I am now looking at a sporty 4 door sedan for my family. We need 1 with four doors (1 kid and hopefully 1 more soon) and would like some power and a touch of the luxury stuff. So we have looked at the new Maximas, and we really like the SE model. We like the exterior and interior, although aftermarket wheels are a definite addition. So I have 2 questions for you Maxima owners:
1. Have you had any troubles with yours, any recurring problems I should know about?

2. We may not be able to buy until the 2003 model is out and I have heard that the Maxima will get a redesign for 2003. Are there any pics floating around of what it may look like? We love the looks of the current model, but we will buy new so if 2003 is ugly I guess we'll have to look at something else.

Thanks guys.

 

I was the original owner of an 89SE. With one exception the car was flawless. The power antenna had to be replaced 3 times over the 13 years that I had it. After 167K miles I sold it and bought an 02SE. I've had the 02 since December and have not regretted the decision one bit. I chose the Maxima because of the interior room, power, handling, and reliability. Hope this helps.

 

No problems with my 00SE and no problems with my prior 97SE. It's fun to drive alone or with the family. The 2003 will be built in the USA for the first time. I'll hang on to my SE for a couple more years and see how things turn out with the next generation. I'll most likely get another Maxima then, best bang for the buck IMO.

 

i had no major problems with my 96 SE. i just got a 2002 SE last month and i love it.

about the 2003 maxima:
a lot of pictures are floating around that are supposedly the new maxima but i wouldnt belive any of those until you actually see it fron nissan. but in case the 2003 is ugly and you dont like it, there are always STILL NEW previous year models available for a much better price. cars that have been waiting for someone to finally buy them.

"Anyway I am now looking at a sporty 4 door sedan for my family. We need 1 with four doors (1 kid and hopefully 1 more soon) and would like some power and a touch of the luxury stuff"

I suggest either a Maxima or an M5. right now im perfectly happy with the maxima and it DEFINITELY covers all of those bases.

 

Cool another fbody owner!

I've had my 00' SE for over 2 years and no prbolems at all. Between my wife and I swapping cars on bad weather days, it gets beat all to hell and not a single hiccup. The only thing I would have done differently would have been to buy an 02' 5 speed.

 

I've had my 00 SE since July 2000.
So far I had the following parts replaced.

• front & rear rotors & pads (twice)
• Radiator fan motor
• rear engine mount
• transmission control module
• shift solenoids

Still have rattles and creaks coming from pilars, door panels, and the dam Bose Subwoofer.
My window regualtor is slow as hell.
My variable intake seems to be malfunctioning (Not confirmed yet). And I still have to get the dam trunk lid tsb done..
Other than that, the car seems to run fine!!...

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

Newman96SE-I would love the M5, but with my budget the Maxima is about as close as I can get. We could afford a little pricier car but we are about to buy our first house. Plus we love to travel, so we are looking for a car that will not force us to give up our fun activites just to pay for the ride. Another thing is, we actually like the Maxima, it's not like we're thinking "Well we'll just get this 'ole Nissan since we can't afford the German stuff." Actually I think we could get a fairly loaded 3 series 4 door for about the same price as an SE optioned like we want, but the Maxima seems to have more interior room which is priceless with kids.

YOOFORMULA - Yep, I'm one of those whit trash mullet heads!! Hehehehe. I love my Z28 and will not give it up, but man it just doesn't have the room for a family.

RBa - Thanks! That was the kind of stuff I am really looking for. Have you heard of other Maxima owners having these same problems? Also how has the Nissan service depts. treated you when you took the car in for warranty work?