Hello all,
I just bought a 01 20th Anniversary Edition.
5 speed
80K miles
$4800

All appropriate maintenance records and the original bill of sale with the window sticker







I had been shopping for a Lexus LS430 for about 3 weeks and was already ordering parts for the future car. Then I saw the Regular Car Review video on the A32 maxima which started a search for a 3 pedal maxima to test. Now here I am. Ive already deleted the resonator. Plans are to change all fluids and any needed PM. Once everything is in A1 condition. Exhaust, Short Shift kit, Volk TE37s, Brakes and coilovers.

 

I am new here and drive a 2003 maxima gle auto.
I will post pics when i get the time.

Wishlist
- bagged suspension
- new audio
-Smoke lights
-Boost
Still thinking about what way to go. I just want a nice sleeper street car

 

Hi there...

In my younger days, I drove a couple of beautiful and tuned 4th Gen Maxima's until I had to get something more rugged, and moved to the R50 Pathfinder.

The Pathfinder was like a Mogwai... I started washing it, and the Gremlins came out. Everything started going wrong on it recently. So I sought a viable car to get me through the next 12-18 months.

A 2002 GLE came up for a decent price. Fairly clean, not too many KM, looks to be well taken care of. Feels like the 4th gen with a bit more maturity. Coming from a Pathfinder it's a lot lower, handles much differently. Responsive.

I loved it, but now it shifts horrible and I believe it needs some motor mounts and am dreading what else lay ahead down the rabbit hole...

Anyone got a hug for me?

 

brohugs for maximore. I daily a 99 Durango that i've put too much money into... and it keeps having new features :> I recently hit a deer as well.. the 31's just don't get good gas mileage either.

Got a 98 Maxima, very clean. Needed a tensioner idler pulley, sold 'non running'. Started right up after repair with a wicked timing chain rattle. Replacing chain tensioner alleviated it somewhat... Still don't trust to drive it with that kind of noise. I believe a guide to be severely worn/broken or even an auxillary tensioner to be bad.

So now I am shopping for a low mileage import... Figure if I have to fully disassemble it... why not just drive it until it blows while I spruce up another engine? Hopefully I can find a VQ30DE for less than $800... Here's to hoping

 

Congrats on the new max and i'm sure you'll get it fixed quickly. You may want to stop by the 4th gen section as the 95-99 is the 4th gen. However, much of the parts between the 4th and 5th gens are interchangeable.

 

Just got this hottie, will probably mod a little depending on time/money/difficulty.
Will try not to run it into the ground because its a really nice daily cruiser.

 

I was fortunate enough to find a 2002 gle with only 125k and in very good condition. It belonged to an elderly lady who recently passed and the family just wanted it gone asap. Everything seems to work fine, I had a cel, but after some research I was able to attribute that to a filthy fuel cap. I bought the car to commute 180 miles each day, so time will tell exactly how lucky I am!!!!

 

Got a 2000 gle swapped motor with an se maxima

 

my gle max I bought with 132k on it blown jumped 6 or 7 teeth on the ti,ming chain I put a 2000 se motor in it still under construction 6 months later this engine has 127k miles no traction control yet ,,,gle body is slightly modified

 

My names Trent I'm new to the maxima world I'm on my third maxima 2000 gle with swapped motor from a 2000 se maxima the sporty edition engine but luxury body and interior silver on gray on leather....many mods too many to list but here's a few lowerin Springs indash 7inch monitor back up. Cam led and hid. Bulbs in and out. Aftermarket clear taillights 2"15s in the trunk with capicator bass control custom max light guage and more

 

welcome. fyi there is no difference in engine on any of the 2000 max models. SE, GLE, GXE, they are all the same

 

Zach, Springfield MO, Older

Ive had just about every foreign make of car since I got a DL in '93. 1st love was AWD 4g63's, and years later my 2nd was a '99 Q45 that got my respect for Nissan. During that Q45 period I sold cars and drove a Auto G35, and a 6speed Max. I was shocked at the stock performance, and loved the Maxima looks. That was 2010. Im perfectly happy with no car payment and high mileage Japanese cars so I ditched my EXTREMLY reliable and EXTREMLY boring Honda after a flawless 2 years. I was looking up CRVs on CL and took a wrong turn. A 5th gen popped up and it was ON!!

4months ago bought a clean, stock 2002 GLE Auto /192k No rust, clearly garage kept, solid radiator core, everything worked and drove amazing besides blown rear struts. $1800 in Neosho Mo

Plans: drive it
What did I do: maintnence, detail, refinish wheels, remove sunroof spoiler, delete all chrome except Nissan Badges and lugs, smoked all lenses lightly, re tinted all windows (were purple), added brow, and HU Amp and 12's. DONE!

Car has been flawless until 4 days ago. I'm pretty sure I fixed it yesterday thanks to the search button here. Thank you. But, I still have a question I'm gonna post up in newb q's soon. Finished 1

Day 1
Hurting units
Much better.


Finished #2
Yesterday

 

^ car looks real good. lol at the last pic

 

appriciate it. It's a lot of car for $1800 starting point. It's a blast to drive. With just about 25hrs of free time over about a week and minimal cost it puts a smile on my face every time I back out. And for the age I still get compliments all the time.

btw.... that was my 1st VQ Alt R/R and I didn't enjoy it. Next time shouldn't be so bad though. And yes, I'm sure there will be a next time.

 

First time post on the org, long time follower. My first car was a white 2002 GLE. Auto tranny went out at 228k abusive miles, had that rebuilt and now the engine needs a bunch of work at 230k, so I decided to buy myself another 5.5 gen with lower miles. I just love those 5.5 gens. My new ride is a sterling mist 2002 SE. I bought the car with 59k miles on it, and I'm about to 61k now. I plan on getting another 200k in this one. Previous owner installed a 3.5" straight pipe installed on it. It sounds nice but it's a bit too loud for my taste. Here's a startup and some revs: https://youtu.be/xDM52qD9rgQ

So far I've bought NWP intake spacers but I haven't installed yet. I'm planning on installing a true cold air intake installed because these VQ35's don't like the hot and humid Arkansas weather. I have plans in the future to get a y-pipe and headers. Any recommendations on cooling the engine down in general would be much appreciated!

As far as the appearance goes I'd like to get a different grill, and a stillen front lip. Feel a little weird with a Nismo logo without any Nismo performance parts (yet). Rims are spray painted and turning almost a chalky faded blue (not plasti dip, spray painted) and I'd like to get those redone too. Let me know what you guys think

 

I almost bought the 2003 from you a few weeks ago! Sad that I couldn't get it because of distance!

I've been on this site for ages, but this is a new account. Lurker.

 

looks nice. I like it. What's the miles? Guessing cloth? I really don't know what an SE gets you.

 

Hi all,

I am a first time Maxima owner. I was in need of a good daily driver when I came across a 2001 Nissan Maxima with 173000 miles. I knew nothing about Maxima but the car had been well taken care of and was in good shape for its age so I decided to take a chance. So far I have been very happy.


Although the vehicle had regular maintenance I will be performing all of the regular fluid changes you would with a new car. In the future I think I would like to install a gauge set to tell me more specifically what the engine temperature is as well as volts and oil pressure.

As a side note I am in Northern Colorado.

Chris

 

Hey all, I just purchased my first Nissan. Its an 02 se with 68k miles and only one previous owner. Got it for a decent price and pulled the trigger based on the mileage. I've always been kind of a Subaru guy. My history with cars in order is 95 civic, 87 Camaro z28, 92 eagle talon tsi, 04 Subaru wrx, 93 Impreza rhd and sti swapped, 99 civic, 07 mazdaspeed 6, 05 saab 9-2x, and now the 02 maxima. So far I've been lurking on here and it seems like a pretty cool community, much like the Subaru community. The only cons of the maxima so far are the ran interior... Its also cloth and the rear fevers had rust repair done with bondo rather than welding in new metal. My plans are tints, wheels, updating accessory lights to led, maybe some springs, a cat back, badgeless grill, and a lip kit aside from maintenance.

 

Just picked up an
'02 SE 6 speed with 85 k on it.
Has the basic silver wheels .
No huge plans really,
but here's a small list
1.Take off the faded spoiler
2.Full exhaust(Was a cali car)
3.Intake I suppose with a tune as well(recommend me someone?)
4.Change out those taillights for darker ones
5.Shocks and struts as the car needs them.No springs though,I don't want or need it lowered. This will be a daily,so as long as I can pass folks trying to block me because they have small dings,I'm good.
6.Led's all around including reverse lights. That's pretty much it.

 

I'm not a new owner, just new to the forum. We're the original owners of a 2000 SE, with 143,000 miles on it. I love the car, wifey drives the late model Altima.

We've had some routine maintenance done, a few "holy crap" repairs, but still love the car and hope to get another 10 years out of her. Just need to comeup with a nickname.

 

Hi, just bought today this 2001 Maxima QX 3.0., quite rare in Europe. 70k miles and running smooth, hopefully I can share (and most of the time, acquire ) info with you guys.
BTW, first "problem" is the engine fault light on, I have been told it is due to a bad O2 sensor which somehow fits with what I've read in other threads...
cheers

 

Hello everyone,

I am a first time Maxima owner from Philadelphia, PA and I am so glad to have made the switch! Honestly before I got this car I was a diehard Lexus person with a '98 SC300 but recently got rid of it because I wanted something with 4 doors. The Maxima was the car I wanted to get and I would have gotten if I didn't miss out on one a while back because the seller sold it the day after I found out about it.

As for the car I bought a 2002 Maxima SE with 119,000+ miles and I am loving it so far. With my previoius vehicle I had it on coilovers and different wheels/tint but I may just tint this vehicle due to a low budget at the moment.

 

Hello everyone,

I just bought an 03 Maxima SE (automatic). Car has 83k miles and so far so good.

Only issue I've seen so far is that the trunk leaks and the spare tire cover is completely warped and like a basin at this point.
Should be two easy fixes I hope.

Been browsing this forum for a little while now, specifically for mods I can do. I'm going to change interior lights to leds and get some smoked side markers.

To date what I have done is new brake pads and rotors all around. Wish I saw the 6th gen thread for brakes prior

Look forward to being a member here.

Located in NY.

 

Hey everyone, I just bought a 2000 Maxima SE automatic and I am working all the bugs out of her. I have Owned in daily driven a 1999 Maxima SE 5-speed for the past eight years or so and have loved it, but the rust is gotten out of hand and I need to retire her. And even more recently just purchased my son A 2004 Maxima SE, so I guess you can say I have three generations of Maximus in the driveway right now.

For my 2000 5th Gen, it has 200,000 miles and was sitting for the past two years with a dead battery and bald and flat tires. I have put my wheels and tires and battery from my 99 on, changed the oil in the engine and tranny and I’m now starting to work through a few engine codes. Overall she is driving really nice and I am very happy with my $400 purchase.

Enjoying this forum and I am learning a lot about our cars from all of you!

 

Oi all! New member, long time owner. Originally owned (and still own) an 09, just a few days ago purchased an 03. Just wanted to introduce myself. Names Thomas. I'm an Acura Parts counter guy, for Superior Acura in Dayton, Ohio. I'll have pictures and plans soon. Hope to meet some of ya.

 

Just inherited my Dad's '01 SE with 57,000 miles on it. A bit of grampa rash on all 4 corners but otherwise in near perfect condition. A much better car than the '97 Crown Vic I've been driving for the last 4 or 5 years. Altho I do miss the 3 body trunk on the Crown Vic!

Installed a Kenwood head unit, kept the rest of the Bose system. Probably won't make any other changes since it's in good shape and I'm getting too old for hot rodding cars any more

Michael

 

Really enjoying this forum.

Bought my 2001 GLE a couple of months ago for reasonable price ($2,300) from a one owner acquaintance. It had 72,000 miles when I bought it. Would have preferred a 5 speed manual, but needed a car and this was what was available.

I tried to avoid these Maximas because I've seen so many with rusted wheel wells. Otherwise, these cars were dream cars on paper. This did not have rusted wheel wells, so I bought it.

I treated the rear inner wheel wells with rust proofing to try to stall rust. Then I found this forum which had been great, but also informed me of the other trouble spot - the lower radiator support. Sure enough, rust.

So I'm having the support replaced by a shop because I don't weld.

Work I need to do: not much. Trying to keep stock.

Find way too improve visibility of instrument cluster at night. New bulbs? Change to the SE cluster for better contrast? We'll see after the radiator support is repaired .
I replaced steering wheel audio control
Next, replace front struts and rear shocks.
Depending on how the struts and shocks feel, might get rear stabilizer bar.
Would like to change horn to sound more like American car horns rather than the beep beep.
Hopefully, that'll be all for a few years.

Transmission still smooth. Engine very strong. Only wish fuel economy was a couple mpg higher. I get about 21 to 22 in mixed driving .

 

Hi all- I have just purchased a 2002 fully loaded Maxima GLE in sunlit sand. Heated seats and steering wheel, traction control, factory Bose system, auto climate control, etc. Looking very forward to owning this vehicle as I have been posting in the 4th gen forum for awhile while I had a 99 Maxima that I put over 400k miles on, hopefully I'll have similar luck with this one! I also briefly had an 02 Infiniti I35 that had been formerly neglected and that I continually had to replace suspension parts on, got rid of it about 3 weeks after I bought it due to all the issues. Hopefully I WON"T have similar luck with this one!

A few pics (I posted these over on 4th gen forum as well)

 

Looks like it's in really good condition. How's the rust in the lower rad support?

 

No rust that I can see but I will double and triple check and make sure. I was really surprised as all the others I looked at in my price range (around $1500) were beat up, stuff didn't work, ripped interior etc. This one was posted for $1700 and I talked them down to $1500 as it needs new shocks (I didn't tell them I still have the new rear shocks I ordered for my 02 Infiniti that I can install on this car.)

What is the cause of that particular rust issue may I ask? (It appears this car was garage kept all its life if that makes any difference.)

 

I'm not expert on body and frame, but it seems Nissan cheaped out on design and parts. On the 5th Gen, rear wheel wells and the lower rad support are very common rust spots. I knew about the wheel wells when I bought mine. Mine didn't have any, so I bought it. Then I found out about the lower rad, so I looked, and sure enough, it was rusted out. I do normally look for rust, but didn't look carefully down that far, and underneath, it is covered by a plastic shield.

My guess is that the lower rad is steel, but hollow, and in that spot, a motor cross-member is attached to it with two bolts underneath. The hood lock brace is also attached to same area. So, I'm guessing in the lower rad, there's just too many attachments there, and when rain or salt splash gets in there, it sits, and eats away from the inside. Spraying rust proof from outside doesn't seem to do the trick as the rust often starts from the hollowed out inside. By the time you see it, it's too late, imo.

 

Thanks for the info- what is the best way to get to and inspect this area?

 

GEEZ LOUISE... If this is the job that has to be done to replace this when it goes bad, I'll just drive it until it falls the F*& apart. In no way am I skilled enough to try this repair.

 

Pop hood and look down where the hood lock is. The support under the radiator is the lower radiator support. You can also see it from the lower bumper grill. Get under the front bumper in the middle.you'll see two bolts holding the cross member to the lower radiator support. If it's rusting through, you can't miss it.

 

Well, did you expect a blemish-free car for the $1,500 ??
You shouldn't have .... If the engine and transmission are in good shape, just fix the rad support (or have it fixed) and you should be in good shpae for a while. There are quite a few threads discussing how to fix the rad support; IMHO, you should be able to get it fixed for under $1,000. Once you do that, you'll have good car for $2,500. - and that's still a good deal.

 

I just had a shop do the work for me. I would've done it myself except I don't weld. Depends on how you view your Maxima, I suppose. Mine is otherwise in great condition with 74,000 miles.

There was a fluttering of the hood at highway speeds because the hood lock bracket was not fixed to the radiator support because of the rust It's now rock solid. I also didn't want the engine cross member to move more than it was supposed to if the radiator support mount was rusted. Probably leads to other mechanical problems.

I bought it for a good price, so I figure the cost to repair the radiator support was worth it. If it'll last me 5 to 10 yrs, I'd be happy.

 

How much did the repair cost you? Total cost parts and labor?

 

No I did not expect a blemish free car for $1500. See that scuff on the front right bumper corner?

 

Just went out and checked this- happy (and relieved) to report absolutely no sign of rust whatsoever on that rad support- in fact, it looks so good I wonder if it's already been replaced.
however, the entire splash guard is missing, so there's that i suppose.