Nissan Maxima

usmj1

Anyone know the best spot to put a cellphone antenna on 04 Max SL with rear sunscreen? Tough to find a spot on rear window with radio wire and sunscreen that hits antenna box when raised. Thanks.

pathstar1

If you use a Larson through-glass antenna, the inside part is only 3/8" thick or so and is tapered, so may fit behind the sunscreen. It's getting harder to use these antennas, with the "higher tech" window treatments, but if you check around, you will also find most cell companies are planning on ending the 800 MHz analogue band use and going full digital (1900 MHz in North America - AT&T are also going 850 MHz digital rural - GSM). Larson makes the only antenna I've seen that does both 800 MHz and 1900 MHz. I find my phone works very well in a holder at the top of the dashboard without an external antenna. There is so much loss connecting the cell to the antenna on that tiny cable, this is not surprising. The larger mobile only cellphones are going the way of the dinosaur.

If you look closely at the imprinted lines in the glass, you should see a "shield wire" that separates the in-glass heater from the radio antenna. You can use this to also shield the radio from your cell antenna. Also you have to stay away from the tinting (uses a metal oxide material).

My next install (Pathfinder) will do without the external antenna.

perna

Just look under the 'new' section here at Edmund's, then go to Maxima, then click on the "Rebates and Incentives" link.

My 03 Max had 300 miles on it when I took delivery; I really didn't have a problem with this, mostly due to the fact that it was a DX from roughly... 300 miles away.

Now with 3900 miles on it, I couldn't imagine myself driving any other car. It's an amazing ride.

The looks of the 04 are growing on me, but I think my big disappointment stems from the car not being AWD, or at least RWD. Whenever someone (wife, family, etc.) is going to drive my car, I make it a point to warn them about the torque steer. If you don't know about it, you can get into a lot of trouble REAL quick, particularly on wet roads.

When my wife's vehicle is paid off next year, I'm going to celebrate by dumping those Potenza RE92s and getting Michelins (or Goodyears). Those are some of the worst OEM tires I've ever used. All-season? Ha ha ha...

blh7068

Roger that on those crummy Potenzas. I have found those tires slide on dry pavement, w/out even cornering too hard. I like my Max, too.

tomcat_mav

If you dont mind me asking, which model do you have and how much did you pay for it? Since I am so inept in making deals and just paranoid making a wrong deal at the dealership. I just wanted to get a rough idea. I saw the incentives, 2k below the invoice. Here's a 'stupid' question. When they say, below the invoice..... do I tell them what options I would like to have, etc.. and they show me their actual invoice and I take 2k off that? Also, I can then take the 2k off figures and lease the vehicle? correct?

blh7068

I have a 02 SE, bought June of 02. Stickered for just under 30k and paid 26500(took 2.9 financing/60 mos). It was a 1700 mile demo car.

I saw that you mentioned both the 03 and the 04 as what you are interested in. Remember the 04 is the new design...so if you are looking from a "good deal" standpoint look for a 03.

The invoice for each car will vary because of the different options available, so what youre saying is correct. However, those incentives may only apply to a purchase and NOT a lease- you will want to double check that.

As a sidenote, Nissan groups their option packages in a strange manner, so you may wind up with 2 or 3 options you werent counting on in order to get the one you really want. But dont sweat over that.

Either way, it sounds like 2k under invoice with incentives is a fair price. As I remarked in
another post, its a better deal than what I was able to get when I bought mine.

Good luck!

kennyg5

I have a 03 GLE and it comes with Bridgestone Turanza tires. The tires are ok in snow and rain and ride quietly. Anyone else have these tires, and what is your opinion about them?

I agree that Nissan has strange package options. I believe if you want the Meridian option, you pretty much have to get everything, which is what I end up getting. Since I live in the Northeast, getting the heated seats, steering wheel and mirrors with traction control worked for me.

rmurphy197

Just picked up a 03 Maxima GLE a couple of weeks ago. Paid $23.7k, which was invoice less the $2k incentive. The 03's are now hard to find, especially in the northeast, but they are a good buy. Got mine for the same price as an Accord EX with V6, but it's alot more car.

habitat1

Congratulations. Sounds like you got a great deal. Did they have any 2003 SE 6-speeds remaining?

buffaloes

I am considering a 2004 SE auto. I want traction control, but don't want to pop for an additional package just to have the option of ordering VSC. My concern is having 265 HP and no traction control in winter. I have no problem buying 4 snow tires, but am still concerned about not having traction control on a base SE model. Any experiences in these situations?

lazette

Hi I'm writing from Houston, TX. My family and I are in search of a 2004 Maxima SL with Journey package, sunroof, and floor mats.

Ok, we've written to dealers and visited dealers and nobody seems to have one on the lot. Some say they'd have to order it and one guy even said that would talk the vehicle back up to MSRP.

I want to know what folks are paying for the '04 with the same package. I get the feeling they are trying to rake us over hot coals. Edmunds suggests 31,000 as TMV. I have heard others say they have paid near Invoice....29410...etc. How do you get to those prices as we have had dealers give us a quote of anywhere between 33,000 and 36,000. I think that is too much money.

monte4

I can spek for my area habitat which is the DFW area, the 03 6spds at all Nissan Locations have been long gone. Most of the inventory of all 03's is gone as well, all of the Bankstons are out except for Dallas which has one loaded Glacier SE left. Courtesy, and the rest are out of them my dealer also said the 04's arent moving that well and he has had 7 of the 10 he initially recieved in March.

p100

New 03 SE 6 speeds are getting very hard to find now. I searched just about every Nissan dealership inventory in Florida and north Georgia and only found one black SE 6 speed with no options. Just two weeks ago I found about four 6 speeds, including fully loaded ones, but three are gone now.

pathstar1

Because it's a front wheel drive vehicle it's not as critical to have traction control. Here in Edmonton Alberta I've driven a Sentra spec V with no problems. Yes, it's easy to spin up the front wheels, but it doesn't upset the car. BTW, we have 6 months of winter here (sigh).

lazette:
Don't let the dealers tell you what the price is. You tell them how much you're willing to pay. The 04s appear to be not moving well yet, so it's a buyers market. If they don't come down in price, walk out the door. There are always other dealers. Try shopping on the internet. You can buy the car 300 mi. away and still get it serviced locally. Don't let them try to pull the nonsense that you will not get good service, because they all separate the service department from the sales one budget wise. They can't have it both ways!

tbrown12

Are their any differences between the I35 and Maxima SE for '03 other than looks and loan car from Infiniti dealer?

Is one much quieter than the other? Does one handle better? Any other points? Most like the looks of the I35 but is that worth 2-3k on a used car?

What's your take?

snaab

i was wondering if anyone here knew what car rental company rents out maximas. i know they are being used for rentals (the onld one, not the new ones) because i have seen them at the rental places at the detroit airport. i just forgot which company offers them. i need to rent a car soon and a maxima would be a great ride. thanks

lazette

PathStar: We have walked out of two dealerships.

I have registered online, but I was searching in the Houston area only. I better expand to Dallas and Louisiana.

ctl1

I recently rented an 03 Max SE @ LAX from Enterprise. They consider it a "premium" vehicle.

habitat1

At that price, have you also looked at the G35 Sedan? According to my neighbor who is in the market, the Acura TLS w/ navigation is being sold near invoice ($31k+/-), the G35 Sedan (nav & premium) at $1,000 over invoice ($32.5k), here in the DC area. They ruled out the 2004 Maxima primarily because they could get over the mental hurdle that - at $31k+ for the SL w/ Journey & sunroof - the 2004 Maxima is over $7,000 more than what the outgoing 2003 GLE was going for.

There are a lot of choices in the $32k+/- price range. Remind your Nissan dealer of that.

m4d_cow

Im still wondering until now why Nissan dealers havent started lowering the price for the new Maxima yet, looking at its market, since as far as i know theyre not too popular due to its price.
Right now the best deal i can get is $600 over invoice ( the dealer was kinda shocked when i remind them about the 3% dealer holdback ), seems like they wanted to sell it for much more), which the total is $29k incl 7.9% tax and fees.
But at the same time Acura TL-S is offered for $31k incl tax and fees, i dunno which one is the better deal, since somehow the cars prices are getting more and more comepetitive to each other.
Oh and i also heard the Maximas factory got hailstormed, and they lost over 180 cars, is that true? ( havent been following the news for a while )

perna

It's been a few months, but I want to say I got my 03 SE with roof and titanium pkg for roughly $24.5k OTD. I could be wrong though, I'd have to check my contract again for an exact number.

I'm not surprised at all the new Maxes aren't selling well. Heck, if I had $30k to spend on a car I'd get a G35 or '04 CTS!

ramped1

You may also be able to rent a Maxima from National or Hertz. National considered it a full size car the last time I rented about 18 months ago.

tyresmoker

Here in southern Connecticut you cannot get these things. Sticker or walk. Cars on the ground are odd equipmment/color combos. One thing the car has going for it over the G35 is ROOM behind the wheel. As far as what is a better deal between the new Maxima nad the outgoing TL? Why don't you let the seat of your pants decide. Who cares about the numbers if you don't like the car.

m4d_cow

Wow dont get me wrong, I personally like the car a lot if youve read my previous postings. Im just trying to get the best deal out there, just to make it worth the money, and not ending up w/ poor resale value

lazette

My husband wants to know how all the folks in Maryland are getting great deals on the cars. Our experience here has been the sticker price or leave. We started out look at the G35 and they wouldn't budge. We visited a 2nd dealer and the sales guy said "we're only making 1000 on this deal" .. That was not true... We walked. Then we decided let's view the Maxima. We drove it and were sold on it. I don't know what we'll end up with considering the market. We have also test driven the Acura TL-S but I don't remember much about that car.

We'll keep searching...WE do have ONE internet dealer out of Dallas who is willing to wheel and deal...

aggiedog

Try CarMax - White Marsh - just north of Baltimore
Also Sheehy in Annapolis will deal.

ctl1

I recently purchased an 04 Max after also considering the G35 and Acura TLS. I'm in the DFW area and if you're still interested in the G35, the Infiniti internet dealer in Dallas is the way to go. I actually talked to him at Grubbs Infiniti, took a test drive and got a written quote on a G35 sedan without any hassle as they had over 40 sedans on the lot. I decided to go with the Max for a variety of reasons, but I still went through the internet rep at a local dealer. To narrow your search, try the Nissan web site as it has a vehicle search function so you can find a dealer that has a car equipped the way you want it. Many dealers now have internet reps who you can work with without setting foot on the lot until the time of purchase. Some, like the Infiniti dealer above will even ship you the car for a fee. You should be able to find what you want without paying anywhere near MSRP. Good luck with your search.

p100

It really does not matter that much what state you are in. You can find a good deal just about anywhere if you are patient and persistent. One problem with buying a new car today is that if you have a trade in, it usually is a no win situation. I bought a lot of new cars in my life but I have never seen it as bad as now. Most dealers will give you a large discount on a new car while attempting to literally steal your trade by shamelessly offering you ridiculously low price for it, and claiming that your car will go to an auction or will be sold to a small used car dealer immediately. However, there are dealers who are willing to go with Kelly Bue book on your trade and a really low price on the new vehicle.

When a dealer tells me that they are only making about a thousand dollars on the new car, I ask them for a copy of the invoice. As a rule they do not show it to me, but then I never buy anything from such a dealer.

timmer98

I have a 95 Maxima and I'm trying to find out for sure what model it is. I was told when I bought it that it's an SE and based on the options, I think it is. (Pwr roof, spoiler, leather, gold trim.) But I can't find anything on the car that tells me for sure. Is there a way to tell from the VIN or is there something on the car somewhere that will tell me?

Thanks for any light you can shed for me.

dklanecky

One of the easiest ways is that SE's had body colored door handles (and continue to have through 2003) while GLE's and GXE's have chrome door handles.

afty

Also, the SE has white-faced gauges while the GXE and GLE have black-faced gauges.

cusafr

To know which model you have, do this: Look under the hood for a metal identification tag on the passenger side of the fire wall. The top row of numbers is the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The second row is the model identification. The first five letters should be BLHUL. The sixth letter should be an E, G, or V. E=GXE; G=GLE; and V=SE.

Let me know if this works, it should.

CUSAFR

habitat1

(1) The SE has black trim around the windows (i.e. "shadowline" in BMW speak) whereas the GLE and GXE have chrome trim around the windows.

(2) The SE has fog lights. I don't believe they are even an option on the 1995 GXE or GLE.

But...don't use the power sunroof to tell you anything. I have a 1995 SE w/o a sunroof.

timmer98

The car has...
Chrome handles
Chrome trim around the window
Black-faced gauge (Did they have white gauges on any model in 95???)
Even though it does have fog lights, the sixth character on the Model Number is an E. So if cusafr's chart is correct, I have a GXE.

Now, my next question is what are the differences between the GXE and GLE. I always thought it was the same car but with different standard options. Is that right or not?

timmer98

I wanted to throw out a couple things that have happened recently and see if anyone else has had a similar experience with a 95 Max.

1) Check Engine light comes on for about a day once every 3-5 weeks or so. I had a Honda that did almost the exact same thing. I haven't been able to get it to the mechanic with the light on yet. Gas mileage still minimum of 27+.

2) Car was getting plenty hot driving on steep, hilly roads (sometimes mountains) with a full car on vacation. I was told it's a faulty gauge, but I'm 99.999% sure that's not the case. Idling the car with the heater on cooled it down just like it's supposed to. The engine still rocks, so it just doesn't make sense to me that a full trunk and some steep hills would make it overheat. Radiator flush and new temp sensor didn't do the trick.

cusafr

First: The GXE and GLE and not the same car with different options. Yes, the same engine, but the GLE is/was top of the line and had better quality parts/interior, different suspension, etc. Since the GXE is the least exspensive model, some people either try to make them look like a GLE to sell for more, while others buy them cheaper and just try to put their own touch on them and make them look better. Don't get me wrong; a Maxima in any model is still a great car!

Second: My guess with your CEL, is that it is an oxygen sensor! Of course, that's only a guess. The dealer should be able to hook it up to the computer and read the code, even if the light is not on at that time.

Third: And, most important! Go to www.maxima.org and find thousands of Maxima owners who really know these cars. In my opinion, it is the best place to get Maxima information.

Hope this helps,

CUSAFR

habitat1

I have a 1995 SE. It has white faced gauges. Regarding your other questions:

(1) 1995 GXE vs. GLE: A fully loaded GXE approximates, but does not exactly match the GLE. It is my understanding that the suspension itself is the same in the GXE and GLE; however the GLE (and SE) use liquid filled engine mounts and extra sound insulation to lessen vibration and noise. The GLE also has better seats and some interior trim upgrades which you don't get even with a loaded GXE. Actually, in 1995, a loaded SE came in at about $1,000 more than a GLE (and included sport suspension, wheels, tires, foglights, spoiler, etc. not available or included on the GLE).

(2) Check engine light: I've had mine come on 2-3 times over the past two years. I always remember to turn my gas cap to "click" a few times after filling up, but this is one cause others have noted. Unless the engine is not running smoothly, I wouldn't worry about it. My service manager acknowledged that the engine computer sensors are very sensitive to any changes in fuel mixture, etc. and that can cause the light to come on. After paying $50-75 a couple of times to have the diagnostic engine check come up empty, I waited for the light to go out by itself the last time (but it took 6+ weeks).

(3) Overheating: I had the same thing happen about a year ago (at 125k miles). I did the heat-on trick and added coolant. It recurred. The problem turned out to be a leaking water pump. I had it replaced by the dealer for about $500 w/ no recurrance thereafter.

For what it's worth, I now have 140k miles on my Maxima and it still is running strong and looking good. Other than the water pump, the most expensive repair in the last two years was a new starter. Thought I finally needed a new clutch a few weeks ago and it turned out only to need clutch fluid. I don't currently have any reason to think the car won't last to 200k miles. 1995 seems to have been a very good year for Maximas.

p100

95 through 99 Maximas were probably the best ones built. Beginning with the 2000 redesign, the quality started slipping. This is evidenced by numerous problems that surfaced with the new models.

timmer98

>>The problem turned out to be a leaking water pump. I had it replaced by the dealer for about $500 w/ no recurrance thereafter.

I know I'm gonna show my ignorance here but...

If it's a leaky water pump, wouldn't it do it other times besides when the car is loaded down going up a mountain?? Could be a leak that's more of a hit-and-miss type of thing where more "stress" makes it appear?

The Nissan dealer I went to said the water pump was fine, but obviously something isn't quite right.

Oh, and thanks for all the great info everyone. It's much appreciated.

habitat1

My car had overheated a couple of times intermittently when it was hot out and we were using the air conditioning, so maybe the load on the cooling system/engine did have something to do with it. Do you need to add coolant occassionally, or has it remained full?

Others:

I have recently had a few experiences where my windshield wipers slowed down, did the herky jerky, and on two occassions stopped altogether in a rainstorm. On one occassion I had to make a quick pullover on the highway. When I turned them off and on after a minute, they started working again. Very disconcerting. Anybody ever experienced this and what was the problem?

timmer98

Thanks to a neat page I found from Maxima.org, I was able to see what the codes are for my check engine light.

Two codes were kicked out which were "Knock sensor" and "Cylinder 5 misfire". I've reset the CEL, so I'll be curious which code is in there if/when the light comes back on.

I just changed plugs about 3 weeks ago, so I'm hoping the Cylinder Misfire code won't come back. Based on what I've read, the Knock Sensor is there for when you put in lower octane gas, which we never do. So I'm not sure what's going on with that.

If anyone has anything else to share about those codes, or a website that has some good info ... feel free to share.

If you want to find out what your Check Engine Light means, go to...
http://vbxmaxima.8m.com/ecu.html

kyleknicks

sounds like your windshield motor is going..

m4d_cow

I just got an update from my friends in CA. They said all Maximas damaged by the hailstorm will be sold as new (what the...????)under pretty much the same price as the undamaged ones, and they will only fix the ones heavily damaged. Will they even note that the car has been damaged in the title?
My friend sent me a pic of one of the cars, it was ugly, there were dents all over the roof
Does anyone else know about this case? Just wanna make sure if its true or not

ramped1

One of the Nissan dealers in Orlando was advertising hail damaged vehicles at a discount last weekend. Not sure how much of a discount was offered. It is unlikely that Nissan will permit dealers to sell hail-damaged vehicles without disclosure.

rt1217

I purchased a 99 Maxima GLE about a year ago with extended service from CarMax. About a month ago the CEL came on. I discussed the problem with my local service mechanic and he advised taking it back to CarMax after doing a diagnostic and finding the NOX sensor showing up on the readout. CarMax replaced the NOX sensor and after 1 week the CEL light came back on. This time CarMax after a diagnostic replaced the O2 sensor. This week the CEL came on again. Has anyone had this problem with any other Maximas? I spoke to CarMax and they don't have any ideas on an overall cause. They gave me another appointment for service.

p100

There was a fierce hail storm in Orlando, Florida in the early nineties and many cars were damaged by golf ball size hail. The dealers had to disclose the hail damage, but they tried to sell hail damaged cars at maximum profit. I looked into these "bargains" but walked away because some cars looked like someboy hit them thousand times with a ball peen hammer all over the roof, the hood ,and the trunk lid.
They were discounting these heavily damaged cars about $ 1500 which in my opinion is not worth it. Lightly damaged cars were discounted even less. It would cost more to fix the damage. And to live with a car like that would not be pleasant and would greatly affect the car's resale value. I know somebody who bought such a car and came to regret it.

pathstar1

Hummm.... maybe they would get better mileage due to lower wind resistance (like a golf ball ;-).

m4d_cow

I have no clue whats in Nissan's mind to sell these cars at that kind of price...the one my friend showed me was "moderately" damaged ( according to the dealer, to me it looks way more than moderate) and they still want $1000 below MSRP for it!!! They wont give any extra warranty for this, and i bet the resale will drop like crazy
Seems like I'll have to say bb to my dream Onyx 3.5SE w/sensory package since the dealer said they cant locate one completely undamaged in east WA area

msbehavn

I have a 1996 Maxima GLE that i purchased w/125,000 miles on it. Ever since i've had it i've noticed that when the car is cold it shifts noticibly hard from first to second gear. I figured maybe it was because the trans. fluid just needed to be changed, so i did that myself but i am still experiencing the same problem. I've heard of having the transmission "flushed". Would that be something i should try, i hate to have it all flushed right after i've put new fluid in. I'm also getting a trouble code on an O2 sensor. Are these things hard to change? Thanks for your help!

ymax000

Recently, I am considering to buy a 2003 maxiam, but it is hard to find any new maximas in my area. I looked around, only one dealer has a loaded 2003 maxima SE demo car which has 52xx miles on it. The dealer is willing to sell it to me at 20K which is more than 7k off MSRP (27xxx). Is it worthy to buy?