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Nissan Maxima

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Comments

  • pegasus17pegasus17 Member Posts: 536
    Glad we are both happy and yes, emotion does play a part in major purchases. The other cars on my short list was a Camry XLE-4 and the 2002 Accord SE. Neither car had much driving excitement and that is why i bought the Maxima. Remember that your 2001 Anniversary edition Maxima is a special edition and that should keep it's value a bit higher than normal. Good luck and congrats...mcc
  • slick22slick22 Member Posts: 1
    We are looking into purchasing a 98 Maxima that has been labeled as a GLE by the seller (car broker), yet the gages are white, which I thought was a distinctive feature of the SE. This car has every imaginable option, but it does handle a little different than some of the GLE's I've driven. The leather steering wheel even has the sporty leather with holes in it?? Does anyone have any suggestions about how to find out for sure? For example, tire size? We tried looking up the VIN but that was of no help. Thanks!!
  • dklaneckydklanecky Member Posts: 559
    Very quick way to tell. All SE's have body colored door handles. The GLE and GXE both have chrome door handles. Have since at least the 1995 model year.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    Other SE features:

    Standard spoiler (if added on the GXE/GLE there will likely still be a center brake light in the back window (as well as the spoiler).

    Fog lights standard.
  • cedarparkcedarpark Member Posts: 26
    Hi,

    Sorry for so many posts, just getting excited. I don't pick up the car until Friday, but I'm considering buying some tools and things so I can do the oil changes myself. I've scanned the board, and it looks like quite a few are doing it, but some of them are mechanics/auto experts.

    Two quick questions:

    1. Is the oil filter easy to get to? (2001 model)
    2. The car still has 10K miles under the warranty. In that situation, is there any reason to have the changes done at a shop until the warranty expires?

    Thanks, and sorry for the newbie flood of posts.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    I have been changing my own oil for 130k miles on a 1995 Maxima.

    If the 2001 is the same layout, the oil filter can be easily accessed by removing the front passenger side tire. There is a hard plastic/polyurethane cover inside the wheel well that, once removed, allows easy view and access to the filter and drain pan plug. I barely get my knees dirty.

    The tools I use are: jack and wheel lug nut wrench that come with the car, phillips screwdriver and small vice grips for the (3)fasteners that hold the access panel to the wheelwell, socket wrench and attachements for the oil filter and drain plug.

    I have an MBA, not an MS in Mechanical Engineering, so if I can do it, anybody can. Average time start to finish is about 20-25 minutes. Most gas stations accept old oil for recycling. I don't do it to save money, I do it to save time. I can't drive back and forth from the nearest Jiffy Lube in less than an hour. And I have never had a warranty claim, but my Nissan dealer suggested keeping a log of the milage and date of all changes (which I do every 3-4,000 miles)

    I only wish my Honda S2000 was as easy. That's not a do-it-yourself job (at least not for an MBA).
  • cedarparkcedarpark Member Posts: 26
    Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. This board is great.
  • obiwankenobi1obiwankenobi1 Member Posts: 290
    Would anyone here think that swapping 02 SE wheels for 02 GLE wheels on my 02 SE Maxima would screw up the alignment?

    I swapped them out last December, and they have been fine until late. I had them rotated (not balanced) and since then, it has felt a bit off. Also, I have an appointment Wednesday to get the steering column fixed, cause I think it is loose.

    So, do I have a problem or do you think not balancing the tires when they were rotated screwed it up?

    Obi
  • dklaneckydklanecky Member Posts: 559
    I suspect the issue is more related to the balancing (or lack of) than the wheels themselves.

    I have a 95 GLE (15" wheels) and a 00 SE (17" wheels). A couple of years ago I bought some new 16" wheels and tires for the 95 and took the old 15" wheels and put dedicated snow tires on them.

    Been swapping from 17" to 15" as necessary (it snows once ina while in Wisconsin) and have not noticed any problems other than they do need to be rotated and balanced about every 5-7500 miles.

    Where did you pick up the GLE wheels from?
  • nissangirlnissangirl Member Posts: 186
    I currently have an '00 SE cloth interior & 35k miles. I have been offered a nice price for it, and was not planning on selling it. However, I would love leather, brand new carpet (I have a child that stained my carpet), brand new paint, and a pinch more power. However, I will be paying for it if I decide to sell and purchase an '03 - there is a price for everything. I'm just curious if the '03 GLE is worth trading up my '00 SE. I have loved that car from the moment I knew it left Japan in June of '99. Couldn't wait to get it, but now that it is no longer "perfect" I am considering taking the money and running to my nearest Nissan dealer. Any opinions??
  • berbelberbel Member Posts: 167
    You can always have your carpet professionally
    cleaned and your paint touched up at a good paint/
    body shop and save a huge amount of money by holding on to your present car. However, the newer
    models do have pluses which your car does not.
    255 hp engine, high intensity discharge headlamps,
    radio/cd controls on the steering wheel (unlighted
    though they may be) auto-dimming rear view mirror,
    rocker panels and a nicer looking grille, etc.
    My personal opinion is to wait for the 2004's to
    come out in early spring and you will have a choice
    between the '03 and '04 models, the latter of
    which will be restyled sheetmetal and a new interior. How much different the interior will be
    remains to be seen. I also have a '00 SE and have
    decided to wait for the '04's before deciding to
    trade for an '03 or '04. Decisions, decisions!!!

    berbel
  • nissangirlnissangirl Member Posts: 186
    It is a hard decision. Although, so far on the '04, I don't like what I see. I've had a professional cleaner for my carpet....it's hopeless, can't be cleaned out. It was a Big Red (Coke product), we were on a trip, it stayed in the carpet too long & the heat. I have been offered a price that is really hard to refuse. Then again, my car is a wonderful driving experience, however, I just try to avoid looking at the carpet in the back. I have been offered retail price (what a dealer would ask for it) on my '00 SE. Yes, you are right...decisions! decisions!
  • nissangirlnissangirl Member Posts: 186
    I think you are right about waiting. I guess I'm thinking I will never be offered such a good price for my '00, but you know, our Maxima's are a very desired vehicle, plus good looks, power, etc. and the thought of a brand new "perfect" one is very exciting...for a while anyway. I'm still proud to drive my '00.

    By the way, mine is Sterling Mist, what color is yours?
  • roar1roar1 Member Posts: 193
    cedarpark:

    There's no need to remove anything from your car if you have a set of ramps.
    The drain plug and the filter are very easily accessible. I would reccommend
    that for an oil filter wrench that you either use a metal strap type or the
    type that looks like a large pair of pliers that have semi-circular faces to
    accomodate the round body of the filter. ( fyi, I use the latter ).

    nissangirl:

    I have both a '00 GLE and a "02 GLE and IF it were possible to drive these
    cars BLINDFOLDED you would swear that they were completely different
    cars. The BIG difference is the VQ35 engine. Nissan has calibrated the
    transmission to the engine so well plus they have played around with
    the torque curve for added punch. The '02 ( and probably the '03 )
    is awesome. As "Berbel" said , you could wait to drive the '04
    and if you did'nt like it you could get the '03 . Of course it would'nt
    hurt to test drive an '03 now , and you'll see what I'm talking about
  • nissangirlnissangirl Member Posts: 186
    That's a scarey thing for me to do. I know once I test drive it, I will want it. LOL May go do that today! Thanks!
  • obiwankenobi1obiwankenobi1 Member Posts: 290
    The dealership I bought my 02 SE from swapped them out for me for free. They took them off their demo 02 GLE which had 4,100 miles on it (my SE had 3,900 at the time, so tire wear wasn't a factor IMO).

    It was fine up until I had the tires rotated, but the people who rotated them (my mechanic I have used forever), told me not to worry about doing a balance until around 25,000 miles (19,000 on the car right now).

    I think I am going to have to get an alignment and balance to fix the problem. I wonder how much that is going to set me back?

    Obi
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    are the 17in GLE tires more a touring tire than the 17SE tires? I'm just wondering how your car handles with the SE susp and the GLE tires. thanks for response
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    I too was very interested in upgrading from my '00 GLE when the 02 maxima's came out but the hit in depreciation would be wayyy too much for me to swallow. As for now, my max has 28k miles and exactly 2 yrs old this past sept and has been near perfect. I will probably wait till the 04's come out and see if I like those.. if not, im sure I could get a great discount on a leftover 03. man, I love those HID's!
  • jimmyj1945jimmyj1945 Member Posts: 141
    If I were you and could get dealer retail for the 2000 Max. Then get a great bargin ($4000 or more) off a new 2003-I'm buying the 2003. In other words; if you figure say $4000 off the msrp of a 2003, what is the dollar difference?

    If I could get retail for my almost perfect (18,000 miles) 2001 Infinit I-30, I would be in line for the 2003 Max or Infiniti. Just my opinion!

    Jim
  • pegasus17pegasus17 Member Posts: 536
    I bought a low-end 2003 SE on 2 Sep (in Ohio) an took advantage of NISSAN's $1000 dealer incentive that ended 3 Sep. My final price was $3500 off sticker (no trade-in) and i think I did very well. If the Altima demand stays high, then $4000 off on the 2003 Maxima may be possible. After driving mine, I am glad that i did not wait. This car is truly a blast to drive - perhaps I've been driving my SUV too long. So far, the car is great and I look forward to my next road trip.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    nissangirl,

    If you have a bonifide offer at full retail price for your 2000 SE, I suggest taking it. Especially since you indicate that it's in less than perfect shape (i.e. stained carpet and paint).

    I've only considered manual transmission SE models, but, in my opinion, the 2003 is a substantial improvement over the 2000 model. I was encouraged to trade my 1995 SE for a 2000 model when they first came out with the 222 hp engine, and found it not to be as quick or responsive as my 1995 model. The 2002/3 6-speed is definitely a step up, although maybe not as much with an automatic transmission. My next sedan is likely to be a BMW 5-series, but the 1995 SE continues to serve me well in the meantime.

    I do suggest that you drive the SE and GLE back to back. It is my understanding that there is still a noticable difference in the handling, and given that you are coming out of an SE, you may prefer that model over the GLE.

    Good luck.
  • cedarparkcedarpark Member Posts: 26
    I'm slowly but surely reading through all the posts in this forum, and its been very informative.

    I've also posted this question on maxima.org.

    I'm getting rid of my pos 1995 Neon (its last breakdown was the reason for the purchase). I had a Sony X-Plod CD receiver in it, and 2 rear Sony 6x9 3-way speakers. They were purchased from Best Buy , and I thought their install was OK, but again, that car rattled so much, I'd never know. I bought the plan that will let you take the car back to them, and they will put the factory speakers/stereo back in, and put the Sony's in the new car.

    It doesn't look either will fit in the Maxima without mods. (the Maxima stock head unit being so tall) From what I read, Maximas already seem prone to rattles, and I'm not sure I want to increase the chance of those. That stock head unit looks twice the height (roughly) of the Sony.

    1. Will they use some kind of filler, and will it look bad/increase rattle chances?

    2. What about the 6x9's? Will they put them in the doors somehow?

    3. Will the Steering Wheel stereo controls still work?

    I know its nowhere near the best system, but it does sound better than the stock.

    Any advice is appreciated.
  • nissangirlnissangirl Member Posts: 186
    Thank you for your advise. I do plan to test drive and SE and GLE. I have had 3 SE's now, so don't know if I can deal with a GLE, but I really need to get a feel of it.

    My current 2000 SE is still a beautiful car, just a few spots of bug funk on the nose, really no big deal, and my carpet mats actually cover most of the red stains on my carpet. I have put a bra or nose cover on it due to the love bugs this time of year in Southern Mississippi, it looks great on. So, I hope I haven't given the wrong impression, it's still a beauty, and I think thats why I'm having a hard decision with this....although LEATHER would be very nice.

    Thanks for your advise.
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    leather in that hot mississippi sun?? i've been to Jackson.... not a pretty sticky situation if you ask me...
  • cedarparkcedarpark Member Posts: 26
    According to Best Buy, the steering wheel controls would not be functional with their installation.

    That stinks.
  • cds12cds12 Member Posts: 139
    the stereo that maxima has in it will be better than the crap they sell at best buy.
  • nissangirlnissangirl Member Posts: 186
    Yes, the hot sun. I know what you mean. Actually me nor my husband had ever had leather until recently, he just bought him a '02 Pathfinder LE with BLACK leather, believe it or not, and it cooled off so much quicker that my cloth interior, and the leather gets cool pretty quick. And it looks sooo nice, and doesn't seem to absorb dirt like my cloth.
  • cedarparkcedarpark Member Posts: 26
    Well, to be fair, I'm not in the car yet, so I can't absolutely vouch for that, but in my two test drives, the bass was pretty much not there.

    And I'm referring to stock, not bose.

    The sony cd/speakers combo in my neon had much more range and response.

    But again, that's on two test drives where I'm trying to absorb everything about the vehicle.

    Specs I saw said that the stock stereo is 120 Watts, and six speakers. I'll of course check it out much more....
  • asleepyasleepy Member Posts: 70
    Has anyone reviewed whether the the TMV pricing for 03 Maximas that Edmunds has is accurate? I just compared the TMV pricing with what carsdirect.com was quoting and the TMV pricing was about $2K more. How can that be? And carsdirect.com is a price I can get without any haggling at a dealer.
  • obiwankenobi1obiwankenobi1 Member Posts: 290
    I have not noticed a change in handling from the Potenza's (225/50 VR 17's) to the Turanza's (215/55 HR 17's).

    I was suprised by this myself. I thought I would give up some performance, but haven't noticed any difference at all.

    Obi
  • roar1roar1 Member Posts: 193
    Ya gotta watch those dealers. I took my '02 Max. in last week for
    it's first oil change. ( I usually do my own but this first change was
    free and I wanted to show them the cracked wind deflector so they
    could order a new one). I took 4 qts. of Valvoline 5W-30 with me
    and told them to use it, and I would add more when I got home.

    Then the mechanic tries to tell me that the engine takes 5 qts.
    instead of 4 because the VQ35 is larger than the VQ30. I said
    "Yes" it has a larger displacement but not a larger sump. Besides,
    the book calls for 4 1/4 qts. He still did'nt believe me . I told him
    to only put in what I gave him. Unbelievable ! Lord knows how
    many Maximas are running around with too much oil from this
    mechanic. I mentioned this to the Service Mgr. and he looked
    at me like I was crazy.

    BTW, the books for both of my Maximas call out for 4 1/4 qts.,
    but this puts the oil level above the full mark on the dipstick.
    I use 4 1/8 qts. Has any one else noticed this ??
  • berbelberbel Member Posts: 167
    Nissangirl:

    There has been a whole lot of good advice posted here relative to your pending trade..In Feb., I
    believe, the '04 will be released. Yes, there have
    been "spy photos" posted on this board and they may
    be pretty accurate....bottom line?..who really
    knows for SURE!! I mention this only because you
    mentioned that you didn't care for the sheetmetal
    changes in the '04. Nissan is sure to have modified
    the interior as well in this new model and who
    knows how many other creature comforts and entice-
    ments they may have added to get us salivating over
    the new model. You do what's best for you but I
    personally am waiting......I like having a "choice."

    roarl:

    I can empathize with that situation. On more than one
    occasion, I've had a tech guy tell me I was wrong about
    the volume of oil. They wanted to drop in 4 1/2 to 5
    quarts. I simply said it made no difference to me where
    they got their info.....it's MY car, the OWNERS MANUAL
    says 4 1/4 qts. and that's what I wanted...no more...
    no less. One of these guys actually got kinda snotty
    about it and asked me if I were trying to tell him
    how to do his job. I responded, "Yes, that's exactly
    what I'm doing." I got 4 1/4 qts. and he got an a_ _
    chewing from his service manager. I can't help but
    believe sometimes that I know more about my Max than
    they do.

    berbel
  • nissangirlnissangirl Member Posts: 186
    I sometimes feel like I won't get an offer of this kind again for my '00 SE, however, any Maxima is very much desired my most.

    Second, I wish I new what kind of price increase there will be for the new '04, if any. I'm thinking more "comforts" for more price, but I could be wrong. I can't remember if there was much of a jump from the '99 to the '00.
  • obiwankenobi1obiwankenobi1 Member Posts: 290
    And people wonder why I don't go to the dealerships for services!

    Sheesh!

    Obi
  • archtmpsarchtmps Member Posts: 1
    What should I expect to pay for a 2003 GLE base model? No options.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    I happened to be in my Nissan/BMW dealer the other day looking at a 2001 E320 Wagon they took on trade for a BMW.

    The sales manager, who I've known for several years, indicated that he "wouldn't hold his breath" for the new Maxima to be available in February. Nissan has consistently been late in delivering new models, at least in any quantity. As recently as last fall, the 350Z was supposed to be available this past March or April. And the 2002 Nissan Maxima SE 6-speed was two months behind in hitting the showrooms.

    I don't want to speculate about the 2004 Maxima, but it would be my guess that you won't see them in sufficient volumes to enable price negotiation until a year from now. I'm guessing that for the first 4-6 months of supply, Nissan dealers will not be aggressively discounting the car.
  • roar1roar1 Member Posts: 193
    berbel:

    I hear Ya ! Most people don't realize that alot of dealers have a 200 gallon
    drum of some off- brand of 10-30 oil sitting out in the back of the dealership
    from which they draw from. Sooo........ not only is it some generic brand
    but technically it's the wrong weight for the 5 th gen Maximas. Also, alot
    of dealers don't use a Nissan oil filter. ( Quaker State is popular ).They
    do this to save money. I am also very skeptical of the " fast lube " places.
    When in doubt, take your own oil & filter, and watch what they do. I change
    my own oil for the above reasons and because it's faster. I can do ( 2 )
    Maximas AND my '92Nissan P'up in 1 1/2 hours.

    archtmps:

    Check out www.carsdirect.com. They usually have reasonable prices
    and if you like to ' dicker ' ( I do ) you can usually get it for less. I
    bought a '02 Max. GLE ( everything imaginable but NAV. ) in May
    for about $ 26,800. I know the '03's went up in price but you still
    should be able to deal.
  • roar1roar1 Member Posts: 193
    habitat1:

    I just hope that the ' 04 Max. is not going to be a Nissan Avalon. OMG !!
    If it is, then the ' 02 - ' 03 Maximas will be THE VEHICLES to own. imho.
  • berbelberbel Member Posts: 167
    nissangirl:

    I get five car magazines a month and pretty closely follow
    "what's happening" in the world of automobiles. Generally
    and across the board, the vast majority of manufacturers
    have been "holding the line" on price increases OR increasing
    only a few hundred dollars. Over the life of a typical loan
    or lease, a few hundred is not very significant.

    habitat: I agree with your comments re the 2004. However,
    based on the "spy photos" a lot of people have seen, there
    have been a lot of negative comments about the redesign.
    The new model may not have the "draw" so it could feasibly
    come down to the law of supply and demand re the last of
    the '03's. What do you think??

    roarl: I don't change my own oil. Maybe I should. Anyhow,
    I have, for 15 years, been one of those people who bring
    their own oil and filter for a oil change. When it comes
    to my car, I guess I'm kinda anal!
  • KThomp100KThomp100 Member Posts: 62
    When I bought my new 03 SE last month, sales mgr said they might not see any 04's until the Fall of next year. He wasn't too excited about them coming in early 03 so who knows.
  • dmele1dmele1 Member Posts: 7
    can i use reg unleaded fuel or do i have to use premium fuel???
    is performance affected or is it just a myth?
  • dmele1dmele1 Member Posts: 7
    can i use reg unleaded fuel or do i have to use premium fuel???
    is performance affected or is it just a myth?
    contact me at
    DMELE72406@aol.com
  • roar1roar1 Member Posts: 193
    This has come up many, many times on this board . Why buy a Hi-
    performance vehicle and put cheap gas in it . Yes, you can use 87 octane
    BUT if you re-read the manual, Nissan recommends Premium.

    Maxima's have a compression ratio of 10.1 : 1 and in the old muscle
    car days of SS396 Chevelles, 440 cu. in Chargers and small block
    Camaros , premium fuel was always used.

    And Yes, Maximas have " knock- sensors " to adjust the engine timing
    but I have one question for " dmele1 ". How good is your hearing ?
    Trust me , your car can " knock" slightly and you woudn't even
    hear it in the Maxima because of the sound insulation. No thanks,
    I'll use premium. imho.
  • tjutju Member Posts: 20
    I'm about to buy a new '03 Maxima SE. Should I buy a Nissan (or aftermarket) extended warranty for it? I haven't done so in the past because they would have been a waste of money on the reliable Japanese cars I've bought. However, I got burned not buying an extended warranty on my '99 Honda Odyssey. Its transmission died 9K miles out of the regular warranty. All cars are getting more complex than they used to be and (I hate to say this since I'm from Detroit) I wonder if the reliability of Japanese makes is deteriorating now that lots of their parts and their final assembly is North American.
    So, experienced Maxima owners, what do you say? Am I well advised to buy an extended warranty? Also, are there Nissan dealers anywhere who will sell Nissan extended warranties at a deep discount? I discovered with Hondas that there are dealers in a few places (Ky, Mass, etc.) who will sell them at about half MSRP!
  • KThomp100KThomp100 Member Posts: 62
    I would say no to an extended warranty on a car with such a long regular powertrain warranty from the factory. Plus, this car has been around now for several years in its current form and any "bugs" to the engine and trans surely are worked out by now. I have not heard of any major problems with Nissan engines or transmissions and so far my 03 Max SE is doing great. The sales person will make it sound so easy to just finance the warranty into your total cost. I say NO but it's up to you of course.
  • bartalk2bartalk2 Member Posts: 326
    You said you're suspicious of fast-lube places. Do you think some use off-brand oil in their tanks that say Pennzoil, etc? Any direct evidence or just suspicion? I've wondered about that for some time.
  • cedarparkcedarpark Member Posts: 26
    Finally picked up my Maxima (2001 SE Anniversary Edition).

    Man, I love the car! Only glitch, and I've read about it on this board, is the passenger rear window has some excessive wind noise. It "whistles" at around 65=70 mph. Its still under warranty, so I'll make an appointment to have it looked at (seals, right?).

    But that's not a big enough issue to get me upset. I love this car, and its "new" to me. Just got out of a '95 Neon, so you can see where I'm coming from.

    Great board, and yipppp-eeee, lets go driving!
  • dklaneckydklanecky Member Posts: 559
    Send me an e-mail and I'll forward you a copy of the TSB that covers the rear window noise NTB01-029 issued May 2,2001 for 2000 and 2001 Maxima's.
    dklanecky1@cs.spam.com

    Leave out the .spam.
  • cedarparkcedarpark Member Posts: 26
    email on its way (coming from austin.rr.com)
  • roar1roar1 Member Posts: 193
    Most of my remarks were based on my many years
    of owning Nissan's and my experiences with
    sevaral Nissan dealerships in my area over the
    years. I've never gone to any "Fast Lube" places
    and never plan to based on the experiences of
    some of my friends.

    I believe that " Jiffy Lube" advertises that they use " Pennzoil", which may be true. However,
    is it the correct viscosity, and quantity for your car. I believe that most people on this board
    " baby " their cars. Therefore , I believe that my previous advice is good advice, i.e., take your
    own oil and filter with you and watch them do it.
    With your own oil and filter it will cost about $12.00

    I've had so many Nissans over the years that I've
    built up a really good rapport with a parts dept.
    of a particular Nissan dealer in my area that they
    always give me a 15% discount on anything I buy.
    I've actually bought six- packs for them at Christmas. Oh yeah, they like me!!

    You can also check out www.courtesynissan.com.
    They have reasonable prices on everything including oil filters.
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