Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
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.
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.
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).
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
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?
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
By the way, mine is Sterling Mist, what color is yours?
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
That stinks.
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....
I was suprised by this myself. I thought I would give up some performance, but haven't noticed any difference at all.
Obi
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 ??
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
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.
Sheesh!
Obi
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.
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.
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.
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!
is performance affected or is it just a myth?
is performance affected or is it just a myth?
contact me at
DMELE72406@aol.com
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.
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!
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!
dklanecky1@cs.spam.com
Leave out the .spam.
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.