Nissan Maxima

max2001

Like ccermak this was my first new car. I also owned a used american auto. (Saturn SL2). It was cheap, and now I know why. Bought it with 60,000 and it died at about 100,000. Plus everything was falling apart. Also, I agree that the main reason that people buy max's is probably because reputation. Several friends and relatives have owned various max's over time and they all loved their cars and had good things to say. As for looks, I have to admit when the 5th gen first hit the streets, at first I hated it, but over time it started to grow on me. Yes the rear lights are...uh..."interesting" but that i think is part of the charm, they stand out. I think the car is great, looks and all.

jeffmaxse2k

I've noticed on my headlights that there seems to be a "haze" or a fog that appears to be in the middle of the lenses...whatever I try to clean it with doesnt seem to make it clear up at all. Anyone here notice that on their headlights? Couple of people over at Maxima.org have noticed this but really had no answers on how to make it go away or clean it. Regular Windex doesnt seem to work nor does the Armor All Window cleaner.

Also am I hurting the lens covers by using windex on them? This is the 1st car I've had with the plastic covers...scratches already that I can only assume came from me using paper towels and Windex.

What do you use to clean your headlights? I don't remember reafing anyhere in the manual to use some special cleaner or material.

Anything on the market that may get rid of the haze and scratches?

gregg20

The reason they didn't know about the 5 speed Maxima in Montana is because they make different versions for different countries.

joenissan

Geez...Montana is it's own country now ?...I need to catch up I guess...LMAO.

Jeff...Make sure what you're seeing is on the outside and not the inside. I've never seen what you're talking about but....interior moisture may do that...if that's the case...remove the headlight bulb, and hit it with a blow dryer.

Joe

wg45678

For headlight cleaning, if scratched, you may want to get some Meguiar's Plastic Cleaner and Polish (2 products). The plastic cleaner takes out scratches, esp. fine scratches, and the polish buffs/waxes the surface (the naming would imply otherwise, but that's the way they work).

I used it on motorcycle helmet face shields and it would refresh a face shield that was nearly unusable from scratches to nearly new in appearance and visibility.

I currently use it my PDA's display to buff out scratches/abrasions from the stylus.

Walter

canadiancl

I thought only us Canadians have to deal with a separatist movement!
Semi-seriously, maybe Montana should separate since it seems to be home to all the freaks, hermits and society outcasts such as the unibomber.

20012kse

I did a detailed search on rpm9 and norbert444 and I am 99% certain that they are the same person with two different user names. They are both posting the same questions at different conferences and locations using both of his user names.

whacko

The psyche of buying a newly designed car with an ugly rear end: First you appreciate all the good qualities about it. Then you justify all the pros over the cons. Then the salesman's fancy talking reels you in. The next thing you know, you're buying the car realizing in your mind (the whole time) that it has an ugly rear end. And when you wake up the next day and realize you've just invested thousands of dollars on the car, you teach your mind to adapt and convince yourself that the ugly rear end will grow on you. And after awhile, through repetitive mind conditioning, your mind accepts the lie that the ugly rear end has grown on you -- but in reality, deep down in the crevice of your soul, and in your heart -- there lies the truth that the Maxima really does have an ugly rear end.

wittb

And to think all those years I thought I was growing up in the United States of America. What a mind blower. To think my Parents lied to me about Montana not being a true state. Oh Well I'll recover.
-Witt.

joenissan

ROFLMAO...What a telling name. Your mind is warped, and probably still maturing due to your obvious young age.
You can't understand class and quality...my guess would be that trailer park living, and the lack of open minded individuality. Because of many out there just like you, we have cars like..the Lumina, Grand Am, and the like.

Joe

shermax

About two hours ago I read post # 593 or so. Then I come back in here at 6:30 PM EST and the whole palce look different and a bunch of posts are missing? SHouldn't we get some kind of notice before Edmunds changes things. This will screw up my bookmarks! Maybe Whacko won't find his way back in here though, LOL.

canadiancl

Could barely find my way around here! Edmunds is really going all out to try to lose Wacko.

jbadams

Where are the bookmarks?

wg45678

Fellow Maximizers,

If you'd stop responding to these trolls they'd probably go away. You might as well argue with a tree stump...

shermax

If you want to get here easily, just go to the "favorites" or "bookmarks" section on your browser. Then when you want to come back here, you just go to your bookmarks. It saves a lot of steps!

WG, you're right about Whacko, but some of his (or her) comments......

loweguy

I currently own/drive a 2001 Nissan Frontier XE 4x4 King Cab V6 (wow, THAT'S a mouthful). I have had the truck for a little over 2 months, and have found the build quality to be very good.

I bought this truck as I liked the styling and was certain that I would want another 4x4 (I traded in my 95 Cherokee). My job now has me traveling about 50 miles each way to work, and I am quickly tiring of the truck's very rough ride and poor fuel economy (again, neither of which should be a surprise, this is more of a concern because of my work situation changing).

ANYWAY...I had thought of a Maxima when I bought the truck but thought a truck would be more useful. My wife and I owned an 89 Taurus SHO (as a third car) until very recently and really enjoyed driving it (220hp DOHC 5-speed). In many respects I find the MAX comparable to the SHO, with the exception that I am sure the Nissan quality control would prove the Max to be a much better all around car.

Anybody got thoughts on this? I am scared I'm really going to take a bath on the truck if I try to retrade, especially since my desire would be a stripped GXE 5-speed. It includes all the options I would care about, and I will order a set of 17" rims/tires for it shortly after purchase.

Overall you guys seem to be pleased with the cars. Anybody got a counterpoint to add? I saw something about rattles-is this a common problem?

Thank you all a ton in advance for your input!

Mike
Loweguy@aol.com

rslnp1

What's up with the new format. How do you bookmark.

afterburner2

what's up with you do you have a problem or something. I returned after being away for a few days and I find you trashing me and others. Do you enjoy making conflicts, get a life and stop making trouble~^><. People like yourself get off on making and creating conflicts.

shermax

Way to go Edmunds...what's going on here? I try posting and I get sent back to the Town Hall home page?? What's that? I come back here and my post isn't here. I would have thought this would have been tested before it was brought out here.

robnis

Since everyone is having trouble posting I want to test this to see if it works. My bookmarks are all gone too. Gees.

robertr

What time zone is Edmunds in now? It is 11:45 am on December 16 as I am writing this post, just having read robnis' post done at 6:23 pm on December 16. I want to see what time it is on my post Maybe Edmunds is in Japan now where Maximas are made.

kyleknicks

what did edmunds do?? sheesh! nothing's posting

rslnp1

Well I guess that we all have been messed up with the web site modification. Isn't it amazing how annoying it is when technology that we have become dependant on screws up! Come on Joe you gotta fix this. Do you know of a TSB regarding this mess?

vcjumper

doesn't appear to be working.. Ah well we're not paying for this so can't complain too much.

budhinckley

My new 2001 GLE came and the clock doesn't work. I tried to find a fuse that showed the clock was powered from it - but I can't find anything at the fuses under the hood, near the driver's door, or in the owner's manual.

Anyone know which fuse is the one I should check?

(Yes, I can get this taken care of by a dealer under warranty - but I'm working 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. this week so it may be tough to get to a dealer - which isn't near my work location. And thus the reason I'm asking here.)

Bud Hinckley

shermax

Look in the fuse box by the driver's left knee. Also, someone mentioned that the fuses pulled out by the dealer during prep. were in the ash tray. Good luck

shermax

Does your Bose work yet?

winwind

I have a 2000 Maxima SE with 2300 miles. There seems to be an increase in the amount of noise coming from the exhaust system from the time I first purchased the car. The noise is heard when at idle and also when I start driving the car. It is not a great deal of noise, but enough to be noticeable. I am going to bring the car in for service but I was wondering if anyone had a similar problem.

Thanks in advance for any info.

joenissan

I had this under "My favorites"...so I kept going into the old room! LOL.
I liked the room the way is was !

Joe

borsyst

This board used to post over 20 messages a day. There's maybe been 20 posts since Edmunds changed (for the better?) the format. I hope everyone comes back.

borsyst

A couple weeks back when I brought my 00 GLE in for the fan noise, I was told the part was on back order. the dealer still doesn't have it. Is your place in the same boat? Do you have any idea what the projected fulfillment time is?

lsf

There are several in here that used to own an SHO (like me). The old SHOs (i had a 92) were great in many respects. The pick up off the line was great. I only traded mine in last August for a 00 GLE. I am quite happy. The GLE is more foregiving than the SHO. If you like the SHO's stiff ride..try the SE. I just tired of feeling every pothole and bump. I also went through a lot of rubber in that car.

I think you'll get hosed selling or trading a 2 month old truck. Good luck

bamadj

I'm trying again since my last test post got lost...

ccermak

I agree, new format SUCKS!!!!

And so do the Vikings.

lsf

Hey, Edmuunds. Shelve this new format!

ccermak....try on the Patriots for size...at least you're going to the playoffs, right?

gregg20

I have been trying for days to post a message. It says you have to sign in to post and then when you click to sign in, it says you are signed in. Then you have to select the sedans forum which shows you message #1. Then you have to click on 'scroll to last message to post'. It's like a maze. Where's my piece of cheese? You can no longer tyoe in 'Maxima' in the search and get all of the Maxima related topics nicely arranged. Well, hopefully this will post properly. I forgot what I wanted to say.

gregg20

what I wanted to post earlier. I was on the maxima.org board and somebody was polling the fastest speed in a 5th gen (200-2001) Maxima. One guy said 165 mph (my speedo only goes up to 160) and several others said 150+!! These guys probably have mods, but I thought I heard that the top end was governed at 143. Was this just on automatics or are these guys 'exaggerating'? I asked the question about the governed speed of 143 and one guy said it was just automatics and nobody else responded. I thought it was based on tire rating.
Gregg

norbert444

Bud, I posted a message on this before but it got lost in the edmunds Townhall remake. Thus, I went to the car and looked at it again and can give you a good procedure:
If the clock is not lit (and also your trip odometers get zeroed out after each trip, as well as your security light is not working), it is because their fuse is gone (pulled out or burned). In my case, I had it pulled out by the dealership when they prepped the car before delivery. They deposited it in my ashtray - a common procedure, says the dealer - and forgot to reinsert it.

Well, here is the scoop on how to fix it: At your driver's left knee is a 5 by 4 cover that you pull out by just grasping the top recessed part and pulling it out. This cover has on its back a table that shows which fuse belongs to what functions. All of these descriptions are white on black background - except one that is black on white - that is your problem fuse!! It is the leftmost fuse in the middle row.

If you need to pull it, the little puller is the gray block in the middle of the middle row of fuses. Use that, it is very handy. If your fuse is indeed burned out or lost, a spare is on the right of the top row (it has to be a 10 Amp, and my 10 Amp spare is there).

Hope this helps. If you need more, let me know.

wg45678

I suspect the 150+ figures are based on figuring fastest theoretical speed in a particular gear. At that speed wind resistance is probably the bigggest governing factor. I personally have not tried it, but I think Car & Driver reported the 5 speed Max's top end as in the 140-148 range -- in 4th gear. Not enough torque/horsepower available versus RPM to reach red line in 5th (which may be why 5th is a fairly low change from 4th by comparison to some cars).

--Walter

norbert444

Just a bit of theory to confirm what you said in above post:
What you call wind resistance is known as drag in engineering. Drag is a force that opposes movement of the car in air, in this instance. The drag is directly dependent on the area that is penetrating the air, the drag coefficient that is related to the aerodynamic (or on-aerodynamic) shape of the car, and the SQUARE of the speed. Thus the speed indeed plays a major role.

gregg20

No. They all said that they actually hit those speeds in their cars. As smooth as the car runs at high speeds, I would not be surprised if the Max could reach those speeds without a governor, but I remember reading here fairly recently that the speed was governed @ 143 max. Several people concured on that speed. I checked back through all 593 messages on this thread, but it must be in one of the others. Any help out there?
Gregg

jeannie5

I have a 1992 Maxima DE that has 58,000 miles on it. Recently is has been stalling when I stop at stop signs or lights. It usually happens within the first 10 minutes of driving. I had it checked out and the mechanic couldn't find anything wrong. Does anyone have the same problem? Any suggestions to fix it?

lintman

I have a fully loaded '95 Maxima SE, and I just checked the trade-in value. Ouch!!! It's down to $8200 for a car I paid $25k+ for! I thought the Maxima was supposed to hold it's resale value well!

What REALLY bugs me though, it that I checked the resale of my friend's fairly base-model '95 Pathfinder (XE 4WD) that he paid around $21k for, and it's $8700!

Even he'll admit my Maxima is a far better (and more expensive) car than his pathfinder, but his car is getting better trade-in - what's the deal?

joenissan

All dealers are having trouble getting parts that are part of TSB's. It usually doesn't take all that long though....maybe a week or 2.

Gregg...I've had my SE up to 146 MPH but chickened out. It will go maybe a few MPH higher but...not 165 ! Not stock anyhow. If I had to guess..I'd say 150 or so. Not a very safe speed on the freeway though..lol

Joe

loweguy

As far as the Maxima losing it's value faster than the Pathfinder-that is truly a sign of the times. Our society loves extended-cab trucks and sport-utes. They are willing to pay through the nose to drive them.

That's a good part of the reason I bought the new Frontier a few months back. My wife and I owned a Ranger several years ago (2wd XLT supercab) that we litterally lost only $2000 on in 2+ years of driving and 44,000 miles. After that truck, I bought a Jeep Cherokee used (less than 1 year old). I paid $15k for it, and drove it nearly 5 years and to the 100k mile point, and I still got $6200 out of it. If you want to protect your assets, buy an SUV.

As far as the post on trading my pickup back in, I appreciate your input. I think I might fair pretty well as it's currently winter in New England and most of the dealers dont have many Frontiers available on their lots yet. It would seem in the short term that demand is stripping supply. I checked trade-value for a 2000 truck equipped identically to mine, and it's only about $2,000 away from what I PAID for my new Frontier (sticker of 22k paid a bit over 19k out the door), so I think I can get back out of it pretty well.

If I get a new Max, I'm looking for a stripper GXE 5-speed. Are you guys seeing many stick-shifts on dealer's lots around your areas? I have hit 5 dealers in CT and haven't found one yet.

Thanks a ton!

shermax

$8,200 for a car that's six years old? What's wrong with that? That's less than $3,000 for depreciation per year! I'd say that's pretty good.

joenissan

I don't think you gave the mileage on your 95 SE. I sold my 95 (although privately) a year ago in November, and got 12,700 with 87k on it. The dealer offered me almost 11g. The condition of the car, as well as mileage, is a big factor. With that said..Nissan doesn't hold it's value as well as Toyota or Honda. Wait...that'll change soon.

Loweguy.... The 5 spd's are the first to go. The majority of 5 spds are SE's...maybe you'd want to try an SE. The GXE, although available with the standard 5 spd, are sent over moreso in automatic versions. I guess most GXE buyers want the automatic. I would think GXE buyers want CHEAP...therefore they'd take the manaul...I guess not.

Everyone....Am I doing something wrong in this NEW forum ?...It seems every time I want to post...I have to "sign in" again, even though it says my name when I come in....I did chose the "remember me" sign on. This new platform is AWFUL. It dosn't even tell you how many NEW posts there are...you have to scroll through ALL of them all over again !

Joe

xtmphan

Hi All,

I am looking for the Air Deflector for my 2001 SE. I have only owned it for less than 2 months and it already got 2 dings ...:-(.

Any pointers to where I can buy such thing is very appreciated.

Thanks,
TP

iluvmax

Everytime I book mark this site and come back the next day it never shows any new post. I have to go back to the sedan topic and access it from there to see new post. Sounds like a fly by night dot com sold edmunds garbage software!

shermax

It looks as though we'll have to enter from the "sedan list of conferences" page which is where my old bookmark takes me. That page at least lists conferences in order of number of recent posts. Therefore this conference will always be at, or near, the top. I'm getting used to it.

Joe, you got $12,700 for at '95 in the fall of '99 with 87K miles on it? Pretty good i'd say. I also bet you had detail on all service and maintenance etc. Is that typical?