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Nissan Maxima

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Comments

  • pbvdqpbvdq Member Posts: 14
    Hi All,
    I bought an '03 SE (Maxima of course) 2 weeks ago and I love it so far. I hear a slight rev-ing noise too at "take off." I find myself letting go of the gas pedal when I hear it because it sounds like I "punched it" (but I didn't). Did you find anything out about the "whining noise"?

    I almost bought an Audi A4 but I'm super glad I got the Maxima.

    Thanks!
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    sorry Kenny, I meant MAXIMA. I stand corrected. Sit in an Altima and you'd never accuse it of being PREMIUM.

    oops!
  • eblumeblum Member Posts: 52
    My friend stated the other night that GM's 3.8 liter engine (in the Grand Prix) is a better engine than the VQ? I told him that he was smokin crack and the Gen II(or III) 3.8 is older than my grandfather. Anyone have an opinion?

    I think that Nissan has a great engine, good low-end and high-end power. All I know is that I can be doing 80 and drop it out of O/D and punch it....110 comes up real quick. My old Grand Prix would have had to take a coffee break.....
  • berbelberbel Member Posts: 167
    The VQ has been rated among the top ten engines
    on the planet for 8 years in a row.

    Understanding how many engines are manufactured
    for cars puts that fact into some perspective.

    To the best of my humble and limited knowledge,
    no American manufacturer shares that "prestige."
    Certainly not General Motors with their vintage
    pushrod V-6.

    Perhaps others who share this board with us will
    comment as well!

    berbel
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    I suggest challenging your friend to find a single component of a Grand Prix that is made with the same quality and refinement as that of a Maxima.

    Pontiac's 3.8 liter puts out a rather unimpressive 200 horsepower. They need to supercharge it to get up to 240 horsepower, which is still 15 less than the smaller 3.5 liter naturally aspirated Maxima engine (47 hp less than the 350Z is rated). Hand someone like Honda 3.8 liters and a supercharger and they will give you back 450-500 horsepower with a 9,000 rpm redline. I've heard it claimed that GM engines are "durable" by my friends who buy American. What really happens in most cases is that the rest of the car falls apart before the engine hits 100k miles.

    I reluctantly rented a new Grand Prix a few months ago on travel and can assure you that my 8 year old 190hp Maxima 5-speed w/ 135k miles would handily beat it in every measure of performance, not to mention fit and finish. It's a sad commentary, but as long as there are people out there that either can't or don't distinguish between quality and crap, GM will keep producing the latter.
  • alexg4alexg4 Member Posts: 14
    I bought an 03 GLE a couple of months back and was foolish enough to agree to install a passive alarm system that they offered at the dealership. I definitely overpaid for it ($500) but since this was my first car purchase I didn't know any better. For those of you out there who have the same alarm system, or know something about, how good is it and what major features does it have? I know that it doesn't have headlight sensors since my HIDs were stolen and I didn't hear a beep. How much would I've been charged if I installed the same system at an independent mechanic?

    Thanks.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    "thehollywoodextra.com" is generally thought to be a site full of photoshopped fakes. If you search for that on this site, you'll find lots of hits and lots of criticism. :-)
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    LOL!!
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    tell you friend to lay off the crack, and then go drive a 3800 and VQ back to back.....that should do it!
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    what a concept...how do you do it, and where can it be done without shame or embarrassment???
  • jg28jg28 Member Posts: 257
    And one of their best was the LX5 (the 3.5L DOHC in the Oldsmobile Intrigue and Aurora). I drove an Intrigue for 2 years prior to the Maxima I drive now. That engine was also named as one of the top ten twice in a row and was referred to by several automags as "gloriously expensive" to produce. It was based on Cadillac's Northstar technology and componentry. It was only rated at 215 HP though but 230 lbs of torque. It's main problem is that it was mated with a crappy transmission and killed because it was so expensive. I'm definitely no foreign elitist and definitely don't discount "American" automobiles like some of you do here but I'll say that my Maxima is screwed together better than my Intrigue was.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    hey don't get me wrong, the intrigue motor was pretty nice too. too bad GM killed a desirable product. I think its all marketing BS about an Intrigue motor being 'too expensive'. Its all PR crap....every other automaker builds 'complex' powertrains and sells their offerings for the same prices or less than GM does.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    would be how I would describe the engine in a BMW "M", Mercedes "AMG" or some other such engineering masterpiece. If a 3.5 liter DOHC engine putting out 215 hp is overly expensive for GM to produce it shouldn't be labeled glorious; rather it should be called it what it really is -"inept".

    I'm no foreign elitist, and I am both pleased and proud that the US is the world leader in many industries. But US consumers not expecting more out of US automobile manufacturers is, IMO, perpetuating the problem. I take no pleasure from the fact that there is not a single GM, Ford or Chrysler product that I could objectively compare to a $18,000 Accord, $26,000 Maxima or $45,000 BMW 530i and conclude that they are superior or even competitive in terms of overall build quality or performance.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    I'm glad you could make the point (and truth) in that one post that I've been TRYING to make in a couple hundred posts.......guess I won't ever be a writer.....

    "But US consumers not expecting more out of US automobile manufacturers is, IMO, perpetuating the problem."

    Yes, the buy Amurchan crowd that I real feel in most cases is guided by some sort of patriotic feeling more than they will admit.

    And Detroit feeds off it because they know they've always got that percentage of Americans that think that way and will always let them off the hook from building true class leading products. Right there, there's no motivation to be the best. No motivation to push the envelope.

    I don't think all Detroit's products need to be class leading or press-renowned, but it would be nice if some of their products could go head to head with the best in the cars arena.
  • jg28jg28 Member Posts: 257
    "Gloriously Expensive would be how I would describe the engine in a BMW "M", Mercedes "AMG" or some other such engineering masterpiece."

    That runneth over with elitism. No, you're not a foreign elitist. You're just an elitist. You're calling an engine inept with minimal knowledge of the product and comparing an over $50,000 car with a $23,000 one. Apples and diamond oranges.

    "...think its all marketing BS about an Intrigue motor being 'too expensive'" Marketing by whom? GM? If you're GM and you're building cars like Impala and Grand Prix and they're outselling the Intrigue 5 to 1, and the bigger sellers have cheaper engines, the bottom line is, you drop the LX5 engine in favor of cheaper, more popular ones.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    While I appreciate the apple vs. diamond orange argument and analogy, I tend to agree that American cars generally are less reliable, durable and sophisticated than foreign cars, particularly European and Japanese cars.

    Of course, I am not comparing GM, Ford and Chrylers against Kia, Yugo, Hyundai and other similarly classed foreign automakers. Instead, I am focussing on the cars themselves, particularly comparably-priced cars (so they would be apple to apple), rather than their country of origin, be it Europe, Asia, US, Mexico or elsewhere.

    Consumer magazines have consistently rated, based upon survey feedbacks, Japanese cars first in terms of reliability, European cars second and US cars a close third; other cars such as Yugo and Hyundai are said to be improving but with substantial grounds to catch up.

    Although I do not know the demographics of those who respond to surveys, I assume the surveys are conducted in the U.S. and most of the respondents are U.S. citizens and permanent residents. And I also assume most consumers do not make their purchases based upon nationalism or patriotism, but rather the quality and reliability of the products. In fact, I would venture to guess that but for the rental fleet cars and big purchases by governmental units, the number of American cars sold per year would be substantially less than what the reported figures show.

    American automakers simply have to be more competitive if they want Americans to purchase homemade products! Look at the how the GM corporate board was shaken up when shareholders revolted. Management must focus on improving value and quality if they want to stay in place. The same applies to giving car purchasers the value and quality they expect and deserve. Survival of the fittest, that is the law of the jungle and the global market, unfortunately.

    Sorry I diverged too much from the theme of this Board -- Yes, we should talk about Maximas and not philosophy, corporate governance or macro economics.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
    "and they're outselling the Intrigue 5 to 1, and the bigger sellers have cheaper engines, the bottom line is, you drop the LX5 engine in favor of cheaper, more popular ones."

    More popular, lets see, the Camry and Accord each outsold the Impala by almost twice as much, yet you still claim the Impala is 'popular'. In a world where GM wants to be king, and Chevy desperately needs to come close to even resembling a prince, they should stop with the marketing speak and just try to build a car that come close to topping the sales charts for once. Maybe they could do it if they put a more 'popular' motor in their car.

    How about, take the Intrigue motor and make it available in the Impala? Hey but then sales would increase because someone would actually want the car. Can't have that. Not if you're a GM exec. That'd make too much sense.........

    Back to Maxima......is it just me or do the doors on the 2004 Max look like they have almost the exact smae character line as the Altima?...except door handles are different.
  • bcohenbcohen Member Posts: 58
    For a long time (and maybe still is) the 3.8L GM V6 was on Ward's top 10 engines list, rightfully or not.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    We're s'posed to be talking about the Maxima. ;-)

    The discussion in the last few messages is already happening in one or more topics on the News & Views board. Check it out.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    saw a red one today at the Phila. auto show. Actually looked better in person than net pictures, certainly different than the current model (or my 1999). Not too thrilled with the grill however.

    Couldn't get a good look at the insides (it was on a platform), but could clearly see the individual binacle pods for the guages (3 of them). Wonder what that looks like from the drivers seat?

    Overall, they certainly differentiated it from the outgoing model. I think it will end up being basically an Altima with more funky styling cues, and hopefully a higher quality interior. And less torque steer.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • prodigalsunprodigalsun Member Posts: 213
    Thinking about buying a '98 or 99 low mileage Maxima SE. I'd like to put no more than 2K into it in terms of suspension mods and maybe a short throw shifter. Any suggestions for low cost good quality shocks/springs, and a shifter?
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    Steve Millen motorsports has a nice short throw whifter kit. Runs about $300 for the parts, plus the cost of a knob. They also have a ton of suspension parts, and pre-packed kits. You can find them on the web.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • prodigalsunprodigalsun Member Posts: 213
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    i just took a look at the manual for a 2k maxima... and here's what it says about changing the engine coolant.. (this is the same fluid that's in the radiator right?)

    it says... After 60,000 miles, replace every 30,000 miles..

    why would it be okay to have the orignal coolant til 60k .. and then change it after every 30? weirddddddddddddddddddddd
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    For those of us who don't visit Edmund's Nissan Maxima 2004 Design Board, there is a good (IMO) explanation for the discrepancy in the quality of Japan vs. US made Japanese car. The person who wrote post #237 on that Board presented a well reasoned discussion of why Japanese cars made in Japan are, in the first instance, generally better than those made in the US or elsewhere.
  • gerapaugerapau Member Posts: 211
    While I do agree that Foreign cars, and cars made in Japan especially, are more reliable than domestics, our counterparts in Japan do make the occasional lemon. The 2000 Maxima SE 5 speed(made in Japan) that I currently have has had more problems then the 5 previous cars that I owned (which were all domestic) combined. In the 3 years that I have owned the Maxima in has been in the shop over 20 times for warrenty work. Fortunately, so far all work has been covered by the warrenty (but I have had to rent a vehical several times while the Max was in the shop) but my warrenty has just run out and I hope that I do not have any more problems.

    Here are a few of the more servious problems, in order of when they occured, that I have had:

        - Front brake rotors replaced at 10,000 miles.
        - Transmission problems at 15,000 miles (in shop overnight to replace some sort of boot).
        - Power drivers seat switch had to be replaced.
        - Heated drivers seat switch had to be replaced.
        - Rear bumper had to be removed and repainted due to misaligned trunk lid (in shop for 3 days).
        - All 6 coils had to be replaced (in shop 3 different times for a total of 4 nights).
        - Altinator had to be replaced (left me stranded for 5 days while on vacation last summer. Good thing that the warrenty was still good because the nearest Nissan dealership was over 200 miles away and the tow cost over CA$750).
        - Transmission had to be rebuilt after several bearings failed last summer (in shop for a total of 3 days).

    Most of the other problems that I had were "fit and finish" type problems (rattles, misaligned panels, etc...)

    It must be said though, that even after all the problems that I have had, I am still considering buying another Max this summer (not quite sure if I like the redesign though). After all is said and done, the Max is still one of the best values going when it come to midsized sedans (with a touch of sportiness). I feel that I got the perverbial "Friday Car" and that my odds of getting another one are lower than with most competitors. By the way, I work with 5 other people who have 2000 or 2001 Maximas and they have all be trouble free (except for some fit and finish problems).
  • nabinabi Member Posts: 15
    I went to dealer to chech it out. Max made whining noise when it revs up(1000-4000rpm). The tech said it's normal. To produce more power with the engine, it sucks up lots of air. The noise is coming from it. That was the story from the tech. How do you think, guys? Do you hear same noise? Thank you.
  • nissangirlnissangirl Member Posts: 186
    I too, have an '03 SE Automatic. It has 1,400 miles on it now, still a baby. I hear that sound before I put it in gear. I hope it's not anything to worry about. I haven't had it checked. I only hear it when revving up engine...however, it doesn't bother me, it sounds very clean, and the performance of my car is very, very smoooooooooth. But if you hear that this means something, please post it.
  • 92drexel92drexel Member Posts: 153
    stickguy: I saw that red 04 they had at the show too. It looks pretty good. Its definately more 'upscale' than my '00. The guy presenting the car said the cost will be between 28k and 34k. I think I read that on the internet somewhere.

    gerapau: I've had a fair share of issues with my '00 too. Maybe you should invest in an extended warranty. I bought one from warranty-by-net last year which covers me for 7 years/100k miles. Unlike Nissan's warranty its truly bumper-to-bumper (even covers the stereo). I think it cost me around $925. I've already filed a claim (for the coils) and they covered it with no problems.

    nabi: My tranny whines too. I've been reading a lot of complaints on maxima.org about this. I even test drove a new 03 and it did the same thing. I hope it holds up past 100k miles!
  • berbelberbel Member Posts: 167
    How do I get to that 2004 Maxima Design board that
    you mentioned in your last post? I'll look around
    again but I can't seem to locate it. It's probably
    staring me right in the face and I'm missing it!

    Thanx/berbel
  • otoluvaotoluva Member Posts: 196
    the 17th title from top.
  • al57al57 Member Posts: 67
    Purchased new in July 2000,to date car has only 13,500 miles.I've read posts about bad rotors,coils,transmission slippage and the terrible paint job.Can anyone tell me since there are TSB's on these items if you can get the dealer to fix prior to having a problem.My thought is with such low mileage on this car are the problems going to start appearing after3year/36 month expires? Am I just lucky or are there other problem free 2000's out there? By the way I do have a minor paint chip issue!
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    On the left side of the screen, under "Search Townhall by Vehicle", input "Nissan" for Make and "Maxima" for Model, and then click "GO". You should see all the Maxima Boards, including the 2004 Maxima Redesign Board. Happy Reading!
  • pbvdqpbvdq Member Posts: 14
    I hear the whining noise now. I posted before indicating that my engine just seemed to make a reving noise, but now I hear a whining noise accompanying the reving noise.

    Although the description the Tech gave you does seem to coincide with the "noises."

    So...hope this isn't a sign of troubles to come (only have 700 miles so far). Other than the above, the car is fun to drive and great all around.

    Please post if you have any other troubles or if the noises change.
  • berbelberbel Member Posts: 167
    Thenks, guy.......I finally found it. Interesting
    conversation there!

    berbel
  • bobfeldbobfeld Member Posts: 33
    does anyone know what the dealer holdback on the maxima is?? thanks
  • gsxrter1994gsxrter1994 Member Posts: 24
    Unless the dealer is a fool he wont give you or discuss with you the hold back amount this is the money he gets for paying interest on the maxima while it sits on his lot.
    but for all fairness it is about 2% of invoice.
    You should be albe to buy a just about any 03 maxima for couple hundred over invoice plus take a 1000.00 rebate and get 0.9%for 24/36 mos or 2.9%for 48/60
  • dklaneckydklanecky Member Posts: 559
    I believe it's closer to 3% (than 2%) of Invoice (not MSRP) for Nissan Holdback. This of course is the dealers money to finance unsold cars sitting on their lots. Now if you "order" one and take delivery before it ever "sits" on the lot you may have a chance of getting some of that holdback money off the price.

    http://www.edmunds.com/advice/incentives/holdback/
  • bcohenbcohen Member Posts: 58
    I just saw the new Maxima at the Detroit AutoShow yesterday. It does look better in person. That thing in the middle of the grill is pretty bad, though. Its pretty flimsy so you could probably replace it with some black eggcrate pretty easily. The interior on one of them was very different. It was a strange light tan leather interior and it had buckets in the back seat with a center console with window and butt warmer controls. Also, there were two small rectangular, side sliding sunroofs...one in the front, one in the back. Interesting, but odd...

    Just thought I would fill you in on what I saw there.
  • bobfeldbobfeld Member Posts: 33
    here in st.louis the 03 maximas are "overflowing" on the dealer lots..just visited the largest dealer here and had 77 maximas in stock..offered(better word is begged)for me to buy one for $300 UNDER invoice Plus $1000 rebate Plus 0% financing for 36 months....also had 4 02 se"s willing to let go for 1400 Under invoice..guess people dont want the 03"s with new ones coming soon..
  • cjs2002cjs2002 Member Posts: 341
    as a first time car buyer the 03 altima was gonna be my new car yet I've heard alot of people say that the dealerships are haggling prices better on the 03 maximas.. My question to any of you who have a maxima se ... is if you don't mind what was the aprox. price you paid and what options did you have on the car... if any don't wish to say on the chat please contact me via email @ (shsdrummer02@aol.com). I'm plannen on buying a car with in the next 3 weeks.
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    I'd get shopping sooner rather than later - the supply of 2003 Maxima SE's, especially the 6-speeds, are dwindling.

    A few weeks ago, I briefly considered getting a 2003 SE 6-speed Titanium Edition, loaded to replace my current 1995 SE. But my dealer (VOB in Rockville, MD) was unable to locate any that met my specifications, so I didn't pursue it. The price that I would have paid was invoice, less the $1,000 rebate (i.e. net price of $1,000 under invoice). If they had it in their stock, I might have gotten another $300-500 off. I have pretty much decided that a 530i will be my next sedan, so my heart wasn't into shopping hard.

    Somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500 under invoice (including the rebate) is a good price on a 2003 SE. Good luck finding one that is equiped as you wish. The inventories are dwindling as they make room for the 2004's.

    P.S. Just my opinion, but I think the 2003 Maxima is a much better choice than the Altima. Stretch if you have to. I considered both in 1995, and am exceptionally glad I went with the Maxima. It has served me well for 134k miles and still looks/runs like new. Altimas of the same vintage did not age nearly as well. The new Altimas are an improvement, but they still don't have the fit and finish of the Maxima, IMO. And the 2.5 4-cylinder is not in the same performance or durability league as the 3.5 6-cylinder engine. Not to mention, the 2003 Maxima is the last to be made in Japan, for what that is worth.
  • deyounkdeyounk Member Posts: 12
    What are some of the deals being offered in Canada? What price should I be looking at for an 03 GLE?
  • vonnyvoncevonnyvonce Member Posts: 129
    Need to have a look at 99 owners manual. Would anyone have an idea about where I could find one online to review.
  • monte4monte4 Member Posts: 101
    Down here in Texas the Supplies of 03's are dwindling fast and colors and options are as well. Funny how certain cars sell better in certain areas.
  • minaldominaldo Member Posts: 10
    I was offered a lease for $380 per month on a loaded 2003 GLE (everything but navigation), no money down. Just paying taxes up front. No security deposit, no bank fees, no lease end termination fees. Does this sound like a good deal?
  • achadhaachadha Member Posts: 106
    Minaldo...How many miles per year can you drive and how long is the lease for? 380 sounds pretty good especially with no money down..How much total are you paying out of your pocket?
  • achadhaachadha Member Posts: 106
    BobFeld...I live in northern va area. I recently purchased an 03 SE 6speed. You can still find Maximas here but colors are limited as are options, 6speeds are getting even more hard to find..I am sure there will be one more shipment of Maxima's before the 04' comes out in April...
  • minaldominaldo Member Posts: 10
    Lease is for 36 months. 12,000 miles per year. Which is fine for me. I just turned in a year 2000 maxima with 15,000 miles. I wish they had a 10,000 mile per year lease.
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