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Nissan Maxima

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Comments

  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    well, this weekend, i went to Koeppel Nissan in Queens, NY to get some resolution on my rotors.. i bought up the fact that at 20k miles, i had to get rotors resurfaced and now another 20k miles later, total at 41k miles, rotors are warped again, well... they didn't care.. so after examining my brakes, the tech said i had 0 pads left in the front... LIAR!!! i have my own mechanic who does all the work for my cars, and he examined my car 50miles ago, and there were plenty of pads left on it... probably 50%.. well, to resurface the rotors and new pads, $250.. ya right.. i ran like hell.. but they did charge me $45 for inspection.. well, i hope the $45 is worth it to them for losing potential business once i post on various boards like this one.. for $250, i could get brand new aftermarket rotors.. come on!!

    and the kicker was, i mentioned there was a TSB on the rotors, the tech said.."on the maxima?" i'm thinking to myself...there's about 50tsb's on the maxima..do you work for nissan or are you just a good liar and like playing dumb.. maybe this is a common practice at certain service depts..

    well..the moral of the story is.. i went to Koeppel Nissan even after hearing horror stories from one of my neighbors (happened to him 3 yrs ago with his new pathfinder), but i decided to give them a chance..what was i thinking!? some things never change...

    Koeppel Nissan, Northern Blvd..Queens, NY.. potential service customers BEWARE!!!
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    I was at the same dealership many years ago. I was there for an inspection on my 92 GXE, which had a cracked lense because some young kid accidentally ran his bike into the back of my car. I should note that my inspection sticker would have expired the next day.

    The dealer said my car would fail inspection unless I fix the lense, and I was quoted a price of $200. I thought that was a rip off price, so I wanted to leave, but they said I had to pay the inspection fee even though they had not done a thing except looked at the lense. I did not want to pay so I called the cops. When the cops came, I told the cops that if the dealer wanted to charge me for inspection, they should do the inspection. They did, and they failed me.

    The next day, I took the car to a nearby gas station and they passed me by simply putting a red tape over the slightly cracked lense. Thereafter, I replaced the lense for less than $50. A few weeks later (when the weather became humid and rainy), I had trouble starting the car, even though the car only had less than 20k miles. Then I noticed the plastic housing over the distributor cap had a hair line crack, and I had my suspicion of who might have done it, on purpose. Needless to say, I never returned to that dealership.
  • aristotlearistotle Member Posts: 123
    I saw in some previous postings that the 2004 Nissan maxima has been discounted about $2.5K - $3K by some Nissan dealers. Another posting said that Nissan corporation did not offer any rebates on the 2004 Maxima. Does it mean that the dealer actually takes a loss on the sale of a 2004 Maxima?

    In order to compensate for their losses may be they resort to gouging the customer in their parts and service departments.

    I have owned ( and do own even now ) Honda, Nissan and Toyota vehicles. But I have seen the Nissan dealer in town to be the greediest of the 3, especially in the service department.
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    If people don't want to replace their Maximas with new Altimas, don't look at the new Maximas, since it is just a bigger Altima...hence the SAME platform. They almost look too much a like.

    But I understand where the Maxima owners are coming from. Like I previously stated, my step grandparents drive nothing but Nissans...especially the Maxima. They have never considered the Altima or the Sentra and probably never will.

    I can understand the point of people not wanting the new Altima as a replacement for the Altima. But like Bowke said, the Altima 3.5SE is supposed to be the replacement for the older Maxima models. Some do not see it that way. I am sort of in the median.

    To me, if the Altima is supposed to replace the older Maxima, why is there no GLE-type model? The SE is the sporty Altima and to me somewhat replaces the Maxima SE ONLY. Its ride is more harsh and rough than the comparable GXE or GLE Maxima.

    Don't tell me that the Altima SE with the leather package is the replacement for the older model GLE, not so in my eyes.

    I guess that is what the new Maxima is for? It confuses me a bit.

    Also, like many other posters, I feel that if the Altima is suppose to replace the Maxima, it should have interior materials that were at least on PAR with the last generation Maxima.

    Not so...

    But I hear that the interior will be redesigned for 2005 and mimic the Accord (aka the supposed Benchmark)

    Sometimes I wondered why they just didn't get rid of the Maxima, but then I think about my step grandparents and other loyal Maxima owners and I see why. The only problem is that my step grandparents don't like the styling or the interior of the new Maxima...ummm
  • ramped1ramped1 Member Posts: 159
    Bowke can probably answer your question better than I since he sells Nissans, but essentially what dealers are doing is giving away most of their markup on the Maximas due to tepid demand.

    At some point, probably soon, the Nissan will probably offer a manufacturer's rebate on the Maxima, unless demand picks up.

    It is my understanding that new car sales, parts and service are separate departments at most dealerships and have their own balance sheets, so I'm not sure if new car sales can benefit from increased prices in service or parts.
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    My understanding is that Nissan was building as many Maxima's as they could. Basically being able to shift between Altimas and Maximas on the assembly line.

    I did see that Nissan is offering a $2500 rebate on remaining 2003 Altimas, Sentras, Frontier, Xterra and Pathfinders.
  • fredleefredlee Member Posts: 3
    Any comments on the size and comfort of the back seats between these two cars. Other than front vs rear drive, any other significant differences?
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    nissan isnt offering any kind of rebate on the altima. they have a dealer incentive of $500 for the 2003s, but not a customer rebate. the rest of them are correct.

    also, did you realize that the other 4 you mentioned are the vehicles that have not been recently redesigned?

    nissan is trying to move away from the rebate game. interest rates are another thing, but rebates really put a drag on the resale value. once the pathfinder, xterra, frontier, and sentra go through their next full redesign, the cash incentives will all but stop.

    you may see a few extra bucks for outgoing models or model year-end units, but thats going to be pretty much it.

    as far as what maximas are selling for, they are no different than maximas of the past. a dealer will put a price on one in the paper, and have it apply to only 1 maxima. probably a demo or something. otherwise, we make pretty good profits on maximas in general.
  • berbelberbel Member Posts: 167
    about the new Max. are right on the money in many
    respects.

    I traded my 00k SE but I did not trade on a new
    Max. I am a Max person at heart and really wanted
    the new model despite some misgivings about the
    exterior. I was willing to overlook those "issues"
    until the sales rep quoted me several thousand over
    and above what my '00 retailed for in order to get
    me into the '04 model. I laughed in his face.

    What killed it for me was Nissan's forcing you to
    buy options you didn't want/need in order to get
    the option you did want. I also didn't care for the
    "trendy" silver accents which now replace the
    "warm" looking interior accents of wood (even if
    the wood is fake.)

    The cost of these option packages drove the price
    of the '04 to $4000.00 over and above the retail
    of my comparably equipped '00 which retailed just
    a hair over $30,000.00. That was a rude awakening
    for me.... not to mention the previously standard
    equipment (such as HIDs) now being an "option."

    Nissan needs to come to their senses regarding
    their pricing strategies or they will continue to
    lose customers such as myself who they have totally
    alienated with their greed. Perhaps the current
    sales figures reflect their shooting themselves in
    the foot over this and other matters.

    berbel
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    I must have missed the exact offer on the Altima, but I did make the connection that the offer wasn't on the Maxima, Murano, Titan or Pathfinder Armada. My point was more to reinforce the info I had heard about Maxima demand with the fact that there is no current rebate or offer than special lease deals.

    As long as I've got your attention, is it true you can't get the limited slip differential without first getting the Drivers Package?
  • pernaperna Member Posts: 521
    The thing that kills me about the Altima's interior is that it screams "Pontiac". I sat in one while shopping for my Maxima and I couldn't stand it. It reminded me of a friend's Grand Prix, which has one of the nastiest interiors I've ever seen. The center stack is ok, but everything else from the instrument pod to the door materials to upholstry is unbearable. The center console is just junk.

    Nissan's problem is that they have the opposite problem GM has; too few cars for their two divisions. The 04 Maxima *should* have been the G35, no question. For everything else, considering they only have two divisions they do an *awful lot* of badge engineering (FX/Murano, I35, Infiniti's as-yet-unnamed Armada clone).

    They should have killed Infiniti in the 90s. Now, all they're doing is hurting Nissan-branded cars by cheapening them so the Infinitis look better.

    That's my spectatin' half a cent, my-humble-opinion, so don't flame me too hard. :)
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    a couple of things kenny and i have been over already...

    if your 2000 SE stickered for a little over $30k, then a comparably equipped one would be closer to $32k. the difference is about $2100. this gets you more HP, torque, room, more features (driver preferred pkg.), and 4 years newer. not that bad a deal to me. people are assuming the elite pkg. with the rear buckets and navi were available before, and they werent. not for free, anyway. you also arent paying extra for the xenons. you just have the option to drop the price by $180 and get regular halogens.

    also, previous maximas continuously had a $2k rebate attached, which is why the difference SEEMS so much more.

    lichtronimo...

    yes its true. the helical limited slip diff. is only available with the 6-speed manual, and the driver preferred pkg.
  • kenm8kenm8 Member Posts: 71
    Anyone considering an 04 Max SE for approx $33K MSRP should test drive an 04 Acura TL for the same MSRP. You won’t get as much off of MSRP on the TL as on the Max, but you might want to stretch your budget for Acura ownership. This is especially true for owners of previous generations of Max SEs that feel betrayed by the design of the 04 Max SE. The 04 TL just may satisfy your yearning for the fine fwd sports sedan that the Max SE once was.

    Besides the Acura being a superior car to the Max, I think that Acura dealers’ level of customer service and customer respect is better than at Nissan. This is based on our experience (wife and I) of Nissan dealer service on 7 years of ownership of a 97 Max SE (154K Mi) versus 3+ years Acura dealer service on an 01 TL (71K) and 04 TL (2 months). All service work at Acura has been excellent and the staff has always been courteous and respectful. The Nissan dealer generally does a very good job, but still does not "strive" for nor achieve the level of excellence provided by the Acura dealer.
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    get back on the point, man...acura customers dont like to wait long for their salesperson.
  • cheerioboy26cheerioboy26 Member Posts: 412
    With the exception of the Armada/Q56, the days of Nissane badge engineering are over. This is the last year of the I35. It got a one year extension since the G35 AWD is just arriving now. The new M35/45 is much better than the current vehicle and IMO will sell much better too. Finally, the FX and Murano are *not* built off the same platform. The FX is RWD/AWD built off an extended FM platform (G35, Z350) and the FWD/AWD Murano is built off the FF-L platform (Altmia, Maxima, Quest).
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    I am glad you cleared that up...I just shake my head when I hear people say that the FX and the Murano are the same...similar to how people believed the G20 and the Sentra were the same.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    While not many of us would cross-shop a Maxima with an Avalon (because they cater to different drivers), there are eerie similarities between these two cars for the following reasons:

    First, Nissan has treated the Max as its "flagship" car for many years (20 plus years?). Toyota has deemed its Avalon (since 1995?) as its "top of line" sedan, saying it is a roomy ES 300 for less money.

    Second, Nissan wants the Altima to compete with the Camry as "the bread and butter" car, leaving the 04 Max (which will sell much less in volume) to compete with the slow-selling Avalon. (I don't want to compare the new Max with the new TL because enough has been said.) Is this a "race to the bottom"? I hope not.

    Third, the 04 Max has been called by some (on this Board and elsewhere) as a "Japanese Buick." This title truly belongs to the Avalon because that is its middle name. LOL!!

    Fourth, the 04 Max is based on the same platform as the Altima. The Avalon is based on the same platform as the Camry. Both are stretched versions of their respective base cars and both are U.S. made Japanese cars.

    May be you can think of more. Don't be shy, speak up.

    Having said that, however, the Max has gone through significant changes since 1995 while the Avalon remains substantially unchanged since its debut in 1995. So, it is understandable why the Avalon is a slow seller because little or no R&D has gone into it (I heard Toyota dealers are now selling the car at $4k below MSRP - see Edmunds Avalon Board). But why is the 04 Max also a slow seller even though it is a newly redesigned car? Will Nissan, like Toyota, give $4k incentive or rebate in order to move the new Max if sales remain stagnant? Time will tell.

    But Nissan calls the 04 Max sales figure in the past six months as "meeting expectations" (I read it here on this Board in the last few days). If that is true, it is quite pathetic because Nissan does not expect much from its "flagship" car, particularly if you see the amount of advertising money that has been poured into the new Max.

    I have been thinking about various ways that Nissan can boost the sale of the new Max. I will post my thoughts in the very near future. Stay tuned :-)
  • maxamillion1maxamillion1 Member Posts: 1,467
    I don't think so.

    The Altima came out in MY 1995, was redesigned by 2000. The Avalon has changed a lot style wise both for the exterior and the interior.

    I am not sure about the chassis changes for the Avalon, but it has been redesigned at least once and will be up for another redesign for 2005 I believe
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    Nissan's positioning of the Maxima and Altima has everything to do with matching up better with Honda and Toyota and is primarily focused on the Altima.

    Nissan tried to match Camry and Accord with a smaller 4 cylinder Alima and a bigger V-6 Maxima. Problem is Toyota and Honda sell more 4 cylinder Camry and Accords and the Altima couldn't compete because of size. Nissan's solution has been to increase the size of the Altima to match Accord/Camry and offer the same potential engine combinations in its basic family sedan.

    This change to the Altima's position basically encroached into Maxima territory. Nissan's response is to push the Maxima more upmarket to compete more in the entry-lux category against its own G35, Lexus ES, Acura TL, et al. My guess is that Nissan will drop the Infiniti I35 when the new "M" debuts with both V-6 and V-8 power. This move focuses Infiniti more towards an international all rear wheel drive/all wheel drive range and leaves Maxima to provide a front drive option.

    Its interesting that the TL is held up as the gold standard for the Maxima to beat. Read other boards and you will see arguements that Acura is not a legitimate luxury/performance brand because of a lack of rear wheel drive platforms. Nissan is trying to provide focus to Infiniti that separate it from Acura.

    I'd love a TL, but it comes with so much extra stuff, that its out of my financial reach. Further, the Maxima offers more interior and trunk room making it a better choice for me.

    http://www.freshalloy.com/site/cars/nissan/2004/maxima/understand- ing/home.shtml
  • berbelberbel Member Posts: 167
    Re yur response to my earlier post.

    The quote I received from that dealer DID NOT include the Elite Package. The quote was way off
    base for the car I configured for them. I wanted
    to retain a three passenger back seat and made
    mention of that during our negotiations.

    What I believe drove the quote through the roof
    was Nissan's posture concerning having to buy
    option pkg. #1 and #2 in order to get the options
    in package #3. That's a lot of b.s. which I had
    no intention of tolerating.

    I am VERY FOND of the Max and frankly wish I was
    in one now but the company has made that out of
    the question. If things change in the future, per-
    haps they will regain me as a customer but for the
    time being they have lost my loyalty.

    berbel
  • sgrd0qsgrd0q Member Posts: 398
    kennyg5 said: But Nissan calls the 04 Max sales figure in the past six months as "meeting expectations" (I read it here on this Board in the last few days). If that is true, it is quite pathetic because Nissan does not expect much from its "flagship" car, particularly if you see the amount of advertising money that has been poured into the new Max.

    First of all you never expect to sell your "flagship" car in great numbers. Flagship translates to best, which translates to expensive. How many "flagship" Mercedes S600 are sold vs. the popular C-class for instance? How about BMW's 745?

    Secondly, have you actually seen the "amount of advertising money that has been poured into the new Max."? If so - let us know.
  • mrarkusmrarkus Member Posts: 1
    I just got the '00 SE and have a question. I have the base stereo and would like to upgrade it. Are there any kits that I could mount an aftermarket stereo into and make it look good? Or, is the stock stereo good enough to just get a couple of amps, add a sub, replace all speakers, and have a nice system?
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    re: stereo

    if you're starting from scratch, i would look into getting one of those systems with the motorized 7inch screens that come out.. i saw a maxima recently with that setup, and it looks great...

    i would do it myself, but i already have the bose system in mine and replacing the headunit requires replacing everything else too..
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    Altima has 'less penache'? I laughed at that one. Who really cares? The cheap stripped 1999 era Base Maximas with plastic hubcaps are hardly anything to brag about.

    TL is the 'gold standard'? Car and Driver tested one and said it should have RWD. "FWD sports car" is an oxymoron, luxury makes are moving away from FWD. So, Acura is hardly a "standard bearer" anymore, just a "nicer Honda". I can't wait to see the 'Acura Element' soon.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    You may be right that "flagship" cars are not usually sold in great numbers. However, I was comparing the sales of the 03 Max vs. the 04 Max, and according to earlier posts on this Board, the 03 Max outsold the 04 Max. In any event, Accord is Honda's flagship, and huge numbers of Accords have been and are being sold. So, your statement is either out of context or irrelevant, at best.

    As to the amount of advertising, I was comparing the 04 Max with the Avalon, and my statement is based on my observation of the frequencies of ads that have been run on TV, newspapers and magazines in the past 6 to 9 months. How often have you seen Toyota promoting the Avalon during such period? On the other hand, unless you are oblivious to ads or pay no attention to car commercials, it is difficult not to notice how Nissan has been trying to push the 04 Max.

    So, it does not take a statistician or a financial analyst to conclude that Nissan has spent much more money on the 04 Max than Toytota has spent on the Avalon. Do you have facts or figures that will prove the contrary? If yes, kindly post ASAP.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    If you think that the Altima has more panache than the Maxima, who am I (or anyone else for that matter)to argue with you? I am speechless ... and with all due respect, you are entitled to your own opinion.
  • lichtronimolichtronimo Member Posts: 212
    Honda's bread and butter, but keep in mind it price ranges from $16K to $26K with a majority sold right around $20K.

    Comparing the '03 Max to the '04 Max is also apples to oranges as Nissan changed the market position of the product and has said that they don't expect to sell as many Maximas as they used to.

    Besides, those '03 Maxima sales were with heavy incentives that the '04 doesn't have.
  • monte4monte4 Member Posts: 101
    The Max has always been a "tweaner car" a car that can compete in 2 categories of cars and despite the new "upmarket" compaign situation it will continue to. It has historically offered more than the Cam and Accord and equal to or slight less than TL,ES300, so its a great compromise. I work for Nissan and many people think the Alti took the place of previous Maxima not totally, if you could get a loaded Altima like you could (lots of features on the 03 Max werent offered on a loaded 3.5 Altima) it would really hurt 04 sales thats why we did that starting in 02. We also knew that the Altima would take some sales that is why we cut production for 02 to about 90k units a years vs 115k a year and to about 75k a year for the 04. Even the base 3.5 Altima SE doesnt offer alot of features a base 03 Maxima SE did.
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    To most people, a Nissan Maxima is another Nissan, not a Rolls Royce or Mercedes. The current Altima is a fine car and is selling well, and has been a success. It has enough "panache" as the base level Maximas of the 90's.

    In fact, a lot of pre 2004 Maximas were in rental fleets, a local Hertx lot has three 2003 Max's for sale. Also, I rented one on a business trip in 97.
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    nissan will sell close to 300,000 altimas this year, which MORE than makes up for a 15k drop in the maxima sales. heck...the altima might just squeak onto the top 10 list in volume this year. it'll be close.
  • aristotlearistotle Member Posts: 123
    .. no doubt. If only they can get better quality materials inside it will be even better. Even the rear of the car can use some design changes to make it a little more attractive.

    I hope the 2005 Altima will be a more attractive car. I don't know if a comment about Altima belongs in the Maxima discussion, hey what the heck!
  • mojoman724mojoman724 Member Posts: 1
    HELLO. MY NAME IS SEAN. I'VE HAD A 95 MITSU GALANT FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS AND I JUST RECENTLY SENT IT OFF TO THAT BIG SCRAPYARD IN THE SKY. ENGINE AND TRANNY WENT ON ME WHILE GOING UP A STEEP, ICY HILL TO GET TO MY HOUSE. I'VE ALWAYS HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE MAXIMA AND NOW I'M LOOKING INTO GETTING EITHER A 2000 OR 2001 SE. I'M LOOKING FOR A CAR THAT IS FUN, FAST, HANDLES LIKE A CHAMP, YET WILL HANDLE THE DAILY ROUTINE AND LONG TRIPS ALIKE. I'VE SPENT MANY HOURS STARING AT ALL THE CARS LISTED FOR THESE 2 YEARS, BOTH COUPES AND SEDANS ALIKE. MY PRICE RANGE IS SOMEWHERE AROUND 12 OR 13 GRAND. FOR THE MONEY, I CAN'T SEEM TO FIND ANOTHER CAR THAT HAS THE STATS OF A MAXIMA OR THE PERFORMANCE.
    I'D LIKE TO HEAR WHAT ANYONE IS WILLING TO TELL ME ABOUT THEIR MAXIMA SE'S THAT FALL WITHIN THESE 2 YEARS OR WHAT THEY'VE HEARD ABOUT THEM. THIS IS A CAR THAT HAS TO LAST ME FOR YEARS TO COME AND I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT ALL THAT I CAN ABOUT THESE CARS. ANY INPUT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANKS AND NICE TO MEET ALL OF YOU.
    --SEAN--
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    Try unlocking caps next time - it's tough on readers.

    Regarding yur question, I have a 1995 SE that has been supurb for 9+ years and 148k miles. However, I have 3 friends/associates who bought 2000/2001 Maximas (2 SE's, 1 GLE) and none are as pleased with their ownership experience. They have all had more brake/rotor repairs & replacements in under 60k miles than I have in nearly 150k miles. And, in spite of the 2000/2001 being "rated" at 222 hp, it is essentially the same 3.0 liter 190 hp engine in the 1995-1999 (in fact, the torque to weight ratio of my 1995 is better than the 2000/2001). Combined with the higher weight of the 2000/2001, I find that particular model to be neither as quick or as nimble handling as the 1995 5-speed; but that is only my subjective opinion.

    If I were you, I'd save even more money and find a very good condition 1998-1999; or if you can afford it, go for a 2002/2003 with the 3.5 liter engine and 6-speed transmission. The 2000/2001 would not be on my shopping or recommended list.
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    like habitat said... i would go look for a 99 maxima. i have a 2000 max gle and it looks like i have to change out my rotors at 41k miles..if i get them resurfaced again, im sure i'll have to change them out at 60k miles.. either way, it sucks....
  • suydamsuydam Member Posts: 4,676
    I have a 2001 Maxima and so far no problems at all (knock wood) after 31000 miles. According to Tom and Ray (Car Talk), ALL cars, no matter what the make, have to have brakes and rotors replaced more often than they did in the 90's because the replacement material for asbestos is not as long-lasting and is thinner, causing rotors to warp sooner. So some of your complaints may not be Maxima-specific but general as to the automotive world.
         And while we're on the subject, it must puzzle some people who have just bought 04's and are ecstatic about them to see all the previous Maxima owners complaining so much! I think the Maxima has always gone for being "different" and has changed its looks quite often. If you want the same or slightly modified look, year after year, get an Accord (a great car, BTW). I think cars in general keep getting bigger, perhaps as we boomers do . . .! Look at the size of an 80's era Accord -- it looks smaller than today's Civic. So for those who don't want the extra room, the solution is to downsize, as some people were recommending with the Acura TL.
         But it might be nice for some folks with 04s to talk about what they like about their car without fearing the wrath of the earlier gen owners! I'd be interested to hear what they have to say.
    '14 Buick Encore Convenience
    '17 Chevy Volt Premiere
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    Nissan could ahve called the current Altima the Maxima, complete with a base 4 cyl car. That was one possibility when they had to replace the smaller old Altima. But, they didn't want to dilute the brand, so they moved it up.
  • ramped1ramped1 Member Posts: 159
    No wrath will befall any '04 owner who would like to post about his/her Maxima here. There just doesn't seem to be that many '04 owners frequenting this board.
  • pernaperna Member Posts: 521
    Maybe you can guess why 04 Maxima owners don't seem to be hanging around Edmunds?

    My real question is, do you see a difference in 03 and earlier Maxima buyers vs. 04 buyers? Age, sex, etc.? It would be a shame if the 04 truly alienated the "enthusiast" crowd, which most of us are.

    Maybe I should go take a look at the Altima board - I wonder if they mirror us in general makeup.
  • rjk3rjk3 Member Posts: 5
    I've been following this board for some time and used the comments to help me in my decision making for a new car. I just purchased my second max after trading in my '99 Max GXE. The '04 SE/6 spd is my 6th Nissan. I drove the Honda, oops, I mean TL and found it uninspiring in both looks and performance. And yes, it too had torque steer. Although all my Nissans have not been trouble free, in comparison to most US brands and even Audi (friend has a 2003 TT loaded with electrical problems !) you can consider then "Rolex" quality. My '04 has 3k miles with no wheel shake or component rattling and I receive compliments on its looks all the time. Only complaint: you need a second mortgage to put dedicated snow tires on those 18" rims.
  • kenm8kenm8 Member Posts: 71
    Will 17 inch rims fit on 04 Max that comes with 18 inch rims/tires? Rims and tires for 17 inches should be somewhat cheaper. Perhaps check with Tire Rack and maybe 17 inch will clear brake calipers. My 97 Max SE came standard with 16 inch alloy rims but found out through Tire Rack that 15 inch rims with proper circumference/load rating snow tires work just fine. (The 97 Max GXE came with 15 inch standard.) Have been using 15 inch rims and snow tires since winter of 97/98. Know it looks a little dorky, but saved money and more importantly, put a narrower tread path on pavement/snow for better grip.
  • rjk3rjk3 Member Posts: 5
    I got mine from TireRack and yes, I beleive that I could have gone with 17" but when you factor in the cost of new rims it was a wash in the savings. By the way, although the 4 Pirelli snows were about $800 (incl S&H/mount/balance) the car has night and day performance in the snow/ice. I live in NY and in the first storm I was all over the road with the brand new all-weather Eagles. In this last ice/snow, no problems at all going up snow packed hills. In fact, passed an RX300 with all wheels spinning and going nowhere!
  • rjk3rjk3 Member Posts: 5
    I'll second the kudos on the '99 max. I traded my 5 speed GXE in at 85k with only minor issues during my 5 year ownership. I did have warped rotors at 50k but decided to put on aftermarket rotors (Brembo) and high quality ceramic brake pads. It was relativley cheap (As I recall under $250 rotors/pads)and it took me less than 2 hr to install. Other than that....nothing wrong. Stay on top of the oil and general maintenance and you can easily get 150k trouble-free miles from the engine.
  • kyleknickskyleknicks Member Posts: 433
    where did you get those??? the cheapest brembo rotors i've seen are $100/per rotor then you add $ for pads, it'll come out to $500 easy.

    advance auto parts sells WearEver rotor's for $70 front rotors each and $50 for rear's.

    =( i haven't driven my maxima since Oct because of the brake issues. well, also the fact that i want to put as much miles onto my truck as possible.

    oh ya... DON'T GO TO KOEPELLE NISSAN IN QUEENS for service!! they're rip you off...
  • bowke28bowke28 Member Posts: 2,185
    actually, i only sold 2 2003 maximas new. i starten selling nissan in may...was with honda before that. however...the buyers of maximas have been slightly older on average, than previous owners. the altima buyers are the same as camry/accord buyers...except the altima SE. LOTS of older max owners have switched. they get leather, heated seats, digital climate control, V6, bose audio, cd changer, power seats, etc...all for ~$26-$28k. instead of a base maxima with cloth, single cd, etc... for ~$28k.

    more bang for the buck with similar acceleration and better handling.

    its bigger inside than the old max also.
  • kennyg5kennyg5 Member Posts: 360
    I agree more 04 Max owners should feel free to talk about their experience with the new Max. This thread is for ALL Max owners, and there is no reason to bash or wreak wrath on our brethen (or sisters). There should be an open discussion about the issues affecting various gens of Max so that Nissan knows what it needs to do in order to hold on to loyal fans.

    I also visit another Max fan website on occasion, but I sense more bashing going on there, which intentionally divides the Max discussions by generations. IMO, that site seems to cater to Max fans who are more interested in making modifications to their Max and few, if any, have retained their stock cars.
  • suydamsuydam Member Posts: 4,676
    I have a 2001 Maxima GLE and have (in the winter) a very steep and icy driveway. The Max has never had a problem with it. I think you'll really like it. Love that traction control!
    '14 Buick Encore Convenience
    '17 Chevy Volt Premiere
  • larry4nylarry4ny Member Posts: 6
    This is not a complaint--

    Purchased brand new 2002 Maxima SE fully loaded.
    ** 3,500 miles engine light came on. Nissan repaired it.
    ** 8,000 / 10,000 / 15,000 /20,000 same thing and nissan repaired it.
    Everytime it was a different sensor causing the issue.
    23,000 miles the light came on the engine would not start.

    Nissan repaired it.

    I have filed lemon law expecting nissan to take respsonibilites. No such luck. They feel there is no issue and i do not fit the bill. My lawyer is fighting the case. At this point I just want to close the case and buy another car.

    I feel as though I bought a lemon and Nissan does not want to take any respsonibilites of this issue. I would be happy to buy from Nissan if they would take the car back.

    Infiniti Lexus BMW Mercedes they all take there cars back without questions....

    oh yeah the light is on and now I smell gas....

    Any ideas on how you would handle it?
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    It depends on how the lemon law is written was your particular state. Many lemon laws simply stipulate that if the same problem is not corrected by the dealer under warranty in several consecutive visits, the manufacturer is obligated to repurchase the vehicle under the law. Some states may have other lemon law provision, such as recurring similar problems, as in your case. I agree that having a lawyer handle this is the best way. If I were you I would not hurry back to Nissan for another vehicle, no matter what happens. They already demonstrated plainly that they are not interested in your satisfaction. VW did the same thing to me seventeen years ago. I have not bought any VW car since.

    Note: If your post is not a complaint, what is it?
  • habitat1habitat1 Member Posts: 4,282
    I've had 3 engine service lights come on in 9 years and 148k miles. All reset with no problem found. I've also had the airbag light come on 3-4 times. The last time the airbag light came on, the dealership told me I needed a new airbag control unit at something like $1,000. I said I'd drive more carefully and not to replace the unit. Six weeks later, the light went out and I've since confirmed with a free diagnostic check that the airbag control unit is functioning properly.

    My service manager has indicated that Nissan's electronic warning lights can be very sensitive. He has replaced the entire system in a couple of cars under warranty for constantly issuing false alarms. Has this been done on yours?

    By the way, if it's any consolation, don't think that Infiniti, Lexus, BMW and Mercedes take back their cars without questions. BS. I only know of one person who had their BMW taken back and the "credit" they got had to be negotiated through a lawyer. They live in California and according to their attorney, it's one of the easier states to win judgements. I also have friends with Mercedes ML320/430's that have a shopping list of problems that would make yours seem minor and Mercedes hasn't stepped to the plate to buy any of them back (yet). I suspect the number of Lemon Law buybacks is few and far between for any manufacturer.
  • monte4monte4 Member Posts: 101
    Well said and true Habitat!
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