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Comments
I know because I have one (2000 SE) and it was addressed through a TSB.
The TSB number is Reference # NTB01-029A, issued April 16, 2002.
If you'd like a copy (It's a six page .pdf file) let me have an e-mail address you'd like it sent to and I'll get it over to you.
with my '00 Max. It took 3 months for the SES light to come on. It turned out to be a bad MAF
sensor ( replaced under warranty ). Now she's
a rocket again.
Try checking computer codes. I hear that AutoZone
will do it either free or for a very minimal charge.
BTW, you've got a Maxima....treat her right and give her the good stuff ...93 octane. Sometimes
you can't always hear the pinging with the 87 & 91
octane.
People at Maxima.Org are complaining about poor heaters, the LCD display not working, CD skipping, etc.
I had all six replaced (they just connect at the top of each spark plug). Coils were ~$75 each.
IMHO, Nissan/Infiniti should re-examine the position of the Max in its line-up, unless it is its intention that the flagship Max should linger in obscurity, just like the flagship RL currently is in Honda/Acura.
The Maxima deserves a better fate. Nissan has to figure a way to make it a desirable alternative to the Altima SE. Right now, the main advantage of the Max is the total safety equipment package it offers (curtain air bags, anti-lock brakes), while most Altimas do not come equipped that way. I would hate for safety to be the primary difference between these cars, though. In my opinion, every car should have anti-locks and curtain air bags.
The Maxima is going to be in an even more precarious position in a few months when the upgraded Altima comes out.
I'd agree that the Max is streching to compete with the TL and ES300, especially given its a Nissan (opposed to Infiniti). However its hardly languishing. Nissan has modest sales goals of 70K for the Maxima, which YTD sales are ahead of. Further, most buyers seem satisfied too based on comments here at Edmunds, Maxima.Org and Freshalloy.com.
The Maxima has always been a strange product positioned above everyday Camri and Accords, but below the true near-luxury brands. This 6th Generation is more of the same.
Meanwhile, let's let this conversation get back to the Maxima.
Thanks.
i think talking about anything in the maxima world on this thread will make it more interesting and keep it alive
That may have been true in the past, but the family sedan market has changed dramatically since a decade ago.
Then, Accords and Camrys were primarily 4-cylinder cars with little to offer in the way of driving excitement. Then, the Maxima was a clear and outstanding alternative with it's V-6 engine and 4-door sports car moniker. He had a clearly defined market segment.
Today, Accords and Camrys each have excellent 6-cylinder engines and, though still not true sports sedans, they are reasonable alternatives. In my opinion, their interior material quality is superior to that of the 04 Maximas. That should unsettle Nissan execs who see the new Maxima as a near-luxury competitor.
In addition, when the Altima was conceived its mission was to draw market share away from the Accord and Camry 4-cylinders. It did not cannibalize Maxima sales the way it has since the 2002 redesign and the 3.5 SE option.
So, in essence, the 04 Maxima is pretty much fighting the entire sedan world - the premium model Accords and Camrys, it's own stablemate, the Altima, and also, given its price range, the near-luxury cars.
Given its circumstances, Nissan is eventually going to realize that the only way to move this product is to deeply discount, which it is doing. Ads are running in my local paper for $24.9K stripper Maxes. And, at that price, it isn't a bad option.
If Nissan really wants to make the Max a near lux competitor, it must greatly improve the interior materials and decor, cure the torque steer, put in a few more gadgets (especially a much better stereo instead of the mediocre Bose "premium" system which is getting worse since the 4th gen), get rid of the bugs (such as steering wheel shimmies), improve on quality control, and provide better service to those Max buyers who are willing to expend more than $30k on a car.
A free car wash and a loaner car will help.
So, rather than discounting the current Maxima to compete with the Altima, Accord and Camry, I'd suggest to Nissan to try again, get it right and, if necessary, charge a little more. The 2004 TL finally gives someone looking for a sporty FWD near luxury sedan with a 6-speed manual an alternative to the Maxima. But I don't think the Maxima needs to roll over and play dead just yet.
And which auto company has been the most successful in generating sales increases, profit increases, and market share increases in the last couple of years?
How do you rationalize your comments, even if they're "just your opinion".
Kyle's point, and mine also, is simply that when it is time to dole out $30K plus for a sedan, it's difficult to look at Nissan and a Maxima when so many other more attractive choices beckon. Actually, this point has been made and remade.
I would like to hear from more 04 owners. Why did they choose the Maxima, and how satisfied are they? Are they satisfied that they received value for their money? Does the Maxima exceed their expectations?
The lack of 04 owner participation here (and granted, there are other more popular Maxima forums) indicates to me that either not many are buying the car, or those that buy them don't have much to say. Anyone?
when they came out with the 95-99 maxima, it gained many fans and then the 00-03's built on that fan loyality.. and all the increase in sales/profits/market shares you were referring to were built on that timeframe.. i'm sure the 02-03 altima helped in this aspect also.. but moving the 04 maxima upscale to the near-luxo catalgorie, nissan can't compete with luxury badges.. thus my claim "nissan is still..just a nissan"...its almost like a Mazda Millenia will always be viewed as a Mazda and never a luxo competitor..it'll be sad if the max suffers the same fate.
Nissan did well because they had a niche, i'm not sure they have such niche anymore..
The foregoing is intended only as a flame, and should be taken literally for its contents or implications thereof. This disclaimer is attributed only to the author, and should not be construed as an endorsement by Edmunds or its very kind and understanding hosts :-)
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To answer some of your questions... I chose the Maxima partially because it appeared to be the best bang for the buck. I got it for a great price (before tax/fees, 23.96K with some extra stuff - mats, spoiler, guards). In my opinion, it was a great combo of performance, value, comfort, luxury, space, style, reliability, etc. I am very satisfied. It definitely thus far meets my expectations and then some. Would I do it again? yes, but it has only been a month :-) My sister has a 1996 Altima, and that had some influence on my Nissan purchase.
Maybe I am not the most experienced car owner, but at least I am personally happy with my vehicle which ultimately is what matters the most.
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
Ericu: At the price you paid, the 04 Maxima is an outstanding value. Was the price you paid influenced by any factors such as your trade in (did you get a fair price for your old car?) or end-of-the year discounting? That is about 1K under anything I've heard of. Also, how do you like the skylight roof?
Congratulations on your becoming an owner of a brand new 04 Max. What a great price ($24k) ... you certainly get a lot of bang for your bucks.
At that price, forget about competing with the TL, which is perceived by Nissan as the 04 Max's nearest competitor. At that price, the Max will exceed Nissan's sales expectation, even though Nissan had said that it didn't want or expect to sell too many Maxes and was limiting the number of production units. At that price, the Max may even compete with the Camcords and Altimas in terms of sale volume, even though Nissan had said that the Max should be moved upmarket in terms of courting near lux car buyers and adding profits. At that price, the 04 Max costs even less than my 03 Max, which is totally unexpected (probably by everyone)for a newly designed car. Please note that I am not trying to imitate the repeated use of certain phrases, as was done by Bush in his State of the Union Address yesterday :-)
I wish Eric lots of luck in his enjoyment of the new car -- even though it is rumored that the 04 Max has quite a few first year bugs -- just as many of us have with ours.
Good thought. On the day of delivery and prior to signing, the first thing I did was look under the hood. It in fact was there. I then looked the salesman right in the eye and asked him if it comes with the engine, and of course he is going to say yes. Therefore I then looked at the sales agreement for any fine print charging an additional fee for the engine. No such fine print existed. I then proceeded to signing the contract.
But in all seriousness, I got a good deal. The salesman simply asked me what will it take for me to buy it today, and I told him. I then put down a down payment ($500) the next day. He located the car I wanted (black, cloth, mats, guards, spoiler) and about 3 weeks later, I signed the contract and drove it home. It was not hail damaged. It was an automatic (manuals were on sale). It was not a demo. It had 33 miles on it. As far as I know, it was legitimate. One month later, I am still happy and the engine is still there. However, maybe the salesman is not.
Maybe it was because it was a volume dealer. Maybe it was because I brought my dad the next day and my dad came into the dealership with his clipboard and all of his questions. Maybe my dad intimidated them. Maybe the salesman found us so annoying that he just wanted to get it over with. Maybe we just outlasted him at the negotiation table. At least we now all know that this is an obtainable price for a great car.
To answer ramped1's questions (#7816): I did not trade in a car. This is the first car I have ever bought and owned. There were no official discounts, although it was the end of the year. I think the skyview roof is novel, especially how it stretches to the back. All it really does is provide additional lighting. It would be pretty cool if it actually opened, but I didn't want to drop another grand for the optional moon/sunroof. It's not often that I personally would want to open it anyway, other than maybe using the tilt option.
According to Edmunds' data, here are the turning circles for several sedans:
2004 Nissan Maxima: 40'
2002 Nissan Maxima: 40'
2004 Honda Accord EX-V6: 36.1'
2000 Honda Accord EX-V6: 36.4'
2004 Mazda 6s V6 : 38.7'
2004 Toyota Avalon: 37.6'
2004 Toyota Camry: 36.7'
2000 Toyota Camry: 36.7'
2004 Buick Park Avenue: 40'
Why does the Maxima (this generation and the last one) have such a large turning circle? Heck, it's as big as the Buick Park Avenue!
2004 Nissan Maxima: 40.0'_____ 111.2"____ 193.5"
2002 Nissan Maxima: 40.0'_____ 108.3"____ 191.5"
2004 Nissan Altima: 38.7'_____ 110.2"____ 191.5"
2004 Honda Accord V6: 36.1'_____ 107.9" ____ 189.5"
2000 Honda Accord V6: 36.4'_____ 106.9" ____ 188.8"
2004 Mazda 6s V6 : 38.7'_____ 105.3"____ 186.8"
2004 Toyota Avalon: 37.6'_____ 107.1" ____ 191.9"
2004 Toyota Camry: 36.7'_____ 107.1" ____ 189.2"
2000 Toyota Camry: 36.7'_____ 105.2"____ 188.5"
2004 Buick Park Avenue: 40.0'_____ 113.8"____ 206.8"
The current Maxima is just slightly longer (total length) than the Accord, Camry and Avalon. It is quite a bit shorter than the Park Avenue. The wheelbase is longer than most of the above cars, but less than the Park Avenue.
Here are a few more FWD sedans (turning circle, wheelbase, length):
2004 Pontiac Grand Prix: 37.4'_____ 110.5" ____ 198.2"
2004 Acura RL: 36.1'_____ 114.6"____ 196.6"
2004 Chevy Impala: 38.0'_____ 110.5" ____ 200"
2004 Chrysler Concorde: 37.6'_____ 113"____ 207.7"
As can be seen, the Maxima has perhaps the longest turning circle of any FWD car, even those that are much longer and have longer wheelbases. I don't really know what this means in terms of handling or design or quality. Probably not a whole lot, other than parking lot maneuverability and for U-turns. I am curious, however, why the Maxima has such a large turning circle.