2002-2003 Maxima owners...please check in

[vi edit]

I'll be in the market for a used car soon. Mainly looking at mid size(ish) sedans under $15,000. I've always like the Maxima's and the 2002-2003 model years seem to be an incredible bargain.

I'd be going the GLE route because I want the psuedo luxury goodies - leather, heated seats & steering wheel, power seats, ect. These years came with the revised 3.5L VQ and HID's standard, which is nice.

Can any current owners report in on their thoughts of the cars? Any major warranty issues? Any big out of warranty costs? What sort of real world MPG are you getting? How comfy was the car over long trips?

This would be a third vehicle that will be used for daily commutes and for long distance trips. 6+ hour driving comfort is very important.

For under $15,000 I've had trouble finding another vehicle that offers the power and creature comforts that the Max does. At least not without getting something much older or much higher miles.

 

[slag]

I owned a 2003 SE loaded except meridian and nav. It had the titanium package as well.

Nice car, but the ride was a bit rough. Overall, I enjoyed my 96 maxima more in terms of ride comfort, seat comfort, and stereo system (both bose). To be fair, I lowered it with lowering springs which did stiffen up the ride slightly, however, due to the low profile tires on it (50 series), it was rough to begin with.

I bought it in 2004, sold it in 2005 after getting tired of paying the note on it

I sold it for 14,5 IIRC.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I'll be in the market for a used car soon. Mainly looking at mid size(ish) sedans under $15,000. I've always like the Maxima's and the 2002-2003 model years seem to be an incredible bargain.

I'd be going the GLE route because I want the psuedo luxury goodies - leather, heated seats & steering wheel, power seats, ect. These years came with the revised 3.5L VQ and HID's standard, which is nice.

Can any current owners report in on their thoughts of the cars? Any major warranty issues? Any big out of warranty costs? What sort of real world MPG are you getting? How comfy was the car over long trips?

This would be a third vehicle that will be used for daily commutes and for long distance trips. 6+ hour driving comfort is very important.

For under $15,000 I've had trouble finding another vehicle that offers the power and creature comforts that the Max does. At least not without getting something much older or much higher miles.

I have a 2003 Maxima SE I bought new in April 2003. The only option it has is the moonroof but it is pretty well equipped already with power mirrors/door locks and windows, cruise control, intermittant wipers, power driver's seat, 3.5l engine and the HID headlights and fog lamps.

I have 56k miles on it and haven't had any warranty issues with it.

The only reason I would avoid the GLE is it has a Bose stereo in it which makes it expensive to upgrade and those stereos are generally regarded as crap anyway.

The car is comfortable but the driver's seat can be a bit hard until you get used to it. After 6 hours I'm sure you'd be feeling it.

Mileage is about 19 city and 24 freeway. Not great but this car has quite a bit of power for a big sedan and it really gets up and goes. Brakes are good and handling is decent except over rough roads where the rear end has a tendancy to hop around a bit in bumpy corners. Torque steer is awful, make sure you have both hands on the wheel if you punch it mid corner.

Check out www.maxima.org for more detailed information. Lots of helpful information from actual owners there.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I have a 2003 Maxima SE I bought new in April 2003. The only option it has is the moonroof but it is pretty well equipped already with power mirrors/door locks and windows, cruise control, intermittant wipers, power driver's seat, 3.5l engine and the HID headlights and fog lamps.

I have 56k miles on it and haven't had any warranty issues with it.

The only reason I would avoid the GLE is it has a Bose stereo in it which makes it expensive to upgrade and those stereos are generally regarded as crap anyway.

The car is comfortable but the driver's seat can be a bit hard until you get used to it. After 6 hours I'm sure you'd be feeling it.

Mileage is about 19 city and 24 freeway. Not great but this car has quite a bit of power for a big sedan and it really gets up and goes. Brakes are good and handling is decent except over rough roads where the rear end has a tendancy to hop around a bit in bumpy corners. Torque steer is awful, make sure you have both hands on the wheel if you punch it mid corner.

Check out www.maxima.org for more detailed information. Lots of helpful information from actual owners there.

heh nonindependent rear dead beam suspension rears its' ugly head

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: OS

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
I have a 2003 Maxima SE I bought new in April 2003. The only option it has is the moonroof but it is pretty well equipped already with power mirrors/door locks and windows, cruise control, intermittant wipers, power driver's seat, 3.5l engine and the HID headlights and fog lamps.

I have 56k miles on it and haven't had any warranty issues with it.

The only reason I would avoid the GLE is it has a Bose stereo in it which makes it expensive to upgrade and those stereos are generally regarded as crap anyway.

The car is comfortable but the driver's seat can be a bit hard until you get used to it. After 6 hours I'm sure you'd be feeling it.

Mileage is about 19 city and 24 freeway. Not great but this car has quite a bit of power for a big sedan and it really gets up and goes. Brakes are good and handling is decent except over rough roads where the rear end has a tendancy to hop around a bit in bumpy corners. Torque steer is awful, make sure you have both hands on the wheel if you punch it mid corner.

Check out www.maxima.org for more detailed information. Lots of helpful information from actual owners there.

heh nonindependent rear dead beam suspension rears its' ugly head

Yeah, I hate that. My wife's Lexus IS250 is rock solid through the same bumpy corners but at a much higher speed. Of course, we paid $10k more for her car though.

 

[vi edit]

I'm not too worried about the Bose system. I'm not big on upgrading stereo components so it's not that big of a deal. MP3 compatibility would be nice, but not necessary.

Milage is kind of a downer...that's not much better than my 4.0L 4x4 Frontier.

 

[trmiv]

I have a 2002 SE that I bought used when it had 16,400 miles on it. It has about 65000 on it now, and I've had very few problems with it in the two and half years I've had it. Only problem really was a bearing that went bad in the right front.

 

[psteng19]

My favorite generation Maxima.

Uncle has a 2002 SE, same chassis, but with the 3.0.
No problems from what I understand.
I love driving that thing.

 

[Aimster]

I would go with an SE with all the options of a GLE

I personally think the wood in the GLE is disgusting looking.

In a 2002 Maxima SE I was about a car length behind my friend's Acura TL Type-S.

Maxima has 4 speed auto transmission
If you can get it with the 6-speed manual .. then

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Aimster
I would go with an SE with all the options of a GLE

I personally think the wood in the GLE is disgusting looking.

In a 2002 Maxima SE I was about a car length behind my friend's Acura TL Type-S.

Maxima has 4 speed auto transmission
If you can get it with the 6-speed manual .. then

An '02 TL-S was actually another choice that I was looking at. But, I really don't want to pay for premium fuel, I was scared of the the tranmission issues, and I didn't want to pay the insurance premiums on them.

No manual transmissions for me. I've had my share in the past, but I don't lust for them like many people do.

 

[AdamK47]

I raced one in reverse and won.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: psteng19
My favorite generation Maxima.

Uncle has a 2002 SE, same chassis, but with the 3.0.
No problems from what I understand.
I love driving that thing.

nope, all 2002 maximas came equipped with the 3.5. 2001 was the last year of the 3.0 in the maxima.

Slag

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: Aimster
I would go with an SE with all the options of a GLE

I personally think the wood in the GLE is disgusting looking.

In a 2002 Maxima SE I was about a car length behind my friend's Acura TL Type-S.

Maxima has 4 speed auto transmission
If you can get it with the 6-speed manual .. then

An '02 TL-S was actually another choice that I was looking at. But, I really don't want to pay for premium fuel, I was scared of the the tranmission issues, and I didn't want to pay the insurance premiums on them.

No manual transmissions for me. I've had my share in the past, but I don't lust for them like many people do.

The maxima requires premium fuel also. I ran 89 octane in mine, but 91+ is recommended due to the relatively high compression.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
I'm not too worried about the Bose system. I'm not big on upgrading stereo components so it's not that big of a deal. MP3 compatibility would be nice, but not necessary.

Milage is kind of a downer...that's not much better than my 4.0L 4x4 Frontier.

I've heard of problems with the Bose HU not playing CDs, speakers going out, etc. They really are complete and utter crap. The stock HU that came with my car wasn't any better but at least I could easily swap it out, which I did.

 

[kevman]

Go with a 2003 over a 2002.

I Love that car I had a silver 2002, ended up selling it and got an 02 I35 sport.

There are minor things that have been fixed in 2003, especially the ECU updates which accounted for better shifts from 2-3rd gear. also I'd get an SE with the goodies, the rear suspension on the GLE bottoms out if you've got a lot of ppl in the back. Also I like the SE look better with the rims and spoiler and body color door handles...

 

[kevman]

also wanted to mention that the average mixed city/highway driveing I got about 21MPG.

I also own a 1996 Maxima which is still going at 180K miles with no major problems. These cars will last forever...

 

[NoMoMoney]

I have a 2003 SE loaded (with titanium package, no nav system) with a six speed. I got heated seats, steering wheel, mirrors. Memory seats, power driver/passenger. Love the thing. Selling it because the wifey can't drive a stick I've been holding off on selling it for as long as I can. Got new tires recently and they were 10x better then the stock ones. About 65K miles on it.

 

[NoMoMoney]

Oh right.. also the Bose system and mine crapped out about 2 years ago. Still under warranty and they replaced it without question. I like the stereo, but I'm no expert on audio.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: NoMoMoney
I have a 2003 SE loaded (with titanium package, no nav system) with a six speed. I got heated seats, steering wheel, mirrors. Memory seats, power driver/passenger. Love the thing. Selling it because the wifey can't drive a stick I've been holding off on selling it for as long as I can. Got new tires recently and they were 10x better then the stock ones. About 65K miles on it.

Heh. How much you looking for it?

 

[kevman]

one more thing, the reason I traded for the i35 was that the headlight theft problem which was pretty bad at the time I had the maxima. the 2002-2003 have HID that are the targe of many ppl, b/c they can fit into the 2000-01 models. might want to consider that , I ended up not driving the car around too much cuz I didn't want the lights to get cjacked.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: kevman
one more thing, the reason I traded for the i35 was that the headlight theft problem which was pretty bad at the time I had the maxima. the 2002-2003 have HID that are the targe of many ppl, b/c they can fit into the 2000-01 models. might want to consider that , I ended up not driving the car around too much cuz I didn't want the lights to get cjacked.

Your profile says that you are from Jersey. I know that was a HUGE problem in the NY/NJ area and parts of the west coast. I'm in a fairly rural part of the midwest. Not exactly a high crime area. I'm not too concerned about that.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: kevman
one more thing, the reason I traded for the i35 was that the headlight theft problem which was pretty bad at the time I had the maxima. the 2002-2003 have HID that are the targe of many ppl, b/c they can fit into the 2000-01 models. might want to consider that , I ended up not driving the car around too much cuz I didn't want the lights to get cjacked.

Your profile says that you are from Jersey. I know that was a HUGE problem in the NY/NJ area and parts of the west coast. I'm in a fairly rural part of the midwest. Not exactly a high crime area. I'm not too concerned about that.

I haven't had any problems with HID theft in North County San Diego. I park mine on the street in front of my house every night.

 

[NoMoMoney]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: NoMoMoney
I have a 2003 SE loaded (with titanium package, no nav system) with a six speed. I got heated seats, steering wheel, mirrors. Memory seats, power driver/passenger. Love the thing. Selling it because the wifey can't drive a stick I've been holding off on selling it for as long as I can. Got new tires recently and they were 10x better then the stock ones. About 65K miles on it.

Heh. How much you looking for it?

I honestly don't know yet. I was thinking around 12.5K but it was in an accident last year that damaged the rear driver door (fixed, but you know how it goes in a Car Fax age) a. It has new tires, brakes, and muffler. Nissan sedans around 2002/03 are notorius for having the muffler flange rust out on you, so definatly check that out if you are getting one! Have them jack it up for you.

 

[kevman]

yeah nj/ny area malls are prime targets for thieves....seen a few maxims with the lights missing driving around here and there back then. If youre in a rural area I think you should be fine. Great car for the money for sure.

 

[NoMoMoney]

Nissan will put an "anti-theft" bolt in that makes it a little harder to swipe the lights. And also inscribe your VIN on the headlights (useless I know). It was free here in the Boston area. And stick a cute sticker on the headlight. Maybe deter a thief to another Maxima that will take less time to get at.

EDIT:
The major problem was that someone could get your headlights with a flat head screwdriver and 1 minute without any effort. You didn't have to open the hood or get under the car, you would just "pop" them out. And then they would sell them to 2000/01 people that could put them in without any modification to thier cars.