2005 Nissan Maxima

[njmodi]

Originally posted by: sniperruff

nah he was saying the 03' and the 05' has the same engine in it. google image turns out that the 2003 maxima is the 4th gen and the 2003.5 is the current gen.

2003

2003.5 or whatever you call it

Um no. The 2003.5 is technically the 5.5 Gen. What you show as the 2003.5 is actually an 04 or later and the 6th Gen. As it turns out the 95-99 used a 3.0VQ, which was updated to become the VQ30DE-K (also 3 liter) for the 2000 and 2001 and that was further updated to the VQ35DE - 3.5 liter. This was used in the 2002 and 2003 Maximas. This was further updated, for the 04-present models and now generates 265HP.

So in summary:
95-99 190HP VQ30DE
00-01 222HP VQ30DE-K
02-03 255HP VQ35DE
04-present 265HP VQ35DE (not sure if the actual engine name got changed).

Enjoy.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: njmodi
I think the 02 and 03 Maxima's are the best to date.

JulesMaximus - any problems with your HIDs getting stolen? Its a big issue out East (NJ/NY). IMHO Nissan needs to DUMP the Bose audio systems altogether. The Bose systems are horribly fragile (sound issues aside). Nissan has also had a lot off issues with warped rotors/shuddering brakes since the 5th Gen (00-present). Looks like they haven't found a way to resolve it in the newer ones yet. I wonder if its just extreme cost cutting and they are just using the cheapest rotors that meet their specs. A lot of guys just rip out the factory rotors/pads when they start to experience the shuddering and go with some quality aftermarket parts (EBC, Hawk Performance, etc.).

Nope, it doesn't seem to be as much of a problem out here in SoCal (I've read it on maxima.org though). Ours is parked in the garage every night though and my wife works in Rancho Santa Fe. We've had the car two years already and it's been pretty good. The rear brakes seem to wear out quickly though.

We don't have the Bose crap in our car thankfully.

I have a friend with an Infiniti G35 coupe with Bose stereo and he's had some glitches with it also.

 

[njmodi]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Nope, it doesn't seem to be as much of a problem out here in SoCal (I've read it on maxima.org though). Ours is parked in the garage every night though and my wife works in Rancho Santa Fe. We've had the car two years already and it's been pretty good. The rear brakes seem to wear out quickly though.

We don't have the Bose crap in our car thankfully.

I have a friend with an Infiniti G35 coupe with Bose stereo and he's had some glitches with it also.

Are you active on maxima.org ? Whats your handle ?

 

[andylawcc]

WHAT? a nissan thread with over 20 replies and NO Skoorb?

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: njmodi

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
A co-worker of mine has an '04 Maxima and he's had some problems with it. Mostly brake problems, he's had it in for multiple brake jobs due to vibrations. This guy puts a lot of miles on his cars, he has over 50k on it already. Mostly freeway miles but he's not hard on brakes. He's also had some problems with the Blose stereo.

I've ridden in his car and it's nice but I'm glad I bought the '03 Maxima my wife drives instead of an '04.

I'm surprised a dealer would warranty any brake work over about 15K miles. (Warped front rotors were a common problem with 03 Accords, most dealers warrantied them up until about 15-18K, after that it's considered normal wear and tear.

I don't see anywhere in JulesMaximus' post where it says the dealer fixed the brakes under warranty...

I had free brake jobs in my '00 Tundra the entire time I owned it. All 43k miles. Toyota at least recognized the problem and took measures to fix it including a $2000 brake rotor/caliper upgrade.

Nissan did one rear brake job at 14k miles under warranty but Nissan refused to fix the rear brakes again when they were completely worn out at 28k miles. My friend with the '04 has had a similar experience with his brakes and warranty (except his problems are all brake shudder related-mine are just the rear brakes wearing out prematurely). Nissan wouldn't replace his Bose stereo under warranty even though they said it needed to be replaced to cure the problem he's had with speakers cutting out.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: njmodi

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Nope, it doesn't seem to be as much of a problem out here in SoCal (I've read it on maxima.org though). Ours is parked in the garage every night though and my wife works in Rancho Santa Fe. We've had the car two years already and it's been pretty good. The rear brakes seem to wear out quickly though.

We don't have the Bose crap in our car thankfully.

I have a friend with an Infiniti G35 coupe with Bose stereo and he's had some glitches with it also.

Are you active on maxima.org ? Whats your handle ?

JulesMaximus...duh. :laugh:

I haven't been active in the past year or so though.

 

[njmodi]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
JulesMaximus...duh. :laugh:
I haven't been active in the past year or so though.

Mines the same as on here too... I've been quiet for the past 6 months though... :thumbsup:

 

[Tremulant]

I still regret not getting the VQ35DE in my altima. edit: even with the cost of gas, I would've liked the extra 'oomph' ...on a side note, I need to replace the tires on my altima.. they suck. front wheels spin-out too much for my liking.

But yeah, the maxima is nice. I like the body of the previous gen better though, but I don't really like the design of the rearend. IMO, the Infiniti I35 has a better ass on it.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: wyvrn

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: wyvrn

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
wow, I had no idea the maxima was pushing over 260hp, that's crazy.

Not only that, but it gets 20/27 gas mileage. That's identical to my 1996 Accord with a 110hp 4-banger :Q My wife and I agree our Accord is getting long in the tooth, so I'm now trying to convince her into buying a new or 1yr old Maxima.

*cough*
Look at Acura TL as well.
*cough*

Also a very capable cruiser with tons of luxury.

According to Edmunds, though, it starts at about $5k more than the Maxima. Not sure I want to pay the premium even though I have always liked Acuras.

they are equally priced. If a one year old car drops that much vs. the exact competitor within 12 months....

well...

I'm not saying one is better then the other. They're both great cars.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: Tremulant
I still regret not getting the VQ35DE in my altima.

But yeah, the maxima is nice. I like the body of the previous gen better though, but I don't really like the design of the rearend. IMO, the Infiniti I35 has a better ass on it.

When I bought our '03 Maxima the '04s had been out for about a month (this was April '03) and I could buy an '03 Maxima for significantly less than a comparably equipped '03 Altima. I paid $22,400 for our Sheer Silver Maxima SE w/sunroof which was about $5k under msrp and I got 1.9% financing. I traded in my '00 Tundra on that car. The only thing it doesn't have is side airbags, leather, the memory power seats and the Blows crappy stereo. Oh, the wheels are slightly different on the GLE but I prefer the SE wheels (both 17" alloy wheels with the same tires).

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: sniperruff
03' > current maxima. it has the 3.5 pushing 255 horses.

if you like the 3.5, the altima 3.5SE is better styled.

heh, atleast the new altima and maxima don't use dead beam suspension in the back.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

The 6th gen Maxima (2004+) is a totally different beast than the previous generations.

Nissan went all out to give it a quiet & refined ride, much more so than hte previous models. In doing so, it lost a bit of its luster that was attached to the name Maxima. The car magazines used to call the 4th gen Maximas a poor man's BMW because it offered BMW-ish qualities at a much lower price scale. Sure it didn't handle as well nor was it as luxurious but it provided similar feelings to hte driver. It was probably the only Japanese midsize sedan of its era that gave driver feedback.

But the new Maxima is a much better car (in terms of qualities that teh general public would want from it), even though its more sterile.

 

[wyvrn]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: wyvrn

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: wyvrn

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
wow, I had no idea the maxima was pushing over 260hp, that's crazy.

Not only that, but it gets 20/27 gas mileage. That's identical to my 1996 Accord with a 110hp 4-banger :Q My wife and I agree our Accord is getting long in the tooth, so I'm now trying to convince her into buying a new or 1yr old Maxima.

*cough*
Look at Acura TL as well.
*cough*

Also a very capable cruiser with tons of luxury.

According to Edmunds, though, it starts at about $5k more than the Maxima. Not sure I want to pay the premium even though I have always liked Acuras.

they are equally priced. If a one year old car drops that much vs. the exact competitor within 12 months....

well...

I'm not saying one is better then the other. They're both great cars.

Well I know Nissan is not going to keep its value as well as an Acura or Honda. That's actually buyer's advantage if I want to buy a 1yr old used.

But according to my research, a new TL costs about 3-5k more than a new Maxima.

 

[StageLeft]

I was in bed...dreaming about maximas

I also echo the idea that nobody should buy a new maxima. Their resale sucks, which makes them a fantastic buy, used.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Nissan: Shift_ball-licking

 

[ThePresence]

I have a 2000 Maxima SE. I love it.

 

[CraigRT]

'04 and up are nice, but I heard they arent quite as good as previous generations for overall dependability.

I still want a 2k1 for myself.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: CraigRT
'04 and up are nice, but I heard they arent quite as good as previous generations for overall dependability.

I still want a 2k1 for myself.

Why? The '02-03 has the 3.5l engine. Torque steer is pretty bad though when you really get on it.

 

[mercanucaribe]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I was in bed...dreaming about maximas

I also echo the idea that nobody should buy a new maxima. Their resale sucks, which makes them a fantastic buy, used.

If no one bought them new, how would anyone get them used?

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: njmodi
Nissan rules (From a fellow Maxima owner). Nissan has had a problem with torque steer for a long time in the Maxima. The problem exists on the 4th Gen (95-99), 5th Gen, (00-03) and now even on the 6th Gen (04-present). The problem has gotten more severe as they pump more and more HP to the front wheels. Any updates to the suspension geometries to help counter the torque steer are in vain as with each generation gets more HP.

Cheers.

Sorry, but i disagree. Having owned a 2003 (no torque steer whatsoever), and now a 1996 (i like it a lot more than the 2003 and once again, no torque steer), I can say with absolute certainty there is no noticeable torque steer with either of those gen maximas.
I've only test driven a 2004 so I cannot really comment on that.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: mercanucaribe

Originally posted by: Skoorb
I was in bed...dreaming about maximas

I also echo the idea that nobody should buy a new maxima. Their resale sucks, which makes them a fantastic buy, used.

If no one bought them new, how would anyone get them used?

I said people shouldn't buy them new, not that people don't buy them new. Let the suckers buy them new I've seen some insane prices on two year old maximas.

If I was buying a used one now the 2002 or 2003 would be nice. It's rough that they're a gen older than the current ones, but the current ones have been awful for quality. I am not sure if they've made them better in 05 than 04...probably have, but not sure how much. In any case you can't get a used 05 one now for a very good price, since it would be too new. 2002 and 2003 can be had for a song, and have a healthy 255 horsepower.

 

[SearchMaster]

I have an '00 Maxima.

I got a very good deal on it, but I'm really glad I didn't buy it new (I got it in '01 for about half what it was new). It has had the shuddering brake problem several times - I finally had the whole damn brake system replaced last year because I was sick of it. Other than that, it has been a pretty reliable car but it's not that much fun to drive IMHO. I still prefer to take out my 15 year old Eclipse Turbo, which has a better (albeit non-stock) stereo system, more fun to drive, etc.

Oh yeah, the Maxima's paint job is subpar IMO, and it never really looks clean even after washing and waxing it.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus

Originally posted by: Tremulant
I still regret not getting the VQ35DE in my altima.

But yeah, the maxima is nice. I like the body of the previous gen better though, but I don't really like the design of the rearend. IMO, the Infiniti I35 has a better ass on it.

When I bought our '03 Maxima the '04s had been out for about a month (this was April '03) and I could buy an '03 Maxima for significantly less than a comparably equipped '03 Altima. I paid $22,400 for our Sheer Silver Maxima SE w/sunroof which was about $5k under msrp and I got 1.9% financing. I traded in my '00 Tundra on that car. The only thing it doesn't have is side airbags, leather, the memory power seats and the Blows crappy stereo. Oh, the wheels are slightly different on the GLE but I prefer the SE wheels (both 17" alloy wheels with the same tires).

I paid 25,400 for my 2003 SS with leather, bose, sunroof, everything except meridian package and GPS. It had the titanium package as well. It also had side airbags.

 

Why do people complain about torque steer?
How many times in your day does that phenomenon actually affect your driving?

Are you people auto-xing your maximas?

 

[StageLeft]

Oh yeah, the Maxima's paint job is subpar IMO, and it never really looks clean even after washing and waxing it.

Not sure about the clean part--I haven't found that--but I agree it's subpar: tons of people have complained about it being weak and prone to chipping. I haven't cared much, since any used car has chips, even though this may be prone to more!

Why do people complain about torque steer?
How many times in your day does that phenomenon actually affect your driving?

I agree it's often overblown. Both of my cars are five speeds and once you get used to the fact that you have to hold the wheel a bit tighter, torque steer is of no concern to me at all. I remember gobs of torque steer on an avalon I drove, but at the time I was used to cars that were too low in power to have any. Now I know that if I gun it in 1st I have to hold on, but it's not like a person needs to hit the gym to control it.