1996 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0

Summary:

I LOVE this car!

Faults:

I had to replace the transmission at about 150,000 miles.

Replaced one O2 Sensor.

Replaced one pulley.

CD player in Bose System stopped working last week!

General Comments:

The performance of the car is great.

It handles well for the tires it comes with.

Very quiet car. Great for long distance trips, but seats take a little getting used to, even now.

Other than the transmission, no reliability issues.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th March, 2004

4th Jun 2005, 19:39

My own has a lot of problems except that my exhaust pipe keeps on breaking loose and scrapeing the floor.

8th Oct 2005, 21:54

I don't expect you to come back to find this and reply to it, but I am interested to know how often you changed the transmission gear oil in the car, since it failed at 150k miles. That's still respectable that it lasted that long, especially since the 4th generation trannies were known for problems. I just changed out my manual gear oil at 73k miles (don't know if it was changed before I bought my 98 GXE with 66k miles) with AMSOIL synthetic gear oil, and the car shifts much more smoothly and power delivery seems more direct.

1996 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0L DOHC

Summary:

Best bang for the buck!!!

Faults:

The starter went bad at 170,000 miles.

The struts went bad at 180,000 miles.

General Comments:

I have been in love with this car since I test drove it. I have the regular service done at the dealership, and have only done oil changes, tires (once since I bought it) and brakes. Which is all normal wear and tear. The car still drives like a dream. I love every feature on it including the Bose sound system, heated seats/mirrors, remote roll down windows,5speed manual, spoiler... and the list goes on and on. I recommend this car to anyone who is looking for a fast car, with room for 5. Fuel economy is about 25 in the city and 27-30 on the highway, which is better than most new cars today! I would buy another Nissan in a heartbeat!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd February, 2004

1996 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0 24v

Summary:

All around great car!

Faults:

Window on driver side stopped working.

General Comments:

This is by far the best car I have ever owned. I got the car in 1997 and it had 12,000 miles on it. I now have 160,000 miles on the car and I have had nothing go wrong on the car other than the window on the driver side stopped working. Other than oil changes and stuff that you have done on any car, tires and things like that, the window is the only thing I have had to fix. Don't get me wrong not everything about the car is perfect such as.

The seats are very uncomfortable in a trip that is going to be more than 2 hours.

The sunroof leaks just a little sometimes in a very hard rain or carwash.

The Nissan Maxima I have is a SE model witch comes with.

Leather, Cd and Tape player, Sunroof,

5-speed, Bose sound system.

Its totally as loaded as you can get one and I still trust this car as much as I did when I first got it. By the way when you get out on the interstate be careful! This car will flat move and handles like a race car. Don't ever wonder if you have enough room to pass someone because this car will get around anyone in a very short space.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th February, 2004

1996 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0 liter twim cam V6

Summary:

A quick, affordable, and dependable sedan

Faults:

Virtually, nothing has been replaced on this car besides regular maintenance items. I have replaced the rear oxygen sensor (1 of 3 total on the car) which cost $90 in parts. The other two O2 sensors cost approximately $100 each.

General Comments:

The Nissan Maxima's face has changed in the past couple of years. Before Nissan really pushed the Maxima as a "sport sedan", many underestimated or did not expect the "peppiness" of this car.

Mated with a 5-speed manual transmission, the Maxima is fairly quick and handles its own on the freeway. In no way is it a sportscar. Yet, the car is the fastest in its class for this year (1996).

There is also a fair amount of aftermarket support for the 1995-newer Maxima enthusiast.

The view from inside the car is unobstructed with few blind spots.

With stock suspension, it handles average or below average.

The powerful, yet durable V6 is a joy to drive. It seems to never run out of breath and is like a tank. I have heard of drivers running up to 300,000 miles on the VQ 3.0 liter and have done so without babying it. Truly, this car is dependable and very affordable.

Nissan gets two thumbs up!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd January, 2004

4th Apr 2006, 20:00

VQ in the Nissan (Maxima) is very reliable and efficient. We have a 1995 (GXE) 5spd that is still running very well at 433000km. Surprisingly at that mileage it still has a lot of performance in it. The only thing that failed on this car is the starter, but nothing substantial, just regular oil changes and tune ups keeps this car going forever.