1998 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0 from North America

Summary:

A great, reliable car

Faults:

Other than the alternator recall, we have only had to replace common things.

Parts are expensive and sometimes hard to get, but that could be more of where we are located.

General Comments:

When my daughter first showed me the car I did not like it, but after driving it I was convinced it was "the one."

Awesome handling, and speed.

Got up to 135 and was still going

Has more room than most sedans

Good sized trunk.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th September, 2003

1998 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0L V6 from North America

Summary:

Happy maxima owner

Faults:

No problems with the this car.

General Comments:

The Maxima has the best engine in its price class. Maxima has the best performance in its class. I test drove the Accord and Camry V6 and there was no comparison. After owning this car for 5 years, I am happy with my purchase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th November, 2002

1998 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Great performer and very reliable

Faults:

Transmission Problem: After 6 months the 2nd and 3rd gears went on the car. Covered under warranty not a problem since.

Brakes @ 30,000 and again @ 67000 miles.

Tires @ 30,000 miles.

Sounds like the flywheel is going on it currently.

General Comments:

Great car with lots of power and comfort for the money.

I have not owned a more reliable car.

The interior could is too light which after four years is starting to look pretty bad.

This car will easily go another 100,00 miles without any major problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th August, 2002

24th Oct 2008, 19:42

How could you need tires after 30K? My tires ran to 60K no problem.

15th Nov 2008, 20:08

Wow! I guess I purchased the only good Nissan Maxima ES available at the time. It was manufactured in 1998 and designated as 1999. I bought it January 2001 at 10,000 Km.

The dealer was supposed to prep the car before pick-up, but did not and with the gas tank empty, that dealer lost a service customer.

It is now at 186,000 Km. and other than regular maintenance by my independent licensed mechanic, everything seems to be just fine. It has not lost any of its pep or power, but last week the amber service engine light lit up. My mechanic put his sensor device and immediately located oxygen sensor/post converter #2, which was replaced at a total cost of less than $300.00 for everything including diagnostic test and all taxes (taxes`alone were $35.00). Here in Ontario the tax alone total 13%.

My first set of tires lasted 70,000 Km. and my next set 110,000 Km. (lots of snow some winters.)

2nd Feb 2009, 21:55

I bought a brand new 1998 Maxima SE almost 11 years ago. It only broke down twice, because the car battery died. It is maintained by the dealership, and almost 11 years and 115K miles later, the car still runs perfectly. I love this car. It looks great, and it drives great. After owning my car for 10 years and 10 months, I took it to the dealership for a Virginia State Inspection this past weekend. I was surprised to learn that my car failed State inspection, because the frame that holds the radiator and engine is rusted and needs to be replaced. No one I know has heard of this problem. It will cost $1,700 to replace. I did some research on this site, and it seems like the older Pathfinder model has the same problem. If the rusted frame is not replaced, it is a huge safety issue. I wonder if any Maxima owner has this problem.

1998 Nissan Maxima 3.0 V6 from North America

Summary:

Automatic slows it down a lot

Faults:

Water infiltrated the electrical system during heavy rain and the horn kept blowing (in the middle of the night!). It was covered by the warranty and fixed.

The "engine check" light lights up almost every 2 months for no clear reason.

Other than that, nothing else. Just regular maintenance.

General Comments:

The automatic transmission is just bad. The overdrive is just too "over". You stop at a stop and if you don't immobilize the car entirely, it will stay in 3rd gear and you almost have to push the gas up to the end to accelerate decently.

Nice sound system. Great bass and the speakers can take a lot.

Steering is very precise.

Nice engine. Powerful, but really needs a manual transmission to use its potential.

Costs a lot to maintain, Nissan parts are just expensive.

It consumes a lot of gas, it has a very bad miles per gallon ratio (automatic doesn't help).

Conclusion: it's a very reliable car that had virtually no problems. It consumes a lot, but performs when needed. Just don't buy an automatic, makes the car plain boring.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th September, 2001