2000 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0 from North America

Summary:

The Nissan Maxima has been a great car, besides the service that I have recieved from the dealer

Faults:

Engine coils went out at 85,000 miles.

Driver's side leather seat wear bad.

Rotors warp very easily.

Climate control lights went out.

Passenger side window would not roll up.

General Comments:

The Nissan Maxima is overall been a great car. It is very reliable. There problems that I have had with the car are all very minor. When I purchased the vehicle, I purchased the extended warranty. When the engine coils went out, the Nissan dealer tries to rip me off by telling me that engine coils were not covered under this plan, yet the warranty manual states they were indeed covered. I called the Nissan plant and they said that it was covered. This goes to show you to always save important paperwork with the car, because without the warranty manual, I would have had to pay for the engine coils.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd July, 2005

2000 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0 from North America

Summary:

A proper sedan with guts--Rockin' the Sharkima!

Faults:

Ignition Coils at 70200

Mass air flow sensor at 70500

Moonroof motor at 70500

Front Struts 72000.

General Comments:

Bought car used from Chevy dealer in Long Beach, CA. They replaced all problem items except for the front struts under the month-long warranty.

Other than the problems at the outset, it's been a wonderful car. It's very quiet, smooth and comfortable. When I have passengers they often think it's a new car! The only options that we didn't get were the heated seats and traction control, but in SoCal, what's the point? The stereo sounds great, the leather is holding up well and when you step on the gas, it really gets moving! Though it is a bit on the fat side when cornering and parking, it feels very light and responsive in regular traffic and on the freeway. The transmission (auto) is by far the most responsive/sporty that I've ever driven. You don't have to stand on the gas pedal in order to get it to kick down to a lower gear and it seems to know when you're going up a hill. Very nice.

The seats are for fat people as they're very wide. If I'm wearing wool pants and take a corner too fast, I end up sliding around on the leather!

My only real beef with this car is the fragile paint. If someone sneezes near this thing, I have a new paint chip. The rubber door rails that are supposed to keep other people from adding door dings look like hell because they are apparently made of black silly putty.

The premium fuel requirement is a bit of a drag and you just can't get away with using the cheap stuff--if you do, you'll be rewarded with an unpleasant knocking sound everywhere you go!

Regarding the MAF and ignition coils, the dealer said that there IS a recall, but Nissan doesn't state it. The dealer told us that they didn't have to pay for the parts when the requests were made, so for those of you with problems, you might want to investigate further.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd June, 2005

12th Dec 2008, 14:01

Original poster here.

Since posting, I have replaced the tires with some Yokohama performance tires and handling has DRASTICALLY improved. Can't say enough how well this car corners now. MUCH better.

The issue with paint chips remains and the bumpers are in pretty ugly shape--perhaps I'll have them repainted or something.

The driver's side door hinges are starting to fatigue and as a result, the door does not close cleanly, bumping the bottom door sill on the way shut. I understand that replacing the hinges fixes this issue.

The seat belt retractor on the driver side is getting lazy and I often have to stuff the seat belt back down to the winder. Annoying, but not awful.

It also now makes the funny startup sound that is impossible to describe which seems to be the valve timing control sprocket. There is a TSB (NTB30-060) on this but it seems to be more of an annoyance than anything else. I got used to my old Sentra doing this and after 160,000 miles nothing bad ever happened--so I'm leaving it alone.

Still a good car and I enjoy driving it quite a lot.