2005 Nissan Maxima Reviews

Ummm... after 15 months and 20,000km, nothing.

Bought as a replacement for an Alfa 166 that was single-handedly keeping the Italian economy afloat (I sold it at the beginning of last year, and they went down within months. Coincidence? I think not).

It's bigger. It's more comfortable. It's a lot quieter. It's more powerful. It's faster. It's much less thirsty. Everything works. It is completely reliable (is there even a word for "reliable" in Italian?). It has a rather elegant if bulky style.

But it is like driving a floating armchair. It feels like a big car, and you drive it like one. The Alfa just begged you to cut down a gear or two, and slice it through the corners. The Nissan just wants you to sit back and waft along.

Will I buy another. Of course, but I'll never forget the Alfa.

Also worth pointing out on these forums that the NZ/Aus comments refer to the J35 model that is a Japan/Asia only model, and completely different from the US assembled Maxima that seems to have caused so much grief.

The first thing mechanically that went wrong with the car, was the driver's side automatic window. Just started grinding, & the window wouldn't go up or down. Got stuck half-way up, & pushed it up manually to close it, & put clear tape along the top of the window. Had to buy the motor.

Sometimes the passenger door lock gets stuck when using the remote, so have to make sure that door is locked. And when opening, your passenger is locked out. Just annoying, but not going to have a fit over it.

The chrome trim from the rear of the hood, that extends across the hood, down the sides of the windows, is discolored & flaking. Weird, because the chrome trims on both sides of the rear window are shiny - no problem. The trunk and roof clear coat is gone. The side view mirrors are discolored. Maybe all the above exterior problems are because of me not washing/waxing it enough, while living in a salty, hot, sunny climate.

The interior dash is not up to par. The silver area by the CD slot has a black smudge mark that I can't get off. The slots that hold the sun shades are both having problems. Passenger side-piece fell off. Driver's side - it keeps unscrewing.

The one air conditioning fan broke. That is after the car overheated due to my negligence, because there was no fluid. Don't know if the fan broke because of that.

Due to horrible road conditions where I live, & it being hilly, brakes need to be replaced, I assume more than often. Rotors too. I'm lucky I go over 40 miles per hour.

Both V-belts were changed. Not because they snapped. But they were getting dry & worn. So I replaced them while I was getting my brakes, rotors, and air conditioning fan done. My mechanic did all that work for a very decent price, because I gave up on the dealership. Too expensive & rips you off. Also, misdiagnosed a problem with the radiator.

Now about the transmission. I haven't noticed anything as of yet. Or maybe I just am undereducated about how to recognize the problems. I am assuming I have a semi-automatic, because I can drive automatic or shift in a separate area off automatic gear. I only shift to 2nd gear when going down this one steep hill occasionally.

I will check with my mechanic to see if he notices any transmission problems. Let him test drive it.

I don't drive the car everyday, but sometimes when I do, it does get a work-out.

I bought the car in Northeastern PA, & the mechanics there were nice when I went for oil changes & maintenance checks. But then I moved to the United States Virgin Islands, & shipped it down here, which cost money. The dealership here is horrible.

I bought the car new & cash. Always wanted a Max.

Like the style of the car.

When lived in states, it did have power. Still does, but nowhere to use it. I got it up to 115 miles per hour while in PA. Also, nice to have heated seats & steering wheel for the cold winters.

Bose sound system is great. Works for me.