1997 Nissan Maxima SE review from North America
"Not worth the cost"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Toyo tires - two bubbled up on the side at approx. 27k miles. Were still under warranty. Dealer said deal with Toyo directly. Toyo said take it to a Toyo dealer so I did. Without ever looking at the tires, they said it was a road hazard which isn't covered. I asked what kind of road hazard hits tires on opposite sides of the tires on a car at the same time? They wanted an outrageous $300 each for new ones. I took it to a local guy to me, who took off the old tires and explained that if it was a road hazard the tires show damage on the inside. These did not. He then put Continentals on it for $200 total. They currently have 48k miles on them.
Air bag - the light came on three times. Twice under warranty and they replaced a harness. Then it happened a third time after the warranty expired and they wanted $260. How many more times will it have to be replaced?
Wood trim interior - melts and bubbles up within a couple of years even though I protected it. Devon Nissan quoted over $300 to replace two pieces that were approx. 8 inches long. I got on the Internet, bought them for $80 (which I still thought was expensive) and they were self adhering, so it took me 10 minutes to install.
Remote battery burned out. You can't just replace the battery. It cost approx. $150 for the dealer to reprogram it. So I bought a new one off the Internet for $25 and a dealer reprogrammed that one for free??? I don't understand.
Most importantly was the electrical problems. In the car everything is electronic. The wiring was shorting out constantly. It cost hundreds of $ and may reach a thousand $ for the dealer to find a short and replace it.
Devon Nissan - very unhelpful, unfriendly and ridiculously expensive.
Don't buy into their special group which is supposed to get you priority service. It is wasted money.
General comments?
Attractive, fast, smooth car, but I never found respectible service in PA/NJ/DE area and for the markup/expense of the car and the cost of repairs/parts, you might as well get a BMW or the like.
Recommended reviews
| It was fast- now it is faster - And still ticking |
|
| Overall a good car, but mine might have been abused |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 5000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 75000 miles |
| Previous car | Volkswagen GTI |
| Date of Entry | 31st July, 2001 |