1990 Nissan Maxima SE review from North America

When I first got the car, it was fine. It still had the original V6 engine (which was VERY powerful, even with the mileage) and ran like a dream. My dad took the car to a mechanic to get some maintenance-type work done. The mechanic already had the engine out so my dad decided it would be best to go ahead and replace the timing belt. He told the mechanic, who then said that he'd already done it. Come to find out, he didn't, and it broke one night when my mom was passing another vehicle. Engine was shot. It's now packing the same kind of engine, only rebuilt. The "new" engine is fine, but I'd do anything to have the original engine back. Also, I would have loved it if dad had gone ahead and got the high-output DOHC engine and dropped in it. I think this ran around $700.

Another major problem was the torque converter. When I first started driving it I was a jackass and decided it'd be high funny to rev the engine up and slam the thing into 1st gear. Later on, the converter stripped out. It's got a new converter new and it's running fine. This ran about $600.

The power windows are being weird now. They hesitate really badly when there's moisture on the windows. Also, I can roll them all down using the driver's door controls, but I have to use each individual switch to roll them up. It's a pain... especially while driving.

The power steering unit sprung a leak somewhere. I had a new hose put on and it helped a bit, but the washers shipped were the wrong size. I got it fixed just recently. All-in-all it was about a $200 dollar job.

Now I'm going to have to buy new CV joints. The aforementioned power steering leak leaked all over the passenger side engine bay and on everything below it. It got all over the CV boot and softened it to the point to where it ripped right in half. So basically, one side is just open to environmental abuse.

The Bose stereo system sucked. I had a full Pioneer system installed in its place, but it was a pain. Bose should stick to home systems.

Though it's had, and still has, it's problems... I like the car. It's an automatic, which is not quite my favorite way to drive, but it's still very fast. I've had it running close to 140, and it wasn't wide open. I RARELY floor it. Plus, this was before I did a few little "mods" to it. Since then, I've put on a Flowmaster muffler (the stock muffler was due to be replaced anyway), a high-flow intake, and gutted the catalytic converter. I advanced the timing *slightly*. Now the thing will really go. I would love to do more, performance-wise and aesthetic-wise, but I'm looking for a new car now (a 300ZX Twin Turbo, Z32). I'd recommend a car like this to anybody. I've seen a car that looks just like mine burn several little Civics and Integras, with fewer mods to boot...

These Maximas have almost all you could ask for in a performance sedan. Lots of power (even with an auto. trans.), great handling, and roomy interior.