The Compact Disk's player's left channel sometimes cuts out, especially while playing disk 4 of 6.
The 200-watt Bose sound system's base was not as strong as I had anticipated, even though the system includes a sub woofer.
A strange grinding noise can be heard from the wheels when the car makes a sharp left-hand turn, which is probably minor.
The tires provided looses its traction in wet snow, as I have found out while sliding into a guardrail this past winter.
This was my dream car. The only "nightmare" was when I discovered that the 17-inch aluminum alloy rims with the all-season steal-belted radial tires just could not handle Ottawa's harsh winters as well as the old Altima's tires were able to.
The damage was repaired and the car still performs admirably. I have the 6-speed manual transmission SE, and I don't know about 0-60 times and quarter-mile times, but I can easily get it up there to 140 kph within 10 seconds! Makes merging into highway traffic a breeze!
A word for that guy too busy "beefing up" his V8 pick-up truck, I have two things to say:
1: The Maxima has a 6-Cylinder Engine, you blockhead, not to mention the Maxima is a heavier vehicle, and...
2: Have you gone up against the new 2002 model with 255 horses under the hood, instead of 222? Something tells me the new Maxima can put up a better show than you anticipate.
On dry Pavement, the car feels like it sticks to the road like glue, thanks to the sport-tuned suspension. If I wanted to, I could easily take curves at twice the posted speed limit. Emphasis on the word "EASILY"!
On the negative side, I get the impression that the stick is a little on the "clunky" side. The clutch doesn't always allow the stick to slide into gear, and I've already stalled the engine far many more times than I have had with the 3 years that I've had with the Altima. This also can be "painful" when you're accelerating and the the clutch "crunches" second gear! (With the Altima, it was 3rd gear.)
I to Have a 2002 Maxima SE 6 speed. Nissan just replaced both 2nd & 3rd gear under warranty. First thing in the morning I have no 2nd gear until this car warms up. The head wrench said not to use, but use 3rd instead, ummmpppp.
Grinds in 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, not toooooo shabby. Anyone else having 6 spd problems. You can email me @ windmere@comcast.net, thanks.
I ended up trading out of my '02 Maxima at 2 years old due to failing clutches with the 6-speed. I was on the third clutch by 47K highway miles and the dealer stopped offering to fix the problem and Nissan basically told me I was out of luck. The dealer also admitted it was an "undvertised recall" and mine was one of many they had seen with this problem. I have been driving standards for over 20 years and NEVER have had any trouble with any clutch. The quality and service from Nissan is terrible. On top of everything else, they basically admitted there was a real problem with the car when they offered me such a ridiculous trade in value (40% of original msrp at 2 years old). They didn't want the car back!! I loved this car when I bought it and I was so disappointed that it (and Nissan) failed me so miserably.
I've noticed that my 02 max has had a problem with the Bose system's left speaker channel cutting out when playing CD's. Very annoying in a 3 year old car that cost over 30K new. Has anyone seen any relief from Nissan on this issue? My car is well out of warranty having over 70K miles, but now if there was a recall...hmmmm...Email me at Chami90655@aol.com
Thanks!
The performance of the Maxima (oh my gawd!) and the ride quality is well worth the cost. If you have never driven an 02 or 03 Maxima, treat yourself to a test drive in one. Feel the immense power, the seamless transmission shifts, enjoy the wonderful ride and the handling of the suspension. And yes, you CAN outrun almost anything else with 4 doors on the road (probably 2 doors), all the way well past 100 MPH.
Use the steering wheels controls to work all functions on the radio, change functions on the trip computer and adjust your speed, all without taking your hands from the steering wheel. If you find one with a factory sunroof and it's a nice day, put the windows down, sunroof back and cruise! When it's time to lock this baby up, try this: Flip the "one touch sunroof" lever to close then pull back on the "auto up" windows for both the passenger and drivers side at the same time and watch the car close itself up. SWEEEEEEET!!!
On a hot day, you can roll down the windows from across the parking lot from the keyless remote. Note: Forget to roll the windows up before getting out of the car??? NO PROBLEM! Lock the doors with the key and hold it, the windows will roll themselves up for you.
You can find used 02, 03 maximas well equipped for $12-15,000. Search till you find your color, best price, then get it. Don't think about it, just do it!
I had that left speaker problem as well! The speaker didn't work sometimes; but only when using the CD player. When I was playing the radio, it was fine. It's a very annoying problem.
Note: A Comments RSS Feed 
is available. New comments appear in the Members Area before the main site