2002 Nissan Maxima

10 yrs old, 184k miles and still a blast to drive

By AZ (NC) on Tuesday, May 07, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 184,000

Pros: "great to drive, with the 6 speed manual"

Cons: "some cabin noise"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Hard to find fault with this car. Even after 11 years and 184,000 miles, I still enjoy driving it. The sporty suspenion is so much more fun to drive than competitors, and the 6 speed manual makes it. Period. The 255 horses are still very strong and gives you plenty of passing power, regardless of where you are (on a winding country road, or running 80 mph on an interstate and need to get around someone). Comfort is good, with good seat bolsters. Both the interior and exterior have aged well (I have taken good care of this, but again, not all of this can be attributed to the owner)."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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Driven daily since 2002. Great motor, dependable

By Catch22 (MA) on Monday, May 06, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 143,000

Pros: "Great 4 door sports car. Strong motor and very de"

Cons: "None"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"I have driven tis car daily since 2002. It has a great motor, smooth and lots of power. Its ben dependable since day 1. With 143,000 miles i have been doing alot of maintenance but overall this car has been great."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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Good, comfortable and reliable car

By 2001maxse (VA) on Monday, May 06, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 135,200

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"Bought used with 18K in 3 years. Now at 135K in 2013. Has been a very reliable car and extremely comfortable car. Has the automatic a/c and heat with leather and heated seats. Marked it down for driving dynamics due to poor turning radius. It rears it's head in many normal driving conditions like U turns and parking. Other than that I have loved and enjoyed my 2001 max SE!"

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Sporty with glitches

By Chris b (KY) on Wednesday, April 24, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 195,000

Pros: "Sporty, decent gas mileage, good power, reliable"

Cons: "Bad ergos, quirky mechanical issues"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 6

"I bought it used in 2005 with 89k miles and it now has 195k. No major repairs and the engine still sounds quiet and smooth. The timing chain design is a nice feature. 222hp gets it up hills in 5th no problem and still returns 28mpg regardless of highway speed. Very quiet too. The SE model has stiffer shocks and the 5 speed which really makes the most of this great engine. Repairs have been minimal with a starter at 125k miles and the CV boots torn at around 150k. AC and heat are still just fine. Various internal plastic parts clearly don't have UV stabilizers and appear to be disintegrating. The car is a dark charcoal color and the clearcoat is coming off the bumper and rear quarter panels, making it look terrible. My major complaint is the terrible driver ergonomics. Even with the tilt set fully up, the steering wheel is literally 8" above my legs, ie in my lap. I'm not a huge guy by any means at 6' but clearly Nissan dropped the ball positioning the wheel so darn low. And yes the seat is fully down. The clutch hose sprung a leak at 150k and made things interesting with the clutch pedal. One minute it would release at the floor, the next toward the top. It's an oft-talked about issue on various forums and I found a new hose to solve it. Part was $48 and took a while to bleed the system. SES light is always on. The two O2 sensor banks don't agree with each other and throw a code. We don't have emissions here but I can see this being a huge headache to those that do. It doesn't affect driveability. Power at nearly 200k is just the same as 89k. Ironically the passenger seating is fantastic with limo-like rear seating. Sometimes I wish someone would drive me around so I could sit in the back and relax. The trunk pass-through is a nice bonus for longer cargo. All switches still work and the auto down/up driver window switch is a nice touch as is the automatic headlights. Lastly it has developed the usual clunk at low speeds over speedbumps and the like. Steering and shocks are still tight so I suspect it's the swaybar bushings. Just a minor irritant really. Overall my car has been reliable and I wouldn't hesitate to go on a long road trip with it, but it hasn't been all roses."

3 people out of 3 found this review helpful

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Nice power!

By Stacy (FL) on Sunday, April 07, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 198,000

Pros: "Good enjoyable car, loyal, dependable"

Cons: "Pricey parts"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 9

"This is an excellent car to own! When everything is running properly and tuned, this car has power and zip. I would have so many miles on it that the parts are wearing down and this is the only reason to let it go. The parts can be pricey to repair the vehicle, but if cost is not a problem, it can be a wonderful car to keep. Gas mileage is ok, but with additives, this car can be a good selection"

3 people out of 4 found this review helpful

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Check whether it's California or Federal spec

By B Ray (GA) on Wednesday, December 05, 2012

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 152,000

Pros: "Fun to drive"

Cons: "Expensive for what you get, high repair costs"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 4

"As mentioned, check the VIN of the vehicle before you even think of purchasing it. There are 2 different versions of the 2000 Maxima floating around on the market - a California and a Federal version. The VIN number of the vehicle will reflect which version it is and can easily be checked on any search engine. The California version has some additional parts added to the exhaust/emissions system - when they fail, it's more difficult to figure out where the problem originated and much more expensive to get replacement parts. I'm currently in the process of deciding whether mine is worth fixing or not. The repairs needed are necessary to pass emissions and the costs are likely to be roughly 50% of the car's KBB value. This being said, before it started to break down on me it was a pretty nice vehicle. Ample power and quite fun to drive. Fuel economy isn't stellar, but it's far from terrible. I suspect that if I'd gotten a Federal spec vehicle, I'd have nicer things to say about the car. As it stands, though, if the VIN indicates a California spec vehicle then I'd recommend looking at other options."

18 people out of 18 found this review helpful

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