Is the 2002-2003 Nissan Maxima Reliable?

Question

I want to know if they are as reliable as the 4th generation (1995-1999) model. Any input?

You guys already know i award ten points fast as soon as i see an answer i like.

Answer 1

very reliable car,just take care of them and so on.My mom had a nissan maxima for about ten years and gave it to my grandpa which lasted him another 10 to 15 years

Answer 2

its a very good reliable car, it has plenty of power since it has a 3.5l v6 engine  with  255hp and 246lb ft of torque, plus if your getting one and i think it looks pretty cool too with its hid lights. if you maintain it properly it will last you up to 250,000 miles or more

Answer 3

What with the new Altima sporting a spanking 240 horses, as well as a bigger trunk and actually more interior room, is there any point in buying a Nissan Maxima anymore? In short, yes. And no.

Hard to explain, but there's just something about the Maxima that not only justifies it as a purchase, but justifies its further expense over the bigger, nearly-as-fast Altima. It's present not only in the way the Maxima looks and feels, inside and out, but also by the way it drives.

Whereas the Altima was really the first harbinger of Nissan's continuing spiral into great value at the sacrifice of cabin quality, the Maxima's interior, dating from the 2000 model year, feels incredibly solid and well made.

The plastics are thick and dense, of a much higher quality than the company's more recent offerings. The metallic finishes are fake, true, but at least the metallic paint on the door handles and the centre console has a clear-coated finish, meaning it won't rub off. The controls for the audio and climate systems are huge, logically arranged, and look like high-class stereo equipment. The leather on the seats feels like leather, not vinyl, the pedals are metal with rubber inserts instead of flimsy plastic, and every control moves with well-oiled, precise motions.

Sitting inside the Maxima, it's not so you'd notice that the Altima's actually a bigger car. There's still more than enough space in this V6 sedan for four adults to stretch out in total comfort. The rear seats, even with the fronts pushed all the way back, have great head- and legroom as well as comfortable cushions; big glass and a low beltline contribute to a generally airy feel, even with the black leather interior.

Complaints? The front-seat cushions don't provide adequate thigh support, and the steering wheel, even at its lowest setting, still tilts up school-bus-like toward the windshield.

Otherwise, this Nissan - from its ingenious steering-wheel-mounted audio controls to its intuitive sunroof slider, to the redesigned-for-'03 window switches - is an ergonomic masterpiece.

The Maxima's exterior isn't aging as well as its plush interior, however. Its generic dumpling shape is now the last vestige of the Nissan-of-old, and the high hood and low tail still look awkward from most angles (and contribute to a trunk that's really deep but not very tall).

Get the SE trim, however, and it does look a lot better, thanks to spiky 17-inch tires, a subtle rear spoiler, and some interesting detailing. Its xenon headlights, mounted in shiny metallic turrets, have a weapons-grade appearance reminiscent of the Infiniti Q45, the rear lamps are encircled by mean-looking bevelled housings, and the grille badge has an almost gunfighter-belt-buckle look to it, it's so prominent on the car's big nose. Other nice touches? Twin chrome tailpipes and one of the nicest, richest shades of metallic gray paint I've ever seen on a car.

On the road, Maxima betrays its age through the hip-hopping motions of its multi-link-beam rear suspension, but otherwise remains a premium-class drive. The 255-hp engine (15 hp more than in the Altima) wafts the car along on a wave of silent torque, but it'll sing, too, if you want and hold each gear to the redline. The brakes are powerful and respond to a mere brush of the pedal, and the drivetrain remains eerily hushed well into three-digit speeds (too bad there's a lot of wind noise at those same speeds).

The six-speed manual shifter (exclusive to the SE), however, is kind of clunky; as much as I like the involvement of manuals, I'd say go for the automatic here, especially as it's a quick-shifting, responsive unit that matches well with the engine's linear power delivery.

Premium-class drive and furnishings or not, Maxima's newly elevated base price - even base GXEs are now $40,000 - is cause for pause.

If you're willing to put up with an interior that's not quite as nice, and a slightly less insulated driving experience, an Altima SE starts to look like quite a deal, especially when, with a multi-link rear suspension cribbed from the Japanese-market Skyline sports car, it both handles and rides better than the Maxima. Indeed, with the same Bose stereo, xenon lights, 17-inch wheels and leather of my tester would be almost $10,000 less - though it would indeed be a few ponies and one transmission gear down.

Maxima's last major redesign was in 1999, when it was introduced as a 2000 model, so a completely new 2004 isn't that far away. It'll be interesting to see, given the Altima's success, how Nissan will go about moving the Maxima upmarket.

Until then, this remains a fine car, and despite the encroachment from below, a pretty good value for a fast, quiet V6 sedan.

HIGHS Smooth, quiet engine Huge interior space Solid feel LOWS Clip-cloppety ride Wind noise Clunky six-speed Laurance Yap (yap @ mac.com) prepared this report based on a vehicle provided by the automaker.

And from my-self I've known a coup