The short question: Can someone tell me which years of the I30 and Maxima are the problem years for the apparently well-documented engine coil and sensor problems?

The back story: I'm taken with how much less a used I30 or a Maxima can be had for relative to competing marques (e.g. Lexus Es300 or Toyota Avalon). The Nissan products appear not to hold value so well, but since they're the equal of other brands in quality that makes them good used values. I'm looking at Maximas and I30s in the 1998-2002 range. Depending on mileage and overall condition these can be had for reasonable prices -- let's say north and south of $5,000, depending on specifics. But what I read in the user reviews at Edmunds dot com and Carsurvey dotr org has scared me off and convinced me that there's a real problem with these cars with engine coils, oxygen sensors and airflow sensors. Can someone tell me if these problems afflicted the I30 the same as the Maxima? When did Nissan get this issue corrected, and which years are the "watch out" years and the "desirable" years.

And let me tell you ... if you haven't checked out the reviews at Edmunds for the 2000 Maxima you should. I mean it's literally 2 out of three owners that are griping about this issue.

Any advice?

Pete

Regardless of make, as a used car buyer, you have to do your own research, inspection and thorough test drive (city streets and highway) to find out if the car you are getting meets your requirements. A CarFax report is a starting point, vehicle maintenance history is recommended and due diligence will give you a better idea whether the car was well-maintained or abused/neglected by previous owner.

The I30/Maxima you are looking have better than average reliability. The 2004 4-speed Automatic Maxima was a problematic model. Regardless of make, O2 sensor typical lifetime is 100K miles. Most of the MAF sensors problems I've seen are related to gunk accumulation caused by irregular air filter replacement or worse, usage of oil-based filter. I've seen ignition coil problems but not specific to any model year.

IMO, for as long as you used Tier 1 Premium fuel, have regular oil and filter change, replace the air filter annually and use a good quality fuel system cleaner twice a year, the engine and related components should last for a long time. For the automatic transmission, a pan drop with pan and magnet cleaning and filter replacement and then fluid replacement (flush is better) every two years should extend its lifetime. I also use LubeGard Red ATF Protectant after each fluid replacement/flush. I have 5 Infinitis and all of them have original transmissions, ignition coils, injectors, MAF sensors, etc.). I have replaced an O2 sensor and KS in the 99 I30 (it was rear-ended twice and the last collision repair was @ $10K paid by the other party).

Coil packs were an issue for the 2000,2001s and a very few 2002 maxs. They did an update to the coils. If you look at the coils, the updated coils will have a green dot on top of the coil pack. O2 sensors are hit and miss with just about any manufacture. My o2 sensors are still the original and are working great. They give me the proper error for have the cattman headers (Precats takin out). That's about it. Just about anythnig that affected the max affected the i30/i35 just as well. coilpacks included. The VQ engine in our cars has been highly rated and still is today. Cant beat that.

side note. I had a 2000 max that needed the coil pack update but my 2k2 did not.

Amen to the VQ30/35 - they are one of the best V6 engines. But with VQ37, I think they are pushing it to the limit and will probably have a shorter lifespan than the VQ30/35.

We will sure see since my G37 vert just got of teh truck today. Pickin her up tomorrow. Supercharge coming ni about a month.

Congratulations! That's a fast car. The new G and the M are great looking cars. I drove a stick version and wow - the acceleration and handling are great but of course with low profile tires, ride comfort is secondary.

Just make sure you check the oil consumption. As with competing cars, trying to squeeze out as much power from the same (or re-bored) engine, friction is reduced (to gain more horsepower) by loosening the piston rings which in some cases result to higher than normal oil consumption. So owners not aware about it may end up with oil-starved engines.

99=problem year. I know first hand

tigersharkdude wrote:99=problem year. I know first hand

Did you have the 1999.5 Basically a lot of the 5th gen stuff in the 99 model. I know those were plagued. but i didnt think the before 99.5s were

I have a 99 with a build date of late 98. Right at 160k, ive replaced 3 coil packs, and am currently waiting on a CEL to replace the 4th