Considering Buying a 02/03 Maxima 6MT

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zgendron
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2003 10:32 am
Car: 02 Maxima SE 6spd - 09 Nissan Versa SL CVT

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Hey All,

I'm in the market for a new car and have just started reading about the Maxima. I'm currently driving a 2000 Ford SVT Contour. For those unfamiliar, it's a great sports sedan. There were only about 10,000 SVT Contours made from 98-2000. It is a great car for the money! Check out http://www.contour.org for more info.

Unfortunately I think I've got a nasty valve problem, and I think a connecting rod bearing is on it's way out. Eitherway I don't think it's worth the cost of an engine rebuild.

Anyway I'm in the market for another manual sedan with a sporty side to it that won't cause me to break the bank. It seems like I can pick up an 02/03 with a 6MT one for about 13K.

After scanning through these thread, it looks like some of the common complaints about the 02/03 is that it's got a cable shift that isn't too smooth. I'm used to that now, so no worries.

Next it seems like the 3.5L consumes/leaks oil. Can anyone give me some more information about this? I'm curious to know how rampant of a problem this is, and what can be done to resolve it. Is it as simple as replacing the oil pan gasket?

What are some common problems with this car that I should look for? I think I saw someone mention the coils. What's the problem here, and what do the grey dots on the coils mean? Is this a problem with the 3.5L?

One thing I've enjoyed in my last 2 cars are foldable 60/40 rear seats. Does this car have folding rear seats? Was it an option?

Finally, and I realize this is an enthusiast website, but would you recommend this car? What kind of maintainence is required to keep this car running trouble free?

Hopefully I haven't worn out my welcome with such a long post.

Thanks in advance everyone!- Zack


LA02MAX
Posts: 169
Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:22 pm
Car: 2002 6-speed maxima
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zgendron wrote:Hey All,

I'm in the market for a new car and have just started reading about the Maxima. I'm currently driving a 2000 Ford SVT Contour. For those unfamiliar, it's a great sports sedan. There were only about 10,000 SVT Contours made from 98-2000. It is a great car for the money! Check out http://www.contour.org for more info.

Unfortunately I think I've got a nasty valve problem, and I think a connecting rod bearing is on it's way out. Eitherway I don't think it's worth the cost of an engine rebuild.
I was actually looking at those when I was in high school. As you mentioned, they're very good cars for the price but the quality was what turned me away from them sadly.
zgendron wrote:Anyway I'm in the market for another manual sedan with a sporty side to it that won't cause me to break the bank. It seems like I can pick up an 02/03 with a 6MT one for about 13K.
Yes you can eaisily pick up a 6-speed for the price listed with a moderate amount of mileage.
zgendron wrote:After scanning through these thread, it looks like some of the common complaints about the 02/03 is that it's got a cable shift that isn't too smooth. I'm used to that now, so no worries.
In my personal experience, there aren't many other car's shifters out there that I like better than my maxima's. My brother's mini cooper, my stepmom's audi A4, and my aunts BMW 3 series all felt like I needed to work a lot more, but that's just me. However, the Honda s2k, the new altima, and the mazda miata shifters are worlds better than my 6-speed max in terms of feel.

There are some that complain about the shifter being notchy, though but much of the 'notchiness' can be cured by replacing the tranny oil with some redline MT-90 and applying some white lithium grease to the bearings inside.
zgendron wrote:Next it seems like the 3.5L consumes/leaks oil. Can anyone give me some more information about this? I'm curious to know how rampant of a problem this is, and what can be done to resolve it. Is it as simple as replacing the oil pan gasket?
There are very few out there (in the grand scheme of things) that have this problem. So few that nissan has not yet announced the problem. We're not 100% sure about what causes the oil burning issue, but many believe it to be scoring or glazing in the cylinder walls allowing oil to get passed the rings...It would be a good thing to get an extended warranty (I bought my car at 30k and I have a warranty till it reaches 130k) just in case, but the chances are greater that you will get a car that has no problem.
zgendron wrote:What are some common problems with this car that I should look for? I think I saw someone mention the coils. What's the problem here, and what do the grey dots on the coils mean? Is this a problem with the 3.5L?
Many have also had this problem, but the issue is mainly with the 02's not the 03's because they have 'updated' coils. The coils with the grey dots on them are the updated supposedly stronger coils. It's more of a problem on the 3.0 than it is on the 3.5
zgendron wrote:One thing I've enjoyed in my last 2 cars are foldable 60/40 rear seats. Does this car have folding rear seats? Was it an option?
sure does.
zgendron wrote:Finally, and I realize this is an enthusiast website, but would you recommend this car? What kind of maintainence is required to keep this car running trouble free?
I have had to replace an o2 sensor, which was covered under warranty, and I actually elected to get a new transmission (under warranty of course), because mine was grinding going into third gear due to a synchro failure. The problem wasn't serious at all, and it did not prevent me from getting it into gear, it was just annyoing. It's a fairly common problem. Other than that, it's been bulletproof and so far I've only done oil changes in the 34k miles I've owned it in. I meant to do a 'tune up' at 60k but I just can't afford it yet. Still runs great though and throws you back in the seat! With some suspension mods, it's a VERY good all around car. One other maintenence issue I would like to mention is the MAF. I have not had it happen, but many people blow MAF's but you can get the 2001 MAF for ~$90 and swap the IAT resistor from your old one instead of buying the $440 2002-2003 MAF. Good luck with your purchase!

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zgendron
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2003 10:32 am
Car: 02 Maxima SE 6spd - 09 Nissan Versa SL CVT

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Hey.

Thanks for your quick reply. I went to the dealer last night and I negotiated a great price on this car. I certainly wasn't ready to buy, but at that price couldn't walk away.

I got a 02 Maxima 6MT with 40K miles for about $10.5K.

Car seems great so far. I might be interested in extended warranty options, but this was a Toyota dealer, so I didn't want to get it there. I'm looking online for one now.

So now that I'm an owner, what can you recommend?

Thanks All!

LA02MAX
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Joined: Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:22 pm
Car: 2002 6-speed maxima
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zgendron wrote:Hey.

Thanks for your quick reply. I went to the dealer last night and I negotiated a great price on this car. I certainly wasn't ready to buy, but at that price couldn't walk away.

I got a 02 Maxima 6MT with 40K miles for about $10.5K.

Car seems great so far. I might be interested in extended warranty options, but this was a Toyota dealer, so I didn't want to get it there. I'm looking online for one now.

So now that I'm an owner, what can you recommend?

Thanks All!
Wow, that was quick! Great price, too. What kind of options does it have? I would first suggest getting some better suspension. If you don't want to lower it very much and would like to keep the ride as close to stock as possible, I would suggest getting some H&R springs and tokico illumina struts. You can get these both from ebay most of the time, but if you cant find them there just google it. That was my only large complaint with my car when I got it, because I figured it was quick enough, and it already looks pretty good. Like I mentioned before, maintenence has been minimal so I'm sure you won't have any trouble until 60k. Good luck with your new car!

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maxhopper
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Car: 02 Maxima SE 6spd
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Congrats on the purchase. I'm sure you'll be very happy.

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zgendron
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2003 10:32 am
Car: 02 Maxima SE 6spd - 09 Nissan Versa SL CVT

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Thanks Guys,

In terms of options, it's pretty standard. Cloth, no moon/sun roof, no Traction Control.

Not sure what all the options were, but this is a fairly basic SE. For that price, I'm ok with it.

I'll take a look at the suspension options too. I'm still trying to get a full feel for the car.

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audtatious
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Did you by chance see the 2k2 review? It does suggest some upgrade directions.

http://www.nicoclub.com/review...shtml

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zgendron
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Sep 27, 2003 10:32 am
Car: 02 Maxima SE 6spd - 09 Nissan Versa SL CVT

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audtatious wrote:Did you by chance see the 2k2 review? It does suggest some upgrade directions.

http://www.nicoclub.com/review...shtml
Great Review! Based on everything I've seen, heard, and read, it looks as if I'll have a troublefree ride for some time.

Thanks, - Zack


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