Any Maxima owners out there? For comparison

[MASTER YOTA]

Ok well back in May my Camry got totaled. I have been looking regularly in the state for a replacement 3rd or 4th generation v6, but just havent been able to find a v6 that isnt beat to crap, or without 290k miles on it for the money insurance gave me. a little over $4200

But i have been able to find a few es300 that i almost got, but out of 4 i looked at 2 of them had odometer discrepancies that made me run.

So i am considering a maxima, i dont really know much about them but wanted a quick comparison if anybody had any insight

1. I hear they have timing chains that should last the life of the car, with only possibly the tensioners being changed. Is this true, good or bad?

2. as far as STOCK does their v6 compare with the 1me v6 as far as "take off" from a light sorry dont know car talk for that lol

3. valve covers gaskets. Do they have as much problem with the leakage ?

4. would it be easier for a medium skilled person like me to reach and change the spark plugs and valve cover gaskets , than my old camry v6.

5. Any things i should look out for? or just dont compare to a camry?

[liensalebuyer]

the older ones (90 to 95) the o rings at the fuel injectors leak. I rented a 98 or 00 from Hertz and it made me consider buying one (drove to Vegas and back). A lady I know bought a 02 model and it was a lemon. I'm not big on the leak fuel from the o rings. My mechanic told me if I kept driving my Nissan, get a fire extinguisher in the passenger compartment too. Been Toyt and Honda with one MBZ ever since.

[SilverSoarer]

My experience with Nissan is that they are the worst of the Japanese Big 3. As previous post mentioned fuel system on Nissans are poorly designed.

Back in the early 1980s had a Nissan that had constant fuel injection and system issues. Looks like 30 years later Nissan still has the problem and has failed to fix design flaws.

If you are familiar with Toyota engines and have previously owned or maintained one - you'd be better off going with that - just search a bit more or outside your area.

At the very least, get a Honda before going Nissan.

[Bdub215]

The VQ motors while being probably the best motor to come out of japan, loves to burn oil. i had a 2005 Maxima (VQ35) come in to my job and the RO included a oil change and a big bottle of Lucas oil treatment. Car had 55K miles. the 2000-01's had MAF issues. but other then that their solid cars.

[bdy0003]

I didn't own a Maxima, but my brother did (91). The one big problem with it aside from lack of maintenance on his part was electrical. Very often did the power windows cut out and the security system was crap. In terms of engine, I dont think you can do much better than the 1mz-fe. The engine was alright, but I'd rather go with something you know is reliable.

[mail2_jb]

A good friend of mine owned a 02 maxima. It was flawless until 09. He had to change some suspension bushings, something with transmission etc. All in all he spent around $800. I don't recall anything about oil leak though. I've driven that car. Solid feel.

[carsrus]

Originally Posted by liensalebuyer

the older ones (90 to 95) the o rings at the fuel injectors leak. I rented a 98 or 00 from Hertz and it made me consider buying one (drove to Vegas and back). A lady I know bought a 02 model and it was a lemon. I'm not big on the leak fuel from the o rings. My mechanic told me if I kept driving my Nissan, get a fire extinguisher in the passenger compartment too. Been Toyt and Honda with one MBZ ever since.

That is 100% accurate. A buddy on mine had a 2000 pathfinder. I dont know what effin genius puts rubber fuel lines right at the rail but 5-6 years into it the high pressure line disintegrated and literally was shooting 50psi of fuel around the engine bay. I dont know how the fuck the car didnt start on fire. 3 years later the same thing happens with the replaced line. Most stupid fuel system design ever. The maxima shares the same thing.

[arabianobsession]

My husband and I have a 2000 Maxima, with the VQ30DE-K 3.0 V6 and a 5 speed manual transmission. It currently has 136k on it now, and it runs beautifully. Biggest problem with this year is the MAF sensor going out, which we replaced at 125k. I call it the Energizer Bunny, as it runs well 99% of the time. Also, when the flex pipe finally blew out, we replaced the front half of the exhaust with headers and an aftermarket downpipe. She sounds nice now

Avoid the 2002-2003 models, when they were first introduced with the 3.5 motor, they're big on oil leaks.

[#2!]

Also Ignition coils seem to have been a problem with maximas. Around 2000 I think. I've never owned a Maxima but known a few people who have. I did have a Altima and my experience with that was that everything is over torqued, cheap rubber(mounts hoses & seals)and fragile electronics.

[Killergroove]

Maximas do have timing chains so you do not have to worry about belt replacement. I have no idea about the tensioner replacement, I doubt that would be a part of regular maintenance.

I had a Maxima SE many years back and although it did not have a gasket leak, it surely had a crankcase leak. My aunt's GLE had electrical gremlins than disabled the entire audio system but I never had that problem. The spark-plugs can be replaced on the rear bank MUCH easier than the Camry, you can do it by feel. You do not have to worry about taking off a damn manifold. One day I would like to talk to a Toyota engineer and ask why they built that intake plenum like they did and why the hell the oil filter points down.

Maximas are quick cars, I doubt there is really any drop off in performance. Maximas had sub 7sec 0-60 times in the early 90's. They have insane top-gear acceleration for a sedan, it will smoke a 3rd or 4th gen (probably any Camry, really) from 50 to 80mph. Of course I had a manual transmission so maybe the comparison is unfair.

Overall I'd say the Camry will be more reliable over time. I've never, ever had to replace anything in my V6 Camry aside from what is called for during regular maintenance intervals (and a battery).

I don't know what your budget is but I know it is hard to find V6 Camry's in any case. What mileage range are you looking for?

[bdy0003]

This only happens if you compare an early 90s Maxima vs a Toyota camry with an I4. Maxima engine has 160hp, 182ft lbs. The camry v6 3vz-fe has 185hp, 189ft lbs and the 1mz-fe at the very least has 168hp, 183ft lb. The mid, late-90s maxima would smoke any stock camry, period.

Originally Posted by Killergroove

Maximas are quick cars, I doubt there is really any drop off in performance. Maximas had sub 7sec 0-60 times in the early 90's. They have insane top-gear acceleration for a sedan, it will smoke a 3rd or 4th gen (probably any Camry, really) from 50 to 80mph. Of course I had a manual transmission so maybe the comparison is unfair.

[Killergroove]

Originally Posted by bdy0003

This only happens if you compare an early 90s Maxima vs a Toyota camry with an I4. Maxima engine has 160hp, 182ft lbs. The camry v6 3vz-fe has 185hp, 189ft lbs and the 1mz-fe at the very least has 168hp, 183ft lb. The mid, late-90s maxima would smoke any stock camry, period.

The 92-94 Maxima SE's (DOHC, VVT) had the 190hp engine which was the precursor to the VQ, I think Nissan was trying out their VVT on those engines. The 95-99? were all 190 until the next re-design which bumped it to 220hp.

I thought the old Maxima 160 SOHC were really punchy off the line where the DOHC had to reel up like a turbo. Again, I had a manual which shaves a second off a 0-60 and probably the same off the quarter mile.

I'm not saying a Maxima would boat race a Camry off the line but it would be a little faster to hit 60.

[bdy0003]

You are correct sir. I just remember thinking that the one I drove was punchy but was pretty weak with regards to other V6 cars. This was a 91, so it didn't have much power.

Originally Posted by Killergroove

The 92-94 Maxima SE's (DOHC, VVT) had the 190hp engine which was the precursor to the VQ, I think Nissan was trying out their VVT on those engines. The 95-99? were all 190 until the next re-design which bumped it to 220hp.

I thought the old Maxima 160 SOHC were really punchy off the line where the DOHC had to reel up like a turbo. Again, I had a manual which shaves a second off a 0-60 and probably the same off the quarter mile.

I'm not saying a Maxima would boat race a Camry off the line but it would be a little faster to hit 60.

[ricamryman]

I had a 1994 Maxima with a 3.0 SOHC VG Motor! At 140 K miles I had to replace a fuel injector & when it was cold out in the winter I smelled a strong odor of gasoline 1st thing on the mornings on my way to work until it warmed up! I was scared over the gas smell!

[arabianobsession]

Originally Posted by bdy0003

You are correct sir. I just remember thinking that the one I drove was punchy but was pretty weak with regards to other V6 cars. This was a 91, so it didn't have much power.

Fast forward to 2000 and....
Street racing talk isn't allowed here on TN but I can tell you that my husband's Maxima definitely doesn't disappoint. Even against a new Taurus SHO (I know you won't all believe me...but remember....the SHO has an automatic, our Max has a manual. Makes a big difference ).

Another cool thing about the manual trans in our Max is that it's geared so that it's ALWAYS in the power band, even at highway speeds. No need to downshift to punch the gas.