2003 Nissan Maxima consumer reviews

I've owned one of these for just over a year and put about 10,000km on it (225,000 to 235,000). The good: -Performance is amazing and the car has plenty of pep. -Handling is phenomenal and it feels lighter than it is. You can really toss this thing around without issue. -Interior looks sharp, although mine is beginning to wear a little; still, good condition for the year. -Very minimal rust especially given the age and mileage. -Interesting and unique exterior design (it doesn't really look like anything else on the road). -Amazing visibility thanks to large windows, minimal tint, and a low "belt line." -Good steering feel; I always felt like I knew what was going on. The bad: -The 6-speed manual has slightly jerky shifts and is geared very low. Nissan recommends shifting into 6th gear at only 80km/h so highway driving it done at a high RPM. -The clutch has a long, stiff travel and an abrupt bite-point right in the middle. You have to move your left foot up two inches, carefully ease the next inch, and then up the rest of the way. I got used to it, but it's a challenging manual compared to most. -Side mirrors are weirdly small; I had to rely on the windshield-mounted mirror a lot more than on other cars (thankfully rear-visibility is exceptional). Summary: An excellent drivers car. I found it very engaging and driving it was always a blast. Sad to have to let it go, but mine was not well taken car of by previous owners and has too many small (often cosmetic) issues to be worth completely repairing.

Hey guys I just bought this car in 2022 November and now we in May 2023 I can say I was lucky to have one for 1500 on 86000km on dash and I’m happy. The car has had a few maintenance do it as it came in with spark plug issues and such and all I can say is in this Canadian weather bearing how old she is, she’s done it ! And now we in summer and I can’t get enough she’s my first car as I’m in college my last year. Hoping to keep her afee months then sell her off she’s amazing !!! I’m surprised how she still runs 20yrs after and yea she’s fast asf !!! 275hp or something like that!

If I'm being honest, the 2003 was really the last great year for Maximas. Their quality and reliability in the years that followed just were not the same. I owned a 1994 Maxima SE and put on 236,000 miles before 2nd gear in my auto started slipping. That was the only major problem I had with the car. So, I got it rebuilt and put on another 100,000 miles before selling it and buying a 1998 Infiniti i30 which is basically the same as the 1998 Maxima GLE. I put 250,000 on that before looking to get a replacement. I tried finding a Maxima/i30/i35 in the 2000-2003 year range, but had no luck. I finally opted to buy a used 2016 Hyundai Elantra with 12k miles on it three years ago for which I got a great deal. I put 80,000 miles on it. With gas prices in the $4.35 range, I'm glad I opted to get something with better gas mileage (which I made to be just as quick as my old 1998 i30). If you happen to find a 2003 Max or one in the 2000-2002 year range that's in good shape, BUY IT and never look back.

Loved this car..bought it new and kept it until 2020. Was a trade in on a Honda CR-V. No mater I still have my 2008 Maxima. The 03 was kept up as to maintenance and was kept inside of a garage. Money wise on upkeeps, not counting cost of oil changes or gas, I spent around 10K in the 17 years on rocker arm cover leaks, plugs, radiator, ac compressor, idler arm ( I think a repair shop caused that failure) oil pain, front struts, power steering hose, and brakes. Still in all it was a fun car to drive and had plenty of power and looked sporty.

The car is great runs well and never gave me a problem, could see it going another 200000 miles. Overall would recommend car as a first car.

Excellent. At 236,000 miles, still drives as smooth as butter. Does anyone has the same car with higher mileage and still driving? I am curious.

Great car for commute. I go back and forth from carrollton to atlanta almost every weekend.Gets great gas mileage. Id recommend this car to anyone with a college student.

This car has everything you need. Very comfortable and reliable. The 3.5 liter 270HP is perfect.I use this car every day with no issues.Couldn't have a better car.

I bought a 2003 SE new, although I thoroughly love the cars handling and acceleration, you better be especially prepared to spend inordinate amounts of money on repairs! Lower control arms, motor mounts, radiator, catalytic converter, cam shaft positioning sensor, steering rack, and on and on! Nissan parts are outrageously expensive as is their service department, so good luck with that!

Well I absolutely love the style of everything in or on this car. But...I'm not sure if I've the only person to ever have this kind of strange problem. And still I love this car for some odd reason. So here goes and please feel free to comment cause I would love to figure out the problem. But a couple weeks ago going down the road everything was great. Then lights started to flicker. Okay my 1st indication was alternator and lost power as well only for a second. So I proceed on down the road and it was fine the next few weeks. Then it started to lose power the gas pedal would just go limp. But the car still running and could still rev up motor only in N or P. Makes no sense right. So it did that a couple times. Keep I'm my I've had all that checked like Alternator and battery checked they both were in good condition. So about 6 weeks into this I still have no clue what is going on. I'm taking it to an actual mechanic this coming up week. But it just is so curious as to what may be going on. Any advice please feel free. I just want this car to last a year or 2 more its right over 100,000 miles.