Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

I am not a new member here though I have been gone long enough to maybe be considered new lol.

I used to own an 04 Maxima SE that I traded in for an 05 Dodge Ram Quad Cab Hemi when they were having their employee pricing. I had alot of issues with my Maxima and honestly it was in the shop more than it was on the road. The sunroof, the glove box, the infamous shimmy....it just got old and I made a bad decision.

So now, my lease is up on my truck in July...since about 2 years ago I have been kicking myself for getting rid of the max....daily lol. I'm considering a used '05-'06 SE. I know alot of the issues I mentioned were basically on the '04's and some stragler '05's. I'm bsically looking to see if alot of poblems were corrected on these years. What should and shouldn't I look for? If there are specific links, please send them my way....I miss the car terribly but don't want to get into the same situation I was in, especially with a used car...being that most of them will be damn near close to the 36k mark if not over.

Thanks

SickSE

Most FREAKIN definately! My 04 has almost 80K and has not once seen the inside of a repair shop. Except for oil of course. It's hard for me to believe this car has so many problems with mine being such a great car to me. Get another max man, I never get tired of mine and I can see why you would miss yours so much. (pickup) I know the hemi's are quick but I'm sure they would not touch the 3.5.

jsmithsole

iTrader: (5)

First off welcome back!! (possibly) Secondly, yes it seems as if most of the problems have been fixed. At least from what we hear around here. And I also have an 04 that saw none of those problems...some of us just got lucky I guess!!

I'm sure Lightonthehill can chime in with some wisdom!!!

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

hubs, particularly ones on the right
shimmy-solved
skyview recall
rear subframe recall
struts
lumbar recall

I can't think of anything else.
For the most part, you hit the nail on the head, as in most of the issues have been addressed, and resolved.
I sold mine last month and am completely ill without it. I will own another one soon.

If you're looking for one that comes from someone here, check out Ritz's. He just listed his for sale. Maybe shoot him a pm?

Swee

SmokinMaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Purchased an 04 Max certified with 23K. At 32K the Alternator died and it had to be towed leaving me stuck blocking a lane. Then at 36k the engine needed to be replaced. I had 4 out of 5 oil changes at the dealer and they were asking me to show oil change documents. Nissan's warranty is more reliable than the car,so make sure you get one. Now the bose cd player won't play a single disk or track until almost 20 minutes after the entire car warms up. There is a clicking on the front passenger side wheel when I drive over tiny road bumps.

Other than that, I enjoy driving the Beast and playing with the manual mode. Sometimes if I give it gas in third gear the front tires won't grip until I let off the gas doing around 80mph or more.

SickSE

and I totally dusted this C6 last night. Max FTW!!!!

SmokinMaxSE

iTrader: (1)

Good Kill !

Fastmax05

iTrader: (17)

Knock on wood but not a problem yet...

Like swee and others have said... most problems have been solved...

Come back to the max family , you wont regret it at all.....


Only regret i have, is not searching HARDER for a 6 spd... LOL... A little morefun ... but overall SUPERB car!!!!

RHMax

I think Ritz's is a 6MT. Anyway, 2 1/2 years and no problems with my 05. 06 has a few more new stuff like lighted steering wheel buttons and available bluetooth. Good luck.

QwikKota

iTrader: (3)

Hah, good one, keep em coming. 400hp and lighter than a Max. Physics must not work in your state.

xoomer.com

iTrader: (19)

LOL. He forgot to mention that it was grandma coming back from church.

xoomer.com

iTrader: (19)

As to the topic. You don't want to ask me as I had a LOT of problems with it. All has been solved and I've been smooth sailing for about 20K.

blackmax07

you sure you didn't just do a ricer fly by aha

Fastmax05

iTrader: (17)

seems like the only people who did have probs were the 04's... and not all of them.. just some...

I say go for a 06 6spd in SMOKE!

xoomer.com

iTrader: (19)

could be. My bro doesn't drive much (only about 20K so far) but the only problem he had was an axle. His is 05.

cefiro80

Nissan really stepped up the plate and fixed most problems in the subsequent years. I think it would be a good buy. Welcome back

Fastmax05

iTrader: (17)

Maybe the cold weather gets to the max?... I live in cali where right now at 10:30 am its 68`... with a high of 78 today ... gotta love january in cali...

anyway...

What type of problem w/ teh axle did he have ?

xoomer.com

iTrader: (19)

passenger's side went. dealer replaced it without any questions.

MaxEx

I have one of the last 04's and I have a few minor problems that need to be addressed.

-Sunroof motor is going out..(only slides about 2 inches, then I need to keep pressing the button to make it move further open.)

-Bose has cut out a couple times, but overall it's been ok.

-Front right strut is bad.

Be sure to check those 3 things for sure on your test drive, especially the first and third. The Bose would be tough to figure out if it wasn't cold. Take the car over some good bumps and make sure the tranny shifts fine in all gears both cruising and through hard acceleration. Good luck!

BigPete

iTrader: (2)

ive had alot of issues with my abs system. Had to have a new actuator, then the wheel sensors got "dirty" and my abs went crazy. Other then that and the Shimmy, the car has been great.

I would def go with an 05+ stay away from the 04 as a precaution. Better safe then sorry.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Mines problem free,

lightonthehill

My '04 has been problem-free the last three years. When looking at a prospect, I would suggest removing the metal plate in the bottom of front two doorframes that holds the carpet and pad in place, and look at the metal floor pan underneath the pad. If there is rust there, the sunroof drain tube in the 'A' pillar on the side with the rust in the footwell is/was blocked. This blockage can be fixed by the dealer in less than an hour (if it hasn't already been fixed on that particular car), but if the rust is already bad, you may choose to pass on the car.

4MySwee mentioned the steering wheel shimmy. Many have been able to fix this, but not all. And the fixes have varied. Can be frustrating, Be SURE to check for this at all speeds between 30 MPH and 80 MPH (or however fast you can go without endangering anyone).

Be sure to check every switch, bulb, fluid level/consistency and function in the entire vehicle. Finding out a month later that something you need to work was actually already broken at the time you closed the deal is no comfort.

minsbang

welcome back!!!

I'm at 120,000 miles on my '04 and it still runs like new!

chernmax

iTrader: (15)

In your absence, A 6th Gen even got Turbo'ed!!!

minsbang

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

Number 1 I'd like to thank you guys for such a warm welcome back possibly. I'm also a member of altimas.net and have been since '00. I posted a thread there looking for opinions on new cars and the thread got about 300 views and 5 replies....just goes to show the difference in the boards.

Anyway, I have been looking for an 05-06 Maxima for the last couple weeks and honestly have come up empty. Looks like alot of the problems have been repaired in '05 from the '04 models. I do appreciate the info that all of you have given me on what to look for etc. Definetly goin to take all of your advice into consideration.

I found one last night being an '05 SE w/ 18k on it....basicall full loaded minus the elite and journey package. Almost th same car I gave up but this one has the chrome wheel option. Dealership is only asking for $19k and we all know how that is a steal. Problem is that I honestly do not have the cash to lower those payments right now on a down payment and still owe $2k on my lease. If I could talk them down to maybe 17k (lol) and have them pay off the truck, I could put down maybe $2k and be in good shape......but somehow I really don't see that happening lol.....thanks again and I'm goin to continue my search.

jiking

iTrader: (1)

I thank smokin for asking thsi question and everyone else to answering. I went from a 92 to a 97 civic for better gas mileage(my old max was giving 19 MPG highway). Now that I barely drive my car to work, time to switch back to the max.

I saw a bunch of 04's but after reading this thread, i guess I will look towards an 05+ to avoid the possible problems.

1beastnstl

funny how things work out...... my dodge ram quad just got stolen so im lookin to get back in the Max "fam" the next couple of weeks ( had a 97gle and 02se 6sp) GREAT thread......

QwikKota

iTrader: (3)

I dunno, I think that price is a little high. A private seller would have it much lower. Hard to find miles that low on an 05 but I paid $23,500 for my 07 with the same mileage. And to me I wished it had been a little less to make me feel better about my purchase.

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

Keep looking, and don't be afraid to look somewhere that might require a little driving. Make a weekend of it. It would just expand your chances of finding the right one. Obviously take your time. There are many choices out there. Please don't settle and don't give up.

I sold my 6th gen two months ago and am kicking myself. I have started a new job and will own another one very very soon here. Hang in there. Make the dealerships work for you. Play them against one another.

Swee

1beastnstl

I found a SE 6spd black/black in OH with 21k on the odometor for $18,900. i may take a drive once we settle up with my insurance company.....

SuperMario

I got an 04 SE on 3/31/07, saved $3k from original asked price for being the last day of the month, they obviously wanted to sell a lot of cars that day. Funny it was silver, which is what I was looking for and had leather which was a must for me. Try going on 1/31, last day definitely helps IMHO.

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

Well I still have time to look. Like I said, my lease is up in July of this year and I'm not in a major rush. Though I wish I could find an '07 for a nice price, I'm just not sure I like the CVT...little weird when I drove one. I also want to stay in the 18k-20k range w/ a down payment to keep my mthlys down low....I'll keep lookin and thanks for all the input guys, seriously

larsim

04 SE here - 42K miles - no probs - knock on wood

1beastnstl

WOW!!!! we could be "twins" except my 05 Ram Quad Hemi just got stolen!! If I come back, this will be my 3rd Max (98gle and 02se 6spd)

Maxgig

iTrader: (5)

I just read the message posted by thecritik, he has an 04 and either his and your car were made by the same crew at the plant or Nissan tried selling lemonade for the 04 model year. Maybe you can offer him some words of wisdom to make him feel better, considering you know his pain.

cefiro80

Get a max I just think 04 was a toss up year. Not to say there arent some 05-06 that probably have problems but that is just cars. Overall 05-06 much better years for the max.