1997 Nissan Maxima User Reviews

Nissan Maxima — I bought my Nissan Maxima not long after I sold my previous car, a Daihatsu Charade. The advert was on carsales.com.au and it turned out, by a sheer coincidence, to be very close by (Bronte) and was being sold by an old friend of Dad's. Looked at the car that Sunday; and was instantly ready to buy it. People had been queuing up to see it and waiting to buy it, but the seller held it for us. The next day I paid for the car and took it to the RTA where it became my car. And what a car. The Nissan Maxima A32 (the series to which my car belongs) has got to be one of the best used-car buys, period. The car is immensely solid, indeed even more solid than a Commodore, with far more of a luxury feel. The doors open and shut with a nice solid sound, not the clang you get on a Commodore. Everything about the car is solid. The interior is plush and well-appointed. The seats are velour, but this is in no way a bad thing. They have got to be the most comfortable car seats I've ever been in. Even the back seat, usually the most neglected part of a car, is immensely comfortable - "like a sofa". There is a fold-down armrest of course. Legroom is ample, comfort is excellent. The interior carries with it the feel of solidity as well - very few squeaks or rattles, everything is built very well. The standard features list is equally impressive. Mine is a 30G; and it has automatic climate-control air con which works very well; power windows with an auto-up on the driver's side; power mirrors; cruise control; power steering; ABS; alloy wheels; an alarm; remote central locking; independent rear suspension; six-speaker stereo with cassette, radio and CD; as well as seatbelt pretensioners and a driver's airbag. Now we can come to the greatest asset of the car - the engine. My Maxima has done nearly 200,000kms; and the engine has got to be the smoothest, quietest and most powerful of everything I have driven. At 200,000kms it is better than a Commodore's V6 at 120,000kms. The amount of grunt you can get out of the motor is awesome - it can get the Maxima up to speed very briskly. And it does all that with a minimum of fuss - it hardly makes any noise, and smoothly winds up to speed. The motor cruises at barely above 1000rpm which is excellent. On the highway it does 90km/h at 2000rpm which has got to be the best I've seen. A low-revving motor is a reliable motor. The VQ30 engine in my car has been awarded Best Engine for a consecutive five years in the USA. That's no easy feat, and it's obvious to me why it was awarded; because it's an absolute jewel of an engine. The car is very easy to drive, the steering is very well-weighted and the car handles very, very well. Body roll is suppressed going round corners; the car manages to stay flat to the ground most of the time. The ride has got to be the best I've experienced. The suspension is soft, but not floaty or wallowy at all. It does a great job of soaking up the bumps; and the independent rear suspension is also to thank for that. The Maxima costs more to run than my previous car - a Charade!! However it is no gas guzzler, not by a long shot. It's quite easy on fuel. It gets an easy 400km to the tank around town - which is excellent. On the highway it can manage at least twice that. Going from Sydney to the Blue Mountains and back it used up about 12 litres - excellent. All in all I gladly pay the extra money for a car of real quality. The V6 rewards you all the time. Maintenance is cheap enough - it costs no more than my Charade did for a service, and it's had less problems too, at a higher mileage to boot! So far I've only had to have the brakes fixed - all that was needed was new pads and remachined discs. After that, the car's stopping power increased and it's brakes are like brand new. It's worth the money. It cost, all up, $300 including the service where I was told nothing needed replacing besides the oil and oil filter. It's a rewarding car to drive, so easy, and it challenges your expectations of a Japanese car in every way. It's quicker than a Commodore and is miles ahead in refinement, quality, reliability and economy. Interior spaces easily equals the Commodore, yet the Maxima is so much quieter and more refined to drive, it walks all over it. Appearance-wise, it's appealing, not breath-taking, but very easy to live with. It looks good, it is impressive. It looks like an expensive car. It's definitely aged a lot better than some of it's contemporaries. The styling is pleasant, but also safe from a driving point of view, because you can actually see where you're going inside the car unlike a Commodore where you can't see anything through the back window. All in all, I'd recommend a Maxima to anyone. They're excellent cars, mechanics agree, and they are just as safe as the Commodore from the same era; but as for refinement, build quality, economy, reliability etc; it's ahead of it's time. The car is nearing the 200,000km mark, and it drives like new and has given no trouble. That's Nissan for you.

A Little Tlc Doesn't Hurt — Bought the car last year in Akron, Ohio. Needed a little work when I got it, a little TLC. A couple hundred $$ later, turned out to be a great ride, pretty fast with excellent handling (intrax lowering springs). Slapped a pacesetter performance full catback exhaust system on it too. Its got 168,700 miles on it and you could never tell. I'll def. buy another Nissan. Tons of fun driving a 5 speed :). I'm old school, hate the new cars :p

Most Reliable Car I've Ever Owned — 97' Maxima GLE (fully loaded) 297000 kms and still going strong. Drove from Ontario to Myrtle beach via Washington, then over to Atlanta in 3 days. From Atlanta back home straight through. Comfortable over long stretches. All features are still working problem free except for the power antenna which I broke of in the car wash. The volume on the Bose stereo has a tendency to go down when turned up (not a big deal) The car also carries a full size spare on a matching aluminum rim (another nice option) This car has yet to cause me any grief. I've changed the battery, Alternator, and all four struts which it didn't really need but the price was right and it was getting a little bit spongy at the back. Only once did it not start for me but after an hour or so I tried again and it sprang to life. Turned out to be a short in the starter which the mechanic was able to fix without replacing it. I'm looking at buying another car soon, and based on my experience with this Nissan, it will be tough to get me into something else.

Perfect And Great — great about 200 horsepower and a perfect car for anybody fast plus this car is a nissan i use it everyday cheap about 4,999 dollars and it`s fun to drive any one can drive this car that`s how good it is

Primary Use: Commuting to work

4650 — Great everyday vehicle. Bought it with about 65k, 5 years later now at 151k.. Never needed anything but brakes and tires till this year.. Replaced calipers, rotors, pads, ball joints, pass half shaft, all o2 sensors (3 of them), knock sensor, mid pipe and muffler, heated seat switches, starter, alternator, and battery, and more can't recall at the moment.. All worth it, this car runs perfect, always did, most of the things replaced were for inspection and emmissions. Car throws no codes. Of course the usual places are wearing out (edge of seat, few dings on body), but no rust, everything inside and outside works, power and heated seats, power antenna, and sunroof/moonroof.. I would trust my maxima to drive cross country, this 3.0 liter is fun to drive, never been so satisfied with this maxima. probaly gonna buy a new or late model maxima eventually

Primary Use: Commuting to work