Overview & Reviews

The Maxima receives updates this year that make it less of a family sedan and more of an entry-level luxury sport sedan. Headlining this year's upgrades is a 3.5-liter V6 that produces a stunning 255 horsepower. For maximum performance, sport-tuned SE models now combine this engine with a standard six-speed manual transmission. Other changes include revised exterior styling, additional feature content and an optional GPS navigation system.

• Impressively powerful V6 engine, sports car moves, plenty of room for five adults.

• Odd styling details, high price, rough ride quality with SE suspension.

User Reviews:

Showing 271 through 280 of 311.00

• 

  2002 Maxima SE - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By kycol4u - March 7 - 10:00 am

  Great overall car. Good performance and fun to drive....lots of room

• 

  Great car! - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By jlar - January 18 - 3:10 pm

  I have owned my Maxima for 3 years. Purchased with 184 000 Kilometers on it and now has over 245k. It has awesome power, comfortable ride, great features. Really no complaints. Only issue I had was an engine light that was related to an oil pressure sensor. Engine light would stay out for 3 months and then come on everytime i changed the oil. didnt hinder the performance at all.

• 

  best car <$30K - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By maximaguy - January 18 - 3:53 am

  Had a 96 with almost 100K miles on it--no problems whatsoever. Sprung for the 2002 since they had the rebate and is worth it for the amount paid.

• 

  myMaxima - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By nada - January 3 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love my Maxima. I use it as a commute car, and it is fun, fun, fun to drive. Main criteria were reliability and performance for a reasonable amount of money, and I got both with my 2000 Maxima. What I like the least about the car is the fuel economy, or the lack of - my driving style contributes to that :-) I highly recommand the car.

• 

  A Year Already - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By bgm - January 3 - 10:00 am

  As expected the Maxima has performed exceptionally well over the first year. I have put 25K mileson my Maxima in the first year. The good: I have no major complaints about any of the major systems. The traction control works very well in deep snow. Fit and finish is outstanding. This car wants to go 80-90 mph. The not-good (mostly nit-picking): Problems with an ABS sensor has taken literally months to fix while the part was on back order. A problem with the CD player/Radio required a replacement. Sometimes feels soft in long turns like an on/off ramp. Overall: This is by far one of the best cars I have had the pleasure to drive.

• 

  Very happy, love it - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By acere - January 3 - 10:00 am

  Great car to have, especially if you drive in the hwy. Engine very powerful, lots of room, sound system the best, lots of space in the trunk, love the idea of having Xenon light.

• 

  Fast and Reliable - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Rich255 - December 4 - 10:00 am

  Great acceleration, good handling, bullet-proof reliability. 18k miles in six months and not hint of a problem. Cruises effortlessly at highway+ speeds. If it wasnt a work office I would have gone with the 6-speed.

• 

  Pretty happy - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By pordy - November 19 - 1:16 pm

  Very nice car for the money- lots of kit, room, fast, comfortable, reliable- few competitors with a 6-sp. I bought 2 years old and now 2 years later and 50K miles total it has needed nothing. Id certainly buy it again. However, early 00s werent good times for Nissan and there are signs of things done on the cheap- leather has been durable but feels like vinyl, solid rear suspension, chronic wind noise around rear windows (TSB witstanding), non-adjustable rear headrests, intrusive trunk hinges, limited-slip only optional (and the 1 option mine doesnt have save navigation which I wouldnt want- forces cd changer in to trunk), some cheap plastics around e-brake and center storage

• 

  Worlds Best Synthetic Oil/Premium Gas/Air filter, 155K Still runs like the day I bought w/ 56k - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By loveurcar - October 12 - 4:50 am

  Bought my Maxima in "06" and switched to Full synthetic oil within the 1st 3k-4k miles and have always ran Marathon/Speedway brand Premium gas almost always except for traveling on vacation. After studying more about syn. oil and air filters. I found that Amsoil syn. 0w-30, Amsoil oil filter, and a nano fiber air filter that they recommend that filters down to the smallest particle size(oil filter also) on the market that last 100k(vacuum every 25k) to keep your oil clean between 10k-12k between oil change intervals or once a year. I only have to add around 1 qt of oil between intervals. Since owning the car the MPG improved after switching to listed above to 30 mpg hwy and 27 average.

• 

  Its okay, but I wish Id gotten a G35 - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By dlc - September 25 - 5:16 am

  Overall, a nice car - no mechanical issues whatsoever. Its powerful, especially as the horsepower takes over, and would really benefit from rear-wheel drive as torque-steer can be problematic. I find the gearbox and handling a bit squishy, but Im coming from a Miata. The trunks hinges extend into what would be usable space, reducing the trunks capacity. The back seats appear to be reasonably comfortable, but Ive never sat back there! Significant wind noise from the sunroof wind deflector. I would be a much bigger fan if the mileage were not so bad, and if the trip computer didnt lie about it, which it consistently does in most/all 02 Maximas (making me believe its intentional).