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 21 through 30 of 311.00

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  Very Nice Second Car - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Edgy - March 13 - 10:16 am

  Had a 1990 Maxima SE for years, finally had to put her to rest. Went looking to replace on a $12-13K budget, didnt find much on dealer lots. Ended up going private party, found a very clean, luxurious 2002, paid a little over $14K. Its my commuter car, but a pretty nice one. Really like the black leather interior with the dark grey color and the fancy touches -- heated steering wheel, seats heated and also memory, Bose, auto-dim mirror. My other car is M3, so I wanted a different driving experience, although Id prefer a little less body roll and bounce. Hopefully will be as reliable as my 1990.

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  New 2k2 GLE - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By pasquale/pscarponi - February 21 - 11:30 pm

  As a previous Nissan owner, 95 Maxima, and 88 Pulsar, I was impressed by the reliability of my Nissans. Having been an owner of Fords, Chevys and Plymouths I was easy to impress. My new 2k2 GLE appears to be as good as or better than my 95 GLX. I have not had any problems, defects, or quality defects (but I only have 1700 mi on it).

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  Problems, but it never left me stranded. Car changes its own oil. . - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By driftisfun - January 27 - 7:35 pm

  Ok its been 5 years since we purchased our gunmetal grey 2002 Maxima w/6 speed manual. The car had roughly 78k on it at the time certified pre-owned vehicle from West Covina Nissan. Now has well over 160k fast, hard miles. Maintenance has been: Front brakes three times, goes thru tires a lot. Front right wheel assembly and hub became loose. Replaced clutch as well. Sound system broke. Power steering leak. Uses 2.5 quarts of oil every month or so, which is a lot. This is very common as are the individual coil packs failing (theres 6), and O2 sensors (4 I believe),Catalytic converter failed. These days my Maxima is firing on only two cylinders and we have thrown in the towel. Car still runs!

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  Mistake-imus Maximas - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By David - January 22 - 12:50 am

  I was a happy owner of this vehicle for just under a year. Then I took it in for its 80,000 mile check up. First they found some oil leaks. Then a few days later my radiator had a leak. Then a week later I found that my head gasket was leaking. Over $3000 in repairs later, Im selling this money pit and going for something that with better quality parts that will last me longer. All in all, a very disappointing Nissan. BEFORE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE...open up the hood and check out the design of the radiator: a plastic frame crimped together with the metal. You can expect to drop over $300 replacing that part in the very near future. Its a wonder the part hasnt been recalled.

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  Limits of FWD - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By RastaMax - January 7 - 2:00 am

  I purchased the SE model figuring it would be a good combination of sport and utility. The car has lived up to some of its expectations and fell short on others. Its still a pleasure to drive with its powerful, torquey engine which undoubtably is to much for the FWD platform. Torque steer is abundant especially with the overboosted powersteering. I spent a lot of money to get it to handle like a "sports" sedan(bigger wheels, better tires, lower, stiffer springs and shocks, sway bar, strut brace)Its an excellent engine inside a good looking shell on top of an under performing chassis.

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  Decent reliability for the money - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By yokiro - December 18 - 1:06 am

  Overall it has been a reliable vehicle -- minus the o2 sensors failing over the years and problems playing CDs.

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  A mixed bag - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Cleanshot - August 16 - 11:06 am

  This car has been a mixed bag. The engine, transmission, and interior have held the test of time. It currently has 130K miles, but right around 100K it turned into a money pit. In the past 30k miles I have put close to $5K in it for weird things like a new brake system and electronic engine mounts. Its always gone to the dealer for regular maint. The worst part is the suspension. Its crap! The road is absorbed through the steering wheel and the struts always feel loose. Ive also had a constant wheel shimmy that we live with. I will keep it as long as possible, but I just bought a second car Lexus ES 350. Its no performance car but I love the ride.

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  powerful! - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By maxima02 - August 13 - 2:00 am

  the xenon lights are a hot item, stolen off my car 3 times!

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  Sexy and sleek, but a little noisy - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Mike - March 16 - 3:13 am

  Overall this is my favorite car out of 12 that I have owned. I was immediately drawn to the power that comes from the amazing 3.5V6 in this car. My car has over 125K miles on it and the engine still purrs. My gripes have been with the build quality of the exhaust system. The flanges between the midpipe and the muffler have rusted and snapped TWICE. Ive lowered the car and redone the suspension and although its a little stiffer, this car is connected to the road better than ever before. Fuel economy is GREATLY improved now, I average about 50/50 highway city and get 25+ mpg most of the time on 87 octane.

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  3 Week Rental Car - 2002 Maxima SE - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By admasters - March 13 - 10:00 am

  We had the pleasure of driving a 2002 Maxima SE for 3 weeks as a rental car while we were waiting on our car to be repaired after an accident.My wife and I both really liked this car.The car had a lot of room and could easily and very comfortably seat 3 adults across the backseat.The V6 was strong and fun to drive.It had a lot of power and was not sluggish when you needed the acceleration.The suspension seemed a little stiff and did not give as smooth a ride as we would have thought, but it was a SE suspension therefore more geared toward performance I think.