# Posted a consumer review on Edmunds.com



## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

Agree, disagree, care?  

Lots of posts on these cars, interesting and source of info for those wanting to know what to look for before buying. 


Review: Had a 1990 Maxima SE for years, finally had to put her to rest. Went looking to replace on a $12-13K budget, didn't find much on dealer lots. Ended up going private party, found a very clean, luxurious 2002, paid a little over $14K. It's 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 I'd prefer a little less body roll and bounce. Hopefully will be as reliable as my 1990.

Favorite Features: HID/3.5L V6

Suggested Improvements: Better Paint job, less body roll, better standard tires with less fender gap. I replaced immediately with Toyos


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## rps180 (Aug 20, 2005)

Body roll and bouce? Sounds like the struts and shocks need to be replaced. The 2002 are supposed to feel a whole lot more sure footed than the 1990 models.


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

Remember, I'm comparing the ride to my M3. But thanks I'll check out.


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## Puppetmaster (Mar 28, 2005)

rps180 said:


> Body roll and bouce? Sounds like the struts and shocks need to be replaced. The 2002 are supposed to feel a whole lot more sure footed than the 1990 models.


They are supposed to be, but I doubt they are any better. I thought there was a lot of roll and a floaty feel with the stock SE suspension as well, and I got my 02 brand new with 41 miles on it.


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## brianw (Feb 25, 2004)

Yeah. An M3 the Maxima is not, even new. OTOH Maximas are stiffer than regular 2nd gen 3.2TL's, which doesn't say much.


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

> I thought there was a lot of roll and a floaty feel with the stock SE suspension as well, and I got my 02 brand new with 41 miles on it.


Thanks Puppet, the term "floaty" is a good one.

What's the easiest/best aftermarket way to fix IYO?


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## Puppetmaster (Mar 28, 2005)

02MaxUpgrade said:


> Thanks Puppet, the term "floaty" is a good one.
> 
> What's the easiest/best aftermarket way to fix IYO?


I'd say get new struts & springs. There are springs out there like H&Rs and Maxspeeds that retain an almost stock-like ride quality while improving handling dramatically and not to mention eliminate some of that SUVesque wheel gap that we have. 

I'm not sure if you've seen this site, but it has plenty of good info on suspension set-ups: 

http://www.innerbean.com/housecor/spring_strut_decision.html


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks! Sorry for newbie susp. question -- does it all have to be done at once? In other words could I try just the springs first? 

This is the second car and trying to control costs...


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## Puppetmaster (Mar 28, 2005)

02MaxUpgrade said:


> Thanks! Sorry for newbie susp. question -- does it all have to be done at once? In other words could I try just the springs first?
> 
> This is the second car and trying to control costs...


You might be able to get away with doing just springs if you get something with a moderate drop like H&Rs or Maxspeeds... however, since the stock struts don't really have the appropriate dampening for lowering springs, you may not get the best ride possible with em. You might also find that the struts will not last as long if you get aftermarket springs. I do know of people with Maxspeeds and even S-techs who've gotten over 40K miles on 2002 stock struts, but I wouldn't try it. Guess it depends on the roads you drive on too. 

I still say do it all at once... besides, if you're gonna pull everything apart to put em springs in, ya might as well put in new struts too.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

step #1 is to replace the struts.. these cars are pretty heavy and the stock struts usually don't last more than about 60k miles at best..

KYB GR-2 are a decent stock-ish replacement and will help the handling quite a bit.. If you want to pay a little more, go got Tokico Illumina or KYB's AGX series struts. they're adjustable so that you can contour the ride around your preferences a bit more.

a rear sway bar also helps immensely on these cars to lessen body roll, but I would replace the struts first and see if you're happy then. (Especially since you bought the car used and the struts are likely worn, it can't hurt to change them anyway. this could be more considered regular maintenance than an upgrade.  )


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

Thanks guys! :thumbup:


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## Puppetmaster (Mar 28, 2005)

02MaxUpgrade said:


> Thanks guys! :thumbup:


Let us know what ya decide on and if ya need help locally....


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

Will do -- I'd love some local suggestions for install.

Realistically a spring project. First step is oil, trans fluid, brake pads and battery at the garage that used to work on my 1990.


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## Puppetmaster (Mar 28, 2005)

02MaxUpgrade said:


> Will do -- I'd love some local suggestions for install.
> 
> Realistically a spring project. First step is oil, trans fluid, brake pads and battery at the garage that used to work on my 1990.


I need to get my tranny fluid done too... all my gear oil is just sitting in the garage... 

I was actually thinking more along the lines of a DIY.  The DC people from maxima.org had a lowering meet in someone's driveway and they got a good number of cars done that day, as well as replacing/installing brakes, hubs, RSBs, etc. so anything like that comes up again I'll let ya know. Some pics here: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/442543/22

The other Fairfax/Burke guys helped me with my suspension and we got 2 cars done in 3 hours... so check the DC forums of the .Org once in a while to see when we might meet up next or just post a Need Help thread and usually people will respond.


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

> The other Fairfax/Burke guys helped me with my suspension and we got 2 cars done in 3 hours... so check the DC forums of the .Org once in a while to see when we might meet up next or just post a Need Help thread and usually people will respond.


Wow, will do. Thanks.


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## 02MaxUpgrade (Jul 19, 2005)

Might be time to look at this again -- I'll have some tax money coming back to me!


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