I am just wondering if these cars are still popular in Nigeria.

I have been a Maxima enthusiast since d early days it had the same shape as the bluebird. I had the 90 model in the early 90's and i remember there were only a few of us who had it, and people were scared of the maintenance. But that car was a workhorse. When i was in Nigeria in '03, I noticed a lot of them on the road. And the one I had was/is still being used by my parents, with over 400k miles on it now. But when I came back in december 07 all i saw on Nigerian roads are Honda's and Camry's, and a few 5th gen (00 - 03) maxima's, but i only saw the 6th generation (04-07) sitting in Dealer lots. I know they are very reliable cars.

Are they still popular and do people use them?

I have a neighbor who uses the 1998 Maxima, and, in fact the guy dey cry daily. This guy could have bought two good cars with the money he has spent supporting the Maxima on the road. This car breaks down daily, I mean as in daily. most days I will lend him my battery to start the car, (he had bought a new battery four days ago, the fifth this year)

This guy loves this car like mad and spends money in thousands every week on his car, cleans it up everyday. This guy now knows how to repair cars, you could see him most weekend days under this Maxima, sweating away like christmas goat. Oh, here he comes, hope not to collect a tool from my toolkit

@Poster,
I used to have '99 model of the maxima (maxima Qx 24v) later migrated to the '01 model which I sold late last year.

Very rugged car but maintenance na wahala as our mechanics doen't know the technic behind it.

There was time one of my fans stopped and there was overheating. Just to change gasket was hell. After the change car started smoking. Had to replace engine at N130,000k. I know two people that suffered same problem becos we met at the same mech. workshop.

The car is ok right from the sound system to AC which is Ice cold but maintenance is the problem. I was madly in love with this car too but had to sell when it goes to workshop triple the time my other cars do.

I drive a Nissan 2.5 Altima '05 not a maxima and the ride is so damn kul!!!

No probs yet n itz more than 8 mths! Maybe the altima is better of?

The 05 Altima is pretty much the same as the 04-07 Maxima. The Altima is buitl on the D-cage which houses both the maxima and the murano. Some Altimas now come with the same 3.5 engine that now comes standard with the maxima, tho' the 2.5 is the standard.
It is all a marketing ploy. The Altima has been promoted to have the same features as the maxima, whilst a new 7th generation maxima (09) is been released this coming Friday. The new maxima is going to attempt to claim back the Nissan 'flagship' title, and also reclaim the 4DSC (4door sports car) title which made it one of the best selling cars at some point in the US in the 90's. It is going to be closer in competition to the upscale infiniti M35 brands.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/06/20/first-drive-2009-nissan-maxima/

Method-Man:

How the fucking hell did this thread make it to the spotlight?!

:oYou are a man and they are discussing cars. Ormaybe you dont have or know anything about cars, that's why you are pissed with the topics

i drive nissan maxima, love it oja re!!

But you are in Texas, and it is undoubtedly one of the better cars to drive in US. I drive an '05, and looking forward to the new one. I was actually wondering if I could send mine down and use it anytime I am in naija. Rather than dispose out here, (I personally love them, and they have been faithful workhorses for me over the year)

Sarin:

:oYou are a man and they are discussing cars. Ormaybe you don't have or know anything about cars, that's why you are pissed with the topics

nah itz not like that?!

I tot threads that make it to the spotlight are the really hot ones

can you see after 24hrs or so, the thread still dey stucked for page one!!!

@ Le Moor
i use an old 94 nissan altima
and a 00 maxima
the altima works fine, and cheap to maintain
the maxima has the bad habit of going off when it idles, e.g at traffic stops
it makes my heart pant.
the maxima is a lovely car overall, but how do i solve that problem
help and advise needed pls!

you have a loose battery cable connection, it might be on the battery terminal or where the harness connects to the car.

Dats the car am drivin at d moment,

Maxima 5.0 GLX, Very sleeky n comfortable,


Saw at least 6 on d road while drivin this morning,

@sultaan
i have fastened the battery connection at the terminal
how do i check the harness?
when my mechanic increased the idle speed firing the problem stopped
but when transiting between gears it is not smooth and it guzzles more fuel
one more observation is that the headlights and dashboardlights flicker as being powered by a bad generator

If you are in US take it to any of the big parts store they will check your system for free, if not use a multimeter to read your battery volt while running and alternator, you might need a new battery.

All my life, it's only one person that I know that gives good testimony about Nissan cars.
All the other people I know that use Nissan are very good friends with mechanics (either good or bad).

My uncle use to own a Bluebird. There was always something wrong with that car
If you take it out you're never sure of what trick it can pull on you and he kept on repairing and changing parts.
Infact, I was tempted to think there was more to the car lol
He didn't sell it until when he was leaving Nigeria (Praise God!)

A church member had a Nissan car too
One day he just walked up to my Dad and asked him how his Honda was performing because he was getting tired of his own.
I was surprised because his Nissan looked very clean and all that.
My Dad told him he's been enjoying the car very well. For over 3 years, it's only servicing he's been doing when the indicator shows it.
That was all the guy needed to hear.
Next thing I saw, he got a Honda CRV
Don't bother asking me what happened to his Nissan

A man in my Dad's office years ago too got a Maxima.
Whalai! that car showed him pepper.
I can bore you with the details if I go into it.

On the positive side, only one of my lecturers used give me nice gist about his car.
He had a regular Maxima and then changed it to 99 model later. He also got his wife Bluebird.
But there are two things I think are the secret behind his nice stories
He told me his mechanic is an old man. In the early years when the production of Maxima/Altima started, he was sent there by the government for training.
This man doesn't allow any other person to touch his cars.
The second thing is that he is very sharp-eyed. He takes note of every thing.

From all these, the only thing I do when I hear of Nissan cars is - take my shoes off, dust them and pick race

as with all complex cars,

when u dont know how to DIY

or u dont have a good mechanic, then d Car will show, who born monkey

No NO to Nissan
Yes Yes to BMW. . .LOL!

@babatosan

I also have a Nissan maxima QX. The problem is the mechanics' lack of expertise. I'm fortunate to have a good one. I used to experience the same problem- going off when it idled- but the mechanic worked on the brain box and that was the end.

the nissan car is quite rugged. The car really serves me right.

my friends dad used to own a Maxima car, the man had to wake up by 4am to work on it. He would get through just b4 6am, use a stone to hold the throttle pedal, then takes his bath.and goes to work. It was so problematic that at some point before his death, when he remembered the car early in the morning, he wept!

emmydee:

my friends dad used to own a Maxima car, the man had to wake up by 4am to work on it. He would get through just before 6am, use a stone to hold the throttle pedal, then takes his bath.and goes to work. It was so problematic that at some point before his death, when he remembered the car early in the morning, he wept!

Haba! Oga emmydee, "use a stone to hold the throttle pedal" this one too much now!

haba now

d tin too much, which kain stone

them don turn the whole thing to stand up comedy

Does anyone knows a reliable Nissan mechanic for the Maxima

In need of a good mechanic for ur Nissan Cars?Just go to any Nissan company or Workshop, Meet anyone,preferably,d gateman to get u any Nissan Engineer(mechanic), U can also get there number from the gateman n u r good to go,


Dont just go call any road side mechanics, U will shed tears after they ve distablise ur precious Nissan,

Am talkin from Experience,

I have a 2004 White Nissan Maxima SL fully loaded, leather seat and all. Mileage is 52,000. I intend sending

to Naija in August. Can someone please estimate how much it will sell for? Thanks

fyneguy:

@babatosan

I also have a Nissan maxima QX. The problem is the mechanics' lack of expertise. I'm fortunate to have a good one. I used to experience the same problem- going off when it idled- but the mechanic worked on the brain box and that was the end.

the nissan car is quite rugged. The car really serves me right.

If any mechanic told you they worked on the brainbox of your car, you've been had!
No one workes on it, if its bad, its replaced or reprogrammed by special techs.

Probleb starts when you let rookies tamper with things they don't know, get a manual for you car if you can.

Sultaan,

Well I was there when he worked on it. it took him just 10 minutes. Since then I havent had any problem with the car.

Was I lucky?

Hey! make una no use mouth finish nissan na!

I owned a 1989 nissan bluebird and it worked perfectly for two years after I bought it.

I only changed it when I needed something more modern, its only my neighbor I pity. He trekked to the bus stop this morning, leaving his precious maxima in the garage. He lost the war to start the car after a one hour battle.

fyneguy:

them don turn the whole thing to stand up comedy

Fyneguy was spot on here - I don laff tire!     

I know this is not funny for many of those badly bitten for their loyalty to this (Nissan; or any) brand, particularly where the support/mtce base is compromised (quite common in Naija with so many quacks running own workshops).

In some cases, victims look back and laugh over bad experiences (like some here have done; and my case too with my second Peugeot 12yrs back - a Renault engined GTI!). For others like emmydee's friend's dad, they carry the bad experience to their graves   

emmydee:

my friends dad used to own a Maxima car ,  It was so problematic that at some point before his death, when he remembered the car early in the morning, he wept!

Quite some education with Sultaan and nkc proffering useful suggestions about car owners getting more into DIY, while also ensuring expert repairers/repair shops for all vehicles (not just the Nissan Maxima).

But one interesting part however, and my question, is: Why is it that very few people would have originated such Threads on the Toyota or Honda brands? - nkc may wish to include VW to the list   

Is there really a general (maybe Nigerian) mistrust of the Nissan brand?
Is there something more fundamental than current discourses?

Maybe one of the most loyal customers of Nissan I know has been too busy to contribute.
Fotod, where u dey?   

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

Nelson Mandela is sitting at home watching the telly when he hears a
knock at the door. When he opens it, he is confronted by a little
Chinese man, clutching a clipboard and yelling: "You sign! You sign!".
Behind him is an enormous truck full of car exhausts. Nelson is standing
there in complete amazement when the Chinese man starts to yell louder.
"You sign! You sign!" Nelson says to him, "look mate, you've obviously
got the wrong bloke. Sod off." and shuts the door in his face.

The next day he hears a knock at the door again. When he opens it, the
little Chinese man is back, with a huge truck ful of brake pads. He
thrusts his clipboard under Nelson's nose, yelling "You sign! You sign!"
Mr Mandela is getting a bit hacked off by now, so he shoves the little
Chinese man back, shouting: "Look, sod off! you've got the wrong bloke!
I don't want them!" then slams the door in his face again.

The following day Nelson is resting, and late in the afternoon, hears a
knock on the door again. Upon opening the door, the little Chinese man
thrusts the same clipboard under his nose, shouting "You sign! You
sign!". Behind him are TWO large trucks full of car parts. Nelson loses
his temper completely, picks the little man up by his shirt front and
yells at him: "look, I don't want these! Do you understand? You must
have the wrong name! Who do you want to give these to?"

The little Chinese man looks at him a bit puzzled, consults his clipboard,
and says: "you not Nissan Maindealer?"

EI

on a serious note, i reiterate no CAR is BAD, d only problem is that there are few experts of this cars, and as such, when we cant find them and we have problems we run to quacks unknowingly, and then d WAR BEGINS FOR 1 HOUR

i dont like DIY, but after learning the hard way, i so much love it, cos if i am driving and i remeber i locked that allen, so so and so way, i will feel glad , cos i am d warden in that area , so peeps shld either INVEST IN EXPERT MECHANIC SHOPS, THAT WILL CHARGE LIKE MAD or DO IT YOURSELF(BUY MANUALS, REPAIR MANUALS, DIAGONISTIC TOOLS, AND BE READY WITH SOME GLOVES AND NECESSARY TOOLS, WHICH U WILL LEARN FROM D MANUAL, AND MAXIMUM 24HOURS, U WILL BE SMILING, COS U WILL SEE THERE IS NO PROBLEM THAT U CANT SOLVE, BUT THE MYSTERY LIES THAT OUR PEOPLE CANT MAINTAIN CARS PROPERLY, WE BUY D BEST, BUT DONT RESEARCH IN KEEPING IT THE BEST, I SAW A 407, SMOKING WHITE SMOKE, A FEW SECONDS AGO, I WAS MARVELLED, 407, WHEN I READ SOMEWHERE OF A FERRAIR STOLEN IN THE 80s OWNER FOUND IT LAST 2MONTHS, AND THE CAR WAS STILL WORKING IN TIP TOP CONDITION, COS EVEN D BUYER MANITANINED IT WELL, WE SHLD LEARN ALL D THINGS ABOUT OUR CARS, AND I MEAN ALL, CARS ARE MECHANICAL, IF U TREAT IT WELL, IT WILL TREAT U WELL, SIMPLE, IF U FLOG IT AND U GIVE IT HIGH CALORIE FOOD IT WILL TREAT U WELL, IF U FLOG IT AND GIVE IT abacha NA U SABI

i drive a 2002 nissan infinit qx4

all i can say is d ride is SWEET, d formica alone, makes me wanna eat d car, and with 240bhp on bad roads and full 4wd, i cant ask for more, though she is very happy, i have not driven her in a while, cos wen i drive jeep, i drive it like jeep, i start looking for potholes, i enter with full speed, but wen VW 4 EVER, men na TORTOISE i be, until Sienna bust my bubble