PennSilverTaco's non-Toyota Japanese (and Korean) vehicle Rant/Rave MegaThread!

My dad was never wild about the rear end styling of the 5th Gen (2000-2003) Maxima...

 

I don't see Maximas older than 2004 that often anymore...

One time a coworker at the detail shop where I used to work (from September 2018 to June 2019) got in a bit of trouble because his 5th Gen Maxima had mechanical problems and he was like two hours late! My boss was not upset about the guy being late, because shit happens and cars break down, and it was legitimately out of their control; He was pissed because the guy (and another coworker who carpooled with him) did not bother to call and tell them they would be late!

Their punishment was that they had to clean out the wash bays by themselves while the rest of us got to leave at closing! The coworker in question had a car just like the one below (same wheels and everything), but silver and in pretty rough condition...

 

I love the 6th Gen (2004-2008) Maxima! I don't care much for the 2007-2008 models because these had CVTs; My best friend owned a silver 2006 Maxima SL from 2010 to 2016, and this had a 5-speed automatic transmission...

I'm talking about a real transmission, not a lousy CVT! He bought the '06 used with about 38K miles on it, and it had almost 170K miles on it when he traded it in; That car NEVER had any mechanical problems or needed any major repairs, EVER!

This is a 2004-2006 model...

 

A 2004 SE model from the rear; My friend's '06 was an SL, and after test-driving both while shopping for both, he determined he liked the SL better because it had a different suspension and the ride was more comfortable...

 

Slightly revised 2007-2008 model...

 

One of my coworkers at the bar had a 7th Generation Maxima (2009-2014), but I forget what year it was; I am 99% sure that his was a 2009 or 2010 model, because he bought it used in 2013 or so...

My coworker got totally screwed on his 7th Gen Maxima because he got a new job that required him to drive A LOT; He put a ton of miles on his car, and ended up owing more on it than it was worth because it had over 100K miles. At some point in 2016 or 2017, the A/C compressor went (while he was still making payments on the car), and he couldn't afford to fix it...

I forget what the context was, but something needed to be replaced on my truck, and he was busting my balls about it; I promptly said "At least my air-conditioner works, and my truck is paid for. This shut him up immediately...

Perhaps mercifully, he totaled the car when he merged onto a tedious stretch of expressway and got clobbered by a commercial truck; Insurance covered everything and luckily he had enough money to pay off the negative equity on the loan. He ended up buying a newer Altima; The Maxima's A/C was still blowing warm, and it had not been paid off, at the time it was totaled.

The car below is a 2010 model...

 

Then-ALL NEW 2009 Maxima seen at an unknown auto show in late 2008...

 

The current 8th Gen (2015-Present) Nissan Maxima looks like something that Captain Kirk or Mr. Spock would drive...

Both inside...




And out!




The current Altimas also look like spaceships, both inside and out!

 

I think the small Nissan trucks are pretty decent. But they have a few dogs too. My son bought a 2010 Sentra used in 2012 IIRC. He commutes roughly 100 mile round trip for work every day and needed something reliable and good on gas. At just over 100K the CVT transmission died. After doing some research I found that this was a known issue and Nissan had extended the warranty to 120,000 miles on the transmission on certain models, but not the one my son owned. Nissan wanted $5K for a new transmission on a $7K car.

I spoke to several people hoping someone would at least meet us half way since this was a well documented issue but got no where. A local shop replaced the transmission for under $3K and picked up the transmission from the dealer who wanted $5K to do the same job.

Done right CTV transmissions can be OK. The shop who installed the new one in my sons car told me that the newer version he got has had the issues corrected and should last longer. In fact it already has. He is a bit over 200K now with no more issues.

 

Nissan outsources CVTs to a company not known for its quality (I forget the name of the company); Honda, Subaru, and Toyota design their own CVTs I believe...

Also, what's IIRC?

 

I've always loved this color on the older Muranos...

 

This appears to be a JDM-spec model...

 

Jatco, it's a subsidiary of the Nissan corporation. Their bad reputation comes from the CVT failures for the most part. Their traditional automatics are quite good. Unfortunately another source of the bad rep was a bad run of Calsonic radiators in the 05+ Frontier, Xterra and Pathfinder. The transmission cooler is integrated into the engine radiator (not uncommon), but many of them had a flaw which lead to a failure allowing coolant to mix with the transmission fluid. They fixed the issue around 2010 but left their out of warranty customers on the hook for repair costs.

From what I've heard their CVTs are holding up these days. I have no interest in owning anything with a CVT so I couldn't care less.

 

Jatco is one of the reasons why my best friend bought a Hyundai Santa Fe instead of a Nissan Rogue!

 

I love the Delica vans!

 

A few publications criticized the original Mitsubishi Outlander (sold in North America from 2003 to 2006) for being underpowered, among other things...

However, a lot of people I know who own them absolutely love them!

 

I had a 1st gen Montero. Loved that truck, but V6 sucked, and it was slow AF.



I'll own another some day, but it would need a V8 and an SAS.

 

The North American version of the Delica was just called the Mitsubishi Van; They were not available with 4WD or AWD, but I still love 'em!