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 1 through 10 of 311.00

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  Flawless, fun, fast! - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By alias777 - December 29 - 2:00 am

  By far the best car Ive ever owned (I had a Lexus before this). This car is comfortable, sporty, fast, fun to drive, powerful, luxurious. I love everything about it. Ive only owned it about 6 months, but I absolutely love it. Its the sharpest looking car on the road, plus its comfortable and fun to drive too.

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  Updated review - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By adrian pineda - December 8 - 4:33 pm

  I bought this car four months ago. It has relieved me from driving my 2007 IS 350 out of leased miles. The real MPG is about 25 mpg hwy and Im not an agressi. It is roomy and well-built. The engine has lots of power and a reasonable amount of torque. The quality of the leather is above average. Its nice to see that all the electric features still work @ 112k Mi. The ride is stiff thus noisy but not unlivable, I think it needs shocks. The color is a pearl white and it has aged gracefully. The 02 Maxima is a great solution for people who need to commute but dont like to drive smaller cars and still get mid 20s per gallon.

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  Amazing - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By IgS - November 22 - 2:00 am

  This car is great. if you need a car with a lot of room and a lot of speed and oomph, the maxima takes the cake for the money. i have a 6 speed and its o so fast. got a 0-60 in 5.97 seconds. and it has lots of room and comfort, you dont see many cars with those two things together.

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  2002 Maxima SE 6-Speed - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By EddiexAhn - November 20 - 10:00 am

  this car is great. my first car, and i love everything about it. great performance, and luxury.

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  Maxima : A blend of family car and fun - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By kflan1215 - November 20 - 10:00 am

  My 2002 Nissan Maxima GLE (loaded w/out nav.) is an excellent choice if your want a family/sports car. At invoice (27,054) w/ 0.9 % financing this was the most car for the money. Performance,build quality,value,and reliability are great.Turning radius is large for a car in this class.The paint does chip relatively easy. The carpeting is cheap! Leather quality while not bad could be a lot better. Most controls are arranged well (especially on the steering wheel) The power mirror controls,heated steering wheel control and fuel release could be more convenient.The ride of the Maxima is noticably stiffer than the Toyotas but this is a small tradeoff for the increased performance.

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  Best car Ive ever had - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By Esch - November 16 - 2:23 pm

  I bought this car new in 2002. At the end of this week I will have put 250,000 miles on it. No major problems until I hit 225,000 miles, at that point it started burning through the oil and I had to replace the radiator. However, I still love to drive it, when clean it still looks brand new inside and out.

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  WOW - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By MaximA+ - November 14 - 10:00 am

  Driving this car is a pleasure. Lots of vehicle for the money. Test drove the Avalon which did have a better ride, but cost lots more and had less gadgets. Very happy with this purchase.

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  WHAT A ROCKET SHIP!!!! - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By gsxrter1994 - November 9 - 10:00 am

  THIS IS MY SECOND MAXIMA great car 255 hp rocks plus it looks great

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  Lo ve this car - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By ajahearn - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for 3 months. Performance is exceptional. Braking is good. Turning radius a little wide. Suspension could be firmer. Stock tires have bad wet traction. 6 speed is nice. The interior is very nice, easily seats 5. The trunk is big but opening a little small. Seats great but could use better side support. Interior lighting, sunroof, auto-dim rearview good. Dash display gets washed out at dusk but good at night. The Bose radio good but SCV is useless, bass is bit muddy. HID lights great. I like the styling. My 89 was very reliable. I have not had one problem with my 02 and I expect none for many years.

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  Solid Car - 2002 Nissan Maxima
  By kevin - October 8 - 2:00 am

  The 02 Maxima SE rides very stiff. Much stiffer than I expected for a car this size. My 01 Maxima GXE is much more comforable with the softer suspension. However, the stiffness of the SE makes cornering much nicer without tire squeal. Ive also noticed the back end of the car tends to skip or hop over rough surfaces in a straight line. This is probably due to the lack of independant rear suspension. My gas mileage for city driving has been about 18mpg. Overall, I love the car. Its got excellent space, all the features I need (except good stereo speakers), and plenty of horsepower. This is a very solid car, and no where near as bland as the camry or accord.