The Best Years For Nissan Maxima (And Some To Avoid)

The Nissan Maxima is a sleek, stylish vehicle that's been around since the 1980s. In its latest years, it managed to offer staggering levels of horsepower, which helped to make its high price point of over $38,000 seem far more reasonable. Its specs and features were impressive enough to label this car as a flagship for Nissan, with few other sedans able to surpass — or even match — what it had on offer. The model found some impressive sales numbers across its lifespan, only truly falling off by the time the 2020s hit. 

Unfortunately, Nissan discontinued the Maxima after 42 years of production, with its final year being 2023. While rumors of a 2026 Maxima have been circulating, anyone interested in this car and its history will be forced to look to used models. If you're careful enough to focus on the Maxima's best years, you'll likely be happy with what you get. But you should also keep an eye out for the Maxima's worst years, as certain generations have suffered through multiple complaints and recalls.

To rank the models listed here, this article uses aggregated data from multiple sources, including J.D. Power, CarComplaints, Cars.com, Kelly Blue Book, and NHTSA recalls.

The latest Nissan Maxima models — from 2021 to 2023 — are perfectly fine choices for the modern car enthusiast. They're also likely to be the most expensive of the bunch, but around $20,000 for a car that was closer to $40,000 on launch isn't a bad price at all. The staggering 300 horsepower is obviously a huge draw, allowing it to outperform nearly all previous models. Its extra technology and high-end safety features also allow it to compete with other luxury sedans available today, with the car boasting a Wi-Fi hotspot and intelligent driver assistance.

Across these few years, you'll find very few negative reviews for the Maxima. Only a single complaint was registered by the NHTSA for the car's 2023 model year, with 2021 and 2022 not even pushing double digits in that regard. On the one hand, you're still likely to spend a premium price for a Maxima from these years. On the other, you're also getting a very reliable model that could easily outperform many of the cheapest new cars you can buy in 2025.

While the period from 2009 to 2015 covers a whole generation of Maximas, the models from 2012, 2013, and 2014 are the ones you should keep your eye on. These models, in particular, share high ratings and great reliability with the most recent models, but the benefit of time has allowed their price to become far more affordable. Kelley Blue Book praises Nissan for each of these model years for providing a sedan with the heart of a sports car wrapped up in a package that includes luxurious accouterments (for the early- to mid-aughts) at a competitive price.

One of the consistent drawbacks earmarked by Kelley is that Nissan doesn't offer rear-wheel-drive or a manual transmission in these Maximas, but not everyone needs to be Nico Hulkenberg on their way to work. Another bonus is the price point. Today, you'll hardly need to pay more than $8,000 for a Maxima from these years, and you'll still get a lot of niceties like a 7-inch display and a 290 horsepower engine.

Despite this, you might need to take a bit of extra care when purchasing a used model from these years. While the NHTSA didn't record any recalls for these models, Nissan recalled over 3.5 million cars over faulty airbag sensors — including certain 2013 and 2014 Maxima models. It's something to watch out for, but it shouldn't affect your long-term use too much, especially if you just settle on a 2012 Maxima. Either way, you're more likely to find owners who were satisfied with this car over 10 years after its release.

The Maxima becomes much more of a classic car when going as far back as the early 2000s. Its specs and features don't quite measure up to modern equivalents, which makes it difficult to sell — and even tougher to find. If you manage to get your hands on one from 2000 to 2003, though, you're still getting a very popular choice. Across multiple communities, these model years have received almost wholly glowing reviews, with one-star ratings for the 2003 Maxima being practically nonexistent.

It should be noted that the 2000 Nissan Maxima has run into a few complaints from owners, and the 2001 to 2003 models have multiple listed recalls from the NHTSA regarding their airbags. In spite of this, these older cars are still held in high regard by the community on average. Just be careful of spending far more than you need to on such an aged model, and make sure anything it's been recalled for has been taken care of before making your purchase.

Without reaching beyond the 20-year mark, you can end up being pretty happy with a Nissan Maxima from 1995 to 1999. The recalls for these models only really concern headlamps and reflectors, so you aren't going to be in danger just from hitting a bump too hard. They also have some of the highest average consumer ratings of any Maxima, with plenty of praise given for their longevity and performance. This is absolutely not the set of years where the Maxima became labeled as one of the most unreliable used Nissans to stay away from.

The worst thing that can be said about these Maxima models is that they aren't really impressive. We mentioned the 1999 variant as one of the worst cars in the "Fast & Furious" franchise simply because it wasn't able to compare to the highly modified machines usually found in those movies. What you see is what you get, and what you'll get is a respectable sedan at a bafflingly low price of around $2,000.

While the 2020 Maxima was part of the final generation, it ended up falling short of its successors for a few reasons. Though the 2020 model introduced new safety features like Nissan Rear Door Alert, the car has a moderate chance of requiring major repairs well shy of the 100,000 miles of use mark. The overall quality of this model is something to call into question, with some drivers taking note of its flimsiness and lack of comfort. So far, it's also the only Maxima of the 2020s to have a recall from the NHTSA regarding issues with its rear glass window separating from the rest of the vehicle.

On paper, this actually doesn't seem too bad. The 2012 to 2014 and 2000 to 2003 models had far more harrowing issues, and they're still pretty good purchases in comparison. However, the 2020 Maxima's problems are compounded by its relative newness since later models with fewer issues are still available at similar prices. Combine that with how its release heralded the Maxima's eventual decline and discontinuation, and the 2020 Maxima's reputation isn't going to look as great as other years, even if there are some in worse situations.

The 2016 and 2017 Maxima models have their own problems despite also looking fine at first glance. They both have undergone multiple recalls, with the 2016 model garnering eight while the 2017 model has received four. The issues aren't minor, either. Both models experienced recalls centering around braking systems, including the possibility of a brake fire due to heated fluid leaking on the pump. Additionally, both models suffer from airbag sensor issues. These might not be problems to worry about if you get a model from a trusted seller or have documentation of completed recalls, but the issues are about safety systems, and nothing should be left to chance. You'll also have to consider whether the model itself ends up being worthwhile to you.

Our 2016 Nissan Maxima review wasn't precisely scathing, but it isn't glowing, either. Issues with its technology led to more headaches than were necessary, with questionable UI harming the capabilities of its infotainment, and the most competitive thing about the model was its pricing compared to other sports cars. That latter fact has thankfully stayed true over the years, but later model years can still fetch a decent price as well. They're not quite old enough to compete with the 2012 to 2014 models, but you're still likely to notice the age of these 2016 and 2017 Maximas.

You could make strong arguments for or against various aspects of this list, such as whether the early 2000s Maxima models deserve to be more recommended than those of the late 2010s. But the 2004 to 2006 Maximas are undoubtedly among the used Nissan models you should steer clear of at all costs. These have an absolutely staggering number of complaints across multiple sources, with transmission problems being a notable highlight of the issues. It's a prime example of why Nissan transmissions ended up earning such a horrible reputation in the early 2000s.

Even beyond these transmission issues, the 2004 to 2006 models faced plenty of other problems, including poor floor pans that would rust more quickly than usual, leading to them becoming the subject of a class-action lawsuit. In terms of customer complaints, these were the most problem-ridden Maximas in the entire lineup, with transmission and engine issues being especially common. Plus, since very few of these issues involved recalls, it's unlikely that you'll find them fixed by the time you get such a model for yourself. There's still a chance you can find a 2004 to 2006 Maxima that will work just fine for many years, but it probably isn't worth the time and effort to hunt one down.

The earliest Nissan Maxima models still get a lot of love from owners. They're able to last for multiple decades with hardly any issues, even after they've been driven for 100,000 miles. But with a range from 1981 to 1994, even the most recent model is over 20 years old, and there isn't much variance in their secondhand prices compared to newer models. They're also much more challenging to find.

The Maxima wouldn't have lasted as long as it did if these early models weren't worth looking at. But from the perspective of other used cars, these are long past their prime, offering very little bang for the buck compared to vehicles that are just a bit more contemporary. Cars evolve fast, and these are practically ancient in car years. Buyers might be surprised at just how far we've come regarding interior finish and high-tech gadgetry in the last quarter century. In addition, maintenance and repair issues are endemic to aging vehicles, and these model years could add up to being a significant headache. 

These old Maximas are hardly classics. Even if all you need is something to get you from point A to point B at a low price, going for a Maxima just a couple of years younger will get you a lot more value for however long you use it.

Data from JDPower, CarComplaints, Cars.com, Kelly Blue Book, and NHTSA recalls played a major factor in deciding the best and worst years for the Maxima. Certain years didn't make it onto the list simply because others had more information regarding high ratings or significant problems. The availability of certain models also played a part in ranking each year, as the existence of less problematic models can invalidate the need for those released a few years before or after them.

As always, your own experiences might vary from what is expressed on this list. You could end up with a 2023 Maxima that's nothing more than a lemon or a 2004 Maxima that lasts an extra 300,000 miles. You could even end up having the best experience with a model not mentioned here, such as one from 2018 or 2010. Buying a used car is never as simple as just picking the right model year, especially for a vehicle with such a varying reputation from year to year.