Is the check engine light on? If not, have you checked the engine oil level? In my own 2002, at one time I have the same symptom. It turned out the Maxima uses engine oil pressure to determine how much to advance/set the engine timing, and when my oil was low, it had a hard time starting, and also looses power significantly.
If the CEL is on, then you need to get it read. Go to Autozone or PepBoys. They will read the code for you for free. If that is the case, it could be that one of your Cam Position Sensor is bad. If that is the case, write back and tell us the code.
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Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 AT 9:16 PM