Nissan Repair: 2000 Maxima GLE running sluggish, 2000 maxima gle, inexpensive test

Question
Hi Jay.  I've been having a problem accelerating when my car is first started in the mornings or when it has been sitting for an extended period of time.  I step on the gas and the rpms don't increase and the car basically sits there.  If I take my foot off the gas and apply again, the car takes off.  It only seems to happen when I hit the pedal hard.  If I apply very light, steady pressure, it will accelerate as normal.  I also notice this on the highway when I am cruising at a steady speed.  The car seems to decelerate a bit, then correct itself.  

I thought it could be a fuel pump problem, but have not checked the pressure yet.  No check engine light or anything.  I see other people having similar problems and it looks like the ignition coils go bad on this year.  I have also never changed the spark plugs.  I have 84k on the car, but Nissan recommends changing them around 115k I think.

Any ideas?  Fuel pump, coils, plugs, transmission?  I was thinking about changing the plugs this weekend for an easy and inexpensive test.  Couldn't hurt.

Thanks.

Answer
Spark plugs are not due till 105000 miles. Ign coils do fail however a code will almost always be set. Does the engine have any codes set? Transmission will engage slower due to age and mileage of the car. Just make sure there is enough fluid in the transmission and correct type.