Jprocs24

Rental cars always take a beating

Scramblinman

Yeah, 'cause the current generation GT-R is such a steaming pile of underperforming junk. Nissan clearly doesn't have what it takes any more.

CS_AR

It could be worse -- it could be Honda.

1) Problems with a new 9 speed AT needed to be at least competitive with Chrysler. Problems developing their own less efficient 10 speed for V6 models. No alternate transmission available to launch new products that will be competitive. Maybe CVT isn't so bad after all.

2) Problems with body weld inconsistencies coming from the U.S. plant that makes V6 powered Honda vehicles. The plant needs a major upgrade to continue producing cars that do not have door fitment problems.

3) Major recalls due to passenger deaths from drivers being hit by flying shrapnel (e.g. throats being cut) from air bags that deploy during normal driving.

4) Major class action lawsuits from V6 product owners due to main seal leaks and problems with VCM.

We don't see these issues being reported by Consumers Reports.

viking89

Everyone knows you don't buy a Honda V6. They make the best 4bangers in the world. You need to know what your car company specializes in and go for that.

In the case of Nissan recently, completely soulless & uninspired driving appliances

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
What's so bad about a 6 cylinder honda?

viking89

The issues stated above, plus some oil burning on certain models. The 4 bangers are bulletproof

george__

iTrader: (1)

Meh no different than the 3.5L motor oil burning issue with Nissan. At least Honda acknowledged

CS_AR

I think Infiniti still offers several models that I would enjoy owning. Also I think the new diesel trucks will be a hit.

Sent from my Z998 using Maxima

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

V35 and R35 are the bastard children of the Skyline family. Skyline heritage was straight 6 and mostly turbo for how many decades. V35 come with a V6 and not even a turbo option, R35 again V6 with auto trans only. R35 and S15 were the last good sportscars Nissan made

some Acuras blow the trans and some have oil burning problems, Hondas always made better 4 bangers

CS_AR

If you get away from their core competency (e.g. 4 or less cyls), you're asking for it..

Sent from my Z998 using Maxima

george__

iTrader: (1)

Didn't Acura/Honda always have transmission problems even in the 90s?

CS_AR

Yes. They eventually started licensing transmission designs from Borg Warner that helped them along.

Sent from my Z998 using Maxima

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

Something quick about this, one thing Infiniti prides itself on is cost of ownership. Which is substantially lower than most other luxury brands. Lexus are notoriously expensive to repair when they do go wrong. That's the reason a lot of Infiniti owners go back. Had 2 Infiniti's at this point and true to their word, cheap to own.

I have a BMW now and cost of ownership......

Maxima 97 SE

I myself have a 4th gen Nissan maxima 1997 se edition which I still love driving till this day even though it has 312,570 miles it just never gets boring to drive. Its still runs like new and it still feels like it as well. The vq30de engine mated to that 4 speed automatic transmission still feels really fun to drive and it never gets old. I also own a 2009 Nissan murano which has vq35de engine with a cvt transmission and a Honda accord 2014 with cvt transmission and I prefer to drive this over those cars. My brother has infinti g37 and I have driven and it was the best car that I have driven so far. It was fast and responsive due to the fact that it has vq37vhr engine mated to a 7 speed automatic transmission which makes it really fun and that's a rear wheel drive. But as tempted as I am to buy a car like that my Nissan maxima still feels really responsive and sporty at the same time which cars like the infinti g37 have but cars like the maxima have lost. My other brother had a Nissan maxima 1998 and he sold it a while back and came over one day and drove mine one day he was regretting the fact that he sold it and wishes he hadn't. That was the type of cars Nissan built at one time and now no longer do.

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

yep, Hondas core niche is 4 cylinder economy cars. delving into the odd truck and larger SUV hasnt fared too well for them


yes on Accords and some Civics

ive worked on some BMW and the cost for parts alone is insane, not to mention alot of them are miserable to work on.

CS_AR

Could the CVT sound have been meant to be like the car in this video? It didn't use a multi-speed transmission. It sounds like an Electrolux Vacuum Cleaner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IF0VbUb_Ug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZAOa0bwRBQ

Scramblinman

What does any of that have to do with the fact that a new GT-R would absolutely rape any of those predecessors?

Point is, even if they are not perfect, Nissan's still got game and isn't living in the 1990s like some people in this thread.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I've always wondered about the "temple of VTEC" that is Honda. VTEC technology looked expensive and unsustainable. And despite Hondas legendary reliability, I didn't see any VTEC motors lasting long.......well maybe except their 4 bangers. Honda's huge experience with motorcycles probably was a great deal of help with that.

Chris Alexander

Maxima 97 SE Had mentioned his 97 runs good that was back when Nissan was in the right spot. It's when they made the transition from 3.0 to the 3.5 2002 that everything started to fall and its been on a decline since, they let it slide for too long now the company is in a mess and trying to clean it up.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

Actually the parts are not expensive but the labor is a different story. Typical parts, alternators, coilpacks, tie rods etc are actually the same price if not cheaper, but the cost of labor to put those parts on and the rate of failure of said parts. You have to budget around 2-3G on just repairs per year.

For example, a ignition coil on a 4th gen is $85 at local part stores, on my BMW it is $30, its less than half the cost. A control arm for a 4th gen is $100 at local part stores on the BMW its $60, this is an E60 too. despite the cost difference even if you do DIY you will pay more for little repairs here and there. Its just the nature of the beast is how i understand it.

Don't get me wrong they are great cars, but you will pay a little extra for it.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

That's mostly due to the owners than the car in all honesty. No matter what you buy if you dont do simple maintenance it will break down. People think because its a honda you just have to put gas in it.

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

of course the newer model will be more advanced than the 25 year old model, but R35 are nothing to what BNR32 were. BNR32 won Bathurst and so many races that they had to get their own racing class to not outright spank Porsche and the rest. to be able to race any other makes they had mandatory intake restriction and weight added. R35 brought nothing game breaking like that. Nissans game died after Renault took a dump on them in 2002


labour is alot worse, ive worked on some Audi's too and to do anything on A6 you have to remove the whole front end. complete nightmare

chrome91

iTrader: (1)

Nissan used a system exactly like Vtec in the early 80's before Honda but didnt make such a big fuss about it

CS_AR

Today I saw on Kelly Blue Book where the Infiniti G37 has a high customer rating.

I could really enjoy a nice G37/Q40 (a.k.a. "Nissan Skyline") series car.

S K Y L I N E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x-m8qzfrWI

..

Maxima 97 SE

If you do decide to go for a Infiniti g37 I would go for the models between 2008-2011 because they have the double wishbone suspension which gives you the best ride possible and makes it feel like a real sport car. Models after 2011 have the independent strut suspension which makes the steering a little smooth but you don't feel that sport car vibe that double wishbone suspension has. Plus for some apparent reason the 2012 and newer models seem to not have as much pickup as the 2011 and older models even though they have the same engine.

george__

iTrader: (1)

^
+1 the G37 are very nice... Even the HR G35 can't compare

BMW wise, family member owned a 335i sedan but traded it in after lease went to a Lexus and couldn't be happier

Scramblinman

So Nissan's highest performing car ever came 5 years after their game died. Makes total sense.

Jprocs24

Driven many G37's, wicked cars.

Chris Alexander

I wonder where the 6th gen would have ended up if Nissan had just decided to make it more like the M35/M45 same RWD setup same engine better off just renaming an M a Maxima contrary to popular belief RWD's are 10x more reliable than front wheel.

george__

iTrader: (1)

- Nissan and Infiniti lines blurred
- Infiniti G and Maxima line blurred
- Most folks don't know AWD, FWD or RWD so the Maxima and Altima confusion becomes confusion between G, Maxima & Altima...
- Maybe Nissan would have released their 3.7L even earlier?
- Death of the Maxima model or it gets annexed into different model
- CVT doesn't become the only transmission in the Maxima

I will never understand why Nissan released a Altima SE-R instead of a Maxima SE-R

Chris Alexander

george_ raised a good point that shows why Nissan is where its at today why did they make a Altima SE-R and not a Maxima SE-R that statement says alot when you think about it.

george__

iTrader: (1)

Don't forget the Altima coupes either which you could equip with a VQ35. Maxima is no longer the 4 door sports car but it's not a luxury banger capable of competing against BMW or Benz either. I'm surprised Nissan hasn't axed the car yet

Jprocs24

That's actually a really good point. They've geared the Maxima towards the luxury crowd but can it really compete with what's already out there...

CS_AR

Here's an interesting article about Maxima on Wards automotive. There is some interesting history listed in the article as well as sales numbers compared to the competition.


http://wardsauto.com/sales-amp-marke...nd-nissan-says

.

george__

iTrader: (1)

^

Commercials made in 1999 vs commercials made in 2009 with modern technology....

Fail...........

CS_AR

Chris - I see you are in TX. Would that be Tarrant County? My Q45 was placed into service in Midland then later it moved to Ft. Worth. I see a lot of nice Infiniti deals around TX.

lightonthehill

We need to remember that comparing the recent two Maxima generations with the first five is apples to oranges.

Ghosn told us in 2002 that the 6th gen Maxima would no longer be the 4DSC of the past. He said the Maxima would be taken up to near luxury, be the Nissan flagship, and the manual 3.5 version of the Altima would replace the Maxima as Nissan's affordable 4DSC. And Nissan did exactly that.

But the public did not listen, and Nissan was badgered with complaints from thousands of long-time Maxima fans who missed Ghosn's '02 message and felt abandoned. So, beginning with the 7th gen, Nissan brought back some sportiness to the Maxima, although keeping it at the near-luxury level. Yes, they threw a small 4DSC sticker in the left rear window, but everyone who keeps up with Nissan's shennanigans knew this 7th gen was never intended as a 4DSC.

Those here complaining that the Maxima can't compete with the luxury cars, is not a 4DSC, and therefore should be abandoned, are barking at the moon. Forget MSRP. I can buy a new base 'S' Maxima in the Atlanta area for around $23,900 and a loaded 'SV' Maxima with Premium and Tech packages for around $34,900. How many luxury cars can compete with that?

Ghosn said in 2002 that the Maxima would be intended as a flagship selling only around 70K per year, while the Altima would be Nissan's 'Everyman's' car, and would sell as many as Nissan could move off the lot - hopefully between 250K and 350k. And that is exactly where we are today. Right where Ghosn said we would be.

Since 1984, I have shopped the Maxima against other cars every time a new gen Maxima arrived, and found I liked what the Maxima gave me more than competing vehicles every time. Others may see things differently, but I know what I like, and the Maxima hits my target every time.

The CVT glitches that delayed the 8th gen Maxima have left us with a dark period in which we have a Maxima designed in 2006, experimental versions built and tested in 2007 and officially released to dealers in 2008. It is very 'long in the teeth.' Once the 8th gen arrives, I suspect we will see folks back on the Maxima bandwagon. They will need to shove very hard if they want on the 8th gen bandwagon ahead of me.

CS_AR

See Nissan's "Power 88" strategic document in the link below.

http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/DOCU...R12_E_P006.pdf

Lightonthehill - It sounds like the Nissan dealers' customer treatment program in your area is like the Infiniti dealer in my area. If the Nissan dealers around here treated customers like the Infiniti dealer or the Nissan dealer in your area, they would lead the market in sales.

Chris Alexander

CS_AR I used to live in Plano a while back I did most of services at Courtesy Nissan in Richardson Tarrant is closer to my hometown where I grew up in Bexar about 2 hrs away. Sorry about the late response brother for some reason i'm not getting notifications when the new come in.

CS_AR

My Q45 came from Grubbs. I always wanted to swing by SEWELL Infiniti and check out a "previously driven" G something. Sewell looks like an awfully good place to buy a car. I've seen people drive from Little Rock to Dallas to buy a new car at SewellVillage.