[QUOTE]Originally posted by MiniRX7
[B]Actually, i have driven so many cars..

BUT REALISTICALLY..

Maximas are not a POS, only teh 2k2-2k3 are POS's

POINT OF REFERENCE..

My moms 99 maxima SE has 140,000kms on.. and its been the most absolutely perfect car EVER.. I have never seen a car drive so new even with that type of hard mileage.. It still drives 10 x better than my 2k2..

This is why i thought the new maxima is just as good or even better than the 99 maxima..

Look at the number of complaints regarding 2k2-2k3 maximas, including the possible lawsuit setup by DMBMAXIMA2k2.


You say potato, I say patato...okay, no I don't say patato, but my experiences with my 2k2 SE have been trouble free. Yeah, those recalls sucked, but alot of cars have recalls which prove they're trying to alleviate the problem. I've got a lead foot like pretty much everyone else on this site. And yeah, if anything comes from this hp issue it'd be great to have an extra or should I say deserved 15 horses.

If I had it all over to do again would I buy purchase the Max knowing what I know now, probably not, but I'd probably feel that way with any car I bought no matter what it was.

Nissan dealership service is another matter that we've all read about on this site......a lot. And yes, they do suck.

 

My 2k2 has treated me well for 23,000 miles now. It has only gone to the dealer for TSB work and things that I've messed up. No problems from this end, mine must be a wednesday car.

 

Me and you are on the same page.....i too started cracking up when i read about that ridiculous lawsuit....i just thought ok....this looks intelligent. I could have cared less about 255 horse vs. 240 horse in the altima....i bought the Max, because it much nicer car......esp interior. You are correct when you mention the feeling of anger around here, not like it use to be around here. Nissan wont give this lawsuit a second thought only a very small fraction of maxima owners....will jump on this wagon.....thank goodness.

 

Because I have been a memmber since 1996, and use to run this site. Read the history. The other thing is I have donated alot of stuff www.5thgenmaximas.com I run.

Wow, I really didn't know it was a Max site...

 

First off, I'm not that great a judge of tires since I feel that Goodyear Eagle RS-A's that came on my Max are ok. Sure, you can spin the tires on dry pavement if you floor it, but hey, my previous car a 91 Camry V6 w/only 156 hp didn't have close to enough power to do that.

The seats are ok, not great, but not bad. The stock non-Bose stereo is decent IMHO. It's a hell of lot better than the stereo that came in my Camry. I replaced the HU on that w/a fairly high end Alpine one and it still sounded a lot worse (due to the speakers) than my Max's stock stereo. Stock stereos don't all suck. Even some normally crappy American cars like Dodge Neons and Ford Mustangs have surprisingly good stock stereos (no, not by audiophile standards, but pretty decent).

The Max was revamped in the 2000 model year. Yeah, the resale value kinda makes me cry... I haven't really compared it to similar cars though like Honduh Accords or Toyota Camrys. I test drove the 2002 Camry V6 and it had nowhere near the power of the Max. My mom's 96 Camry V6 also feels a lot weaker and is NOT fun to drive.

Overall, I like my Max. It's pretty fun to drive, I like the power, stock stereo is decent, Xenon lights are nice, steering controls are nice, and I actually like the autodimming mirror now. My only complaints are paint chips easily (have clear bra now), rattles and the fact that we've had two recalls already.

 

My Max has treated me well for the first 28k km other than the dimly lighted SES light which is intermitent. When I test drove the car I noticed the wind noise and told the dealer to fix it before delivery. When I picked up the car it had been fixed and is now quiet. I also had the hood adjustment done on the stoppers, and its fine now.

No problems with rattles (not one)and I'm pretty **** about that stuff. All and all a good car, not a POS.

As for the rock chips, its no worse that the Toyota Solara I had before or the Volvo 850 before that.

 

I came from a 99 Honda Accord and so long as the Accord (or 3.2TL) is packing Michelin Energy tires, you can forget about it's "ability" to outhandle a Maxima. (I only know from experience.)

However, I will admit that my 2k2 Max AND Y2k Quest SE together have seen more shoptime combined than every other car I've ever owned collectively. But only for relatively minor issues. However, the Honda Accord has had its own lion's share of issues; in my case, my auto tranny went bad in less than 3 years since purchased new.

I agree with swallac's comment ("You bought a 30k car, which in reality has a better reliability record than many 60 and 70k cars. ") totally. Has anyone checked reliablity of the Mercedes Benz ML430 lately??

Bottomline, the only other new midsize sports sedan that offers the same rewarding experience as the 2k2+ Maxima SE is the Altima 3.5SE.

Peace.

 

I believe the new 6 from mazda will kindof compete and supposedly they are fun to drive. The new accord V6 is an accord but still has great aftermarket and resale. The max is the best out of any midsize sedan for sheer size and pull. I love it except for all the attention it gets.

 

I think the problem is this: We all pretty much saw the Maxima as an incredible value for what you get. When we got the car, it was luxurious. The performance of the car is in the range of cars much more expensive and thus we start to compare the Maxima to the likes of these more expensive cars. Then let down hits us. Well not me. I absolutely love my Maxima. I have had basically no problems other than my Berk Intake which obviously isn't Nissan's fault. I put all the suspension mods on my car for less than 1k. A good friend just bought a 2k2 BMW 325i. My car handles almost as good, will absolutely kill his in speed and his Harmon/Kardon stock stereo sounds worse than the Clarion, I mean Bose that's in the Maxima. Don (PearlMax) just recently installed my system. I can't tell you how hard of a time he had trying to get the door panels and screws off my car. At one point he even mentioned that they were just as hard to get off as the BMW's. Is a BMW more refined? Yes it is, and for $10,000 more you lose power seats, have less power, no trip computer controls and less room than the Maxima. Cars like it = 0!

 

The new 6 also has a Ford engine which is why I would never buy it.
Thats not to say that all fords are bad, but thats from my previous experiences.

Nathan

 

I think everyone also forgets that the used car market in general stinks right now and that all resale values have taken a huge hit. I can also say that my Maxima has seen only oil changes and a few adjustments, no real repairs (but they still can't find the hesitation). My 2k Accord on the other hand was not that likely. Every maker puts out a bad car now and again. When you average it out though, I think the Maxima is above average in terms of reliability. The 2k2/3's don't suck, I think that some of you people just expect too much.

Oh to all of those comparing Max values to CL's and such remember that Acura may cancel the CL after this year because of poor sales. Wonder what thats gonna do to resale values???

 

Yep...FORD didn't get the Fix or Replace Daily nickname for nothing...everyone that I've know to buy a FORD has had head gasket problems in the 1st year of ownership.

That's at least 3 different vehicles, might I add...not a good sign for future buyers.

 

Careful, you may give Russ a heart attack with that last comment. He has enough negative equity as it is.

 

I've owned 2 Fords that were very reliable. With exception to my Dodge Durango, all of my Dodge cars have been lemons new from the dealership.

 

Nope, because they are not cancelling it. Per Acura that was just a rumor. The TL gets a redesign for 2004, the CL for 2005. They most likely both will get the 280hp for 2004~.

You can't compare the Max anyways...Compare it to the new accord

 

I have complained about the Maxima's suspension but listen to this theory:

I think Nissan engineers attempted to simulate a rear wheel drive experience in the Maxima SE. That would explain the Maxima's heavy oversteer.
As for the tires, that's Bridgestone's fault and possibly poor testing on Nissan's end, I'm replacing those ASAP with probably Michelins.
Finally, from what I hear, an aftermarket rear stabilizer bar will help the loose back-end.

As for the rear multi-link suspen. Everyone hates that.

 

Unfortunately Nissan as dropped the ball in regards to quality. I have a 2k2 that has received 3 clutches, 1 synchro replacement, and one transmission, and I just turned 14,642 miles. 97-99 Maximas were a great value at the time and the quality was a lot better. Seriously, Honda does make a better vehicle. We leased a 2003 Accord V6 Auto, and the car is amazing. And in regards to the Automatic transmission problems in the Accord, Odessey, CL, and TL, at least honda as given out warranties to cover those transmission up to 100k miles. What other manufacturer has taken accountability for the flaws in their product? I waited two years to lease a Maxima, and I am glad that I don't have to worry about depreciation and resale. This will be my first and last Nissan.

 

100K warranty on the tranny? That must be a post 1999-model year warranty. Mine was 3/36 on the powertrain. But in fairness to Honda, they still replaced my tranny FREE even though A)I was several thousand miles beyond the warranty limit AND B) had a pretty well modded 99 Accord.

I really enjoy my Max but once my lease is up, I'm definitely looking to replace it with a new 540i.

 

Again, On the street IRS is slightly better, but on a track where u TEST handling it has less of an advantage. You keep talking about handling when you dont know what your talking about. Just like you said you can outhandle modded Maximas when ur CL-S was stock Once again, why dont any of you Acura guys take your car to the track? Must be because you guys can only drive in a straight line.

 

The Maxima doesnt oversteer unless you do something wrong. If you run the car properly it understeers.

 

Had a 1995 GXE 5-sp(fast SOB. modded ...), 1996 GLE, (current) 2001 AE, and (current) 1999 SE Limited.

Love/Loved them all... I agree with some of the issues, but it's not like other cars don't have the same (Honda ...)

It's funny I used to DISCUSS the Multi-link Beam vs The IRS on Edmunds sometime ago, and what I liked to point out is that:
1) For the intended use of the car, Nissan's set-up is simple and does the job with less parts, and even has better numbers Hummm... from an engineer's perspective KISS is always better.
2) The slight issue with "bumps" or what have you has not, and didn't keep the Max from having a great overall driving experience.
3) As stated before proofs in the pudding, I don't care how "complex" a IRS is, if it barely beats(which it doesn't) a "simple" multi-link beam, then who's really got the issue?

I have been without my car(AE) for almost 4 weeks now, hit curb an other story... anyway, after driving different cars Strattus, Civic, Olds Alero, now Jetta NONE come close, Jetta is the best, but there aren't many cars that have the total package for the $$$, one may be faster, one may be larger, ... but no one has put together a car that someone 6'3" 250lbs (not fat) can fit in comfortablly and have all the other stuff to boot for the $$$(excluding new Alt, G35), I'm including ALL cars.

Sorry for the long post, not flaming, just miss my car, and have tested a lot of cars, it's hard to beat the Max for the $$$

 

If you get a chance to do one, go for it. It was a great time, and actually fun (the worst part was the training).

 

Can somebody tell me which one is better...the Maxima or the CL-S?
















IBTL

 

you mean

CL-S vs TL-S vs Maxima SE vs Grand Prix GTP vs BMW 330

ED