simon tx

I saw pictures of the new 2004 Maxima.

It is getting larger every year and further away from it's original reputation as "the 4-door sport car"

I think when they started offering the Altima with the V-6 it changed their entire philosophy on where the Maxima fits in the lineup.

To be honest - I'm not sure where it fits - it now looks like an oversized - higher priced Altima.

I'm confused by Nissan - it is no wonder they have been having difficulty getting market share - they seem to compete with themselves.

Anybody have any thoughts along the same lines?

Y2KSESteve

iTrader: (22)

I personally think the Altima is going to replace the maxima as the 4DSC of Nissan. I think the maxima is going more towards the up-scale cars with more power and better refinement.

hubbabubba

That's exactly what my dealer said... The altima is "replacing" the maxima, and the maxima is going upscale.

itdood

I saw Mitsu do something similar with the Eclipse. The 1st and 2nd gen were pure sport.

They redesigned the 3rd gen big time. I test drove it and it rode like a Buick. The v6 power was no match for the 4 banger turbo. They were obviously going after a different market.

I read that sales jumped 356%. All the eclipse guys (including myself) swore this neutered version would die a fast death, but they hit a more diverse audience and sold more units. These guys know what they’re doing

Right now, I think they feel the Max and Altima are cannibalizing each other. They want the Altima to become the sport sedan, and Max perhaps a luxury sport(?). I’ve seen some analysis that this would cannibalize something in the infinity line, I forget which model.

simon tx

I'm curious how other owners view what the impact will be on the future value of their Maxima's

Obviously mine is no vintage Maxiam being a 2K, but eventually it will be a number of years older and the new Maxima's on the market at that time will be in a different sedan category.

I guess if you keep it long enough it won't make much difference, but I can't decide whether this is good or bad for current Maxima's on the street.

slickrick

iTrader: (12)

i hope my 2k2s value is not hurt by the new max going upscale.

wild willy

iTrader: (10)

Nissan made the Altima too expensive, same cost as a Max fully loaded.

If they are going Luxury...Who in their right mind would take that Max over the G35...

Knowing that the Max comes with ****ty Nissan service and Is probably going to cost the same or more....not to mention the pitiful resale value.

Oh hell..if it's nice enough..I might buy one