What other cars did you consider?

'97 J30t: quirky, luxurious, feels like you sit on the floor.

S60: gorgeous interior, 5 cyl pulls and sounds like a 4 cyl rental car

a4 quattro: probably should have bought this instead of maxima since it fits my driving style better, but VQ torque was intoxicating.

x-type: you know with all the bugs the gen5 maxima has I wonder if the jaguar is really any poorer in quality or reliability? fear of british quality was the only issue stopping me.

 

Acura 3.2TL Type S.....reason I didn't get it: Acura wouldn't talk price....just b!tch about how good their car was...

 

same here--Acura 3.2TL type S--they are beautiful but just a little too much $$$
i wanted a chrysler 300m special, but they didn't stack up too well compared to a Maxima
decided on a Maxima GLE--but no one had any available when we went to buy

the dealer tried to sell us on an Infiniti I30, which we briefly considered--but the I30 is a Maxima with a higher price tag!!!!
so we bought an SE and dealer put leather interior in (I should have whined a little more--maybe i could have gotten the bose stereo too!)

 

I wanted an Accord for a long time, somehow I came upon the Maxima and I was hooked, overall what bought me over was that the maxima was a better bang for the buck and was more of the car I wanted than the Accord.

 

Considered the following:

2k3 Mazda Protege 5
99 Maxima SE 5speed
2k3 Infiniti G35 sedan 6MT
2k3 BMW 330
2k3 Nissan Altima SE V6

 

I also highly considered the Acura 3.2 TL type S...i actually ws about to close the deal when i heard they steal those acuras lights alot so i went and bought the MAX and go figure i would have been in a better position with the Acura

 

Mazda Millenia... Or the Toyota Camry... I like big roomy cars..

 

2K BMW 323ci
52hp less than my max, less options than my max, $7K more than my max, had to wait at least a month for it to be built and shipped from Germany... waited 3 days for my max. Beautiful car though.

 

I considered the following:

Nissan 350Z (had one preordred then canceled it)
Acura TL-S
Nissan Altima 3.5 SE
Nissan Pathfinder
Ford Mustang GT Premium Coupe
2000 or 2001 Lincoln LS (with the V8)
Ford SVT Lightning (Slightly out of my price range so I gave up on it)

 

2002 Altima 3.5 SE. I had 2 altima before and I wanted change so I didn't get the Altima

Mazda Millenia S I Liked the looks but the Maxima had more features that the Millenia just doesn't have.

Acura CL type S. for 28K car the Maxima offered more for the same price plus the maxima had 2 more doors.

Acura TL. The TL cost more than the Maxima and had less HP. The Type S version was too pricey.

Today If I was in the Market I would have bought the I35 for the warranty over the Maxima, or a used Luxuary car.

 

2002 Audi 1.8T
2003 Toyota Camry SE V6

That was it...audi was too small, the camry just wasn't a Maxima

 

i considered:
Audi S4
TL S
ES 300
Infiniti QX4

 

Acura TLS
G35 Sedan for the 03 Max

01 Vette
G35 Coupe for our wifes 350Z

 

Prior to purchasing my 2002 Maxima SE, I considered the following:

02 Honda Accord V6: great price BUT no performance
03 Honda Accord V6: not available when I bought my 2K2 Max
Acura CL Type S: Great bargain price but, I need four doors.
Acura TL Type S: the dealers wouldn't budge price
Acura TL Premium: needs a bit more power AND dealer wouldn't budge on price (damn demand)
Altima 3.5SE: At the time, it was priced higher than a moderately equipped Max SE; cheap interior materials AND poor ergonomics
Volkswagen Passat GLX: priced higher than a loaded G35 Coupe with NONE of the appeal
Subaru WRX: decent price, all performance and NOTHING else to offer.
Mitsubishi Galant GTZ: decent performance but purchasing this would mean depreciation suicide.
Subaru Legacy GT: I found that the GT moniker in this instance is a misnomer; i'd kill to have a JDM Legacy B4.

All this said, my Maxima's lease is up at about the time the new Legacy B4 hits the US Market. Given Nissan's direction with the 6G Maxima, I'll probably replace my 2K2 Max with this: http://www.subaru.co.jp/legacy/bt/index_f.html

Peace

 

1. Acura TL/S
2. BMW 325i
3. Used Lexus GS

 

1. Acura TL/S (scared by rumored - probably true - tranny problems).
2. Acura RL (tempted by $7k discount and loaded features, but disappointed with blah and outdated engine for a "flagship" car).
3. Passat GLX-loaded (more expensive and less features than the Max)
4. Millenia-S (didn't want to buy a car without future).
5. Lincoln LS and 300M (no faith in US made cars, sad but true).

 

G35 coupe/350Z ...no room for future kids seats.
Lincoln LS...Holds absolutely no resale value
Mazda 6...To new to judge

So I ended up buying an Accord EX-V6 Coupe 6spd with Navi, and an Altima 3.5 for my wife.

--Don

 

Umm...none. If I didn't get a 2003 Maxima, I'd just stick with the '87 Stanza.

 

1. Acura TL Type S. Didn't get that because the stupid sales person would only let me test the drive for .4 miles. That's right .4 miles. He kept on telling me how his car has power windows, locks, power seats. Well no $hit sherlock. For a car that's 33 grand, I would expect power windows, seats, and locks.

2. Passat. Didn't get that because that car felt a little cramped in there. Besides, I couldn't knock off 5500 off like I did with the maxima

3. Tahoe. Loaded one was way too expensive. Nearly 42 grand. But I wouldn't mind being the king of the road...

 

I needed a car that was a jack of all trades, master of many so I considered the following:

a) '03 Acura TL-Type S: Made in Ohio, luxury interior, 260HP engine, low torque, bland front styling, transmission problems
b) '03 Nissan Altima 3.5SE: contemporary exterior design, VQ35DE engine, but cheap looking interior
c) '03 Honda Accord V6: Made in Ohio, car for the masses, wierd exterior styling, no HIDs, no memory seating
d) '03 Toyota Camry: underpowered, car for the masses
e) BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo: low reliability ratings from Consumer Reports, high price for similar content in the '03 Maxima
f) '03 Infiniti G35: wanted this but has higher price than similarly equipped '03 Maxima
g) '04 Maxima: first max made in the USA, first year quality control issues, hard to get used to exterior styling


Car picked: '03 Maxima SE auto, Majestic Blue, Titanium Edition, Meridian Edition, Navigation System, Leather Package, Bose stereo system, manufactured 12/02, one of last Maxs to be built in Oppama, Japan; bought for $7000 less than a similarly equipped Infiniti G35.

 

I pretty much looked at the entire range listed below, but decided on the '03 Maxima GLE ($25,600) b/c I could have money to spare for all kinds of mods...

BMW 530/540 & 330
Lexus IS300 & GS300 (great cars, but slightly underpowered...handling was awesome!)
Acura TL-S
Pontiac Grand Prix GTP and Bonneville SSEi
Cadillac CTS
Infiniti G35 Sedan (would have purchased this, but the 6 speed wasn't available yet)
Lincoln LS V8 (great ride/handling, but just didn't feel strong)
Lincoln Town Car Cartier (huge car, good ride, handles like a battleship)
Toyota 4Runner Sport 4x4 (4.7L V8)
Volkswagen Passat 4Motion V6 and W8 (good car, but price wise was outclassed for the options it had)
Subaru Impreza WRX (fund car, but to small in the end)
Chrysler 300M (the best "mediocre" car...does nothing well, but it's ok/good at everything)
Nissan Pathfinder (after driving the new 4Runner, this thing had no chance)
Jeep Liberty (total POS, IMHO)
Chrysler GT Cruiser (just to humor my wife)
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.7L HO (again, after the 4Runner, it sucked)

I think that's about it for my comparison shopping list...

 

01 F-150
07 Civic

 

2003 3.5 Altima. It was just outta what I wanted to spend and was a auto.
2002+ Subaru WRX. Just to expensive for the mileage. *****s hold resale.
Honda RSX-S. Only for a quick second, just had a sport coupe and isurance would like that again.
2000-02? Acura TL-S. tranny problems and auto.
2004 Lincoln LS. I really like the look and interior. Took it for a test drive and it overheated with in one mile. Seriously.
2001 Audi A4. 1.8T This car was me. But had too many miles and even after I found one with decent mile a good friend of mine who flips cars reminded me they are VW nuff said.
Mazda 6. Looks good, prolly handled well. But No power.
2003+ Sentra. too small wanted a bigger car at that point, but had I know about the easy 3.5L swaps I might have went that route.
Oh 04 V6 Mustang, I was gonna turbo it. lol

 

'03-05 Accord V6. Nice cars, better mileage than the Maxima; took my Dad's '04 on a road trip, averaged (doing the actual math) 30.2 mpg over 1900 miles. 5 speed automatic isn't quite enough to overcome the 150 pound weight disadvantage (compared to my Maxima) when coupled with 15 less hp and 34 less lb-ft torque. No HIDs either.

'04-06 Hynudai Sonata V6. They run pretty good but a bit thin on torque. No HIDs and the interior materials, while nice looking, didn't appear that they'd be durable long term.

'02-03 Acura CL Type S. Glass tranny. 'Nuff said!

'04-05 Acura TL. Nice cars, HIDs, midrange doesn't feel quite as fat as a Maxima but pulls harder from 5000 to redline so performance is actually pretty close. I drive 25,000+ miles a year and just didn't want to spend $20k and up for a used car (they really hold their value).

I'd also wanted an '02/03 Maxima for a long time anyway. Like the styling, the interiors are nice and VQ35 = TORQUE

 

i didn't consider any other cars...?

 

I almost bought a 2004 Jeep GC overland....


So glad I got this instead.

 

'99-'01 subaru impreza 2.5rs with 4 doors and manual. I love this car so much.

'08 cobra mustang.

 

I considered the Accord, Camry, Max, and Altima and glad I chose what I did.

When I first drove a max (used one) the sales guy says those who buy the accord and camry buy it for transportation and those who buy the max buy it for the enjoyment of driving. I thought, "yeah, right, that's because you aren't selling the accord and camry's!"

Well, my first drive and I realized he wasnt lying since I had driven the others!

...Sold me on a max but i didn't find the one I felt comfortable with until later at a diff car seller. Never even bothered driving the Altima.

 

Welcome to 5.5 years ago !

 

i considered 98 acura rl when i was looking for cars back in 2000.I ended up with a 99 maxima se.After the max was totalled in june 08 i was looking at the following.

07 Acura TL Type S - car was nice but as always dealer always try to get you.was asking for 08 tl price for an 07 with 10,000 miles ...said it was limitied edition.screw that.....

2007 m45 - car was nice but they wanted me to pay for an extra key and added vin etching to the total when i saw the car already had vin etching.walked out the dealer

07 g35 - was nice but the gas pedal was weird.

 

In 2002 when I was looking for my first car I considered
1. Nissan Xterra
2. 1994 Accord hated the car but had a clean interior
3. 1991 Accord i like that body style for some reason
4. Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer only

In 2008 when I was looking for my second car
1. 2006 M35 S
2. 2003 Q45

FYI - The Maxima was on top of both of my list when i was looking just needed to find the one i wanted.

 

ok here we go again....
350z, g35 c and 6 gen max. but decided on 5.5 gen

 

02-03 acura tl-s
98-00 BMW 525i-540i

drove the tl-s and it seemed gutless and near impossible to find a 6 speed.

The bmw's were nice but i decided not to have to deal with the maintenence nightmare that is most 10 year old german cars

 

Maybe because they didn't offer a 6-speed in the tl until 2004 w/ the redesign. The 2003 CL offered a 6-speed, though.

 

Funny how SO many people wanted a TL-S, INCLUDIng me!!

Two reasons: No Manual Tranny 6spd, and $5k more than the Max.

I STILL wish I got one....but really, the TL-S's have JUST as many prob's as the Max does. However -- I bet the Acura c/s is ALOT better than Nissan.

No more Nissan's for me....maybe a Subaru next!

gr

 

Test drove a 99 Audi A6 2.8 at a toyota dealership with check engine light, they didn't know what it was and was sold as is with over 100k miles, then test drove/looked the following:
-Lexus ES300 (Older)
-Toyota Avalon
-03 GLE
-00 GXE

 

'96 Impala

 

i'd have bent over for a gs300 (the older model 00-03).

but the damn car was like 7k more, used by the way and with more mileage than the max.

considered v6 accord, but was 2k more than max with less options, accords seem to hold their resale value pretty good.

Considered TL type S as well, but finding one with decent mileage in NY with a decent driving record (u know everyone who got a TL-S beat the living jesus out of it) was next to impossible.

ended up getting 00 GLE fully loaded with traction control even (i didn't even know wtf this was back then, but rly it kind of makes it harder to get out of snow, lol).

Car was practically brand new.

 

02 TL, 04 Maxima, 03 G35.

 

the maxima is my 2nd car, for a daily driver...i really wanted a 2004 Acura TL, but it was a lot more...thought i would hold off for now...plus, we've had a bunch of maximas go through our family so i know they are reliable