I am going to look at the 3 cars for our family car. I have 2 daughters 8 and 4. I would go for the 5 speed in the maxima and the SE version, possibly the anniversary edition, local dealer has a AE with 5 speed in black. How will the 3 cars compare - performance wise, handling, NVH, and safety. How about reliability? Will the maxima be more expensive when repairs are needed down the road. Also I live in MN are the stock tires decent in snow or should they be replaced with somthing better. Thanks for any help in my decision.

 

I've looked at all 3 cars. The Maxima wins in performance if you go with the 5 speed.. The Maxima wins in handling. The ride is a little more stiff in the Maxima, but it does handle much better. NVH is better in the Maxima. Maxima does better in crash testing than either car. Check out http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov. Reliability... not even close. Maxima by far. Check out Consumer Reports.

I have 2 girls too. My 6 year old loves my Maxima. My 2 year old cheers when I take a turn quickly.

 

I love the AE.
The reliability of the other 2 cars you mention is not up to par with the Maxima.
The Maxima is really quiet inside whether you are zooming down the highway or idling at a light. I love the way it soaks up bumps without unsettling the car.
The stock stereo is better.
And the seats are comfy.

 

GET THE MAXIMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! As for the stock Bridgestones -- it depends. They seem to be more suited to dry weather performance and can be kind of slick at higher speeds in the wet... As for the snow, plan on using 2nd gear to start out with instead of 1st on that 5sp (good choice by the way) in order to reduce wheelspin.

 

I will never buy another Chrysler product again do to quality probs. GTP is a fast car, but boy does the interior feel cheap with all that plastic. Maxima is argueably the best front drive sport sedan out there. If you can get a black 5sp AE GO FOR IT!

Mark

 

The Gran Prix takes a major beating on resale also. Check the local papers to get an idea.

 

The niceities of the car are certainly important, ie. noise interior, safety but in the end its the engine that makes it. 7 Years in a row listed as one of the 10 best engines is all I needed. You'll be hard pressed to find a better design and you'd be harder pressed to find someone to disagree. Driving the Maxima and pressing on the gas is one of the most satifying automotive experiences out there.

 

If you live in an area where there is a LOT of snow and ice, you would be better off getting a set of really decent snow tires. I have a set of snows on now, with studs, and they are awesome!!
the Max handles better than my Outback used to.
Beating 4X4's off the green lights on snow and ice covered roads has become my favourite winter hobby. for the safety of your family, it's worth the extra $$$'s
My wife now insists on the Maxima for snow storm driving ..I get stuck with the 4X4 truck..DANG!!!!!!!!

 

Definitely be prepared to get snows, which means think about steel rims too, if you go with the AE and 17" alloys. You might even want to negotiate to get them in the deal when you buy the car.

I put 16" rims with snows on two weeks after I took delivery in December. The car handles very well now but on the stock Bridgestone PRotenDas, it sucked in winter weather.

Reliability, resale, build quality and the engine all should point you to Nissan and not GM or Chrysler. If for some reason you don't want a Max, check out the Acura TL but you might regret not having a stick.

[Edited by KanataMax on 02-15-2001 at 02:07 PM]

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I do agree on the grand prix, the dash is goofy looking with all the buttons. Out of the 3 would the maxima be the quickest in a straight line and/or a twisting road? I checked out the FAQ's and was wondering do you all use premium gas, no big deal just want to get as much information as possible. I also talked to a mechaninc and he said I would be very happy with the reliability of a maxima or camry. Just said stay away from the low end japanese cars. I am definately leaning towards the maxima, just seems real sporty yet has nice clean lines.

 

Grand Prix= cheesy interior, sucky resale value, and the risk of being mistaken for a greaseball.

Chrysler= Old man interior, bad trannys, looks like an oversize intrepid.

Maxima..THE WAY TO GO

 

Hey LeoB, I live in winterland, and I have 4 good winter tires on my 2001 se 20 th, as you said the car is handle very well in snow condition, even better that my 4 th gen max. It happen to me many time that some 4 x 4 bummer, try to pass me on the right lane ( parking lane ) and let me tell you they just can't pass me that way, but if the driver drive like a gentleman and use their flasher I will let them pass in front of me, otherwise it's behind me.

Cheers to all of you max friends.

Double A

 

I have 4 kids. Get the Maxima. The other 2 don't come with a 5sp; that should settle it. My kids love the Max, even though they can't undrestand that I don't let them eat in the car.

 

The 300M is a really nice ride. It has more room then the other 2 because of a larger platform. It has a good build quality a a lot of power: 253hp. The Max is faster and safer though. I personally think that the 300M is more comfortable for long trips with more people in the car. Don't even look at the pontiac it's a waste of money. If you want the sporty imagage and ride then go with the max if you need more room then the 300Ms for you.

 

i looked at the same three cars before i bought my max
and what i found was the gran prix although it was quick
and handled good the interior looked cheap as pontiacs
always have and it didnt have very good visibility.
the 300m was nice, i really liked the auto stick but it
seemed to me to feel like a older persons car and it has this hump where your left foot rest and since i am a taller
person it caused my knee to almost touch the steering wheel.
i love my max so far (had it for 4 months) it is very fun to
drive and has a real masculine look to it.
drive them all and i think you will end up with the max.

good luck!

 

The Maxima with the stick will be the best in both categories. The auto Maxima will be slower than the GTP, but still can outrun it in the corners (assuming SE C&C package). I only put premium in my car and it runs great. The way I look at it is, that if it runs good on it now, hopefully it will continue to run well. I don't want to ever hear it knocking. Good luck.

 

I own a 2001 AE 5sp., and that would be my recommendation to you. However, I recently rented a 300M for a long business road trip, and thought I'd share some thoughts:

1) Styling - inside and out one of the most attractive large sedans available at anywhere near its price point. The gauges are superb, with a white enamel finish and chrome bezel rings. They make the Max gauges look cheap in comparison. I love the "swimming pool at night" illumination of the cluster as well - very soothing - no doubt cuts down on nocturnal road rage.

2) Comfort / Ergonomics. The seats felt too soft at first, but proved to be comfortable and supportive over the long haul. Seriously spacious inside. I'd rank the stereo ahead of the Maxima's. One glaring ergonomic fault - for some reason they need two pods on the steering wheel just to operate the cruise control. Just about everyone does this better.

3) Performance and handling. A great engine hobbled by a crappy transmission. The auto stick is a watse of time. You tell it to shift and then count to two "Mississippis" waiting for something to happen. In regular auto mode, response is sluggish at anything short of wide open throttle. At WOT, however, the tranny lets the engine wind to redline and you get to hear a pleasing hard-edged growl and feel a significant push in the back. But only above 4000 rpm, and it's really an all-or-nothing proposition. There is commedably little body roll in steady-state cornering, but rapid lateral transitions are not a strength. The ride was also more harsh than I expected. Bottom line - performance-wise the Max eats this thing for breakfast.

Cheers,

Jaeger

 

Ok I didn't even look at the grand prix. Too little of resale. I really did like the 300M. But chryslers styles change so much that a 5 year old LHS looks so old that i decided against it. We did also drive one other car a 01 impala LS. It was loaded, every option for just a touch over 23K(sticker'd almost 26K). It was dead quiet going down the road, handled as well as a car that big ought to, had some very good binders at the wheels, lots of interior room was very comfortable and had good ergos. If it just had a better engine say the s/c found on the pontiacs would it had had a chance. I think the 3800 is a good economical engine to operate and repair wise is a good engine, just didn't inspire me at all. We ended up with a 01 AE super black with black leather interior, 5 speed, meridian, and a sticker of almost 32K. The only thing that I noticed when driving is the rear suspension rides a little rough but that probably is goin to be that way if the car is going to handle the twisties. I was surprised how quiet the engine is at idle and how soft the clutch is, when it engages I can hardly feel it, the car just pulls away. The seats are extremely comfortable and I love the heat for living in MN. The engine is strong and smooth for a 3.0 and deinately loves to rev, why does nissan have a 8K tach when the engine hits the rev limiter at 6500? I mean peak HP is 6400, at least let the engine hit 7K before the limiter kicks in. The car definately is fun darting through traffic and the response is right now. Thanks for all the help. Oh yeah one more thing, am I going to regret the black interior in the summer? They had other black auto AE with frost leather, but the black leather just looked awesome and I could not pass up. But even before we bought the car I worried about the heat with a double black car. I guess we'll just have to make sure the sunroof shade is closed when sitting in the sun.

[Edited by ditchbanger on 02-17-2001 at 10:26 PM]