I'm currently looking for a daily driver...
wanted to get other's input.
I'm looking into getting either the '00 maxima SE (5spd) or the '00 Acura 3.2TL

The only mods I will be doing to either cars are:
intake
headers for acura
y-pipe for nissan
body kit
wheels
lowered

I had my '95 maxima as a daily driver, but a freakin' Frito Lays truck demolished my car...

everyone's input will be much appreciated...THANKS!!

 

Well, if u like luxury go with the TL. If u like some luxury and excitement... go with the 5spd Max. And if u dont want to spend that much money, the max would be ur option. oh yea.. And make sure u buy the 5 spd!!!!!

 

if cost is similar, i would go with the TL. just a plain nicer car. plus you'll get a more reliable car AND better service in case something does go wrong.

 

i think the styling of the acura is a little bland but its definetely a nice car. i know most Acura V6;s take very well to headers but comptech run close to 1k for the headers alone. i know there is a knock off header for less but i cant think of it. ive heard 15 to the wheel was to be expected. for the mods you have listed, they are plentiful and can be had for good prices for either you decide to go with. if you are wanting a body kit then you may want to look into getting a 2k1 AE. that would take care of the body kit and a few other nice looking options. i think its pretty balanced between the two but make sure to check on the resale of the acura because i know ours can be less than average. i ran my AE (stock) against a friend's TL (stock) and i could get a nice lead from the line but on the highway it very close with both cars taking a nose each time.

 

TL- TOTAL LOOSER as we call it at work, since U are in Chicago, most likely the car U would be looking at had a tranny put in by me ! I would never buy a TL period. Lemme list the problems- Timing belt tensioner recall- belts breakging causing engines to blow up- oh only on 02-03s... 99-04 TLs are blowing trannies left and right, brake rotors warp EZ, radios don't EJECT CDs, missfires, check engine lights, bad engine mounts, ahhhh the list goes on. I got 71 K miles on my Max- only problem was MAFs kept on blowing up- made own bracket, new complete MAF stopped it from blowing- we will see how long this one will last- its been on the car for over 6 mo now so maybe I got a good one

 

if they are same price, TL. You could save some $$$ and buy a Maxima. Dont be scared of all the problems TL might have. Not all TLs are like that. Just find the right one.

 

I personally like the TL better than the 00-01 Max. It has a luxurious feel and drives smoothly (the engine is very quiet when you drive). I feel the TL is even quieter than my 03 Max as well.

 

I personally like the TL better than the 00-01 Max. It has a luxurious feel and drives smoothly (the engine is very quiet when you drive). I feel the TL is even quieter than my 03 Max as well, but I still love my Max and wouldn't trade it for a TL!!!

 

Go with the Max!!!

 

go visit some TL and CL boards and see how reliable their trannies are

 

the TL does not come in manual trans i hope u know that, not even the CL.

 

I posted the same thing on AcuraWorld...
yes, I do know that TL does not come with Manual.

 

5spd maxima if u want more of a performance egde.....acura if you want more of a luxury car.....maximas are for performance but dont have nice a feel as the acura.....acura's less perormance but a little more luxury....if your planing to do mods....you might as well go with the 5spd max...there so great....and they never break under normal operation

 

I think you mean loser and you're way off base. While the 3.2TL is no Maxima 5sp (or Type S), it WILL smoke a Y2K auto. (Unfortunately, there was no manual tranny avail for the TL.) I've driven them several times AT LENGTH and they can move out pretty well (as evidenced by how well I ran an Altima 3.5SE one time).

Anyway, what joeyicu says is pretty accurate; given the choices posted, the Max SE 5sp is sport and the TL is luxury. However, I'm not certain if the 00 TL came with the 4sp auto or 5sp auto. But I understand that a TL-P with Comptech headers and icebox run pretty quick.

Peace.

 

define smoke one? ive raced several TL from a dig and from a roll. this was done stock and with current mods. im not here to argue but this is my experience. id had trouble with them stock from a roll but with my current mods they are not a threat anymore from any point. i like the TL but i think you are giving its power too much credit. the only modded one ive run was with intake and mufflers and im sure they behave much differently with headers but still no where near the type s or 02-03 max.

 

99-00 TL's aren't a good race for any auto 2k-2k1. a 2k-2k1 would just walk away from then off-line and keep doing so. 2001 TL's were the first model year for the 5A and they are a good race for an auto 2k-2k1. The 5A also gets a slightly different intake manifold for better low-mid range TQ.

My sisters 99 TL got walked on by a GA GT 3 car lengths to 80mph until I shut down because he just kept pulling. I thought if I would run him past 60mph I'd reel him in but that wasn't the case. I didn't have such problem with my Maxima when I was stock.

 

not to mention with a 2k max you will most likely have to replace the ignition coils and have the ecu reprogramed..its unfortunate nissan hasn't recalled the coils because at local dealer I've heard the replacment runs around 600 bucks..

z

 

2000 is the year of the 5spd auto, they have a 6 year 100K mile warranty on the tranny. Why ? cause I can seriously tell ya... no one builds bigger crap then Honda when it comes to trannies. U ***** about coils for 250 bux ? In reality thats how much they cost.... ECU reprogram ? dude I can do it myself. No need for it really eighter. Or TL- bad tranny- 4K bux. Thank U come again in 15K miles :P I work at Acura as a mechanic, I drive a 01 Max, and my 5spd will spank the **** out of a new 04 TL 270HP 6spd manual. Its not no 14 sec flat car... its like mid to high 14s stock.

 

Max 5spd. I like the TL a lot better actually but I only like the 02-03. Ever since we bought an 02 I've thought the rest were ugly (despite minor differences)

 

tone down the hostilities... we all know how everyone gets worked up when it comes to Acuras... keep this civil...

 

For a daily driver I'll take the TL, despite the tranny troubles. Why? Auto tranny for the commute, Acura luxury, HIDs.
It's not like the the Max is perfect.

 

Short story: Some dork in an auto 3.5SE (new) was showing it off one night on Route 1 Linden,NJ; while driving a rental 99 3.2TL I figured I'd run this guy IF whe line up at one of the upcoming lights. We did, it turned green we both launched hard and he had a bumper on me from start through a min. 1/4 mile (Park Ave Linden through traffic rotary in Eliza.) And I KNOW the 3.5SE Altima is quicker than a 16 second auto Y2K. That'd be MY experience.

Now when it comes to handling, the TL-P handles like garbage mainly because of the Michelin Energy tires; however, it does have a better suspension setup than the 5G Maxima. Anyhow, if someone with a stock auto Y2k/2k1 wants to run, I'll gladly rent a TL-P again.

 

'00 TL is by far a more solid, well finished vehicle-
offering nearly the same hp as 2k/2k1 - simply a step above in terms of class/refinement
whether 5th geners would like to admit it or not
you are better off w/ the Acura (specially for future resale)

 

I considered a TL before getting my 2k2 Maxima. The reason I didn't go with the TL was because of it's bland styling. It just looks like a friggin Honda on the inside IMHO. Not necessarily a bad thing - but didn't feel like a $30k car.

If you're looking at a used vehicle - I would DEFINITELY go with the TL. What's nice is that they come standard with everything - leather, moonroof, etc..

Find a used Maxima with the equipment you want might be a little tougher.

Since I'm leasing my Maxima I'm not too worried about the long term problems. My next vehicle will probably be an Acura or Infiniti just because of the better service.

Good luck......

 

That list is very similar to the list of Max problems... In fact replace the timing belt recall with the transverse link recall and you have a very probable list of problems for any 5th gen Max owner.

Anyways, get the TL if you don't mind auto. And if you want manual, good luck finding a Max with a 5-speed. Price will be significantly different between the two cars, so I have a feeling that will determine which car you get in the end...

 

but, reliability would be probably the leading factor for the decision. I've owned a maxima before, and I know how reliable they can be, but don't know too much on the TL's... although performance is a factor, what about the interior? I've only seen pictures of the TL... I've driven the '01 CL before... wasn't too bad.
I have another nissan which is made purely for performance, so I need a car that's reliable with overall good performance and comfy!

 

TL hands down

 

Mikey, have you considered the I30?? It optioned like the TL with a Maxima heart!

 

This comes down to what you are looking for in a car. I owned a '99 TL and had the choice to get a '00 TL but chose not because I opted for a more sporty car in the Max. The 5-spd is what won it over for me.

When Acura implemented the 5-spd auto they had some issues. You can read all about it at www.acura-tl.com . A lot of those guys have had tranny problems with their cars 00-03 (the '99 model had a 4 spd and was slightly slower). I've heard stories where guys are driving at highway speed in 4th and the tranny automatically drops to 2nd and blows the tranny. Some guys are on their 3rd trannies.

The TL is a more smoother ride and slightly more attractive IMO. The engine doesn't have much low end torque but when VTEC breaks into high profile cam phasing at 4600 approx. it comes alive. Personally I prefer the broader torque and power range of the Max to the TL. The Michellin MXV4 stock tires are no good for grip in the twisties but are good quiet tires.

Again, it was the 5-spd that won the Max over for me in the end.

 

89,XXX on the 99 TL and its still on the original tranny. BlackBirdVQ all those problems you listed for the TL can also be added to the list of problems on the Maxima. Like the Max, you can and most likely will find a TL that is problem-free. If I had the chance to go back, I'd buy a TL, especially since back then, a non-Nav TL was I believe similar price or even cheaper than a Maxima.

I always thought the MY2000's (2001's) built after may TL's had the 5speed auto?

On a sidenote, the the VTEC switches over, the rush is no different than a Maxima's VI opening up. The Maxima's engine is smoother, but the JA32 is quieter.

 

i would go with the nissan maxima...becuase you already own one right now and you know how nissan quality is...and plus the max is a 5 speed...
you can't go wrong with the maxima man
BTW...your car was niice
get a maxima

 

the both cars are great... But the 5 speed is faster
the Acura has more luxary it depend on your taste... more power, and sport MAX
Luxary, smoother ride Acura
hope that helps

 

I didn't read this whole thread, but just FYI you can get headers for the Max now too...

I definitely say take the Maxima over the 3.2 TL. I would only take the TL-S or the brand new TL over a Max of the same year...

 

I'm leaning towards the maxima right now... the price seems to be a bit lower, which gives me a little room to play with mods.

on acuraworld.com, there's a video of a '00 max SE vs '99 TL, and the max beats it off the line, but then the TL comes back and gets its revenge!!
mods for the max was intake, udp, y-pipe, exhaust and TL was just intake and headers. both auto.

the people that did the 2002 HID upgrade on their '00... did you get them through the dealership?