My co-workers Daughter-in-law works for Nissan North America as a sales representative for the Midwest region. She has a lot interaction with the dealerships.

Apparently, Nissan's recent announcement about the '02 Altima has not gone over well with many 5th Gen Maxima owners. She said Nissan has received quite a bit of negative feedback as a result of this announcement.

She hasn't said what Nissan intends to do to address it. She did say, however, to write and/or call Nissan to express your concerns and/or displeasure.

Just thought I'd pass this on.

 

Can we say FREE BOOST!?!

 

I just emailed them

 

I wouldn't mind Nissan paying for a RB26DETT motor swap for me... then I would be REALLY happy.

 

I totally agree with KEV!

 

Where do you email them at?

Thanks

 

Hell.. an auto to manual swap and I'd be REALLY happy.

 

What can Nissan do? I don't think too much. Couple realistic options I've thought of that I would like and that I think are practical for Nissan:

Factory warranteed supercharger

Special incentives for original 2k/2k1 purchasers towards 3.5 2k2 Maxima only - this could be a significant discount in purchase price, extremely low long-term financing, or a minimum trade in value.

Unfortunately - I don't think the s/c is going to happen and I think the incentives to buy a 2k2 by mid 2k2 are going to be so substantial anyway that the additional ones might not be worth that much. But, if Nissan does anything, I think it will have to be the incentives.

 

They should give us all a care pakage: y-pipe, intake, and exhaust....that way we will get closer to the new altima in terms of hp Or, they can tell their service people to stop giving us **** about mods.

 

Well if Nissan used a little more forethought before they made the announcement the situation might not be what it is. I would suspect that they would offer attractive incentives on the new Altima, which would be an insult, and upcoming Maximas, including the next gen.

The thing they'll have to deal with are those consumers who will disassociate themselves with Nissan altogether as a result of the announcement. Those are the ones who are toughest to get back. Remember, it costs a lot more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one.

I know I'd like to be a fly on the wall in a few Nissan VPs' offices right now!

 

I think I would rather have a 2k2 maxima that is faster instead of an Altima. After all, I think the only thing that is ****ing up Maxima owners off is that the Altima will be faster and perhaps handle better. Give me incentives on a 6spd SE with 260+ hp and I'll take it in a heartbeat. Besides Maxima is such a better name.

 

Who said anything about current owners of 2k1 Maximas? I want one (WRX is also on the list), along with a 5K factory discount and %0 financing, =)

-Beanboy

 

I saw they give us skylines

 

i saw that too


j/k


finals suck A$$

 

www.nissannews.com has emails listed under contact info.

 

Ditto!!!!!

 

BTW, did I mention ditto, if not DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hey man, what the hell!!! I have plans for my baby and this happens!!! I think, as far as incentives are concerned, they should not void the warranty once aftermarket parts are installed. They should allow us to upgrade our Maximas to compete w/ the upcoming Altimas. I say anything goes, and they can't do a damn thing about it!!!!

 

nnaconsumeraffairs@nissan-usa.com

I just sent them the following e-mail:

To Whom it May Concern:

I'd like to join the growing chorus of 2000-2001 Maxima owners who feel that Nissan has done us disservice. I didn't purchase just one 2000 Nissan Maxima . . . I purchased two of them. I'm displeased that Nissan has decided not only to cut short the 5th Generation Maxima model run by at least one year, but has introduced a lesser vehicle for 2002 (the new Altima SE 3.5L V6 ) with better specs than your current "flagship". Obviously, the resale value of my Maximas will be substantially affected as a result.

I'm not certain what steps if any you plan to take to redress my grievances and the grievances of other angry Maxima owners. But I can assure you that if something isn't done, my next two vehicles will not be manufactured by Nissan.

Gotta hit 'em where it hurts!

 

I just sent a scathing email. Thanks for the lead. I'd encourage everyone to just flood them with mail. Then they'll take us serious!

srm

 

Put me on the list of those who sent a missile over to Nissan. Once again, srmtn, I find myself in your wake. 'Til we meet again!

Cheers!

 

Just a hint guys, snail mail carries much more weight than email so if possible, put it in writing.

 

I think punkdork might be right. The average one-page letter, envelope and stamp weighs approx. 1.5 oz. whereas your typical email is electronic and would therefore need specialized equipment to register the weight. Now, I'm no scientist, but I'd wager that an email doesn't weigh that much.

Hardy-har-har

Sorry, couldn't resist, it's late and I'm getting punch drunk!

 

Don't make me come over there and give you some of this:

 

Bring it on, you wood-totin' bubba! You'll be pickin' splinters outta yer @ss for a month!!!

Boy, we can get OT in far less time than we can do the 1/4, eh?

 

I aim to be the OT moderator. Note... I don't want to moderate the OT forums, I just want to be a moderator who is OT 24/7

 

Well, since you're already the of OT, I'd say you're a shoe-in!

 

Nissan is the company that has been bringin' us great Maximas for 20 years now. Why do you all ASSume that they are shooting themselves in the foot by putting an Altima on the market that is (finally) directly aimed at it's designated competition. I think the competition is misguided and has a bad approach to this market segment. However, they are more profitable than Nissan with their product positioning strategy. Nissan has always made the Maxima an enthusiast's car (forgetting about first Gens, I know). Why do you automatically think that giving it a bigger engine and more power for 2003 is a bad move on their behalf. No car manufacturer has enough money to put all their changes in place at once. Give them time to roll out their new products before roasting them.

Whenever your car has a warranty issue do you believe they are more or less likely to make a judgement call in your favor if you underpaid for your car, wrote them harassing letters and told them you will not buy another Nissan? Personally, I wait for the whole story to unfold before judging it. I especially withold my judgement on things I don't like and can barely influence until I see the results. Wasn't Star Wars Episode 1 the biggest letdown in recent memory?

Finally, is any more powerful car going to be very successful in the marketplace given gas price increases in the immediate past and near future? If the new 2003 Maxima is bigger and gets a V8 Nissan may be doing the right think by keeping a V6 available in it. Now, if they would add batteries (replace spare tire adding run flat tires) and electric motors on the rear wheels for extra fuel mileage, AWD (and, thus, acceleration if done properly) that would be something to talk about.

 

Methinks you miss the point, Max20. Others may have loftier ambitions. But as far as I'm concerned, this is all about MONEY honey. As my daddy used to say, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. So I'm just being squeaky to find out how willing Nissan is to lubricate me, so to speak. (Now don't get carried away with your puns and double entendres, guys!) Call me mercenary if you must.

I'd be happy with a free extended service contract or a refund of the premium if I already own one. Or perhaps Nissan would be willing to offer me a credit against the purchase of a new Altima or Maxima. The possibilities are endless.

One thing's for sure. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

 

thats what i think.
Seriously, what are they going to do? maybe give you some free oil changes and car washes, but they aren't going to swap out an engine for free or anything like that. I know a lot of you are angry about this, but it's life.

Nissan/Renault is doing this overhaul for $$ and brand recognition. If Nissan wants to stay competative this is a very good step in the eyes of ppl that aren't hardcore nissan fans(well i think it is). Except the Altima's styling is a bit risky for it's class. I mean look at the camry, plain as vanilla, but the best selling car in it's class.
I'm sure that you guys don't want Nissan to go bankrupt again do you?

 

Not until they redress my grievances.

 

I recently read that Mazda misrepresented the new 2001 Miata's horsepower output. Mazda offered to buy back the 2001 Miata's at purchase price (not sure if there is a mileage deduction or not) or get a $500 credit towards service.

Now that's impressive.

 

I heard from several dealerships that the 2003 Maxima will have anywhere from 270 to 285hp. So for those of you who are whining about Nissan building an Altima that can possibly beat your Maxima just wait for the 2003 to come out. I mean you don't think Nissan is going to let the Altima beat a Maxima for very long. As for me I could care less, my Maxima has pleanty of power for me. Hell if you did'nt want anybody being able to beat you, you should have bought a Vette.

 

i just sent them an email too....EVERYONE EMAIL THEM AND MAKE THEM TAKE CHARGE OF THE SITUATION.......in ur email...make sure its a THREAT.........

 

Email is on the way ... Would be nice if Nissan did something. =)

 

you meant skyline RIGHT???

 

god forbid....can't forget that.....

 

 

And the official word from Nissan North America is . . .

Thank you for contacting Nissan North America, Inc. and allowing us the opportunity to be of assistance.

We are very sorry to hear of your concerns in regard to the recent remodeling and upgrading of our 2002 Altima. These changes were made to give the vehicle a bold and exciting image.

The changes to the 2002 Altima represent Nissan's desire to create a bold and exciting brand image. We have dedicated ourselves to developing vehicles for the model year 2002 that evoke a passion for driving.

The formula used in designing the 2002 Altima has also been applied to our 2002 Frontier Crew Cab Long Bed, and the redesigned 2002 Xterra.

Unfortunately, we are not offering any upgrades for our current Maxima owners at this time. The 2002 Maxima is scheduled to be released in August 2001, but we do not have any information available in regard to changes or upgrades. We invite you to visit our web sites, www.nissandriven.com and www.nissannews.com, for further updates.

If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to e-mail us.

Sincerely,


Maggie Maese
National Consumer Affairs

To paraphrase Braveheart, "The good Lord thinks Altima owners will be all right, but he's pretty sure we're focked!"

 

Oh no, I bought a Pentium III 600MHz computer a while ago, and now a Celeron 800MHz is available. I better demand an upgrade from the PC maker.

Oh god, the clothes I bought last year have all had their lines refreshed for this year. I better take them all back to the department store and ask them to exchange them for the new looks that are out.

And say it isn't so, but my second most favorite recording artist just released a new CD. I better take the current CD of my most favorite artist back to the store to demand some kind of deal since this other CD has more tracks on it.

Some people here act as if Nissan had this plot to purposely cheat 5th generation Maxima owners. Yeah, that's it! Years ago, Nissan decided to rip off the people by redesigning the 4th generation Maxima to make it better than ever, while their real intention was to really introduce a powerful new Altima years after that so that they could have the satisfaction of spitting on our faces. Nissan is so evil! They're worse than the tobacco companies!

Please!! Nissan owes us nothing for their choice to make the Altima better. When we bought our Maxima's, we bought the best that we could afford. It's not like we got some junker lemon. We got the best-selling V-6 mid-sized sedan on the market with one of the best engines around...AT THE TIME WE MADE OUR PURCHASES.

If you think that Nissan should give you something just because they're making an all new Altima, then I feel sorry for those "poor" 2002 Altima owners when Nissan decides to screw them too with a 6th generation Maxima! Can you imagine the bloodletting then?

Sheesh! I work hard for my money just like everyone else and I hate seeing things that I buy depreciate in value, but the fact is that most things in life go down in value. Whether it be cars, computers, electronics, etc.. And different factors at different times effect those values in many different ways. There's no master plan or set equation that determines all that. It just happens.

Just keep driving what you have and love every minute of it like I do.