sungoban

Hi everyone. I've loved Maximas for a few generations. My dad gave me his 84 Maxima in college. And, after law school, my first real car I bought with my own $$ was a 1995 Maxima SE, emerald green. It's been a great purchase and it lasted me 175,000 miles with only some minor electrical problems. I would have kept it another 3-4 years (or until it conked out), except that it got into car accident recently where it was totaled.

So, being in the market for a new car, I naturally thought about another Maxima. I've compared it with other cars and manufacturers, but considering the features and my personal reliability track record, I liked the Maxima the most. However, after deciding to get the GLE with almost all of the options, I realized that it was almost exactly the same price as the Infiniti I35, which I know has roughly the same 3.5 liter V6 engine as the Maxima and shares many of the other same features.

My question is: is there any reason I should get the GLE over the I35? Have there been bad experiences with Infiniti reliability or dealer service? Are the cars different in other ways? I've heard that the Infiniti suspension is better than the Maxima's, but I can't confirm that. Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Ryan

MaDxKiLLa

iTrader: (3)

GLE is cheaper

warrlocked

The Maxima has moved even closer into the I35 territory for 2002. I believe about the only things you cannot get on a Max that are on the I35 are cornering lamps and the power rear sunshade.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

service

ripper

I've had similar good Nissan experience (ie: 2 Zs & 2 Maxs) and have been grapling with pretty much the same question. I think the #1 difference is price and #2 is service.

Price - I know you're comparing the GLE but invoice to invoice on a loaded SE vs loaded I35 (both w/o navi) is about $3k. Even w/ $0 dealer profit (tough to get on the I35) and 5.9% vig with nothing down, that's about $45/month difference in the payment over 5 years.

Service - Infiniti gives you a free loaner w/ any service. That's big deal if you don't want to inconvenience anyone (eg: wife or coworker, did I say wife?) just to have your regular maintenance.

Performance - This is the dealbreaker. If this is what you really want, you have to have a manual tranny! However, the I35 (sport pgk) does have a very nice electronic vehicle dynamic control (VDC) to keep you in control at the limits - very nice.

Bottom line, it's the same car with slightly different skin & options.

zgrm100

this is kinda off topic, but i have a question for you Ryan. Im in college right now, freshman. And i also wana go to law school afterwards. Is it hard? Can you please tell me something about it?

Thanks for you help in advance.

Rod.

sungoban

No problem. How hard law school is, really depends on your skills and what you like. If you're good at problem-solving, quick thinking and enjoy writing quite a bit, then law school may be for you. If not, then you might want to think about other things.

Ryan

Kal

iTrader: (1)

Hey i currently own a 2001 I-30t. i used to have a 98 SE but it was totaled. Well you have to ask yourself first of all are you gonna do anything to the car. i say the maxima would have the advantage over the i30 because you can get a areo kit for the maxima and also clear lenses. the i30 you can do suspention mods and engine mods. um the maxima might be less heavier then the i30. i know mine is heavier cause of sound dampening material from the factory. so that might help in acceleration. um the one thing i can say good about the maxima is that when i take it to the dealer i get a loaner car and my car gets washed. not the best wash in the world but it works. and also the warrentee was longer 2. there are times that i wish i still had my maxima. but i do love my i30. i only wish they were available in a 5spd now. um i hope this might have helped a little. both are great cars. it jus depends on what you have in mind for your car.

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

No problem. How hard law school is, really depends on your skills and what you like. If you're good at problem-solving, quick thinking and enjoy writing quite a bit, then law school may be for you. If not, then you might want to think about other things.Ryan
[/QUOTE]

Ryan, off the topic again here btw I expect to enter the law school next year

some 5th gen Maxima owners experience this problem with paint chipping, where pain is easily chipped and scratched, even on 1-week old cars. Dealers deny that the damage is "other than reasoable wear and tear" and give us B.S. about road hazards our our driving habits at fault. Like me, I was driving the same road in my previous car, and didnt have similar probs. If you're an atty would you do a favor to your fellow comrades and give us an advice on how we can nab Nissan? What are the limitations (mileage, conditions)Thanks a lot

sungoban

To nab Nissan, you have to establish that this isn't normal wear and tear for a car. To do this, you'll have to show that an average car doesn't chip paint during the road condition. If the case is, that your previous car was, say, above average, then you won't have a case. You have to show that your car essentially is defectively made.

But assuming you can do that, your next step depends on how high your aspirations are. If you want to nab them in a class action sense, you can group a bunch of people together and see if you can find an attorney willing to take on Nissan in a class action suit on a contingency basis. These are suits against large companies where thousands of people are affected, but in small amounts. For instance, Blockbuster was recently sued for overbilling for late fees. Clearly it's in no one person's interest to sue for a $5.00 late fee. But collectively it adds up to a lot. The law allows for attorneys willing to take the risk of making nothing (if they lose, they don't get paid). There are a bunch of them out there (I'm not one of them, however and other than looking in the yellow pages don't know where to find them). If your aspirations aren't that high, I'd suggest writing complaint letters to Nissan until they keel over.

Good luck,

Ryan

Good luck.

Ryan, off the topic again here btw I expect to enter the law school next year

some 5th gen Maxima owners experience this problem with paint chipping, where pain is easily chipped and scratched, even on 1-week old cars. Dealers deny that the damage is "other than reasoable wear and tear" and give us B.S. about road hazards our our driving habits at fault. Like me, I was driving the same road in my previous car, and didnt have similar probs. If you're an atty would you do a favor to your fellow comrades and give us an advice on how we can nab Nissan? What are the limitations (mileage, conditions)Thanks a lot [/B][/QUOTE]

Magellan

The real advantage to driving an Infiniti over the GLE is the dealerships. Consumer Reports magazine this year rated the Infiniti dealers as just about the best, certainly better than Nissan which was near the end of the list.

And I can’t help commenting on your lawyer jargon on the ‘95, i.e., “it got into a car accident.” That must mean no one was driving, it just did it itself.

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

[QUOTE]Originally posted by sungoban
[B]To nab Nissan, you have to establish that this isn't normal wear and tear for a car. To do this, you'll have to show that an average car doesn't chip paint during the road condition. If the case is, that your previous car was, say, above average, then you won't have a case. You have to show that your car essentially is defectively made.]


thanks, that is obvious that we'd have to prove that the damage is other than acceptable. I dont have my old car (sold it) so what's the way to prove it? Nissan has inhouse attys they'll make their way out. There're maybe several hundred of us here on the .org and someone actually started a www.nissanpaint.com for this particular issue. Do you know of any collegues that specialize in product liability/defect cases, who would not charge anything upfront? I am not speaking for myself here, the effect of the damage is great, something you dont expect from a 20+ thousand dollar car. I doubt that writing to Nissan alone will bring any results. Agains, thanks for your help