A friend of mine is in the market for a new car and he is considering the Maxima and the V6 Altima. While performance is an issue, he is looking more towards luxury. I believe he wants to spend around 25k. Suggestions?

 

Luxury? Maxima. But will probably have to ****er to get a se or gle for 25k or buy a the 3.0 version used.

To me the side panels one the Altima did not qualify as "luxury". Good bang for the buck and good looks IMHO. But the V6 has the heart of a luxury car but the interior of the 4 banger still.

 

Get a 2001, they are less than that now.

 

I was going to buy the Altima 3.5SE about a month and a half ago. I was very happy with the performance but then I saw and felt the cheap material on the doors and on the dash. If they had done a better job with the material instead of using cheap plastic I would be driving an Altima right now. If I were your friend I would go with the Maxima. It will cost a thousand or so more then the Altima but the quality looks and feels a lot better (not to mention the extra HP). Is he looking to get leather seats because I don't think he'll be able to find a dealer selling a 02 Maxima w/ leather for 25K.