I have a 2001 Maxima AE and have a chance to trade it for a 2002 Chrysler 300M Special. How do the two cars compare? Thanks for the advice.

 

the 300M is more luxrious(HID's is new on the 2002)....its a nice car but its not as sporty as the maxima, it has more power like 255hp i think. Why not trade it into a 2k2 maxima?

 

I guess I am wondering about quality as well as luxury.

 

get a new maxima. they are badass.

 

Forget the 300M, get the G35 or keep your car until then 6th gen Maxima comes out.

 

Ur comparing 2 diffrent cars, 300M is more of an "old man's car".....but with lots of power......I drove one.....i was really impressed with the kind of power chrysler has put up under the hood for such a big car.As far as the maimxa goes.....I've never drove one.....but from wut i've seen and heard.....there sweet...and maixma is for a younger age......so its up to u......but my advice to u....go test drive one to get the feeling of "drive=love".

 

I believe most people think you are comparing a 300M with a SE. Whereas it makes more sense to compare the 300M with a GLE. The SE will be faster (its a lighter car with about the same HP/TQ). I've only ridden in once and found the ride much too soft for my tastes. As to build quality, I can't really say. I don't have much experience with Chrysler. My own experience with Maxima's has been very good (which is why I bought another one).

 

i would go with the AE for sure i mean look bodykit, AE headlights, AE shifter, AE pedals, AE door sills and i thought they came with leather. And the 300 is nice but seems to be more of an old car to me

 

I had this same dilema 3 months ago...I drove the 300 M. The power was good on the 300M. The handling was atrocious...It was nice and comfortable inside. I wanted Navigation and HID and power, as well as handling, along with luxury for under $32,000 . That = Maxima SE 2002 ! I am confident I made thr right choice !

 

guess what kind of car I had before my 1998 GXE Maxima. A nice luxury 1999 300M. I miss that car. Everyone loved it and the interior was very comfy. one PROBLEM. MAJOR problem. If you have time every week to go to the dealership for repairs and changing your transmission every 30,000 miles then this is the car for you. Go test drive one. You can feel the tranmissions about to go.

If Chrysler had the build quality of Nissan I would buy another right now.

I dunno if this answers your question, but I have a "gxe" bare-bone Maxima that I replaced over a luxury 300M.

 

If u think its a good deal, why not?? The 300M got plenty of speed and "looks" more luxurious. Also have u sat in that thing?? The interior is HUGE!! and comfy! I would love one but somehow its just too big for me and Crysler just doesnt do it in L.A. But if i was in the mid-west. I might have chosen the 300M over my Max.

 

How about a Bonneville SSE?

 

i think u mean "SSEI"???=)

 

I can tell you from experiance that a 300m is slower than a 02 MAX (had a 300m for a demo and have a 02 MAX) but it is bigger, imo handles better/is tighter feeling, has very strong brakes and the trans shifts better than my MAX, but........ be aware that chrysler's do have trans issues and you MUST "flush" the fluid yearly if you want it to last. the 300m is one of there best cars though quality wise, this imo and others have there own no matteer how wrong they may be.

Thanks and good luck -- SS

 

... if you plan to keep the car longer than the duration of the warranty. You can find a review of the 300M at Edmund's website at this link. It placed 4th in a field of very nice cars. BMW 328 was first, followed by Audi A4 in second, and Acura 3.2TL in third. The Lexus ES300 placed 7th. The Maxima wasn't part of the test. Also keep in mind that this was in 1999, so things may have changed a bit for model year 2002. The 300M got very good performance reviews (except brakes) which helped it reach a 4th place finish, but the testers were disappointed with quality control and had already had poor dealer support experiences regarding an Intrepid in their long-term fleet.

I've owned a lot of cars over the years from a lot of different manufacturers. Based on my personal experiences, those of other auto enthusiasts I respect, reviews I've read in print and online, and just my gut telling me what to do... I would NEVER purchase a Chrysler product. Of course, that's just me. I believe going from a 2001 Maxima AE to the 300M is at its extreme best, a sideways move. It is definitely not a move up. I believe time would tell you, in no uncertain terms, that it was a move down. FWIW.

Scott Buchanan
2K SE (manual)

 

I have to agree. Granted that Chrysler has done a lot in the styling department, they still have a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooong way to go in terms of quality. I still have flashbacks from the Chryslers we owned that would give us electrical problems (as they are prone to do).

I drove a Concorde and I agree that the steering is not very precise.