A couple weeks ago my '89 SE w/ 226K miles got totalled. Up till then, the car still ran and felt very solid, by the way...but now it's toast.

I've narrowed my search down to an '02 Max SE or Altima 3.5 SE. Yes, I confess, I do like the Altima. And I can live w/ the interior of the Altima, though I do prefer the Maxima's interior.

The main drawback to the Max is the suspension. Sure, a stock '02 SE is 10000% better than my '89, but the thought of spending a good chunk of change on a car w/ a beam rear suspension just doesn't settle well.

So my question is this. If I put the $$ that I saved by buying a Maxima into a FSTB, RSB and better springs, how much will that improve it's handling? (especially high speed cornering)

If properly installed, will it handle better than, say a stock Altima SE? Will all four wheels want to slip evenly or will the car still suffer from understeer/oversteer problems?

I've spent the last several days reading the forums, and I know these mods will improve things substantially, but I haven't gotten any real definitive answers regarding just how much improvement is gained.

Thanks.

what are you referring to? The money saved of buying a Maxima instead of an Altima?

IF you want handling and speed, Go buy a WRX or audi.. Sheesh!!

If you can live with the cheesy interior, get the Altima. Not only does it have a better suspension setup, it has better aftermarket support too. The Altima already has more mods available than the 02 Max, plus it will be around for awhile.

That is NOT true, we have much more aftermarket support than the current gen altima as of right now. Most of the A33 suspension mods and some engine mods from the 2k-2k1 maximas will fit on the 2k2. Exhaust mods as well.

As far as the beam suspension, it's really not as bad as it sounds. It's not a static beam, it got a control arm in the middle where the beam will pivot and caster is controlled by two trailing arms. There are several benefits to this set up.

On even roads, under cornering it will plant the inside wheel. You also do not have to worry about extreme camber fluctuation in a corner. These things make it much easier to attain neutral to oversteer handling in a FWD car.

On the negative, the disadvantage is mostly in terms of uneven roads and ride quality. The rear feels a bit stiff and has a tendency to hop around on uneven roads. When going over a speed bump you feel a "woomp" as your front suspension passes over it and a "CLUNK" as your rear goes over.

If these things REALLY bother you then go for the altima. However even independant suspension FWD cars when set up for handling will put on a really stiff rear sway bar, and a lower tie bar (ala honda) which essentially attains the same effect as a rear beam suspension. The idea for extreme handling situations is for your suspension to work as a unit.

With suspension mods your car will handle as well as the next, maybe even better. Your tail end may get a bit happy on uneven roads. To me, this is fun. But you may not like it if you're after a luxury suspension or plan to off-road your maxima.

I've run my maxima with on the road course several times, and I've never once had an issue with the handling capabilities of the rear beam suspension. But it could just be my driving style compliments it.

Chinkzilla, are you nuts? How can you possibly say the suspension on the Maxima is not that bad? Have you driven your car on a twisty road, or taken a corner yet? There's nothing wrong with liking your car, but atleast be objective about it. The Altima handles much better, and with the same mods as a Max it would be ten times better.

As for the Altima, it's true. The Altima does have more aftermarket support than the Maxima, I've already researched it. Go to Stillen's website and count the number of parts available for the 2002 Maxima and compare it to the number of 02 ALTIMA parts. Along with the normal bolt-ons, they've already got a body kit available for the Altima. Go checkout all the major aftermarket websites, or hang out at Altima.net and you'll see what I'm talking about.

p.s. most of the mods for 4th and 5th Gen 3.0L Maximas don't fit on the 2002's. And the ones that do aren't designed or tested for the 2002's. And good luck finding a body kit for this thing. Lord knows it needs one.

I drive my car all the time on twisty roads, and I think the car handles great. Of course, this is after I got some H&Rs and a FSTB. But given its size and weight, for a 4-door family sedan it handles the corners very well. I highly doubt the Altima handles ten times better given the same mods.

I previously had a Contour SVT, and this car stacks up very well against it handling wise.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA You've been a member for all of 4 months and you're saying I don't know my sheeit? Ok, go over your "research" again please. I said most non-engine components will fit on the 2k2 max. That means almost everything from the A33 chassis (5th generation maxima for the challenged).

This means intake, cat-back exhaust, pulley, springs, shocks, coilovers, 3 pieces of 2 different body kits, 2 complete front fascias, shift *****, pedals, interior trim pieces, rear sway bar, front strut bar. I challenge you to find half of these things for the 3.5 altima. No doubt their aftermarket support will eventually surpass ours but dude, please know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.

Handles like crap? Have I ever taken my car on a twisty road or a corner? PLEASE. I was out last weekend at a road course taking corners at 90+ mph. I think I have a pretty good idea of what constitutes decent handling. If you're idea of handling is weaving your car around a coke can in a parking lot or taking a right turn at an intersection mildly fast then maybe that's where you're getting this impression. The maxima is by no means a nimble car, it's got a HUGE wheelbase. It's no miata. But that doesn't mean it doesn't handle uncommonly well for a car of it's size. I was sticking the corners well enough to pass my share of SVT cobras and Z28's.

There are plenty of maxima owners who are placing in the top 5 in their SCCA solo 2 classes every season. Tell them their cars handle like crap. If my own biased opinion is not enough for you..

According to car and driver regarding the 98 SE.
The 5th gen has a lateral grip rating of .85 according to edmunds.com
and did 62mph in a 600ft slalom according to motor trend magazine.

Not too bad for a family sedan eh?

Yes, those things will help. But may I suggest the G35? No beam, killer handling, RWD, Altima platform, Maxima engine, decent interior. Stock -$29k, Loaded - $34k. This is assuming you don't mind the automatic. You may not be able to wait long enough for the 5sp.

Hmmm, I agree

Chinkzilla, I'm glad you like your car, but you're not being realistic. Most of the performance mods for older model Maximas aren't designed for the 3.5L. You can rig something up and stick it on your car if you want to. Personally I would rather have quality parts that are MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR MY CAR.

You wanna replace your front bumper just to install a body kit, have at it. You got two choices right now. Wow! That sucks, just admit it and stop kidding yourself.

Things like springs and exhaust systems are universal. I'm talking about superchargers, turbos, intercoolers, CAIs, Y-pipes, throttle bodies, headers specifically designed for the 3.5VQ on the Maxima. Yeah, we have a few options with the CAI, but that's about it. The Altima will have a forced induction kits by this time next year. The Maxima will not!

Dude, I've been lurking on this forum for almost 3 freakin years! I registered when I bought my car, not that it matters. And from what I've read, besides the occassional tease from Stillen, there are no plans to support the new Maximas. So just accept it, the Maxima is a geezer mobile now, and the entire aftermarket world could give a rats ***.

OUCH!

"If you settle down, NISMO will come." [field of dreams whisper]

So why don't you sell your car right now before it's too late?

Rig something up? Ok, you can be the one to buy the Stillen intake and rear sway bar, "specifically designed for your car" and i'll be the one kidding myself. While you're at it, you can buy the front strut bar and springs MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUR CAR. newsflash, the A33 chassis is universal to all 5th gens. Call stillen and buy their 2k2 Strut bar from them and pay 30 dollars more.

What part of we have 2 full body kits don't you understand? The altima has 1.

If they were universal they would fit on any car, since they only fit on maximas, maybe they were made for... maximas?
All that stuff you listed, I challenge you to produce ANY of the above excepting CAI's that are available for the altima. Besides, has it occured to you that since we share the same engine that much of that stuff will fit either car?

Good for you. Why don't you sell your geezer mobile and buy an altima then?

Besides, i'm pretty sure you missed my original point which is the maxima has much more EXISTING aftermarket support than the alty, I have no objections that this might change in the future. In fact it probably will.

AND, we are now officially WAY OT.

Thanks for the replies.

I've ruled out an Audi and WRX for several reasons...(price, looks, cabin/trunk space, reliability being some of them) I'm a Nissan guy anyway...so it has to be either a Max or Altima.

I really want to like the Maxima more. My last one served me very well. Besides all of the other benefits, which everyone knows about, I think it's more of an 'adult' car and that Majestic Blue is very nice. And for the price they can be had for, they're VERY reasonable.

But, as I said earlier, the Altima does have a lot of strong points also. Man, this is a tough decision...mainly because I plan to drive whichever one I get until the wheels fall off...

Any more insight would be appreciated.

Have you test driven them yet?

going to be spending in the car? That may help you point one way or the other. I spend TONS of time in my car and interior comfort/looks are as important to me as exterior/performance. I know you said you could live with the Alty interior but.....

We all know the interior of the Altima is cheesy...but how do the seats feel to you? How are the controls laid out? Is it easy to make adjustments to seat/climate/radio/mirrors while paying attention to the road. Are there any "neato" thing inside either that aren't required but make life nicer?

Getting used to the rear beam takes time coming from a IRS car. BUT...I can get it to do almost the same kind of stuff, confidently, as my Probe. Within reason of course. Probe is a 2 door slot car and the Max is a bit larger than that.

My advice would be to drive BOTH over the same section of road you drive all the time and see which one appeals most...

I also was the original owner of an 89SE (5spd) although in my case I decided to simply sell the car (last year with 166k miles).

My reaction to the 02 SE is that everything is better than the 89. Every problem that I had with my 89 has been addressed with the 02. Specifically things like the antenna motor that I had to replace 3 times, the narrow trunk entrance without a pass through (granted the 02 is only a little better entrance, but the fold down really helps), the automatic sunroof features.

The improvements are obvious, better lights, faster (much, much faster), auto-dim rear mirror, heated outside, keyless entry, etc.

Some of the downsides, I prefer the 89 dash as the titanium gauges can get washed out during dawn or dusk. The turning radius is a couple of feet more which means I can't hang a U turn on some streets that I used to do.

In terms of handling, the $100 FSTB and $250 RSTB are small prices to pay to get much better handling. Are they better than an Altima, I cannot say. Presumably the same kinds of modifications are available for the Altima.

To be fair I did not look at the Altima. Given that the Altima 3.5 SE appear to be selling for more than the Maxima SE it doesn't seem worthwhile
to look. Several people have complained that the interior of the Altima is cheap or at least cheap looking. Sounds tough to swallow when you pay $25k to $30k for a car. Comparably equipped the Altima is nearly the same cost as the Maxima.

It's debatable whether the small HP is significant. Also whether it is better to have a 5 or a 6 speed. I like the exterior looks of the Altima (at least in certain colors).

Another reason I chose the Maxima was that it at least was the "fleet" car for Nissan. From that I mean that generally speaking manufacturers treat their fleet cars as sort of their defacto representatives. These cars IMO are built better than the rest of the product line. Now having said that it seems like Nissan is either trying to shore up sales of the Altima or gradually phasing out the Maxima in favor of the Altima. At least one car journalist has indicated that Maxima's haven't been selling the way Nissan expected them to. I don't quite agree with this person as I see an awful lot of Maxima's on the road (at least in Northern CA). Hope this helps.

Did you see mines? It's stock sterling mist se... no mods planned yet.

Now the G35 is quite a car...I hadn't really thought about it until noflash and Chinkzilla brought it up. But then again, I'd be looking at another 6-7K at least...probably not going to spend that much this time around...but if I had the cash, I think the search would be over right now. It has the best of everything. Man, I'd LOVE to have a RWD car! Even that pseudo-stick automatic seems OK.

I've driven both the Max and the Altima quite a bit (as much as you can really 'drive' them on test drives.) Without going all out, both cars feel good. I took some pretty hard turns in both. The Max complained a bit more than the Altima. That's what leads me to think that once I own the Max and feel more comfortable in it, I'll have it slipping all over the place...but that's what the mods are for...But then again if I do the same mods to the Altima...

So anyway, I don't want to beat this horse to death. I'm already talking around in circles. And I know it's been discussed ad nauseum already in the forums.

This sure is a bizarre situation Nissan has created. Can't think of any other car maker that has such closely competing models.

personaly i would have the altima just do to thats what i had before but its sort of hard to say no to a new car in the drive way when you come back from a trip...
they are both nice cars. they both have +'s and -'s soo just be happy there both nissan's... ( i miss the alty some times..)

As an Altima 3.5 owner, I can offer some insight into the car, both good and bad.

First, the interior. (Isn't that always first on these forums?) Nissan could've done a better job with the materials, no question about it. I love the design itself, and I enjoy the fact that the car has a larger back seat than the Maxima, but I'm not a fan of the quality of the plastics and leather. I have charcoal leather in my car, and only a fool would take a look at the quality of my leather and say it's as good as that in the '02 Maxima. It's not. But it *is* comparable to what's available in the '02 Camry and '02 Accord, which are the car's real competitors. The bottom line on the interior for me is this: Neither the Maxima nor the Altima have spectacular interiors. Both are cheap in certain places, and in fact the two cars share more than a few parts. If you want an exceptional interior, buy a VW or Acura. I've had my Altima since October of last year, and I've gotten quite used to the interior of the car. Nothing has fallen off or rattled loose, and I don't give it a second glance anymore. I like it.

Second, the rear suspension issue. While it's true that the Altima platform uses a *much* more advanced rear suspension setup swiped from the Japanese Skyline, I'm not sure of the real-world average-driver benefits. My wife's G20 also uses the Multi-Link Beam, so I compare them side by side quite regularly. And the difference for me is this: On rough or washboard road, the beam allows the rear end to skitter around. It has a hard time planting itself if you're driving at, say, 6/10ths or above. The fully independent setup on the Altima suffers no such problems. But cruising around town, the beam acquits itself just fine over nearly any road surface, save large potholes and speed bumps.

I do understand where you're coming from with the I'm-having-a-hard-time-justifying-a-$25K-car-with-a-beam-on-the-back issue. That's a toughy. I wrestled with it some on the G20, but it was much easier as that car was only $20K.

Finally, since the Altima is a first-year model on a brand-new platform, there have been a multitude of niggling problems. There was a voluntary recall on one of the airbag sensors after the NHTSA offset frontal test results didn't please Nissan's marketing guys. Various rattles and squeaks are common, altough the vast majority seem to be fixed at the dealer. I had the clutch replaced on my car last month -- a problem shared with the '02 Maxima 6-speed, apparently, that's in fact a lot more common with the latter car. Tires have been out of round. Various fit-and-finish problems have displayed, such as misaligned trim, orange peel on black cars, tears or poor stitching in the leather, etc. And the Altima uses the same ultra-soft paint sprayed on the Maxima, which means that stone chips and the like are pretty common. (And just to clarify, my car hasn't had all these problems. I've been limited to some rattles and squeaks (fixed), a warped clutch disc (fixed), and a noisy ventilation blower motor (fixed).)

But fortunately, the Altima has come through fairly well, and Nissan has done a decent job of addressing the issues. So it all comes down to this:

Which car do you *really* like better? Buy that one. I did and I'm very happy. The Maxima owners here did the same and are equally happy (I presume). They're basically the same price, after all.

Good luck on whatever you buy. If it's got a VQ in it and it's a car, you'll be thrilled. And if you can swing the G35, it's got the best qualities of the Maxima and Altima all rolled into one nice, if pricey, package that includes God's Own Drivetrain (RWD), a superior warranty and spectacular dealer service that makes me cringe when I drive by a Nissan dealer nowadays.

Altima platform????????
Frankley, my recommedation goes to G35 as well if you want the combination of smooth ride + handling. (unless you are going full option where price difference becomes quite large)

Bravo jwright! Your post is very concise and objective.

That "skittering around" that you describe is what drives me nuts about the Maxima. The rear wheels simply refuse to comply in sharp turns or hard cornering.

maxima........i also had to compare the two, and went with maxima, cause mainly the interior, the looks, and the horsepower.....I also wanted the goodies like HID, and a tape player, even though i don't use it......get a maxima, because you get better wheels, which may make up for the suspension, a better stereo, better interior, HID, and a FLAGSHIP!!! for even cheaper than an altima!!! it's just awesome value...plus, if u get a 6 speed, it's better than 5, and when i go around to car shows, more people have more respect for the maxima than the alty.....i even heard a guy say this to his girlfriend when he saw the maxima "now this is the ultimate car".....so definately, the maxima.....why wouldn't you get a flagship for cheaper than an altima? after all, a MAXIMA is a MAX, an altima is i dunno what it is......when you tell people you have a maxima, they'll go WHOA!!! if you tell people you have an altima, they just go meh......

hope this helps

While I agree that the stock rear end feels a bit unsettled over rough roads during hard cornering, I also think that perhaps you should re-evaluate your driving style? Go to a few autocross events or take a high performance driving course? It's not as bad as you think, it just feels different than an IRS. BTW a rear sway bar will eliminate all "skittering around" but hold on a second, it's only for the 2000-2001 maximas, so you can't use it.

I have a '95 SE with B&G springs, a FSTB, 17x8 wheels and dying SE stock struts. Do you want to know what part of my car has gotten the most compliments?

It's handling. No joke. People with Camaro's, SVT F-150's, Mustangs, ect. have compliments it's sweet handling. I am being totally serious here...I can't imagine what kind of compliments i'll get when I upgrade to KYG ABX struts and a RSB. I should be completely glued to the road.

I am kind of amused how you all are scared about buying a car with a multi link beam. I live in Florida, and overall the roads are smooth enough where my beam is allowed it's flex and glues to the road for great handling. It's only on rare occasions where I am making a turn on a certain road where the quality is poor and my rear skips around a little bit. Another plus is that the Multi-link setup is lighter in weight than the IRS setup.

I love my Maxima's handling and it seems like alot of other people with very respectable cars do too.

I agree with what most everyone else is saying. The only time I feel skittish in the Maxima is around interstate sweepers at speeds that would land me in jail and my car in impound. Only a fool will tell you that the Maxima is better handling than the Altima. It simply isn't true, however with mods the Maxima can be. Than again, with mods I presume the Altima can leapfrog the Maxima again. Its a never ending circle of how much money do you want to spend....

I chose the Maxima because of its low low low price, previous Maxima ownership, and the way the car 'felt' on me. Your experience may vary. Both cars are great, but I feel 'better' in the Maxima. Truth be told, when I was at the dealership the dealer offered to let me drive both, but after I found out that a comparable equipped Altima was gonna be almost $1000.00 more I said no thanks. Now that the Altimas newness has died down a little, discounts are easier to come by.

Its amusing how guys on this board say the Altimas interior in 'trash' and guys on the Altima board say that are suspension/platform is 'trash'. Both are wrong. Other than the three hole insturment cluster on the Altima, I like the interior. The only thing I dont like about the car is the taillights. Geez. Ofcourse the Maximas aren't going to win any beauty contests. But consider this, if the worst problem you can find on your car is the taillight design and gauge cluster, your driving a pretty good car.

When people say the Altima's interior is trash, they're not talking about the dash design. They're talking about the quality of the materials and the way everything is pathetically stitched or thrown together.

I remember my intial disgust after sitting in one for the first time. It reminded me of some cheap 1970-ish furniture. A piece of plastic literally fell off in my hand after barely touching the left side of the steering wheel. I handed it to the dealer, who tried to put the piece of crap back in but couldn't. He just muttered something and stuck it in his pocket with a bewildered look on his face.

I immediately sat in a second Altima on the lot, and saw the EXACT SAME plastic panel sticking out of the left side of the steering wheel, ready to fall off.

If the interior wasn't the way it was, I'd be driving an Altima right now. Some people don't have an eye for detail like how the leather is stitched together, or the cheesy materials used to make the inside doors or dash, but they'll notice it eventually.

I drove them both, several times, and I could not stand the steering feel on the Alty, way too light. And I was sold on the HID's and 6 spd, The Maxima guages still don't do anything for me, I prefer the 2k1 all white ones myself. But after 3 months of ownership, I absolutely love this car, and don't envision getting rid of this one ant time soon. And I would definately buy another one. And say what you will the Max is huge inside, and the rear seat legroom can't be beat, and in the real world, legroom keeps the passengers happy. I think the Alty lends better interior measurements but the Max just feels bigger inside.

I'm with Chinzkilla, the beam is NOT THAT BAD! Stock for stock, the Altima's IRS vs the Maxima, the Altima wins hands down. But, add some simple mods, RSB and FSTB, and the Maxima will hang no problem with all its IRS competitors. That's $200. You might wonder, why didn't Nissan just make the Maxima not need an RSB, FSTB etc. I think the answer is this: most people who drive Maximas are not enthusiasts, therefore don't know how to deal with a car's handling. It is best for Nissan to make the front heavy FWD Maxima have inherent understeer because it is the easiest to recover from, let go of the accelerator or brake. If you panic and not know what you're doing, you will do that anyway. If you panic in an oversteering car, tail spin city. Anyways, back to the subject at hand.

I've battled 525is and 330cis in the twisties. They have hard time leaving me. They felt so cocky they thought they could. Just the other day, I came up on a VW Corrado, the non SC one, I gather, b/c I really had a power advantage. Anyways, he thought he could get my 4DSC in the corners, since I was gone in the straights. He had rims, skirts exhaust etc, and I still ate him up and spit him out like it was nuthin, and he had the sporty hatchback. My 98SE ran with the stock SE setup for 100K miles. When i got my car, I immediatley added the RSB and FSTB. I was able to hang with most anybody, not much was running away from me in the twisties, and if they did, it was probably a Miata. In other words, weight was against me, not the beam. It was only after 100K miles that I finally upgraded to H&Rs and Toks.

Go for the Maxima. Even if you go with the altima, enjoy the ride. Can't go wrong either way. But don't knock the beam. Nissan really worked it.

DW