Altima opinions

Guess our cousins are having a little trouble showing some love to one another. Do we argue like this sometimes?!

 

that guy is a newbie.....kinda sad that they choose a car and turned out they didnt like it.


yea...we have some ppl here like that...like after a year or so, they want a race ready car. or they think their car is slower than an M3 and they want something faster. Or their interior is not as fancy as some other cars....

oh well....change is good. makes u spend more money to help the econonmy by buying a new car.

 

funny, when I read this there was a thread right above titled "really getting tired of my maxima"

so the answer is 'yes'

 

Thats me actually. I was trying to get the point across that I do like the car, but wanted to know if other owners are experiencing the same things as me. I just expected more for my money I guess. Its a good car though and both my wife and I like it.

I was really surprised by some of the responses I got...some people were helpful, others were downright rude. I've been a member of a few other car forums and I've never seen reactions like that to some simple questions about a new model.

 

My favorite was the people who wanted a refund because the 2K2 had so much more power then the 2K1. That was rediculous.

 

There are a few bad seeds on the .ORG too. People that are just coldhearted and unhelpful, or straight up jerks.

 

...Yeah, like me! I hate all you fools! I wish you would all go to the Acura board and stay there! Ha! Just kidding...

 

I,ve posted once or twice about being unhappy with my car and I got "stop whining and be happy, it's not a $50K+ car etc..."

I don't care if I paid 5 dollars for it. I feel if I spend my money I should be happy. Yes, I know most of the things I can't change but it would be nice you have a discussion sometimes without being attacked.

So TDoyle I know how you feel.

 

I think there is another one that ppl were complaining to Nissan USA for having Altima faster with a bigger engine than Maxima.

 

Nice95 - Dont take this the wrong way, but if you (or anyone else) are not happy with your cars, why not sell them and buy what you want. I don't think that there is a car out there (including the McLaren F1... which I do like most of) that will make someone perfectly happy. The only way that you are going to get what you want is to design the car, and then build it yourself which would more than likely cost a couple of bills. I agree that if you spent money, you should get what you want, but Nissan designed the cars to try to please more people than just you or me. Some people would complain if you hung them with a new rope.

 

If there is a problem with the AC/front end he has every right to *****. But, if a car doesn't have features that you think it should have, its you fault for not fully investigating the features more carefully before buying. BTW I have never seen a "foreign" car with adjustable tiem delay for the headlights, only on American cars-can't see why I'd need it...

 

I think anybody that wants to complain should be allowed to. Maybe they're just trying to find out if others are experiencing the same problems, or trying to find some solutions. I agree that the Max is "only" a $30K car...but owners have the right to b*tch if they want. If you don't like it, don't read the thread or at least don't respond. People need to stop using these forums as a place to start an argument or talk sh*t...it should be more constructive to help others out...d*mn!

 

LOL, what you have to understand about the Altima forum is that while they "say" it's an "enthusiast" forum, it really isn't. Rather, it's a "groupie" forum. While there are some level-headed people there, many of them are just "groupies" that love their Alty's and can't see any fault with them. And if someone mentions a fault they get all ****y and defensive because they take it as a personal insult and tell you to stop whining.

I used to post there a bit, and after my Accord V6 was totalled I seriously considered buying an Alty. I asked a bunch of questions and pointed out issues that you did and they all acknowledged them (cheap interior, etc.). But then when I said I decided to get a Maxima instead (because of the aforementioned issues, cheap interior, etc.) one guy said that "I must not be the sharpest knife in the drawer" and then I got flamed by pretty much every active member on the forum

I feel that Maxima.org is a true "enthusiast" forum. People here, as a whole, enjoy the car for what it is but acknowledge the cars flaws objectively, and they also tend to have an appreciation and respect for more cars than just Maxima's.

Anyways, sorry that you weren't treated the best over at Altimas.net, but just realize that it's a "groupie" board and not an "enthusiast" board

 

Didn't he say he bought the car for his wife? I hope she likes it. If so , then it's all good. If not....problem. Why would you buy a car that doesnt have all these things you want in a car and then b1tch that it doens't have these things?

Yeah some of us hate on the Maxima. I got some real specific gripes about the car. But There's some stuff I really like about it too. And compared to my 98 Malibu, the Max might as well be an S Class.

 

You should be satisfied with everything in your car. Whether it has all the options is something else. Check to see if there are any Technical Service Bulletins (TSB) for some of your concerns. Every manufacturer strives to make a quality 100% defect free car. But with so many parts, different suppliers, and different people involved there is nothing out there that is completely defect free.

 

hey man...I bought an '02 Altima 2.5SL for my father and personally.....I think it is a POS (no offense).
I completely agree with your post over at the altima forum. I mean
overall it's a good car but it feels cheap driving it. The doors are light and have that "hollow" sound and the interior is CRAP.
So you're not the only one who feels that way.

Even my dad doesn't like it all that much which makes me feel
kinda sh*tty.

Shoulda bought him the '02 Camry........oh well, c'est la vie I suppose.

 

Hey, that was me! I didn't mean to cut you so deeply, Steve, that you'd remember that quote verbatim months later (even if you confused the context). Has therapy helped at all?

 

I agree with your feeling regarding the Altima. I drove a loaded 2.5 SL a week while I waited on delivery of my Max. While I think the car is pretty on the outside and very roomy.The interior is so cheap and flimsy, to be honest my girlfriend and I both agree that the interior reminds me of the 96 Neon she use to have.

 

the alti interior does leave a bit to be desired... i didn't like the 3 pod guage cluster when i was looking at cars... i really like the maxima layout with the waterfall-ish center console...
even though i opted for the BM, the Max was VERY VERY close to getting the nod..

 

I think the guy who had issues with his Altima was pretty decent about his complaints. It seems as though there are a lot of insecure Altima owners on that board. They respond to his valid post by flaming the guy.

I originally went to Nissan to buy an SE Altima. The performance was great but the interior was plain crappy. Maxima is waaay above Altima in that department. What I left with was my '02 Max SE and I haven't looked back. The Altima is a good looking car but I think it would be hard to live with day-to-day and especially on payment day. They really skimped on that car and it shows.

 

I am absolutely frothing at the mouth over that pic. I thought it was the G35, too. So that's what the Skyline is - woah.

Buzz

 

Pud-ugly, huh?? I think alotta guys on this maxima forum would beg to differ.

 

ok guys, i swear, that wasn't a challenge to jwright! honest!

 

I have 3 people I work with that have all bought Alitmas in the last 6 months (1 of them a 3.5). They talked mad $heat about how their car was bigger and better looking, one day I took them all out to lunch in my loaded Max. They couldn't stop ranting and raving! Now they are embarassed by their platic dashboards and orange dials!!

 

That sums up my opinion PERFECTLY!!

 

LOL. That's why I posted it on an Altima forum; I didn't want to stir up the nest here.

It's all in good fun. People who are reasonably objective about the Maxima/'02 Altima debate know the quirks and limitations of these vehicles. What's safe to say, however, is this: Stick the Maxima interior in the Altima, call it a Maltima (or Axima... er, well, maybe a non-hybrid name would be in order), and you've got yourself a helluva car. As it is now, you've got two good platforms that sell for roughly the same price when equipped similarly, each with its own glaring weakness: the interior on the V6 Altima (it's fine for an $18K car, but for $25K...) and the exterior and rear suspension on the Maxima.

You know what's really interesting about this forum versus that of my "people" (so to speak) is that here these types of comparison threads as a general rule don't get nasty. My guys, on the other hand, run around with burning torches and run people off posthaste when the Altima-versus-Car-X threads come up.

Particularly when Russ starts to chime in. Just because you don't want him here doesn't mean you should send him over there.

 

are any of the altima's having the same paint problems that the maxima has??

 

If you mean massive frontal paint chipping, no. The paint is still very soft; water-based paint by nature is less tough and adherent than the old oil-based stuff. But I haven't seen any reports similar to what I've seen here. The only fairly common paint issue involves orange peel on black Altimas.

Most of our problems revolve around untoward noises: creaks, rattles, thunks from the rear, etc., which thankfully seem to get fixed very well by dealers or owners.

Just out of curiosity: Has anyone here had an up-close look at the new 350Z? I'm not a particular fan of the Altima's Pontiac-swiped Day-Glo gauge package, but the first thing I noticed about the Z's interior is that it incorporates a nearly identical gauge pod complete with orange instruments. Looks like the look is here to stay, at least for a while.

 

The look issue is "subjective", some us us think that the 02 Maxima looks better. Everyone doesnt like the Altima look!

 

Same gauge pod is in the G35. Same orange lights. Unfortunately, it seems that orange gauge lighting is Nissan's new corporate look.

 

Just My opinion which everyone has one or more.
I bought the max cause it was affordable and it's one more step up on the ladder that i am climbing, like anything man-made there is good and bad, I won't accept challenges from our little cousin when i am out riding around, they are nice (alty's) but i love my max and the choice i made i am standing by for better or for worse cause we are joined at the checkbook, i probably didn't make any sense with this reply but basically human beings are complex and somethings can't be understood. I Love My Max!

 

I agree, if the Altima had the build quality and interior of the Max, I would've taken the Altima home. I drove both cars extensively and while I liked the exterior of the Altima a tad better than the Maxima, I just couldn't go from a Taurus dash to another Taurus dash. The Maxima's interior gives the impression of luxury and being incapsulated by a safe warm feeling car. The interior looks astonishingly like the older Toyota Supras of the late eighties early ninties. The Altima's interior and feel just didn't do it for me personally.

 

That's what I think is in the works for the Alt' whenever the redesigned Max comes out. Bring the interior up to par with the exterior. My .02.

Buzz

 

Don't get me wrong I love the car for the money. That’s why this is my 3rd, '96 co. lease; '99 co. lease; '02 purchased. I think the quality of construction & materials were best in the '96. With all of the trouble Nissan has had the last few years, B4 the buy out and after, they looked for ways to get costs down on all models (esp. the Alty ) some more that others. With the Max you have the cutting of the splashguards in the rear wheels, no leather boot for the e-brake, fake leather for the shifter, cheap center console and those damn door compartments. The list goes on and on. I've posted this B4 Plastic plastic plastic, but I'm not going to start a thread about it. They have also upgraded some like fold down seats in the back that’s about it for the interior. But what about oh um the ENGINE the trans and diff. but then cut some on the shifter (cables ) But the drive train stuff was still cost a cutting effort for the 1 engine platform for 6, or is it 7, vehicles. and a test bed for the 350.

I knew what I was getting into B4 I went to the dealer. There is a mod for most any thing you don't like and buy spending 3-6 grand modding the Max you can get a car that still only costs 30-32k handles almost as good as and in many cases is faster than cars costing 40k and up. That’s why I love it.
But why anyone would spend the money to buy a 3.5 Alty and not just get a Max is beyond me. As for the 2.5 if your gonna spend 18-22k for a car and want higher quality then Nissan is not for you.

Now to flame someone for asking if others feel the same way about it is wrong and shows the insecurity and age of flamers. A thread like that when posters share their thoughts instead of flaming will help many others decide how and where to spend their money. And not turn people off enough to stop using the board.
I think for the most part that shows here. The maturity level is higher.

 

You know, my thought process on this subject is exactly the same but turned 180 degrees. Why buy an aging platform when you can buy a new one? Why buy a car that you see coming and going when you can stand out from the crowd? But cars are emotional purchases and these things are entirely subjective. You bought your Maxima for your reasons; I decided on the 3.5 for my reasons, and, as your statement illustrates never the two shall meet.

Actually, my perspective is this: The Maxima is a fantastic car. I can unequivocally understand why someone would buy one over an Altima. Depends on your priorities and personal tastes.

Quote:

The maturity level is higher [on Maxima.org than Altimas.net].

Probably so. The technical knowledge is certainly greater, which is something I appreciate.

 

Actually, my perspective is this: The Maxima is a fantastic car. I can unequivocally understand why someone would buy one over an Altima. Depends on your priorities and personal tastes.

Probably so. The technical knowledge is certainly greater, which is something I appreciate. [/QUOTE]

ahh, that's not what you said in the altima forum! LOL!

Being a current owner of a 2001 Altima SE, I've sat in the new 3.5 SE and I have to say, "WOWW, what a difference!" Honestly, I don't find the interior too bad in the new altima, but the only gripe i do have is that awkward-bulging-plastic-gauge-cluster which reminds me of my mom's old 84 Chevy S-10 Blazer. That really, is the only thing stopping me from getting the new altima. But in the end, its all personal taste.