does anyone know how the BMW 3 and 5 series match up against a 2k1 or 2k2 Maxima...??

I know the handling is probably better than us..but what about acceleration...?..any one race one of these before..??
Friend thinking of getting a BMW...trying to convince her to get a Maxima...

acceleration is quite well ...

330i is a good match and a 540i will beat us. Anything else is fair game.

If he is looking for room the max is bigger. 330 will out handle the max, not sure about faster though at least on the 2k2. The 330 is faster than the 2k - 2k1. If he is looking to mod the car I would go with a used 2k1 AE 5 speed and put a sc, flywheel, clutch, short shift, springs, fstb, RSB. Then the max would kick that sorry bmw's a$$ and be close to about the same price. If he is not looking to mod it then i would go with the 330. Actually I like bmw's but they are over priced.

friend is a female....she rode in my car a couple of times and she likes it..i'm gonna let her drive...but she was also thinking about the 3 series....I was telling her that the 2k2 is a much better buy...trying to convince her to get a 2k2..
we gonna go test drive the BMWs and than i'm gonna take her to test drive the 2k2 Maximas...she thinks that the maxima is too big...
i'm afraid that i might fall for the 3 series...

The BMW (any of them) are in a higher class than the Maxima (any of them). Its entertaining to see people compare the Maxima to a BMW and say the Maxima will kick its butt and how overpriced the BMW is and than 5 minutes later see people cry 'enough' when someone compares a CL/TL to a Maxima.

Back on topic, the 3series will obviously handly better than the Maxima. Its all about RWD and a super stiff chassis. Two things the Maxima does not have. You can mod a Maxima to handle well, but you can only go so far with the rear suspension and weight distribution. If straight line go is the only thing that is important, than get a 2K2, if you have the money and want to handle get a B...M...W!!!

isn't the 325i only 27 grand...and a 2k2 Maxima SE with all options is 29 grand...
which is a better buy...?

I think the 325i is around $30K with leather, sunroof, HK sound, etc. 02 Maximas can be had for below invoice now. It absolutely kills resale though.

Personally, if I had to do it again, I'd have bought a Bimmer, but different things are important to me that may not be important to you.

Dude the BMW is in a whole different class especially the M's M3 & M5 will blow the doors off any stock max even on turns. The max will not stand a chance against these M series Bimmers. Even boosted would have trouble.

it's kinda apples to oranges tho, the max has some qualities that the bimmer doesn't like was mentioned ahead in this thread, about the room (much more than my 3), and the price difference is also a pretty big deal (also mentioned before with leather, sunroof the bimmer is pretty high in price).
If she does get a bimmer tell her to get the sport package, and not worry bout the HK system cuz as with the max's bose system, apparently there have been a few rattle issues...
i'm probably biased, but i think she should go for the bimmer

and we usually trade off who drives going out to lunch, dinner, etc. For her, it is fine.

However, it is VERY small feeling for me (6'). For apples to apples performance considerations, yes a Max and a 3 can be compared. For room and capacity, a better comparo would be to the 5. Since there isn't a choice in the middle, choose which is more important.

Also, depending on miles driven, length of time owning the car, and the warranty available (standard and extended), pay close attention to what the repair bills could be on either of those babies. It can be scary.

Obviously, she should go with what makes her happy. Ideally, can you find an 'upscale' car rental agency that supplies vehicles typically not available on rental lots? If so, rent a 3 for a week and see what it is like day in and day out.

if your friend also has the 3series in mind, take her for a test drive in the G35 while your at it...

My $.02, I had my 02 M/T dyno'd yesterday and the curves were slightly better than the 330i that came off just before me.

I seriously considered a 330i before buying my 02. The max is more of a sedan than the 330's. The 330i's easily outhandle (slalom) the max for a variety of reasons (RWD, active handling, smaller car, etc.), it also has much more of an aftermarket for mods.

I chose another Maxima mostly because of price, the Max clearly wins as its $14k less than a comparably equipped 330i, and $8k less than a 325i (which it can tromp in a straight line, and with a good driver, outhandle). You can do a lot with $14k but not enough to improve the handling to the level of the 330.

The max has much better interior room (5 adults cannot fit in a 3-series). The reliability is in favor of the Max.

Lastly, the 02 330's had a lot of people questioning if BMW screwed the handling. It appeared they dialed down the sensitivity and most people felt the 328 was a superior car.

A 5-series, or M3 are cleary out of the price range of a max (as you could have 2 max's for an M3). A more realistic comparison car is a 02 SE and a 530i. They are about the same size and have comparable engine performance. The 530 is significantly heavier and would not perform as well as the Max, and again the cost of a 530 is significantly more.

Overall, if $$$ are no concern, then go with an M5, otherwise you have a hard time beating a Maxima.

SoloMaxima

I got my Max because of two things 1: "it was cheap" 2: it looks good. Yes your friend could get a Bimmer for around the same price of a fully loaded Max but in the long run the BMW will cost more to maintain. More or less with both cars she really don't have to worry to much about things going bad or breaking, but IMO I feel the Bimmer will be a better choice of the long haul.

I have to disagree with you on reliability. The 330i is MUCH more reliable than a Maxima. As for a 530i, if you can afford it buy it. It is a huge step above a Maxima.

i agree with you...the Bimmer will cost more to maintain...

We have a 97 Max (4th Gen) and a 2k1 530i and i'll tell you that the Maxima will destroy it in acceleration from 0-100kph, but above that, it's hard to tell and we haven't tried it out... There's really no comparison when it comes to handling, especially in stock form... To tell you the truth, the build quality between the two is not comparible, (but then again remember the price difference) and the Maxima is not bad at all by any means... The 2k2 would obliterate the 530i in any race, except once again when it comes to taking a turn... If class/looks/handling/comfort (530) are more important than 0-160/1/4mile/space (Maxima) then go with the BMW, or else go with the Maxima... I am still young and into straight line, so i'd choose the Maxima, also, if you drive a Bimmer, you'll get speeding tickets like there's no tomorrow because when you're going 120kph in a BMW, (even accounting for the fact that their speedos are WAY off), it feels like going 60kph in a Max..

Oh crap, i meant 0-60, not 0-160

I dont know too much about an M3 but the M5 take a max for dinner, I mean how can we compare a 100K car to a 30K car ? a M5 does the 0-100Km in 4.2 sec and will destroy a max even with heavy mods, dont get me wrong I love my Max but one day when I'm over with house payment I'm going to seriously consider an M5, I already drove one and it's a pretty impressive experience, Imagine you would smoke almost every sport car you see everyday, anyway just my 2 cents.

Cheers

AA

Not true. 2001 3-series had overboosted steering but it was fixed for 02 models.

I said this before. . .only a 540 can compete with a Maxima when you consider EVERYTHING! Performace, luxury, AND roominess. Sure, the 330 will perform just a little better than a Maxima, but it costs a LOT more and doesn't have near the room (have you tried to actually sit in the back seat of a 3 series?). A 325 is the right price, but it can't compete in either the performance OR spacial arenas. The 530 comes close because it has enough room, but it's a bit short on power for its size when compared to a Maxima. If you want the room and the performance, you have to go all the way up to a 540, and then you're looking at 60 grand!

Infiniti G35 would be a very good contender in this contest! Don't overlook it.

Tell your friend to get a G35... G35 Sport Coupe if she doesn't need all that room. It's a much better car than the Maxima for about the same price as a 3-series BMW.

BMW "The Ultimate Driving Machine". They don't call it that for nothing. There is absolutely no comparison between the manufacturers. Love my Max but: brakes suck, windshield sucks, paint sucks, stock tires suck, and the list goes on and on. I'm content with my Max to say the least. Our Max is one of the single best bang for the buck in the automotive industry. I've done numerous research and on other manufacturers, you would have to pay over $8-14K to get a car with comparable features. Quality control is not Nissan's forte. In fact if you have a problem they just plain don't give a d#$mn. That has been proven numerous times to our org members by local Nissan dealers. There is a reason that every single sedan $8-10K south or north the price of a three series is compared to it. The car is an absolute benchmark of quality and performance. Have her drive both cars and look at the quality build on those cars. If she can afford a three series then there should be no question what to buy.

The G35 goes for around $32K loaded which is about $5-8K less than a 330i. It is a lot of car for the bucks with performance numbers not too far behind the 330i.

Why don't they ever have the Max in any of those comparo tests?

Because they are not in the same class.

I guess this depends on how you define reliability. From my perspective, reliability is the MTBF and the long term total cost of maintenance. BMW and Nissan, IMHO have about the same MTBF. I base this on my experience with my 89SE, my current 02SE, and the experiences of friends with various 3 and 5 series.

Currently BMW has "short term" (3yr I believe) maintenance covered for free but beyond that continued maintenance costs eventually exceed that of owning a Nissan.

To add insult to injury, in at least the bay area (Northern CA) you typically have to make appointments at BMW dealers weeks to months in advance. Whereas this is not the case with Nissan.

Based on readings from this BB it appears that Nissan quality has taken (or has been) bad as of late. Yet, I find the same kinds of postings on BMW BB's (primarily the 3-series) boards. I therefore feel I have to discount these readings and go on first hand accounts.

Your mileage may vary.

It was 02's that I was looking at but I do recall reading on some BMW BB's that BMW might "fix" something mid-stream of the 02's. It sounds like your confirming that they "fixed it". Too bad for those who bought the earlier 02's.

I read somewhere that people who bought 01s and earlier 02s may be qualified for a steering retrofit.

They never have the Max in any of the camparos regardless of class. I saw a recent comparo, I think in Car and Driver, and they put the Accord and Camry V-6 against the Altima. I suppose the Maxima doesn't fit into any class now that the Alty is around !

The last time I saw what I considered a "reasonable" comparison was in 89 when they compared the Maxima with a Acura Legend, Sterling, Saab, and at least two other cars but I don't recall which ones. These cars IMO have roughly the same attributes (although not necessarily including price). As I recall the Maxima did very well in that comparison.

AMEN!!

BMWs are very nice but they are *seriosly* overpriced. The base price of a 3 series looks reasonable but EVERYTHING is an option... power seats, CD ... by time you get one to a good level of options, you're spending 40k... not worth it IMO.

It depends on what kind of car you're getting, 325i, 330i or M3.
Power seats and CD player came standard on my car, as well as a 12 speaker HK stereo.
However, all of the above are optional on 325i, and even an HK stereo is optional on M3.

Wait till the stick G35 comes out, it will obliterate the 330i 5sp... Right now AUTO vs STICK the G35 has nearly identical numbers as the 330i.......... with the 6sp G - It's over before it even starts...

HA, my dad has an M5, i tell him that when i turn 18 i am going to buy a Y pipe, and a S/C, then i will race him. But until them, i have a frankencar intake

mmmmmmm M5 What year?

hummm, in a comparably equipped g35(auto)and 330i(manual), the g35 cost about 7,500 less, R/T 7/02. i persoally would have the g35 in my garage and 7,500 in my pocket, and that is not far fetch since the g35(sedans, have kids, need 4doors) manuals are out in October?
besides, are them miniscual points/ratings and 1320 timeslips(which they tied, btw) worth that extra $$$?

In 2000/01 they had a comparo between the max, camry, accord v-6 and the max won.

I'm sure they used the Altima this time because it is new.

It seems that they do not compare the max with some of the more expensive sport sedans - such as those in the recent motor trend test - because it is lower in price. At the same time, they frequently exclude it from the accord/camry tests because it has a v-6 and they are testing 4s. A lot of this is because of Nissan's previously industry contrary marketing of its products.

It would have been interesting to see it in the motor trend test - I'd bet it would have placed mid-stream and been best buy.

Gives us a good hint at where Nissan intends to place the maxima in the future.

Dude even with a supercharger, smaller pulley, and y-pipe on your max you will be if you even attempt to mess with an M5. You will only see the M5 emblem on the back of his car!! The M5 are even quicker than the M3s. Totally out of the maxima's league. Just my .02.

they, magazines, know that if they invite the Maxima to play, it might embarrass the other performance sedans.....check it out, for the power, roominess, fit/finish, a very distinct rear end
and Value, who can compete? Sure, M3/M5s are nice and powerful cars, but at what price?