Mr. Nismo

iTrader: (36)

RWD is the way to go when you want "true" performance, obviously.

Driving enthusiasts seek RWD cars.

Although the G35 is RWD and the 04 Max is FWD for $34k the G35 is the way to go! That's if you want to stay in the Nissan family of sedans.

perrymaxima

I was just wondering if the the 28K Maxima comes with cloth interior. That seems like a lot of money for a car without leather. I think the Maxima is still a good bang for the buck car. It still comes with a lot of features for the price the differnce now is you are getting more luxuary amenities which makes for a higher base price that we aren't use to seeing on the Maxima. The same thing happened to the Altima in 2001. A base SE Maxima had an MSRP of about 25-26K so the MSRP has went up 2K.

SteVTEC

With Infiniti's you don't get much discount off of MSRP as far as I'm aware.

With Nissan's, you get HUUUUUUUGE discounts off of MSRP. I think what's going to happen is a bunch of people are going to walk into Nissan dealerships wanting to buy the Maxima and are going to say to the salespeople, "I want the Maxima, but why would I pay this much for one when I can just get an Infiniti G35 for the same price, have luxury status, and better service to go along with it."


I think Nissan will have *NO CHOICE* but to heavily discount off of MSRP if they have any hope of actually selling this car


Despite the $28k MSRP for the "base model", keep in mind that the base model is still pretty well equipped, and I think you'll still be able to get a nicely equipped one with the Audio/Leather packages for under $30k out-the-door easily. If not, I'll just go buy an Infiniti


So I'd expect the same heavy discounts off of MSRP for the current Maxima's as with the new 04's also.

95bluse

iTrader: (1)

Did my eyes fail me or did someone mention Focus in the same breath as "good car"? That POS has the distinction of being most recalled car ever to hit the North American market. Talk about making a splash .
BTW European Fords may be fast, but are just as unreliable as ours here.

JimmyH

iTrader: (2)

The Focus is not reliable, you are very correct. Consumer reports picked it as one of the worst cars ever, or some such thing. However, it has been one of Car and Driver's Ten best for several years in a row now. At least the ZX3 is. And there is no question that it sells well.

It may not be a reliable car, but it is a pretty good value. And if you dont rack up alot of miles, and are able to stay under warranty for three years, it isnt a bad car to have for the wife or kids.

95bluse

iTrader: (1)

Um..why not buy a Civic, Sentra, Corollla, Protege instead? Car & Driver tests a car for a day or two & pronounces it a best buy on limited criteria alone, unfortunately reliability is not on the list.

Wills98MaxSE

Same thing happened to them when Ford & Mazda came out with the Escapes & Tributes about 2 yrs ago, both were in recall city.

But going back to Nissan, $28K for a '04 Max SL and $34K for a fully loaded '04 Max SE does leave other choices to mind for that price range (G-35, TL, etc..). Heck, even Nissan's own Altima 3.5SE fully loaded comes close to $29-$30K, but w/ a substantially cheap interior though.

Come to think of it, $34K if staying in the Nissan lineup can also get you into a Pathfinder SE & LE fully loaded, and/or a Murano SL & SE loaded

JimmyH

iTrader: (2)

Those cars are thousands more.
Focus ZX3 $13280
Civic Si $19460
Corolla LE $15165
Sentra SE-R $16739
In this market, every dollar counts.
As for reliability, they do long term tests for that. But how many buyers out there, especially young ones, look at longevity? Image is everything, and for another couple thousand they can get a V6 Mustang.

To be relevent here to the new Maxima, the same applies there. My 00SE was $22. Even with a $30k 04 marked down to $27-$28k, it is still more than my next best choice, the Mazda 6. It looks to be everything my 00Max is, only better. I can pick one up for $23 with sport package.

And better gas mileage too. That might seem trivial to some of you, but a 3 mpg difference adds up when you drive 30000 miles a year. That's several hundred dollars.

massvmax2003

I beg to differ about that one... My father got one of the first Camry's made in the US and all the problems he's been having are stupid ones that could've been prevented if it was assembled properly.

1st: The headliner on the ceiling wasn't installed properly so that when it got hot, the roof started sinking in.

2nd: Inside dome light wasn't operating properly, wound up being look screws that were supposed to be grounding the system.

3rd: ABS actuator had a visible defect and was still installed in the vehicle, service dept even stated that it was going to be reported to Toyota Corporate.

4th: Rear passenger strut not tightened all the way, started with a knocking noise, this ruined the mounting bracket and they wound up replacing the whole system (strut and bracket).

5th: Now we just started hearing some knocking from under the car, wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with a poorly tightend screw...

Glad I got my 2003 Max before it was tainted by US assembly..

Later..

MaxMus

well, looks like Nissan lost a sale on me when my lease expires next year on my 2000 Max. since i love RWD cars, looks like i'll be in the market for the G35 sedan, or the LS from Lincoln.

TheSaCK

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SteVTEC
[B]

The Honda Accord is built in the US.
The Honda Civic is built in the US.
The Toyota Camry is built in the US.
The Toyota Corolla is built in the US.

Just because something is built in the US does not automatically mean that it sucks.


Are the above mentioned cars known to be problematic pieces of crap?



No wish to rain on your parade, but since they starting building Accord and Camry in the US.. my sales of part for those vehicles have jumped up considerably. Accord, 98 and up trannie parts sell a lot more now, and Camry, injector ports and oxygen sensors too. Hell, i even sold a bearing for the axel, never ever heard one of those breaking.. even on a ford

SteVTEC

Yeah, 98+ Accord V6 and even the 4-cyl tranny's are pieces of crap. But guess where the tranny's are actually built. Not in the US!


They're built in Japan. The only thing that happens to them here is that they get put into the car.

maxiiiboy

I'll second that !

Mr. Nismo

iTrader: (36)

I'll triple that.

SteVTEC

Yeah, that's right, all Maxima's are gonna go for MSRP just like Infiniti's are!


Y'all are crazy if you think these things are gonna sell for MSRP!


Hey the 2003 Maxima's fully loaded with NAV MSRPed at $32k. Do you believe that? But guess what they actually went for?


NOT EVEN CLOSE to MSRP!


Cy'all later hopping on the Infiniti bandwagon. That will make demand for the new Maxima EVEN LESS, which will drive prices even lower, which means I will be able to get one HELLUVA deal on one when the time comes to replace my 4th Gen.

Colonel

I (my wife) has the Focus 4door and other than the stupid placement of the oil filter, I have been very pleased with this "domestic" car. As I have no choice, my wife refuses imports.

Fit and finish is good (not perfect, good. Still has a lot of "finishing" goo in the door jams). No squeeks or rattles. Its a year old with 20K miles on it. Even the dreaded "Focus" brake issue is NOT an issue on this car. Only thing was to get used to the electronic sunroof. Never turn the car off while its in motion or you have to "reset" it like the 2K2s had to.

Look at it this way. I get the mileage (usually a tad better) that the EPA/Sticker forcasted. When I needed the trivial "new car" bugs fixed. It was done right the first time and if it was to take them longer than a 1/2 day I got a loaner. Yeah you read that correctly. Service on the Ford far outweighed the Nissan service.

Plus there is a TON of stuff (non-rice) to do to a Focus. Kinda nice.

I would love to get a Stang of some sort. Especially the Cobra. But arent they running close to 40K now with the blowers on them?

Street Reeper

MSRP is suppose to be 34,000, but most dealers are marking them up to close to 40,000. But for a 12 second car with boost that is pretty good.

Mr. Nismo

iTrader: (36)

From a 4th gen to a 6th gen. Good Luck!

SteVTEC

Mr. Nismo

iTrader: (36)

Sorry, I'm just all too confused about the 6th gen. It's bigger, heavier, it has more hp but yet slower and uglier.

SteVTEC

Looks are subjective. I think it looks fine. It may be a tad slower, but the mags have been testing a pre-production model with a buggly electronic throttle control. The 14.7 @ 96 is hardly any different than the 14.7 @ 97 that they got before with an 02.

Street Reeper

I was confused in Car and Driver. In a comparison test of sedans they got a flat 16.0 for an Acura TL type S. That was the same stat that they used to compare to the new maximas 15.0. In previous tests though they have shown a 14.7 for the Type S.

Did the TL-S just get really slow when comparing the model that had amber rear turn signals to the model that has clear rear turn signals?

Wisky97SE

iTrader: (1)

Car & Driver later explained that the bad times were due to a hot and humid day, and possibly a mishap with the fuel at the gas station.

1SICKLEX

Let me get this right. THe new Maxima is slower, uglier and the interior has the new Nissan cheap, with the same features as the model now, and they want 28k to 34k for it? Then it's now off the Altima platform and built in Tennessee?

They are nuts and anyone buying it is nuts. The G35's interior, though cheap too, is the clear winner here. Hell, Infiniti dealer service would sway me, let alone RWD.

The same 350Z gauges. The same fake titanium. I do like the moonroofs front and rear. Plus 18" wheels, do these people realize the ride penalty this will bring?

If anything, the car should be CHEAPER. They are ripping people off. Hell a 28k Altima is a rip-off.

But people are buying em, credit Nissan.

Mr. Nismo

iTrader: (36)

Somebody has been paying attention!

SteVTEC

The difference between a $30k Nissan and a $30k Infiniti is that the $30k Infiniti will actually SELL for $30k, whereas the $30k Nissan will go out the door for $25k.


Maxima's already MSRP up to $32k (and don't sell anywhere even remotely close to that) and the new model is much more upscale.


Some people just aren't getting the BIG picture.

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

I am.


If I want to ante up $30+k for what the Maxima should have been, then the G35 : VQ, RWD or the FX35: VQ, AWD. are the cars to get.



I saw one in person the other day: not as hideous in a non-orange color, but still not something I would be caught in.

Street Reeper

+1

There is a red G35 coupe running around my neck of the woods, and that car is absolutly gorgious, a rear wheel VQ35 on a platform that has the looks to match the performance, sign me up.

jsangha

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SteVTEC
[B]I agree with you on labor issues with American cars. GM can't and never will produce a quality product.

Awe come on now. If GM doesn't build quality products, then why is it the top selling auto company in the U.S. and the world?

I have Max and a Blazer and I've not had any major problems with either one. So, from my point of view Nissan & Chevy have the same high quality products.

kev926

i strongly disagree. the honda civics, accords, and toyota camrys, corollas what not are very good cars. but, the mere fact that they are built in the US means that the build quality is not as good. they are still good cars because of the design, but not because of the manufacturing. manufacturing a car in the US doesn't mean the car is ****, but definitely means that the quality will not be as good as ones made in Japan.

And, i also agree with the other ppl that if a Maxima is 34k fully loaded, I'd probably be considernig upgrading to Infiniti already... or maybe a Subaru Impreza WRX STi... WHOOO...

SteVTEC

Please procure for me a convincing argument (with documentation that backs it up) which correlates overall quality and reliability directly to sales numbers.

So if GM products are so reliable and such high quality, why is it that only two brands from GM (fringe brands at that) show up as "above average" in long term dependability studies from JD Power & Associates?

SteVTEC

That's funny, because between 1994-1997, the Honda Accord was built both in the US and in Japan to keep up with demand. There were studies done comparing the overall quality and reliability of the cars from the different facilities, and there was NO DIFFERENCE.


This whole viewpoint that just because something is built in Japan that it's automatically going to be higher quality is purely ignorance speaking. Clueless. Absofrickenlutely clueless.


I challenge you to actually backup what you're saying with some credible evidence. In the meantime, here's something for you to ponder. Initial Quality is the truest test of the manufacturing quality of a car. The Vehicle Dependability Index is the best test of the DESIGN quality (how well it holds together). So here is the latest Initial Quality survey from JD Power & Associates.





In the premium mid-sized segment (the Maxima's segment), the BUICK CENTURY ranks above that of the Honda Accord (all US built), and the Nissan Maxima (built in Japan) isn't even on the list. WHY? Surely cars built in Japan will *always* have better manufacturing quality than cars built in the US, right?

There are more than a few other categories there where US-built vehicles are ranked above that of Japanese-built competition. And there was a press release last year talking about how GM cars were ranking at or near the top consistently as far as Initial Quality goes. I think they were even beating Toyota, and Nissan (mainly built in Japan) was far down the list.

The evidence is stacked against you, my friend.

joaquink

What's interesting to me is that the Truck segment lists Toyota as the top dog in every category but 1

No anchovies please.

SteVTEC

What's interesting to me is that American built cars beat out Japanese cars on most of the left side, which is very surprising to me. But it proves the point I was trying to make, even though I'm not happy about what it shows.


Toyota has always built darn good trucks.

jsangha

I can only give my personal opinion based on my experience with cars.

- 1983 Nissan Sentra - In 7 years of ownership and 168,000 miles, replaced clutch and water pump.
- 1990 Pontiac Bonneville SSE - In 9 years of ownership and 150,000 miles, replaced power antenna and fuel pump(both under warranty)
- 1998 Chevy Blazer LS - In 4.5 years of ownership and 88,000 miles, no major problems
- 2001 Nissan Maxima SE - In 1.5 years of ownership and 28,000 miles, no problems at all.

So, I say again that FROM MY POINT OF VIEW AND MY EXPERIENCE, Nissan and GM quality is the same and that is all that matters to me.

Peace.

rubman

Well I won't go into GM or Japanese car bashing but, I just built both the SE and the SL model on the Nissan website. $33.899 for either car and the website only lets me build them fully loaded. The main reason that I bought my Max was, it was a great bang for the buck. I bought it one year used, SE with leather, sunroof, Bose CD system, 17" wheels, sport suspension, well I think you get the message. A front wheel drive Altima fully loaded at $34K when a fully loaded 6MT G35 Coupe with 280 BMW challenging HP can be had for $35.5K, oh and by the way it's RWD? Nissan please give us some credit. If you have to ask if there is anything to think about, well I guess Nissan has done a good job with us all. Guess I'll just have to wait and see what new goodies Infiniti adds to it's 6MT for 2K4.