iregula

03 max......OR decked altima

Wills98MaxSE

I've seen an '03 Max GLE w/ sunroof and spoiler but no heated seats and wheel going for $25K on the lot at my Nissan dealer. There was also an '03 SE loaded next to it on the lot to I'm figuring the SE would go for the same price as the neighboring GLE.

Come to think of it, now I'm actually undecided at this point now that I've seen the dealers trying to clear out the '03s of considering an Altima 3.5SE or the last of the 5th gen. Max's

fishergmn

I was waiting for the Maxima pricing before buying and I'm glad I did. Has anyone done a straight up price comparison between an Altima and a 04 Maxima? Similarly equipped, the MSRP on a Maxima is just $1400 more than the Altima! It really is quite a deal any way you slice it.... If you want to go all out you can load it to $35k but in a straight up comparison the Maxima wins out in value.

I ordered mine last week...... Spirited Bronze SE...

BTW... I love the Skyview roof.. At 6'2" I hate to lose the headroom with a conventional sunroof. And besides, I've never opened mine anyways.. (I hate the noise).

davedb

The Max's interior is worlds apart in quality compared to the Alty. But, fyi, even the Max has vinyl door inserts on the 2003 and previous models. Not sure about the '04s.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

if i were wanting a new maxima, i would go get a loaded SE 5th gen. the body style is far more pleasing and you can get one a little cheaper now. seriously, to break the subject a little, if i were willing to part with 30 grand or more, i would just buy an old skyline from motorex! screw the maxima and the altima! or buy a G35 coupe - very sexy car. or i would take that money and make a downpayment on a house or rental property. why buy a car?! the minute it leaves the dealer lot it is worth $6,000 less instantly. and in 6 years or so, the 04 maxima will be in the auto-trader for about 9,000 bucks. 1997 maximas are worth only about that. sometimes even less. what a crappy return on investment! buy someone else's car! let them buy it new and blow their cash first! then you can spend the saved money on modding the car the way "it should have been."

the whole new car thing is such a racket. especially when you are intoxicated with newer, uglier technology! the only thing you really get is the new smell. and the temporary satisfaction of it being "yours" first. but who really cares? your insurance will be higher because the car is new, you will have an extra payment on top of your mounting debts, it will get door-dinged and scratched in the parking lot, it will guzzle gasoline, what is the point? buy a die-cast model of it and save on upkeep. then when you tire of looking at the die-cast model, when you are bored with it, buy another die-cast model of another car and look at that for a few months. eventually, you will have your own private car collection like the cool hot wheels exhibit at the Petersen's Automotive Museum on the Mircacle Mile on Wilshire Blvd! now that is way cool! julie and i saw that last weekend!

coffeeshark

i have to say "i care". i love buying a new car, and i don't consider it an investment anyway - i consider it a luxury item, like buying a good pair of shoes (no return on that investment, other than happy feet), or a sweet home theater system (try selling that in 5 years).
Used is great, don't get me wrong - you save thousands of bucks that way, and it makes sense. But with my new car, i know the maintenance that was done, how it was taken care of, how it was treated, etc. Is it an emotional, impulse buy? Yeah, always, to some degree. But I really don't feel like living my whole life buying someone else's used crap.

Maxima04

Not from people I speak with. Almost everyone seems to prefer the look of my 04 Max to any previous design. Each to his own.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

agreed. a good point.

the alty SE and new Max SE look great, actually, with a little, a tad, wee bit of cosmetic work. like lowering it with awesome Nismo wheels. it is each to his own, however. some people like AMC Pacers.

if i could afford it, i'd buy a new car, too. but it is a luxury, as you said.

with maximas, there is something for everyone. and diversity is good. it strengthens the gene pool.

95emeraldgxe

the price difference is almost 9-10K, you can get a loaded 3.5 for about 23

jkratzer

I could not agree with you more about the new car racket thing. I bought my loaded 2001 new and paid $27K. Now two years later it is worth only half that. By buying new I know the car's history and that is the only good thing about buying new. But if I had bought used, I could have put the difference in a Roth IRA or some other investment and 5 years from now would be happier. As someone else on this thread said new cars are an expensive luxury. I will buy a used 2004 Maxima or Murano in a few years and let someone else lose half of their money first.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

yes. the other person did say that he did not want someone else's crap. and he has a point. if you have the cash, or the credit, then let the new car come on home. itz like a part of the 'american dream." right?

additionally, one can take, what, 30 grand? or more? for a new f*cking car? what a grand rip-off! unless you are bringing home, after taxes, about 100 grand a year or more, who has such a luxury? because i'm telling you, well not you literally because you see this point fully, but anyone who is making car note payments will tell you how much of a pain in the *ss it is. plus the depreciation is absolutely laughable. if you're going to buy a car for 30 grand, buy a classic corvette, a porsche 911, or something that will NEVER depreciate. why burn money away? money is money! plus, if you are a "tuner," then who gives a sh*t what is crappy about the used car you buy because you will rebuild it anyway with aftermarket modifications. as i have done. i have rebuilt my 3rd gen maxima to the point that nearly all of the interesting mechanical things are virtually new or rebuilt. my car can go for another 200k miles. i don't plant to sell it, mind you, so resale value is not even an issue.

but i'd buy a new G35 coupe if i had the money to burn. but ultimately i don't give a flying f*ck.

MaxAppeal

the Altima is not even close to th car th 04 Max is. park them side by side- you will see the diff. i admit the headlights may be very cousin like, but the rest of the car makes the altima look like what it is- a cheaper car. the new Max is nicer than, the already dated, but expensive GS.

04maxima

I've answered this BEFORE.......I had an '02 Altima SE, then the current '04 Maxima, it's hand's down Maxima. It pulls harder on the interstate. only problem is worse mileage.

gmc74

What kind of mileage are you getting? I am averaging 26.5 and I drive 450 highway miles and 150 street/highway miles a week.

Maxxed03

I personally would go for the 3.5 Altima not just because I own one but because its just a nice car. It has more than enough speed especially since its a manual and its more decently sized than the new Maxima. That car is HUGE. Too big for me but, to hide my cheap interior which Im not ashamed to admit, I tinted the windows 20% and since the interior was charcoal, it blended perfectly, thats just my opinion.

TDoyle

In order to answer this question its important to ask yourself whats important to you in a car? Interior? Maxima. Exterior? Your preference...persoanlly I don't think either is that attractive (I own an 02 Altima btw)...Maxima has the advantage of not being easily mistaken for anything else out there from any angle (despite its overall similarity to the Altima), while the Altima is a very cookie cutter shape...very easy to get mixed up with a Passat or Lexus GS from a few angles. Performance? Altima, but you can't get an HLSD to take care fo the torque steer issue...this may or may not bother you. Price? Loaded Altima SE's top out around the point the Max SE starts. Unique features? Maxima with the rear buckets and skyview roof.

Ultimately its up to you...given the choice between these two cars (and my ownership experience of the last 12 months) I'd opt for neither and get myself either a G35 6MT sedan or a used 540i.

gmc74

Good luck finding a used 540, and better yet, find one at an affordable price. 5-series was my first choice, but they are hard to put your hands on.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

There are several used 99-02 BMW 540's for sale here in the Dallas area.

benwa

I am sorry to spoil your altima and 03 party but I just bought an javascript:smilie('')
cool04 Maxima after owning a 1990 (the best year for Maxima till now) for 13 years and the MF rocks. I am not the type to do reverse lock drifts around my neighborhood so the touque stearing doesn't bother me and most of us non professional race drivers crusing the highway won't know. Anyway I got an automatic, got tired of shifting, and don't have the problem anyway. As far as the moutain men from Tennessee putting together your car I would not worry too much because all the components are built in Japan and the Japanese management are running the plant with eagle eyes. Plus the american workers are better than them anyway. If you can't afford a 04 Maxima then get the Altima. As far as the 03 Maxima it is fast (probably a little quicker then the 04) and handles well but it was designed by a drone http://forums.maxima.org/misc.php?action=getsmilies
http://forums.maxima.org/images/smilies/bonk.gifand has no style. The 04 Maxima is simply in a different class than the Altima and the 03 as far as testosterone and sex appeal. If you can aford the Maxima then get it Black/Black with the Driver Preferred Package and by all means tint the windows.

TDoyle

"Good luck finding a used 540, and better yet, find one at an affordable price. 5-series was my first choice, but they are hard to put your hands on."

This looks good to me. Frankly I'd rather have this than a new Nissan for the same money...but thats just me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2416300894&category=60 08

gmc74

It has 61,000 miles on it, it is 3 years old, and it costs about the same as a 04 Max. I was looking for a 5 series that was only a year or two old with around 30K or less miles. I found a couple of 525s when I was looking, but that was about it.

98MAXNY

I wanted to get a 2003 maxima 6spd but there where no more available anymore since the new max was out. So I got a 2003 Altima. If you get the Altima fully loaded the interior dosent look bad at all, yes it could use improvment but they made many changes from the 02's. Everyone who has been in my car loves the interior and the way it looks. I actually like the interior a lot after owning it. There was only 2 reasons that I wanted to get the Maxima over the Altima and that was Interior and the 6spd manual. But Now im glad I got the Altima(well most of the time) I miss owning a Max

95emeraldgxe

altima is a great car, i just wish they didnt bite off toyotas tail lights

Mystery

Im in this dilema now, I want the maxima, but my parents are trying to convince me on the altima. I have never been a fan of the altima at all, but i just love the maxima. Currently i would take the maxima on the spot. I have on experince driving the altima, tho in the next few weeks that should probably change, but for now i'd have to say maxima.

TDoyle

"It has 61,000 miles on it, it is 3 years old, and it costs about the same as a 04 Max."

Well its strictly personal preference, but I'd rather have a BMW with 60k on the clock then a new Nissan. Nissan has done absolutley nothing with my 02 Altima to win me over as a repeat new car buyer. I like the emphasis they put on their sporting image and the engines are pretty powerful, but not enough emphasis on the overall package of the car...at least not with the Altima.

gmc74

I probably responded to your original post incorrectly, you were referring to your Altima and not a Maxima. If given the choice, I would choose the used BMW over the Altima too, I am not a big fan of the Altima. I wouldn't choose the used BMW over an 04 Max though, much different car.

It annoys me that so many people lump 02 and 03 Altimas in with 04 Maximas as if they were the same, beleive me they are not. Same frame, same engine, end of similarities...

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

I would choose a low mileage 1-3 year old 540 over any Maxima 03/04, they just have a much better feel than any Maxima that I have driven 03 and 04 included.

gmc74

Good luck finding one. I was looking, and I couldn't find one. Not to mention that a 2+ year old (2001) 540i is $41K and a 3+ year old (2000) blue books at over $36K. That isn't exactly the same price range as my $30K 2004 Maxima SE...

JimmyH

iTrader: (2)

I have seen plenty of used 540's in the paper here in Chicago. Problem is they are all asking ridiculously high prices for them (close to new). When they dont get what they are asking, they probably decide to keep the car.

Anyway, I have not driven the new Max, but I have driven the Altima, and I was thoroughly disappointed by how it drives and handles. It rides nice, too nice, so you cant feel anything.

Independent suspension means nothing to me. I will keep my 2000. Of course, I am sure if I drove the new Max, new car fever would hit and I would want to buy it.

gmc74

I even tried to find a 530i and couldn't here in Phoenix. The people buying those seem to hold on to them for a while...

95emeraldgxe

the price of a fully loaded altima is the same price as a base max with leather

MaxAppeal

many consider the 530i a collector's item.

gmc74

that is odd... they are nice, but not that nice. I would rather have a 540i

TDoyle

Since the restyling for 04 I have lost all interest in owning a new Maxima. I just don't care for the styling, either inside or out (note, I'm not flaming owners of G6 Max's...just stating a personal preference). I understand the Maxima and the Altima are different cars with different missions(though they certainly share enough to make me wary of the Maxima as a new car), but what I was saying is Nissan as a comapany and as a network of dealers haven't done much of anything to win me over and I see no need to go through the hassles of owning another new Nissan at this time.

gmc74

to each their own as they say. Some people will like it, others will hate it. That is just the way of the world.

TDoyle

Too true my friend.