I couldn't wait to drive the '04 Maxima but it had to be the 6-speed. A couple of weeks ago, I went down to the nearest Nissan dealer and took a test drive. Wasn't crazy about the torque steer and the grille but otherwise loved the car. I was ready to order one if I could get a good price.

I told the salesman I wanted the 6-speed, Journey package (love that nav system) and HLSD. That's when I got my first unpleasant surprise. The Journey package is the only package not offered with the 6-speed. If you want the nav system, you have to order the Elite package which has features I didn't want. I later found out that if I ordered the Elite package, I couldn't get the HLSD.

Nissan tells me that they are not offering the Journey package with the 6-speed because they felt that would be an unpopular combination. So, my '04 Max goes unordered.

I have driven the G35 sedan w/ 6-speed. It's a fine car but I like the Maxima better. The MSRP of both cars is pretty close but apparently they don't discount Infinitis so the Max would be a couple of grand cheaper. Guess I'll wait awhile and see what happens.

 

Ya Nissan is the worst with their packaging. It's not like there are that many packages. I hate that they want to force you into one option just to get th eone that you really want.

 

www.carsdirect.com

You'll probably get the infiniti cheaper because the max just came out.

 

Hell the car is built down the street (what Tennesee), take a drive and ask the workers to build like you want.

J/K, Nissan can make any car in any combo YOU WANT, either develop a relationship with the dealer or be persistent and ask, ask, ask. They CAN put this combo together.

 

Yup, they hit me with a quadruple whammy (must be some kind of record). First, almost all their options are part of packages. OK, I can live with that. It's pretty common practice nowadays. Second, their packages are cumulative -- each package includes all the packages below it. I never heard of that before but it was all right because I wanted all the stuff below the Journey package anyway. Third, they forced me up to a package I don't want. Fourth, the package they forced me into eliminated the HLSD which I really do want.

 

I don't know. People here report substantial discounts on the '04 Max already.

 

I'd like to think that's true. In fact, I don't know why it wouldn't be. Do you know of anyone who has gotten a car that supposedly wasn't available?

 

Yes. Not a Nissan but it sure as hell can be done. YOU will WAIT like 6-8 months but it may be quicker since the car is built here.

If you visit the plant,(now I am not sure how Nissan works but) you should be able to basically build your car. Nor sure how far away you are.

But, talk to the dealer. If they really WANT THAT SALE, they will get that car built for you.

Make sure they don't fock up. I know a guy who waited 6 months for a GS 430 with NO WOOD WHEEL and NO SPOILER in silver/silver and the car finally came with a pinstripe painted that he did not want. He waited 3 more months for the car (but they gave him a loaner LS 400).

Any other Nissan dealer around?

 

3 Nissan dealers here in Las Vegas (none of whom want to sell cars apparently). The first one said, "We can't get you that car" and that's the last I heard from them. The second one said, "We're selling Maximas for MSRP + $800." The third one said, "I'll have the manager call you back" and that's the last I heard from them. I'm going to go over there on Monday and see if they want my business. Thanks for your replies.

 

It appears to me that the 6th Gen is the worst packaging nightmare of them all.

 

I had no problems ordering exactly what I wanted. You should keep trying different Nissan dealers. It sounds like the dealers you visited are giving you excuses that are not true. You can get the car you want...I did!

I ordered a SE, Spirited Bronze (black interior), 5sp A/T, Jouney package, VSC, splash guards and mats for $1000 over invoice.

I ordered my car at O'Brien Nissan in Hawthorne, NJ because I live in northern New Jersey. This is America and you can get what you want!

The dealership I went to is very small and has been family owned for decades. Stay away from the big (high pressure) dealerships!

Good luck!!!

 

Just visited the dealer today....

got some prices, but I still gotta look at some other cars....

dumbass question: what is HLSD?

 

Consider it a must have.



Helical Limited Slip Differential.

Peg leg be gone.

No more one wheel wonder.

 

think you can go more in depth with that explanation.....heh.

 

Sure

 

um........please?

 

I thought you were being sarcastic.


It's just s type of mechanical limited slip differential. With it both wheels will always have an equal amount of torque under a load. When you spin the tires, they will both spin at all times.

 

ah....so that IS a must have.....

thanks.

 

Absolutely, I have it and it makes all the difference in the world. Test drove one that didn't and there is a huge difference to me.

-Ed

 

Went to one of the dealers today. Offered him Invoice + $800. He wanted MSRP or to pay me little enough for my trade-in so that it amounted to the same thing. We never even got around to talking about the 6-speed with the Journey package. Has anyone had any success with dealers in Southern Cal or Phoenix?

 

I had some pretty good luck with the dealers in Phoenix. I let all 6 of them battle against each other via email. I like to cc them all in when I respond (ok, I am a ****...)

I bought a 2004 SE w/Driver Preferred, Power Moonroof, splash guards and floor mats. I paid 29,700, which equates to a couple hundred over invoice. I could have gotten it for less at another dealer, but they didn't have the right color and they weren't giving me as much for my trade. I just stuck to my guns, I told them "I will buy this tonight for that price, that trade value, that is my final offer". They came back with a counter, I said no, they came back with another, I said no. They said ok, and I bought it.

I bought the extended 100,000 warranty, and the service contract 75,000 (covers all service), so I shouldn't ever have to pay for anything BTW, haggle the cost of these things. They charge a lot, and they will come down... way down! Like close to half.

Good luck. If you need more info, email me at grant@clineworld.com

 

Unfortunately it is too soon for the dealers to care about the specifics customers want on the 04. They are getting over sticker for whatever 04's they happen to have on the lot. Plus the 04's have a lot less room between invoice & sticker than the previous gen did.

What about getting the 6-spd with limited slip & adding an aftermarket nav?

 

Don't let them fool you, they are only getting MSRP when the customer is willing to pay it. I didn't pay close to sticker. Just be patient, know what you want, and if you are fortunate enough to live in a city that has more than one Nissan dealer, play them against each other. Let them know you are doing it.

I like to call the other dealer from the sales persons office and let him know what kind of price I am being offered. That and cc'ing emails to all the dealers with price info is always nice as well. Also, when they ask you what the other dealer offerred, don't tell them. Let them know that you want their best price, and if it isn't as low then you will just buy it at the other place. They won't give you their lowest price, so make sure you haggle more.

Set a date (two weeks out or more) that you won't buy a car before, don't tell the dealer. This is the most important part. It does a couple of things. 1) It forces you to have patience. 2) It lets the dealer know that you are operating on your own schedule, you are in no hurry.

I had dealers calling me and offerring the car for less, they thought that they lost the opportunity to get my business, when really I was just buying time. I made if very clear that I was willing to wait until the fall if I had to, I told them that I was in no rush. Also let them know that you are looking at other cars (even if you aren't) and that you don't care about the color (even if you do). This takes their powerplays away.

Good luck,

Grant

 

I paid $350 over invoice, so yes they will do it. Try internet shopping, they are often more competitive that way.

 

Thanks for the posts. I've been in touch with a couple of the Phoenix dealers. One thing's for sure -- if I'm going to spend $30,000+ for a car I'm going to get EXACTLY what I want. If I have to wait, I'll wait. My wife waited 13 months for her Turbo Beetle.

 

After reading your responses from the Nissan dealer, for a 30k car they are treating u like ****. THat is part of the reason people pay more for a luxury brand. Looked at a G35?

 

The G35 is a whole different car, it is too small and they need to fix the interior. If they do that, then it will be sweet.

 

I don't take it personally. I drove the 6-speed G35 sedan but I like the Max a little better. Eventually, I'll get the car the way I want it.

 

Ah, see. You got what you wanted because you have the automagic.

You can't get the car with Journey/6MT/HLSD.
You CAN get the car with Journey/5AT/VSC.

This is from memory from about a month ago though, so don't hold me to it. But I think this is what I remember.

 

See, you auto guys are spoiled. Not only can you get the unique packages you want, but you also have the choice of 2 automatics trannies. I guess the fact that autos outsell manuals in a ratio of 600 billion to one, accurate to a few percentage points, has something to do with it.

DW

 

I also agree. When I got mine I could not get a tan or (beige) interior and some other people wanted color combo's that were not offered either.

 

LOL I would rather have the manual, but 45 miles to and from work in traffic would be a pain in the a$$. My left leg would be huge

 

i think you should purchase it through an online nissan dealer, they will probably give you the best price around as well. You also get to see the car get delivered to your house on a flat bed

 

rather than assume they will give you the best price, call all the dealers and let them fight it out with eachother. That is how you get the best price. The key is patience!

 

OK, here's the latest. This assumes that, in order to get the 6-speed with the Nav system, I'm willing to give up on the Journey package and HLSD and go with the Elite package and no HLSD -- I'm still talking to Nissan about this issue.

Carsdirect.com - They show full MSRP for the '04 Max.
Autobytel.com - They put me in touch with one of the local dealers. The best I've been able to do so far is MSRP-$500.
Other internet sites - They all put you in touch with a local dealer and some don't even list the '04 Max on their web site. They're still showing the '03.
Local dealers - Working through the sales manager, all three want full MSRP.
Phoenix dealer (thanks Grant) - Will go MSRP-$1,500 but their quote adds $900 worth of fees/profit back in as follows:
Teflon paint coating - $120
License, transfer title and registration fee - $484.25
Documentary fee - $299.95

Still being patient although it's not easy every time one of you posts a picture with "Here's my new Maxima." I'm very jealous.

 

Work the Phoenix dealers, they will give in. Tell them to go screw on the paint coating, I did and they did... The Doc fee is standard at all dealers, ranging from $275-300 for doing paperwork. It is a pain, but they all get it. License and registration fees are the AZ tax and reg fees. I am not sure what you do to get out of that, but I am sure that you can since you will register it in NV.

I was closer to $3000 under MSRP + tax, title, license and doc fee (those fees were the same at each dealer).

Are you working with Salim at that dealer, and is it Midway? Tell him that you will negotiate the cost of the car, and that you aren't paying for anything added at the dealer... period, no ifs ands or buts about it. His managers are snakes, so stick to your guns, they will come through in time.

 

Here's the funny part. I talked to a guy named Adrian in Midway's Fleet/Internet Dept. He quoted me full MSRP. I asked him if he could do any better than that. He told me that was the absolute best he could do. The next day, I called the dealership back and asked for Salim. He said he would have to talk with his manager to get the best price and his manager would give me a call. A half hour later, the phone rings and it's Adrian and he says, "So, I hear you've been talking to Salim." I told him Salim was recommended to me. He told me that Salim had to work through him and their price was now MSRP-$1,500. Who knows, I might make a deal with them yet.

 

Salim's manager is name Bryson, his manager is named Mark, and his manager (the GM of the place) is Salim's brother-in-law, but I don't remember his name. His name is not adrian though.

If you do buy, I will be interested to see how they try to F*** you in the finance department. The guy tried to get me to buy all this crap, lojack + some other theft thing + extended warranty for what he said was "about $2500" I asked him to show me the numbers and he was trying to charge me closer to $5000!!! He says "wait, something isn't right"... I say "yeah, you trying to F*** me out of $5000 isn't right... take that **** off of there"

Let me know if you have the same experience. I bought the top of the line maintenace contract and extended warranty for about half what he originally wanted me to buy the extended warranty for.

 

If you paid more than $800 for a 7yr/100K warranty then you got ripped off!

 

I also got the service contract that covers all scheduled maintenance for 6 years and 75000 miles. I think the total cost of the two was $1300 and change. The 20 oil changes at $20 each about covers the cost of the maintenance contract, add to that everything else that is in the service manual and it works out. I am sure I could have shopped it online and paid a bit less, but I honestly don't have the time or energy to do so. The convenience factor has a value to me.