I really love the new Max and want to get one soon. I live outside Chicago, and many people tell me that its a bad idea to get a stick in the city. A lot of the driving i do is in semi-suburban areas( a light here and there). Anyone know how many Maxs Nissan plans to sell with a manual trans? And anyone have any advice? How is the manual trans on the max?

 

Well, this is a pretty general question but I would "think" stop and go traffic would be hell on the clutch in a manual. Also, I'm currently driving an auto 2004 Max with the little e shift thingy and it works similarly to a manual. Not as responsive but you can down/up shift when needed.

 

I have a 6spd in Dallas, it sucks in crush-hour traffic. I think it makes up for it at other times but I'd switch if I could.

 

I have a 6 speed and live in a smaller city than Chicago. I also am able to generally stay away from stop-and-go traffic situations. Understanding that, I love my 6-speed stick! The stick was what I wanted, and the Nissan Maxima had the best combo of modern engine, 6-speed tranny, reasonable price and 4 door sedan.

Before I retired, I lived in suburban Chicago and commuted on the Illinois Toll Road every work day in a 5 speed manual Celica. There were a few rough back-ups on the Toll Road when I wished I had an Automatic. But most of the time I was happy to be driving a stick. For me it's a case of wanting as much control as possible -- which a stick gives you over an automatic. However, if you are not sold on getting a stick, I would recommend that you buy the 5-speed automatic on the SE.

 

Thanks for the advice. Did you get the helical limited slip differential? Is it worth getting, and how much does it help? I dont think you can get it without getting the driver preffered package, that sucks?

 

I wouldn't get a stick in the city, but that is just me. I hate stop and go traffic, and it is a nightmare here in Phoenix if you have a stick.

 

Because our car was totaled, we needed new wheels quickly. If there had been time to order a specific car (dealer said 2 to 3 months), I would have ordered the helical limited slip and a sun roof. We could not wait that long, so took what was available. There were options I really needed like 6-speed and cloth seats (I can't stand leather seats); and options I wanted like the Bose system with 6 CD changer, xenon headlights, limited slip and a sun roof. Well I got all but the last two. (We also lucked into a car with a clear bra on the front that the dealer forgot to charge for until after we'd reached a price.) There were colors that I wanted, and Silver was in second place after White. After having a Silver car, I now understand how much better it hides dirt than White. (The clear bra is nice too.)

The info I have does not specify that the limited slip is only available on or with the Preferred Package, so you can probably order it spearately. (Xenon lights are a part of the Preferred Package -- SE only -- but I have them on my SE Maxima without this package.) I also found that among dealer stock Maximas in Colorado, the only SEs with a sun roof also had leather seats (the Sensory Package). They seem to put these two together, so they probably put the limited slip with the Preferred Package.