Yeah, I got quoted $39k for a 300C... and it was just because the dealer wanted to pocket some dough because the car was hot.

I waited a few months and I probably could have gone back and gotten a good deal after all the buzz passed, but instead I decided for either "that Acura car" or the Maxima. Obviously the Max won.

Although the new RL is sex. That car is all kinds of badass. Too bad it's $50k.

 

Thank you, enough said.

 

I only use reg. gas in the Accord that is what is recomended. As far as performance is concerned the Max is much-much better all the way around. The Accord is not near as fun to drive but it is smooth with a comfortable ride. I have never got either one of them too fast on the highway (100-110mph maybe). I don't need the tickets! I like the Accord quite a bit but I love the Maxima. That is why my wife drives the Accord.

 

BlackMax2K1 - You are wrong about posters here not having owned earlier Maximas.

I not only have owned nothing but Maximas for over twenty years, I currently own both a 5th gen SE and a 6th gen SL (love them both), so am in a better position than you to analyze the interiors of these two generations.

Sure, there are nuances I might have handled differently in both gens, but, overall, I find both to be very nicely appointed. I particularly like the swede trim on the 6th gen. It is unusual is a sporty sedan, and gives character and depth in contrast with the other interior materials. I have never had a stain or mark on my light frost suede. For me, the 6th gen seems much roomier than the 5th gen, and Consumer's Report measurements bear this out.

But the difference in the 5th and 6th generation Maximas is far more than interior impressions or even external styling. In going through the specs for the 5th and 6th gens before buying my '04 SL, I listed thirty-four (mostly mechanical/safety/convenience) improvements the 6th gen had over the 5th gen. Not all thirty-four are dramatic or important, but many were very meaningful for me.

To judge an entire generation of the Maxima by a subjective impression of the interior is perfectly within your rights. I feel most posters here would find a few things in the 6th gen interior they might have preferred done differently. But that is the case with most drivers of most generations, and hardly valid grounds for rejecting an otherwise outstanding automobile.

But this is America, so you have every right to your opinion.

 

Use premium and you will see an increase in performance, this is proven

 

I owned the Altima when it first came out it was the 2.5 w/conveniencepkg and I regreted for not having purchased the 3.5 when my lease was up I purchased the 3.5 and was very impressed by the accelaration(but i always wanted the Max) 2month after i got my baby a truck side swiped me and destroyed it (thank god for side airbags). After that well i got my wish and pick up my Max 2004 SE silver and man do you ever feel the difference. Personally, I've been an Altima owner and the Max takes the cake. The performance and the ride is awesome it corners better at 220km/h WOOW. The Altima won't even get to 190km/h. It's like the new age hot rod(familly style).

 

I think honda recommends regular only, I could be wrong though...

 

They do you are correct.

 

Oh, yeah cause my brother always fills it up wit regular whenever Im riding shot gun and we stop at the gas station, and he really takes care of it, so I didn't think it was a money thing.

 

It runs fine on regular but due to high compression, premium gas optimizes the horsepower even more.

 

I would have bought the 300 SRT 8 but I could not wait to get the car because it is not released until spring because it is hard to beat 425 HP from the factory for 40K

 

i was looking at the two cars.

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Huh? The Maxima is a lot more performance-oriented, and the additional 25hp (and extra torque) is enough to embarass an Accord.

Car & Driver puts the V-6 Accord at 7.0 sec. to 60mph, v. 6.1 for the Maxima. Accord takes 15.5 sec. for the 1/4 mile, whereas the Max does it in the low 14's.

It would take more than premium gas to make an Accord run with a Maxima.

Mike

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i was really looking at the accord v6 coupe to be honest at first, i was large on it. its true, bells and whistles all over because of the looks, but if i could get speed + comfort, screw the bells and whistles.

il be on the market for a car on sept-oct, i hope i come across with a nice 04 or 05 maxima...if not, i think the accord will get me...but im more on the maxima, its more classier than the accord + the standard features here in canada is nothing to the standard features of the accord here...i mean NOTHING.

 

Not on the honda accord. The engine was not designed that way. Your most likely to lose horse power if you run premium.

This was taken for teh Car And Driver Webpage:

"The Accord took a tiny step backward in power (minus 2.6 percent) and performance (minus 1.5 percent) on premium fuel, a phenomenon for which none of the experts we consulted could offer an explanation except to posit that the results may fall within normal test-to-test variability."

Heres the link. If you scroll down a bit, you school be able to see it.
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....&page_number=2

 

The test that caranddriver did was on the 6th gen accord (98 - 02 V6 engines). The new ones (03+ V6 ) actually perform better on premium gas by up to 10 wheel horsepower and tourque. Other honda accord owners discussed it here:
http://www.v6p.net/forums/showthread...08&forumid=146

Also there are several dynos and documents which support this claim, look around that site.

 

You guys make me wanna rip the dash out of my 6th gen, and drop in a 5th. j/k

 

Oh I see. I guess I better let my brother know then lol.

 

That's... interesting. I mean, you're talking about a manufacturer specifically claiming 240hp at the crank, and recommending regular (87) octane gas, when in fact the car is capable of 260+ (since they claim a 10hp gain at the wheel) by simply using premium gas? That's some outrageous stuff right there if I ever heard it...

Not saying it's not true (since we all know how much you can trust stuff you see on the web ), but what they're basically saying is that, by design, the car's knock sensor must be going insane retarding, and that the car's "true" rating is for 260hp, and that Honda is saying otherwise to... ummm... I guess to have people save on gas? It just doesn't make sense...

 

Tell grandma to give me a call because I love '62 Buicks and the dash of my 6th gen.

 

The only thing I didnt like in the '04 Max's interior was the gauge cluster, and the fact that it was attached to the steering wheel. Havent been in the '05 yet. I didnt like the red(orange) numbers on the gauges, reminded me to much of the old pontiacs. But the 265hp and roomy interior make up for it. My 2 cents.

 

....not to big on that rearend neither. Back on the Altima thing, the 05 Altima (particularly SE-R) definitely carries on from the 5G Maxima but even then, there are some parts of it that Nissan thought out well (i.e.: gauges/dash layout, seat support) and other things that they just seem to throw in with little thought (i.e.: flimsy armrest, cheap switches and door panels, hodd prop rod).

With regard to being 'jealous' of the 6G's dash cluster, ahhh NO! I can admit to being somewhat envious of the outgoing I35's instrument cluster (mainly the EL gauges) which I think looks MUCH better than the 5G Maxima's gauges.

For Nissanphiles whose leases are expiring on their 5th gens, all I can say is THANK GOD for the Infiniti G35.

 

Im confused...I dont think the cluster gauges in the 04Max are "attached" to the steering wheel...

 

I can't just lurk anymore, feel the need to finally reply to a post.

I'll admit when my wife and I first looked at the new Max's when they first came out I couldn't believe how radically different the dash was compared to anything that's out there. I wasn't in love with it at the time, but I thought it was a nice looking dash. Ended up not getting the Max at this time and got a Murano instead - again a vehicle with a rather "different" looking dash.

Can't be that many of us who haven't owned a previous Max, I owned a '00 SE (as stated above traded for a Murano). Loved everything about that car including the the dash at the time. I just recently traded in my '99 TL for an '05 SL, and everytime I get in the car I love what I see in front of me. Granted the buttons are a little small, but I never use any of them anyway - so who cares?

Obviously people are going to have different tastes, and if you don't like it - hey wtf do I care.

 

Amen to that brother!!! It's just that some people can't really help but complain about the grape being "sour"...

 

My husband and I went to the auto show this past weekend. Great time!!!

Having said that there were a couple of cars that I absolutely loved, but I'm still very happy with my 04 Max. Love the Dash, Love the Big Back End, Love the Performance. I won't be trading it for a long time. There will always be a few things that we find we would like to change on the cars we choose. For many of us it was the front grill, I hated that front tooth. The other thing I would like to see is a cover for the information screen. It attracts so much dust. Some of the newer model cars have their nav screens pop up from the dash.

At the car show, I loved the Infinite M35 and the Saleen Mustang.