Both owners had an accident each

 

How are the 3.5 Altimas compared to the Max's?

What are the major differences?

 

My suggestion is to be patient. I almost bought an 07 se with 120k. The guy didnt want to budge from 11,500, I offered him 10,500 cash he didnt take it. At the last minute before i went to the dealership i bought an 07 se with 60k for 12,200.It was a guy going through a divorce that needed money asap. It needs the bumber painted and some nicks due to florida luv bugs. Im happy with my purchase. Something will come along.Ive was looking for 6 months.

 

Honestly, Maximas are reliable cars. That should last well over 100k if properly maintained. Although, I'd keep looking if I were you.

 

Hmm You like the 6th gen body style? Get a 07- 08 if you can find one for the right price of course. All tell you the CVT is very Solid & we all certainly know the 3.5 engine is Solid. So those are 2 big things you do not have to worry about right there .

 

does ant of the 05s have the cvt trannies also is there any threads on herre for a code PO455 I cant figure that one out on my 05

 

No 05 has CVT. As for the code, it relates to your EVAP system. All I can say as a lay man is that you start by checking that you are using the correct fuel filler cap and that it is securely locked. That done, erase the code and watch if comes back. See the FSM page EC-471 to 478.

 

I got my 07 last year for $16-5 with 27k miles. I bought a months worth of autocheck to find out about the altimas and maximas i was looking at. This one i purchased had an accident in dec of 07 to right front with minor to moderate damage reported. I crawled all under the car and repairs were done to my satisfaction and the car drove great and has for the past 16 months.
And I know why it had accident, the traction control blows on these cars. As wheel slips it retards the timing and power too much and doesn't recover fast enough after taking foot off pedal. I have had 2 close calls and now will turn it off in snowy weather, i can do a better job driving in snow as i have for 30 years. so check the time of year they have had accidents on the 07-08 and that may give you a clue, but I still love mine.

 

Nice to see you are looking at the Maxima, the 04-06 are great but all of those models suffer from timing chain tensioner issues. Even the 07 I have has the tensioner issue. The automatic transmission in the 04-06 have some serious issues regardless of how well the vehicle may have been taken care of. Nissan switched to automatic to a CVT in 07 because of the bad tranny's.

The oil cooler seals leak, cheap fix, some have had cooling issues, and the strut mounts in the front are weak, also an easy fix. Over all they are fun cars but don't purchase one that has been in any sort of accident, you are asking for a big headache.

 

07 I think is the first year with the CVT

 

I like the CVT in our 07 so far. Takes some time to get used to but great tranny and engine package. Like I said earlier they still have the crappy plastic timing chain tensioners though.

 

So I'm back in the market, AGAIN... This time looking at 3.5 Altima's.. Let me know what you guys think of the 3 below..

08 - $15,900 - 24K Miles

08 - $14,500 - 46K Miles

08 - $15,000 - 41K Miles

What are the major differences besides size of the Max vs the Alt?

 

The car had a few issues, but I think in the end I will be fine.

1. tansmission problem, replaced valve body paid $771.11 pluS tax $825.00, don't forget to get transmission seals. Cost $200.00 to have installed at local Goodyear. Transmission is fixed I am concentrating on next issues. NOTE: because of bad valve body front motor mount needed to be replaced. So get it fixed.

2. I believe timing chain will need to be fixed

3. Brakes/rotors/tires, car looks great needs a little normal TLC, and I will be a happy camper.

I paid $6,800 for this car, with 128,000 miles.

Spoke to Master Mechanic at Nissan definitly take care of timing chain, and you will be fine with vehicle.

I hope I made a decent choice!!!!

 

Altimas are for women.

 

I drove an '04 with no transmission problems ever, traded it in at 132,000 miles.

 

LOL..

Not puttin down anyone but that's been my take on Maxima vs Altima all along. Well....I also seem to catch myself thinking (when I see a nice altima) that.."now there is someone who wanted a maxima but couldn't work it out"..

I've had an 85, 88 currently driving a 2001(had it for 9 years) and am repairing a 2008 maxima to replace the o1. Love the Maxima and budget is always a concern but never could make the switch from maxima to altima..

Keep your head up for a good deal and don't be afraid of a 100k mileage vehicle if it has some maintenance history..these puppies will go 200k.

Most likely much more than 200k...Heck....American vehicles will go over 100k easily now days..(quite shocking I know)

The maximas will improve the later you go into a model change... Dont be afraid of mileage, just use it as a weapon during price hagglin'..

Just don't buy an altima out of desperation..

 

I'm planning to sell my max, i just hit 53k recently. i got R2c intake/hids/magnaflow (custom resonator)/tints/Powerstop brakes. i wanna sell it for $15,000.

 

I personally wouldn't touch the 04 I have one and like dude earlier said its WHEN the thing is gonna start falling apart, the 04 maxima soured me so bad I'll never buy another Maxima again....love her though

 

DONT BUY AN 04 AUTOMATIC!