bneuman73

Hey Everyone,

My 02 maxima is giving me more heartache than I want to have to deal with on a daily basis so I am thinking about leasing either an Altima or Maxima.

Does anyone have any friendly advice why they wanted the Maxima over the Altima and what kind of lease terms could I expect on either of the cars if you went through this process in the last year.

Thanks,

Bill

13Maximasv

Not sure on the lease terms as I bought my car but while the Altima and the Max look similiar from once you drive both cars you'll see there is no comparison IMO

jeffislouie

I'll share my lease deal, which I think is quite good.
39 months, 18k a year, zero down, tax title and license. $445 a month.
Completely reasonable.
My brother drives a CC that is being mended and was given an Altima S as a loaner. He complains about poor straight line tracking, uncomfortable seating position, and a general feeling of numbness. Of course, he's used to German cars and might just be driving a beat up vehicle.
I checked out a loaded Altima while waiting for my Maxima. No comparison there to me.
The Altima competes with the Accord (which I think is better), Camry, and Fusion. The Maxima competes with the Avalon and Taurus.
It depends on a few things. IMO. If you have a family with teenagers, Altima is more comfortable in the back seat. Then again, I'd cross shop an accord and fusion before pulling the trigger on the Altima. Think of the Altima as a family sedan and the Maxima as a sports sedan. Maxima drives better, has better appointments, and is a more luxurious car.
Ultimately, it boils down to what you like better and which car is a better value.

Mick7

The Maxima usually has enough incentives to offset the Altima's lower initial cost. A V6 Altima and a Maxima seem to be very close as far as monthly lease cost. Once you lease, the deals are sweetened by owner loyalty and pull ahead programs from NMAC.

We leased two 7th gen Maximas and NMAC forgave the last 6 payments on the first lease plus the loyalty money.. which varies quarter to quarter. Check Edmunds.com forum and see exactly what deals others are getting.

Hectic

iTrader: (20)

Why would you lease a car? You're gonna drop $6k a year to drive a rental car? As far as I'm concerned, if money plays ANY role what so ever, then a person belongs behind the wheel of a used car that they own and aren't making payments on.

zoemayne

iTrader: (4)

you sure you want to be leasing a car in this situation i think you should buy something american it'll last you a few years w no problems...

jeffislouie

Some folks get a lease allowance as part of their compensation package. Me, for instance.

There are plenty of other reasons to lease. You get more car for less dollars. You have little or no money to put down. You get out of the car early enough to avoid expensive repairs. You can stretch to a nicer car. If you own a business, you can deduct your lease if its for work. You pay less in taxes. You get a new car every 2-4 years. You can take advantage of lease deals that are often better than purchase deals.

I've owned all of my other cars. Buy if you want to hold on to a car for more than 4 years. Buy if you love the car. Buy if you can afford a good down payment. Just like leasing, there are plenty of reasons to buy.

Just saying - leases make good sense in some situations...

If I bought my Max with no money down over 3 years, my payments would be over $1000 a month. So my payments would be over $12k a year instead of the $5300 I'm paying now.

1low4x4

I rented an Altima while my Infiniti was in the shop being repaired, I loved it. It was a great commuter, however the power and performance just isn't there.

For an average commuter vehicle the Altima is great for someone who isn't interested in modifying it.

I traded in my Infiniti after it was does being repaired from the wreck, and drove both. Hands down the Max is just Awsome in comparison. Gas mileage isn't a good but overall quality and workmanship of the max is better.


I bought my max, it's the first car I have ever financed so my rate reflects that. But I bought it for 38 after taxes. 35 before taxes. List price was 41,000. My monthly payments are $589 a month. That's with $0 down.

I asked about leasing as another option if I couldn't be approved for a loan, the payments were 110 cheaper a month, but they couldn't "lease" me the vehicle based of the discounted price of 35k. The lease would be based off of 40k plus all the other fees.

Overall buying it you pay 100 bucks more, but get the car 6k cheaper then list price.....

Lease is good for only a couple reasons IMO

Companies who give lease bonus'
Buyer can't get approved for a loan to buy
Or, you absolutely won't want the vehicle after the lease contract is up, and you need a car to rally the crap out of for a few years

13Maximasv

Do you guys who lease carry gap insurance ? If so how much does it cost per year ?

I carry 250/500K insurance but years ago when I had the minimum insurance I was told I had to have 100/300k insurance to lease so that may be something to check into also

I drive maybe 6 K miles a year so a lease doesn't make sense for me, I have also heard of people returning cars and not buying/leasing anything from that dealer getting hit with bills for 1,000's of dollars, everything from scratches, dings, excess interior wear, tires worn, etc, etc ,etc

If you are going to lease go for a BMW, Mercedes, Audi...............the kind of cars that cost a fortune to repair when they are out of warranty, IMO a Nissan is the type of car you buy as long term reliability is great and maint costs are low.

slicknick

I would get the Altima if you are looking for mpg, rented one last week and avg mpg was 34 compare to 22 i get in the max. More options in the max and more power but overall both are about the same size now. Getting close to 40mpg on the highway with three people at 70mph made me very happy.

GNCMaxima

I had a 2002 GLE and loved it. I felt the car was ahead of its time! After I drove 130k miles on it I sadly got rear ended but I kept loyal to the maxima brand and got a 2012 S. I never went to the Altima but I hear they changed a lot. I still say go with the maxima. it might cost more but every time I leave the parking lot I always have a smile on my face.



Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

GNCMaxima

By the way ive had a 97, 99, 02, 12 maxima. . . maybe I'm a little one sided


Posted from Maxima.org App for Android

Maximam

At least go drive a 3.5 '13 Altima before making your decision, they are great cars! The 4cyl can be ignored.

dcpatters

So true. I leased a '13 Altima 3.5 SL with Navigation, rear spoiler, illuminated door sills, etc.

The car is for my son, I put down $4000 and payment is $269.31 for 36 months. The down payment can be debated, but that's what I did.

The car is fantastic and the new Xtronic CVT is leaps and bounds better than the one in my '13 Maxima.

rader023

Good input. Can you explain what makes the new CVT better?

dcpatters

Apparently the new generation of CVT has closer ratios.

At WOT, the CVT pulls hard to redline and stays there in drive "D" mode. Even in "DS" mode, there are 7 gear changes. In my opinion, the CVT is smoother and feels more like a traditional transmission than a rubber band CVT. Wish the Maxima had this version of CVT.

On the same trip, I followed him up to his College, same speeds, I averaged 26 MPG to his 33 MPG. Much better cruising RPM.

13Maximasv

More power is an understatement, the Altima has over 100 less HP

IMO these cars only LOOK similar, the Maxima drives much better

dcpatters

Yeah it does, against a 2.5. But the 3.5L is 270 on regular 87 octane. The '13 3.5L Altima is quicker than the 09-13 Maxima. I'm telling you, the new CVT makes the difference.

13Maximasv

Yes but when you go to 270 HP you don't get 40MPG as the poster I responed to said


The 0-60 is the same ( 5.7) for both cars and the Altima is .2 quicker in the quarter.

I'm not going to argue as you have both cars, people try to tell me about the G37 vs the Max and I laugh because I have both cars and know the difference

From my test drive and looking over the cars and comparing Price ( I paid under 31,800 for a 2013 SV) the Maxima was the better car . I like the style better, it felt tighter, drove better and I like the look of the 18" wheels plus the interior and the fact that Crimson Black a heated steering wheel and dual power seats were not available with the Altima swayed me.

I guess my question would be why didn't you buy an Altima instead of your 2013 Maxima ?

dcpatters

Ah, makes sense it. Now I understand.

I've read the published times as well. Perhaps my car is down on power? I've got a Stillen UDP, Stillen cat-back +2 degrees timing.

Not my intent at all.

Both are great cars, but I went with the '13 SV with Sport Appearance and Technology Packages. I traded a '12 370Z and the Maxima reminded of the Z. I'd post pictures but cannot. Both are Pearl White. My son and I joked about swapping cars.

13Maximasv

To post pics you need to upload them to someplace like Photobucket then add the link under insert image.

I LOVE PEARL WHITE but my last few cars were white so I decided on the Crimson Black which has a hint of purple in the sun. It looks great when clean but a major job to keep that way. My favorite color combo is White with a dark interior

dr_2010SV

Gotta be the 7th gen maxima all the way.....

I took a good walk-around of a new 3.5L Altima and was not really that impressed with the cars exterior styling, seems like Nissan did some "7th gen" like updates to it.
I actually prefer the prior gen Altima styling myself.

exl_ent_v6

Just some comments on your posting...

-I don't know what scummy dealership you went to or if you even tried but you don't pay the full price on leases unless you don't bother making a deal at all. I leased a $40k Max after making a deal for $33K then leased off that price. Nobody should be leasing off the full MSRP.

-Also on people who can get approved to buy a car will probably never qualify for a lease. Most leases need 700+ credit scores, you can get a lease with a bit lower but the payments will be much higher. It's much easier to get approved for a car loan than a lease. For example, my cousin had no substantial credit but a 720 credit score and was approved for a $50K loan but denied for a lease on a G37. He had to get a co-signer for the lease.

exl_ent_v6

I had a '10 Maxima and now have a '13 Altima 3.5. I believe the numbers on paper but the Altima feels much more sluggish than the Maxima. The speed gets up there quick but sure doesn't feel like it.

Wg2k7

I leased my 12 maxima limited edition a year ago last week with 12k miles per year. No money down and no trade in and I got a payment of 360 a month which I was very happy with considering before I thought about leasing I was looking at an 07 maxima with 85000 miles for over 300 a month (to buy). I wouldn't do it any different. I also work for a rental company so I drive altimas as well as just about every other car many times throughout the day and none of them drive as well as the max