I am trading in my 2k1 Maxima. I am looking to get either a 2k3 Maxima 6-speed w/o helical LSD and a 2k3 Altima V6 5-speed w/ABS package.

I prefer the interior of the Maxima, but the updates to the 2k3 Altima make it appealing as well.

Looks don't really concern me, I find them both to be pretty ugly.

So it comes down to the driving. Which has a better chassis? The Altima has a independent rear suspension. But the Maxima has a 6-speed. High speed stability is important to me, as well as ride quality with a full load. My 2k1, when fully loaded, the rear suspension would constantly hit the bump stops over freeway dips. H&R's and AGX in the rear solved that but left me with very little suspension travel.

Just want to know the opinions of others on this board. TIA

 

Did you lease or buy your 2k1? Because your Max is of an age where you will take the worst beating on the cost/mi and depreciation. It'd be the complete opposite of a sweet spot. Even 3 years-old is no picnic.

Anyway, assuming cost is no object on the upgrade, you'd definitely want the Altima, the Max is simply too outdated in the looks department. A nice, 5-spd 2.5 does the trick. The price of the 3.5 is not warranted though the twin pipes look good. If you do 3.5 you owe it to yourself to test drive the A4 1.8t

 

wait and save little more money... and go with evo lancer or the WRX Sti when it comes out.... those 2 cars will be pretty awesome...

 

personally i think the 2k3 altimas look better than the 2k3 maximas (exterior wise), but power wise i'd go with the Maxima.

 

get the Altima, and supercharge it.

 

I think Altima looks better too from outside. It looks nice and low, compare to SUV look of the Maxima.

Only thing I hated in Altima was the interior, but it might not be that bad when you get used to it.

Major difference is the suspension and I hate Maximas suspension. MULTI LINK beam sucks, unless you drive on flat roads.

Other than that I like Maxima more.

 

If you want;

Drag racer: Maxima
Track car: Altima
Better Interior: Maxima
Less Expensive: Altima
Prestige: Maxima
Usable hp: Both are the same. Ignore the hype
More standard features: Maxima
Long trips: Both
Gas Milege: Both (except 2.5 Alty)
6 speed: Maxima
5 speed: Altima
Auto: Both
Interior room: Altima (not by much though)
Head turn/Awe factor: Maxima



Most everything else would be based on personal preference. Just go drive both cars and see which one you like. I personaly like the way the Altima drives and handles over the Maxima. But that ooglie center console killed the car IMO.
If you do buy the Maxima 6 speed and you don't get the HLSD you're making a mistake IMO. Have fun driving peg leg central. Good luck on your decisions.

 

peg leg central

 

Maxima all the way, personally I like the Maxima's look better than the Altima. I dont like that fat butt thick look also, only if they would not have softened that front end for 02 it would handle great.

 

Have you entertained the thought of a G35 6-speed sedan? I don't know what the release date is, but...

If I wanted to stay brand-loyal and was in the same boat, I'd probably concentrate on a G35, with second choice being a 3.5 Alty for the reasons SR20 posted basically.

 

Get a 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 Coupe 6-speed!

 

why?

the altima and EVEN the 4th Gen Maxima ownz it





I love the work Steve does.. its like crosses for the evil Honda Vampires

 

So he can die a horrible death everytime he gets confronted by an Altima or Maxima?


Pay more money for a slower car.. hmmm what a concept.

 

you're comparing a 99 manual to an auto accord.
i have a 99 stick and im pretty sure an accord 6spd would take me easily.

 

yeah.. its also 190 hp vs 240 hp .. and by the look of the dyno.. with the adjustment for less drive train loss.. they are still pretty close going up the RPM line

 

u know what, do yourself a favor and get a nice clean great looking 4th gen . You can put enough mods with the extra dough to make your car faster than any car listed in this whole thread.

 

Who is paying more money?? The Altima and Maxima can both be racked up for 30,000+ just like the new accord. You can't compare a bare bones Altima and Maxima with a fully loaded accord. You don't know yet if it is slower since no one has tested them. Also if you figure since the new Accord V6 5AT is faster then the Altima 3.5 Auto then the 6spd accord would be faster then the 5spd altima. Motor Trend and Car and Driver got faster times for the AV6 then for the Altima. Can't beat the facts!

 

Ohh brother magazine times again. Just a little fact car & driver got a 14.7 @ 97 for the 6 spd max but it took a whopping 15.8 ticks to get to 100mph weird

 

you are...
yes but you can get deals with Nissan Dealers.. you can't do that with Accord dealers.. i never heard an Accord owner getting $6000 less than what hte accord is listed at.. i have heard that on maxima's

who said the altima and maxima were not fully loaded.. also stuff like power windows is not an option for maxima and altimas

i just showed you the dyno sheets that prove that the Altima is faster than teh Accord.. what more do you want?


you are contradicting yourself.. you just said no one has tested them.. now you are saying motor trend testd them.. just like an Accord owner.. spinning around in his own **** and can't smell it.. anyway.. the dyno charts prove other wise

 

These aren't facts. They are simply data points. You are taking these times like they are "golden" but they are not. They are simply a few data points in what will soon be an entire sea of street races and track results from actual owners.

To the Accord's defense, it *does* have a 5AT tranny vs the Altima's 4AT. It'll be much more dangerous from a roll. But the Altima has so bloody much more torque that it's going to RIP the new AV6 a new one off the line and never ever catchup.

One magazine got a 15.6 for a 5spd Maxima and another one got a 15.6 for a 2001 Accord V6. Therefore, the 2001 Accord V6 is just as fast as a 5spd Maxima.

yea....uh-huh

 

2K3 Accord

 

Maybe Motor Trend Delivers a completely different magazine to your house.

Motor Trend June 07 2002

Accord V6 5A

0-30 2.62
0-40 3.62
0-50 5.04
0-60 6.57
0-70 8.38
0-80 10.98
0-90 13.75
0-100 17.14

1/4 mi 14.98 @ 94.95





MT 01/02
Altima SE V6 5M
1/4 mi 14.7@96.8

MT 05/02 (Cant find this mag, anyone have it?)
Altima SE V6 4A
1/4 mi 15.0@93.8

If you really want to quote the magazines then I suppose you could say that the Accord is .02 seconds quicker in the 1/4 mile than the Altima when both equiped with an automatic transmission. But that same data shows that the Altima destroyed the Accord in the 60' 330' and 660' markers. Now lets bring out the Nissan 5 speed tranny that so happens to be a manual. You can't get a 2003 Accord with a manual gearbox.


I however will reserve my final judgement to when I see some real world 1/4 mile times. I do think the Accord can do better than a 14.98 but by how much? That remains to be seen.

 

CarTest2000 is a *very* accurate program. I have not been able to duplicate this time for the life of me with it. The best I get is 15.3 with the factory power curve. With how I think the car will actually dyno I get 15.5's, which ironically is what C&D got for the new Accord V6.

 

0-60 was 6.6 for the Altima in that issue.

 

they put it in the coupe

 

Yeah, one was riding my butt on the Blue Route today. I was like WTF HOnda is that?? Sure enough it was the new Accord. Looks awesome from the front, from the rear the tails are kinda narrow but the shape is sweet. For once I'd like to see Honda make a blunder in the styling dept. There are like waiting lists for 3 or 4 of their models. Toyota seems to be the only ones who can stand up to them and I don't think they have any new models except maybe the 4Runner due for a revamp.

 

My mom paid 17,9 for her fully loaded accord and it was supposed to orig be like 24 or 25....and they threw in free gold letering package and cd changer

 

I am loyal to Nissan so its gonna be either the Max or Altima. Unless there is a similar four door car, with alot of space(no WRX), 220+hp, manual tranny for around $25k.

Does anyone know specific comparison of chassis structure of the two cars? High speed stability being paramount over nimbleness.

 

You think that is a good thing that Nissan can discount Maxima's down $6000 from the asking price? This means the Salesmen are trying to screw you from the beginning. This also means your Maxima's do not hold their value or sell well and thats why they are given away for rediculously cheap prices if haggled.

Power windows is not an option on the new accord either. Even the DX now comes with power windows standard.

Dyno sheets don't paint the whole picture. Just cause the altima has more torque at a lower rpm doesn't mean its faster in general. You don't factor in the Altimas transmission and torque steer. The Accord has a 5AT tranny vs the Altimas 4At and the 6MT accord vs the 5mt from the altima. This extra gear is a big plus for acceleration. Your altima will be very strong off the line but the accord pulls harder from the higher end (the dyno even shows this) thus equaling out the altimas advantage in TQ. If the altima had a 5AT then it would probobly take the Accord hands down......but it doesn't have that transmission in it and neither does the maxima so until then you will not be able say for 100% sure that the altima or maxima can take a new Accord V6 in a race without a doubt in your mind.

 

really.. maxima's don't hold their resale value? you don't say so what.. who gives a ****.. thts the story of maxima's.. as soon as a new one comes out.. nissan usually does a $3000 cash back.. and then when you go to the dealer you can get more off again.. thats how maxima's are.. thats hwo they will remain.. and thats why the will be a better bang for the buck over the Accord.. because for way less youc an get so much MORE.. hey.. you guys got NAVI yet?

oh good to knwo they finally gave the DX power windows.. because for the 6G it did not..

dood. go read the 5th Gen Forum.. some guy just ran the CL-S 6spd and 2k2 6spd back to back.. and the arguments you are having now just got flawed..

well everything is a drivers race.. but with all factors being equal.. a 6spd Maxima will own a 6spd Accord

 

That doesn't prove that Maxima is a better bang for the buck. I would like you to prove to me that you can get a Nissan Maxima GLE for 23,000 out the door with all the same options as I have on my Fully loaded EX-L V6 Accord. My car at the end is worth more too so how do you figure the better value?

No arguements have been flawed. The CL-S won from a dead stop when the Maxima owner was driving it. The guy who owned the CL-S was not a good driver and the guy in the Maxima was. The CL-S had 3 weeks of driving(not broken in). Dyno's don't prove anything. They give a prespective on power and not speed. There are more factors with speed then HP and TQ. Transmission, Tires, Aerodynamics, weight, and more.

Everything is a drivers race but that does not prove that the Maxima 6spd will beat the 6spd accord. The CL-S has not proven to be faster than the AV6 6spd either. It might have 20hp and 20tq more but it also weighs a good 200lbs heavier. The CL-S was proven to be as fast as the Maxima. It obviously was a drivers race and the guy in the maxima was a better driver.

You still haven't proved anything!

 

You're calling BS on Newtonian Physics. Power is directly related to speed in case you didn't know. The more you have, the faster you go.

Ever hear of F=ma?

Transmission: 6spd both have similar gear ratios. It's a wash.
Tires: Accounted for in dyno plots.
Aerodynamics: Identical drag coefficients. I looked it up before. Both 0.32.
Weight: the Maxima is 200lb lighter.

The Maxima 6spd is faster than a CL-S 6spd. Not by much, though. They did the 60mph roll-on twice, swapping cars, and the Maxima won each time by around a car-length. This proves that the Maxima is narrowly faster, which is exactly what Mr. Newton says too

 

you should have been here when the 2k2 came out.. then i could have proved it to you.. all i have now is old threads with that information.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....nissan+and+buy



well from a roll.. the maxima beat hte CL-S with different drivers... so the maxima owns the CL-S on the highway..

that and the fact the CL-S is 20 more hp than the the accord.. so what happens to the CL-s is an indication of the Accord way behind.

Well as i said before..a nd the part you conviently left out.. from a roll the CL-S will lose to the maxima.. even with both drivers.. would you like to me to post on the CL-S board that the AV6 5spd will not beat the CL-S 6spd? see hwo they feel about it? i mean with 20 omre hp and 20 tq.. who cares right?..

You are a Honda Owner.. I would have to physicall wipe your brain and download real information to it before you could start to understand where i am coming from.. or you could just by a maxima and have it come to you in 4th Gear on the highway hitting 120 mph

 

why downshift?

 

i didn't upshift yet

 

Speaking of stability, have you tired putting an RSB on your 01 5 speed?? It makes bahn running an absolute pleasure

DW

 

strongislemax - RWD, accept no substitute

 

spend a few more bucks and get a g35

 

get what u want, and all u guys are getting roused up for nothing.. so what if an accord can beat a maxima, or a maxima can beat an accord.. wooohooo.. we can get to the supermarket a few seconds faster..

 

OH MY GOD....who cares...."my car is .5 s faster in the 1/4 yo!"