Personally, this would be a no brainer. Go for the Bimmer. As everyone else said, the maintenance costs are a trade off for the depreciation you are going to face with the Max.

However, I am surprised that no one mentioned the Volvo S60R in this equation.

 

a g35 is a close combination of both vehicles in a nice package.. it would be the obvious choice.

 

I strongly disagree. G35 is a Nissan product, it has the Nissan road feel à la RWD. I think the question was brand-spanking new Nissan or 4+ yr. old BMW. New car is always better than used, when it's affordable. But we're talking about a 58k car vs. a 30k car, ie the 2000 model. I think the question is what priority is being put on the way the car handles/drives. Obviously that's personal so the buyer should do the test drives. If it's not that important, probably a new TL would be a much better choice than a Nissan product. Once again, depreciation. A 2 yr old TL goes for 22k. A 2 yr. old Maxima goes for 18k. List-wise they started out as equals. Last time I searched, I couldn't find any posts where someone was glad to throw $4000 in the garbage. When you got the coyne, sometimes you spend it for the intangibles, not everything is on paper.

 

My friend gets to drive a 2002 530i Sport once in a while, and I must say it is an amazing car to drive. The BMW Automatics are awesome, and the steering is so precice as well as tight and sporty. The car truly gives you lots of driving confidence. BMW uses medium stiffness springs and stiff struts and a nearly flawlessly engineered suspension to bring you its extremely great handling.

HOWEVER, although the 540i maybe the ultimate driving machine, it costs a pretty penny to maintain it, but since it would probably have some sort of warranty, I say go for it!

One last reason to support my argument is this. . . Nissan dealerships (for the most part) are horrible. . . BMW dealerships treat you much better, even though you didnt buy the car from them, if it has a factory warranty, they will fix your car correctly and give you a loaner (my local BMW dealer gives out 325i's) to play around with when your car is in the shop.

If I had the money, I would not hesitate to buy a 540. . . be sure to inspect it in person if you plan to buy it from ebay though!

 

I would go with BMW, there's no question, it's bar none. Maxima is not the same breed with BMW as near luxury. I had owned a BMW, they are great cars, very appealing but reliablity are questionable though.

 

Beemers have less than 4 wheels
Bimmers have 4 wheels


get the Bimmer if you want performance...get the Maxima if you want gas mileage.

 

they call it the ultimate driving machine for a reason...i've owned two (86 and 87 325 2door[2.7L eta motor] 5speed), and my dream car is an ///M5(E28, E39, E60).
BMW obviously gets my vote

 

I do appreciate everyones comments and the many good points and perspectives which I had not thoroughly considered. I drove the new Max,G35,Lincoln LS-V8,Acura,Lexus and the used 2k1 BMW. All these cars were very impressive in all different ways, but none of them seemed even close to the BMW's total package...I mean unbelievable!

After driving it, there was no question that the $31k seemed like a bargain...regardless of it beeing a used with 23k miles. My wife is thrilled with it, unfortunately I'll end up driving my old Iroc or truck but will gladly use it on the weekends.

On a side note, my father-in-laws 2000 Max GXE feels faster than the 2004 Max and much flatter around the turns-maybe a little too much refinement in the 2004. I'm sure anyone looking at the 2004 Max or any one of those other cars will be very happy with them,they are nice rides!

Nikotek