Rafe

My friend just told me this rumor and news.... Usually when rumors like this are out, it is possible that it may come true.

I would think Nissan would try to give at least one more try to revive the "4DSC"
spirit in the Maxima one more time before they gave up on there product.From what i heard the 6th generation Max may be the last generation Maxima. That would suck to retire the Maxima in its current state that it is in. The new 6th generation Maxima are very nice cars , but there very soft , and the fun factor is turned weigh down!!!! There more Luxury cruisers than sport luxury cruiser.

I got to test drive a 6 speed a few months back and i couldn't justify trading my 2002 SE for one. The new Max is really a "diffrent" Max. :-(

I would hope Nissan would update the 6th gen like they did with the 5th gen, add more Hp(possibly 280-295 to trump the current TL) , revise the front end,bigger wheels, lose the extra weight, etc.

I like the Altima and all , and there marvels in there own class , but to replace the Max and make the Altima the flagship car, well............is hard to swallow.

BP2K2Max

maybe it's true, they've kinda reached their HP peak. ~300+ hp in a fwd car is gonna be trouble. i think they'd try some other things before abandoning their flagship though. maybe an AWD or RWD tranny. this is the car that helped pull nissan from the grasps of bankruptcy, i doubt they'd sh*t on it by letting its little brother, the altima, flat out replace it.

s_hinerman

iTrader: (4)

An AWD model would be awesome. That would be something i would definately be interested in buying.

Rafe

Man i sure hope not....one would think they would go back to the roots anyway, RWD. The 1st gen was RWD , i am keeping my fingers cross that they go that route. If you look at the new Tl, beautiful car by the way, with 270 HP under the hood, there not having too much trouble with the torque steer, so i think Nissan could still squeeze a bit more out of the VQ before torque steer would be severe. But Ulitimately either AWD from the GT-R would be an option or going back to RWD. For the longest time the Maxima was the only V6 car on the market that always supplied its drivers with power, fun,comfort,luxury,reliability all wrapped in one package. If you wanted a car like that you would have to upgrade for BMW M5 which is twice the price of the MAx and minus the reliability.

Funny i was looking at old car numbers, its hard to believe our 3.5 max can out run a 1994,1995 BMW M5. 0-60 was 6.4 for one and high 14's for that car.

F23A4

the 4DSC spirit will be ressurrected (sort of) through the Nissan Altima SE-R. The new Maxima is just a "poor man's" M45, IMO.

That said, the Maxima is not in high production like previous generations AND they sell pretty well around here (NYC area). I rarely see them on the used car market, unlike the Z (which I'm seeing A LOT of on used car lots).

Even though I think they're butt ugly, Nissan's found a market for the new Maxima. For people like us, THINK Altima SE-R or 3.5SE.

BP2K2Max

I'd hate to see it happen too, i've owned a maxima from each of 4 different generations. my 4th gen was my favorite though, even moreso than my 3.5. they've just progressively moved further and further away from a 4dsc, especially the 6th gen 3500 lbs is just too much weight. i've ridden in an 04 auto and all i kept thinking was, "what's the big deal?" as far as performance however, i have a vid on my computer of a 2k2 max w/ CAI outrunning a lightly modded S2000 and stock 97 M3, these cars definitely can perform but it's not a category of car that is really pointed at performance oriented buyers, that's why they're getting fatter and cushier and more comfy, so people like my 65 year old father can say "i like those new maxima's" and then buy one, most people my age aren't buying brand new maxima's, they usually come to us 2nd or 3rd hand.

i dunno about the altima SE-R, it just seems like a marketing ploy to me, the only thing about it that's nice IMO are the 18" nissan alloys, other than that it's still the same car as far as i'm concerned.

Mass_Media

I hope they don't stop with the max after 6th gen......my 2k2 was my first car and I love it, I was planning on getting a 2k3 or maybe a 6th gen in a couple months....I luv the max and if nissan retired it would be HUGE mistake. RWD or AWD would be tight as hell.....if anyone from nissan is reading this.....GO WITH THE AWD!!!


Just my 2 cents

BP2K2Max

AWD would be awesome but if the current 6th gen already weighs 3500 lbs an AWD tranny would bring it into the 4000+ lb range. i want an AWD 4th gen with MEVI. that'd be ideal. i wonder if anyone from nissan ever frequents these boards.

01SE02SER

I'm sure Nissan has re-evaluated its sales expectations of the Maxima ever since their decision to make the 6th generation more upscale.

For the month of April '04, new car sales of the Maxima dropped by 27.4% over the same time in '03. In fact, sales of the Maxima has been slipping since at least the beginning of January 2003 when you compare month to month sales against those same times the year before. The Maxima (and I35), the 350Z, the Pathfinder (and QX4), the M45, and the Q45 are the models struggling right now in sales.

The Q45 will continue to be a flagship for Infiniti, so I'm sure that will stay around for a while. The M45 is going to be beautifully redesigned which should help its appeal. The Pathfinder (QX4) is finally getting a redesign which should help its sales. The Z is a sports coupe so nothing can really help its sales since it only appeals to some people, so its sales go up and down in waves. But the Maxima is now a near-luxury car for Nissan's non-luxury brand, so its a hard sell. It's still a nice car, but would non-Infiniti Nissan shoppers want to pay that much for a car that goes past the $30K mark?

Since the 6th gen is upscale and sales should be expected to be lower than 5th gen numbers, I would think Nissan would stick with the Maxima for a while longer. But it has pretty much reached its FWD technological limits (as has most other car companies that offer high HP FWD cars). If things don't change (going RWD or AWD and much improved handling plus more refined build quality), the average car buyer will not be so easily swayed from other cars in that particular market.

Nissan has to continue to make the Maxima what it always was, a great performance sedan value, and that value part of it is slowly slipping away. If the Maxima will no longer be a good value, I think that would be the death of the model line.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

I kinda fail to see any similarities inbetween the two. max=fwd,v6 M45 rwd,v8

Maxima Dan

I think this spirit went away after the 5th. gen. As the Max grew fatter there was always a bump in the performance to keep it as quick or quicker than the previous generation. With the 6th. gen Nissan just let it get fat. I sort of wish Nissan let it go after the 5th. gen rather than do what they did.

Rafe

I agree...if they were to kill the the Max, they should have ended it with the 5th generation Max. Sort of like they did with the 300ZX. The Z32 was a awesome car and earned its title as" one of the worlds best sports cars" amongst enthusiats and car lover of the world. It was sad to see it retire but it retired with its guns blazing in respect and honor.

If they retire the Max now, it going to remebered as fat , soft and a mushy car that had a awesome past , that fizzeled out with in its current state.

DAMN NISSAN why did you have to screw with a good thing, they couldn't leave well alone.....the 5th generation Max was fine , they could have tweaked it here and there added more HP , tweaked the suspension and ran it for few more years and still kept it under that $30K mark.

Deep down i think they know now they shot themselves in the foot and its to late to do anything about it....

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Well Maxima production dropped drastically starting in 02(with the starting of the upscale thing and with 02 Altimas 3.5 SE sales taking the GXE's sales) with only 90,000 sales vs the previous year of 110,000+ a year. In 03 it was 83,000 or so and 75,000 expected for 04, if the 02-04 wouldnt have been sold to some rental places it would not be anywhere near those numbers.

sagamax

iTrader: (5)

i was thinking the same thing

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

Guys, you are missing the point! Nissan will not let the Maxima go. They moved it upscale and let the Altima replace it in it's former spot in the market. The drop in scales was predicted by Nissan. This is exactly what they wanted to happen. The Maxima is now more of an exclusive car, rather than a car that competes with other run of the mill automobiles...

F23A4

Which is sort of why I posted.....IMO brah!!!

Scope

iTrader: (5)

Did anyone hear about the new 05-06 Altima!!! Let me say this rebuilt front end, upgraded suspension, wheels and tires, New body kit, and did I forget to say a turbo option. Not to mention Nissan's 4DSC sticker. The max is luxury oriented now guys. Nissans fortune is now in the Altima. My 40+ year old mother is going to buy the Altima. She saw it on platform yesturday and is head over heals about it. It's just bad to see the max go down with a little bang though. I'm glad I own the last max with independant suspension. Some things that are most loved can be heartbreakers as well. Hopefully the org won't turn into some crown victoria forum. None the less though the crown victoria is RWD and packs power.

Blackwind

iTrader: (9)

if nissan really wants to make some super sales. they should re release the 92,94,99 and 2001 se's. for the 3rd gen models. revamp the body style a little( very little) and add some more up to date interior changes. call them the new "maxima generations SE limited series" . sell the 6th gen for one more year and bring out the 7th and have it a mix of all the maxima generations. rwd (gen 1) hard to say what the gen 2 would have to offer cause there was a whole bunch of different options, the 3rd gen the vlsd and the variable intake, the 4th gen would give the standard 5spd. but make it with better gearing, the 5th gen is also kind of hard to say for i am not that strong in knowledge on that model, and take the 6th gen powerplant and beef it up a little. but this is of course all in my own warped little mind.

Frank Fontaine

First of all, the Maxima's "roots" are not RWD. In 1982 most cars were RWD, including Celicas, Corollas, etc. Saying that something like Maxima has roots or a heritage is kinda pushing it. What is the big whoop with 265 hp? Volvo had it in their FWD S80 T6 in the late 90's.

A Maxima can out run a BMW with M power? What, in an X-Box game?

Discontinuing the Maxima is a business decision. But Nissan has a nasty habit of giving massive rebates before they stop producing a car, heck, the 4th gen spent 2 full years selling with 2000-2500 rebates. I'd say a 3000 rebate on the 6th gen would in fact be a sign that it's going bye-bye. What an ugly car, even worse than the 5th gen imho.

Ceasars Chariot

iTrader: (16)

i think the maxima spirit remains with the g35 sedan, its what they should have done for the maxima evolution wise, but somehow they must have started shooting cars down the assembly line and a month or so later realized the maxima's were stamped with infiniti g35 badges and vice versa. at that point they said , " O what the hail, just leave it !" lol !

i like the new 04 maxima (my mom just got one) but the g35 sedan is what i would have been pleased with over the 6th gen we have now.

Quicksilver

iTrader: (1)

Somehow I highly doubt there will be a turbo option on an Altima BEFORE there is a Nissan factory turbo option for the 350Z...

Hell, other than the Z, the only other turbo car to reach North America was the Pulsar...

MaXtUneD

iTrader: (2)

I think they should do what the mustangs did with their new one...

They should make the newer maximas have some sort of a 3rd gen body...

SR20DEN

iTrader: (7)

Now I know you truely are clueless.

BP2K2Max

http://home.comcast.net/~smokinodum/MaxvsLCvsM3.MOV

dmontzsta

iTrader: (8)

I would hope not, since I own two of them. I think it would be smart for them to make it on the G35 platform (rwd) and give it the same HP as a Z, call it a 4DSC and even make it a little more roomier it would be there big daddy car. If anything they should kill the stupid altima.

Frank Fontaine

Did you do a spell check, or your CSI NC handbook didn't mention that?

Generally speaking, I would say year-on-year, any M vehicle from BMW will outhandle a Maxima. If it's not the case, then so be it. Frankly I don't think a Nissan product can outhandle an E36 M3, and that dates back to 1995. But then again, weren't you the one who said that stuff about the V6 design?

SR20DEN

iTrader: (7)

Oh.. you got me there bud.


Perhaps you should go back and pay closer attention to what you actually wrote.

Now you want to go back and change your story because you already made yourself look like an idiot.
No one will argue the latter because it certainly IS true.

Well you keep thinking that. And we'll just keep laughing at you.

Yes I made many positive comments about the 60º V6 engine design. And that pertains to this in what way?

d_warner

.

nadir_s

I think an AWD / RWD would really make the difference between people choosing to buy an Altima vs. Maxima.

Iqb316

I think I read somewhere(edmunds.com maybe?) that a lot of the people who buy new Max's are repeat buyers who have owned an older Max. If Nissan were targeting these repeat buyers, well then as this 'customer' ages, they probably aren't looking for a rocket-on-wheels anymore, but something more luxurious and comfy, which was what the 6th gen was trying to do, but still have some of the 'sporty' image that defined it for what it is.

I'm sure the Max won't down though without a good fight

DAVE Sz

iTrader: (2)

With the Skyline coming in 2k8, they might just replace the Max with the 4dr skyline. It will probably look like the g35 just under the nissan name. It'll be the rwd/awd platform they already have on the G35s. Just a guess.

optimus310

iTrader: (1)

that's the funniest thing I've herd all day.

Wisky97SE

iTrader: (1)

The Maxima certainly wont . . but the S15, R33/R34 Skyline GTRs, And Maybe even the 350Z probably all handle as well as the E36 M3.

CoolMax

iTrader: (7)

Remember when the Max was thought of as the 4-door Z?
Well, not anymore!

The fact is that the G35 is the new 4-door Z.

pablosal

I think nissan should put a V8, AWD or RWD, and maybe some better wheels on the new maxma. I love maxima and I'd hate to see it go...

CoolMax

iTrader: (7)

How much should it cost?

Frankly, if it lives on as the altima that fine with me....it's just a name.

SteVTEC

The bread-n-butter Altima is what's keeping Nissan afloat right now.

As for turning the Maxima into what you suggested, that's exactly what the next-gen M35/M45 is going to be. 3.5L VQ 280hp/270tq, or the 340hp V8. AWD available, sport packages, etc.

BTW, I don't think the Maxima is going anywhere, nor should it be discontinued. There's definitely some overlap with the Altima, but the Maxima is definitely a much classier and more upscale ride. And not everybody wants RWD.

SteVTEC

No that was me.

Frank, if you really want a BMW Inline-6 so bad, just suck it up and go buy one and stop trying to justify it to yourself. Weren't you looking at a 350z awhile back? I guess not anymore, eh?

Yep, there are plenty of newer/faster/better cars out there that I would rather be driving. But you know what? I still love it everytime I turn the key in my Maxima, so why bother with an expensive new car? If you're tired of yours and are itching for something else then by all means get rid of it. Why bother torturing yourself? The day I truly stop enjoying and appreciating my Maxima is the day it gets traded in. That day is not yet here, and I don't think it will be for awhile.

F23A4

On that note, the new M35/M45 is now on Infiniti's website as a concept car. But you can build/option one and even get the MSRP:
http://www.infiniti.com/form/0,,acti...-52321,00.html

JohnDoe89

Altimas Suck