Great board everyone. Thanks for keeping it going. I am thinking about purchasing either a 2005 3.5 V6 Altima, or a 2004 Maxima. I drove test drove the altima and it was nice. Had good pickup, especially compared to my current 91 4 door cadillac! How much quicker is a maxima? I see there is only 15 or so more horsepower. I don't race or anything but would like to be able to have some fun every once in a while. Really be pushed back in my seat when i floor it. What are your comments. I appreciate all suggestions and I hope this is posted in the right place.


Thanks,
Marcus

 

Same speed. The Altima has less hp but is 200 pounds lighter. Acceleration is extremely close.

 

Maxima is probably a better overall car, although i would go with an altima any day if i wanted to race. Since you dont want to race, the maxima will have plenty of power to put you back in the seat, and you'll be in luxury.

 

Your also getting up to G35 sedan territory. May be worth checking that out too.

 

Yes, G35! ....or maxima .....or Altima SE-R

 

My motor trend road test result from 7/04 has these following stats

03 Altima SE: 0-60=5.9s 1/4 14.5@98.6 braking (60-0) 125 ft
04 Maxima SE: 0-60=6.3s 1/4 14.8@96.7 braking (60-0) 129 ft

They both are listed as manual transmissions for the tests. It is just a magazine though, but thats what their posted numbers were. The new motor trend doesnt have any updated test results for the 05 models but id assume they were about the same.

 

Damn magazine racers ...

Erty, agreed, 2 maximas are better than 1 ... indeed.

 

1. G35 Coupe
2. G35 Sedan - The true 6th Gen Maxima !
3. Altima SE-R
4. Altima
5. Maxima

!

 

Right now is a good time to pick-up a 3-series BMW. Because the new 330 is coming this summer, the 2k5's are going for up to $3800 off list. That's unheard of and it now puts a BMW within the sights of many more people than otherwise.

I really wouldn't bother with an Altima or Maxima--it used to be a HP thing that set them apart, but Honda has really ramped-up as has Toyota. The latter is worth the extra money imho.

 

Very true. There are cars outside the Nissan family. I agree with Ceaser's rankings too. The G35 coupe is far better looking than the sedan, but you getting into a different class of car now. I also like the Accord 6 speed coupe.

 

6th gen maxima (04-05) is way over-priced.

i'd rather get an acura TL or any G35 anyday for a little more.

whoever designed the 6th gen maxima should be shot.
it totally lost the sportiness of the maxima, now it looks like a sissy family sedan.

 

Not way over priced. It's right in the price range of it's competitors. For example, the 2005 Accord Sedan with the V-6 and similar features is within 1,000 dollars of the Maxima's price point, it just depends on if you want horsepower, or torque and horsepower...or better yet an engine derived from an award winning V-6 that goes by the name of vq30de.......

TL? No. G35? Definitely. Honda products have no torque!

Well, if you haven't noticed, the Maxima IS a family sedan (with *****). If someone wants a "sporty" sedan, they should get a WRX or an EVO VIII. I still think that the new Maxima is a very good looking car, though nothing will compare to the 4th gens.

 

I think one of the big hang-ups with Maxima is the size. If you need its interior volume, you simply need it. Say you're 50 years-old and have 2 college age or high school kids that you realistically need to drive around.

If you don't need the interior volume, then you can get something like a Civic Si, Prelude, Accord Coupe, etc. Can anyone honestly look at a Lexus IS and say it's the same class as a Maxima? No way, no how. The Lexus not just looks like it's a cut above, it is. But the BMW 330i is in the IS class. And like I said, that $3800 discount on brand-new 2k5's is pretty ridiculous, you can get the performance pkg'd 330 for 36.5. Not bad for 255 hp, short-throw 6-spd, 155 top speed. Obviously will drive circles around any Nissan product, any price. But if you need the room, it would be too small for you.

 

yeah, maybe you should look into the G35 sedan if you really want the power, they are not that slow stock. Maxima's will be luxury and Altima's are semi-luxury i guess you can say, so i guess it all depends on what you want to get. but in my opinion, Maxima would get my vote.

 

As you can see, I'm partial to the G Sedan. For 03 and 04, its VQ had essentially the same output as the Max's, but it's faster as a result of gearing. You pay for that, though, in more gas burned. For 05, the G Sedan now gets essentially the same engine as the G Coupe, so now it's about 30 hp stronger than the earlier versions.

The thing I really like, however, is the totally neutral steering, that is completely devoid of the torque steer that plagues the otherwise outstanding Max. I'm very picky about steering feel, so this is a big deal for me. If that's not so important to you, the G's advantage is not so pronounced.

 

G35 coupe is hot but it isnt practicel for an everyday car, it seems real small inside and im not even that big...

But M45 ownes all , you can get a 0 miles 04 for about 40k....

 

nicely said

 

the new maximas are ugly imo, it looks like a maltima I would get neither and spend the money on something better and has more value like an accord or something.

 

The new M45 looks incredible on the Infiniti webiste. But when you see it in person, it doesn't look that good. It looks like the old Acura TL only much larger. Also, Infiniti reworked the tails on the G35, UGLY. It's odd how Nissan Motors can't get the looks thing down, as if it doesn't matter.

My money is still on BMW. But you see how this thread had digressed, the kid wants and Altima and now he's being talked into a M45. Nice!

 

Get the Altima SE-R. It's under 30,000 and you would love it...nice feel, nice everything...I still love my maxima

 

Um, the 4-door Accord is pretty ugly too. It also is not in the Maxima class. The Maxima is a larger, more refined car with more equipment, a better engine, and a better trans. Honda is still having problems with their trans. I know some of the plastic on the interior isn't too appealing where the Accord is better, but that's it, the rest goes to the max. Have you driven both? The Maxima feels so much smoother.

 

Wariow ugly you have to be kidding. I love my Max and would not change it for any car. It has everything that I want in a car. I have not had any problems in the 16 months and 34,000 miles that I have owned it. The main thing is what the buyer wants. Check out my website at www.cardomain.com/id/ramberg Later Warren

 

I think the Honda Accord competition comes more from the Nissan Altima due to the fact both models are offered in 4 and 6 cyl versions. The maxima was made to compete more with the entry level MercBenz C240 and BMW 325i and cars in the 28-32k price range. The 6 gen Max looks great but I think its not so much a sporty sedan anymore (as compared to 4 and 5 gen Maxes) as the Altima has taken that over. Good luck with your purchase and I would definately recommend the Maxima since it seems you want more luxury than sport.

 

I agree with you man. well, different people different taste...and I guess the grapes are still sour.........

 

the new g35 sedan is HOT. It comes with a new rear lip, sides, and a new front bumper. A lot more agressive that the previous models.

 

Frank. Can you match the options vs the 330I and similar equipped G35? Because I know BMW makes you go from a low base but NOTHING is std. Metallic paint is an option! Options on BMW can up the price by $5000-$10,000 easy

 

Even for the same price, I would still go with a G35 coupe/sedan over a 330i. Easier to maintain, rated as driving better, and the VQ is awesome!

 

Neither. Buy a G35 instead. Your comfort levels, resale levels, customer satisfaction levels, etc. will thank you for it.

With the other two you can choose between a car that will probably go to the dealer twice a week (maxima) as well as drop 90% of its value within the first 200 miles, or you can get a car that everybody and their dog has 15 of and has a spartan and terrible interior (plus the aforementioned resale drop).

I could not in good conscience recommend anybody ever to buy a new Nissan, if for no other reason than the resale issue.

Spend the few K, or save the few K first, for a g35 sedan.

I generally hate BMWs because they charge a huge premium for that little circular badge. When compared to other cars in the same price range they hardly ever offer the best buy. I remember when C&D stacked several cars, including a 3 series and a G35 together, and the 3 series beat most of the cars it went up against in the final rating, but lost against most in all quantitative measures. This means that in terms of numbers the 3 series sucks (which it does. For the love of god you can buy a new 325i for like 27k base price or something silly like that and it's got less HP than a 95 maxima), but it has a "nice drive". So if you want a "nice drive", plus the blatant me-too avarice of the BWM name then get a 3series. Otherwise no!

 

I said IMHO didn't I? Looks like an overweight sedan to me that's all.

 

dunno- g35 sedan pushing close to 300hp w/ 6spd is getting strong consideration this summer from me