PhatGuy

Just got back from the dealer today and ended up test driving the 2k2 Altima 5spd 3.5. This car is fast as hell! Gawd dayum the low end torque is amazing off the line! Pulls hard through all the gears! It handles much better than a stock 5th gen max in the corners as well. It has got to be in the the mid to low 6's and in the 14's for sure! It is so quiet as well you don't realize how quick you are going. The Interior sucks plain and simple. The leather is kinda cheap, the dash and everything else is just low budget! The Rims looked nice! The rear lights gotta go! The front it so so. It looks best from the side and with some springs it is going to look wicked! $32K Canadian fully loaded SE 5spd 3.5 with moonroof and leather 6disk ($21KUS after conversion). With a dash kit, some aftermarket pedals/shift ****-boot it will look pretty good. All in all it is easily worth the money. And stock it is going to rip a lot of cars on the road! Modded...whoa! The one I drove was black and there seems to be all sorts of crazy new colors available.

I have a 2K1 Max 5spd with intake/y/springs/fstb/sts/rsb and I would say it would be a very close race for sure! With the susp mods I have it would blow the stock Altima away in corners. The low end torque on the Altima is awesome though! With some springs, rubber and fstb the Atima is going to handle very very well!

I've driven a few auto 2K2 Max and they are fast as well but I felt the 5spd Altima had a bit more juice especially in the high rpms. If the 6spd is quicker or even the same it will be sweet as well! If only the 6spd max had independent rear susp!!!

bigbadboss101

I also test drove the Altima SE automatic and Maxima SE auto last night. I tried the Altima first and it felt good. Steering felt light, and it moved quickly. Didn't like the leather as much as the Max leather. Turned heads, thats for sure. Also didn't like the orange gauges, and the hood needing a bar to hold it up. I liked the back end, but prefers the Max's front. Signal flasher makes a different sound, and no collapsing side mirrors.

The Max felt a bit slower, but more sure footed. The interior is more luxurious. HID is bright!!! Didn't play with the stereo too much, but both sounded decent. Didn't play with the heated steering wheels. I would rather get heated rear seats or rear vent than heated wheels. I read some Florida folks complaining about the need for heated steering :-)

Now one dealer told me the 6 speed is out Nov, and another said Jan.
$5,000 or so difference in price. Hmmm

PhatGuy

I agree with everything you just said too! Take out the 5spd Altima in the 3.5L though! It rocks no question bout it! I would say any Max 5spd 2k1 or less would lose to this car if the Max doesn't have at least aftermarket Y-pipe or boosting!

Well the $5K price difference you get a much nicer interior (way better in fact), 6spd, the HIDs and this magical extra 15hp.

koga

2002 is a big year for nissan in america....quick maxima ( like usual )....6 power altima...and sentra like whoa....but ....dont they need an economy car? like in the corolla class or suttin ..i dunno...somehting in the 12-14,000 range....

-shek

PhatGuy

Yup! We are all waiting on that 6spd Max though! The Sentra Spec-V fully loaded is only $25K Canadian after exchange rate that is $17KUS! 2K2 has to be a make or break year for Nissan and as long as the economy stabilizes it shoud be a make year! I have a feeling the Altima is going to sell like mad! But I noticed a lot of 2K2 Max had sold signs on the lot I was at.

mAdD MAX

Damn straight! Btw, nice Altima pic in your sig, you need rims for that tho, stock steel rims without hubcaps don't cut it Unless you going for the brown man look

Btw, what happened to the ppl in your sig? I ask because I have three cousins have the same names. My condolences.

Amazing2

Hi bigbadboss101,

I got quoted mid to late October for 6 speed w/o HLSD and late December to beginning of January for 6 speed with HLSD.
(That's from Nissan Canada.)

I finally decided to wait for the HLSD (with all the snow over here).
As you said, I will have a hard time doing a "break in" with snow and ice.

BTW, Hope the invoice on the 2k2 max helped a bit and thanks for the tip about black on black (email).

Amazing2