Test drove the Altima for the free gift. I have to admit the Altima looks nice. A 3.5 SE was parked next to a 2k2 Maxima, and the Maxima did not look that good. It had the narrow, low decklid roundish look while the Altima looked wider and more modern. I think that's a good thing because it means Nissan cannot waste time getting the revised Maxima out. Time is definitely money.

I only wanted to drive a stick so all they had was a 2.5. The 2.5 seems about as powerful as my 4th gen, maybe a tad louder but it was surprisingly smooth. The stick was tighter but its pattern seemed a bit awkward, not really sure how. No growl from the clutch though. Too bad, really too bad. The Altima steering feels lighter than my 4th gen IMHO. Nissan probably knows something we don't, ie maybe the majority of their buyers like Nissans for the easy effort steering.

The sales guy was not pleased when I pulled the coupon out of my pocket. Some female salesperson laughed and said she had 5 of them on Friday, and also they have people coming in and complaining that they never got their gifts. The sales mgr pre-warned me not to worry if I don't get it in 3 months! I'm not sure if it's worth it to test the I35 for the Palm Pilot or not, it wastes an afternoon.

 

I test-drove the I35, but skipped testing Altima.
From the appearance poit of view of mine, I think both Altima and Maxima are good from their exterior, although I'm not sure if I like the Max's tail lights. Going inside, Max is far better looking than Altima, and feels much more solid in most details ...

 

don't forget the small print on the back...........

.........."while supplies last"....................