JJW95SC

The wife drove since it'll be her car, and I rode. She'd like the cargo capacity of an SUV but doesn't want to really sacrifice ride and handling. Price is a consideration and this trip was to find out what she likes and what it costs.

The Xterra is out, too rough a ride which is bad for the wife's back. I didn't care for the bouncy ride or weird raised back seating position but I'm not a truck guy. This is definitely a truck.

Maxima was a fully loaded GLE with Nav. What a beatiful car. Nice ride, roomy inside, plenty of power, lots of toys. This would be my pick. I have nothing bad to say about this car and I can't see how anyone would regret buying it, unless they lost their job shortly afterwards.

Altima was a 4cyl, 175hp 2.5SL and is alot of car for the money. Definitely has a lighter and perhaps cheaper feel to it but is certainly a nice car. Big and roomy even in the backseat. Styling is nice for a car in this price range. Not alot of toys/features but has all the basics done right.

RAV4 only comes in a 4cyl which rules it out also. The ride and handling was very nice though. Interior is fairly roomy and the seating position is high, almost like your sitting on the roof of a car. The back door is HUGE, at least 4 feet across which would stick out into the parking lot as she loaded groceries.

Camry is nice and has alot of the same features that the Maxima has but it is not as roomy inside. It also only has c.192hp vs. the Maxima's 255. The dashboard is much higher than the Max and if it comes with a sunroof, the headliner intrudes on your personal space. I am about 5'9" and I felt a little cramped because of these oddities. The rear doors on this car are LARGE. This makes it easier to get in and out of but you have to pack a lunch when you open the door and walk around. Trunkspace is good as is the ride and handling. Nav is also available and the Camry's price is comparable to the Max but the Max has the room, power, and plush advantages, IMO.

Our next test drives will be in the Accord and CRV.

Jim

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

how about a manual transmission maxima?

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Check out some wagons. If I had the cash, I'd get the Volvo V70GLT.

costcowholesale

iTrader: (12)

maybe you should try an wagon

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

or a Saab Turbo or WRX Waggon

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

Either go with Altima, Accord, or Maxima.
For value, buy the Accord.
For a nice (plush) 4 cyl., buy the Altima.
For a luxury-sports sedan, buy the Maxima.
-Cyrus

sascuderi

You can likely get a I35 for the price of a loaded Max. and have something that looks different from the Max.on the outside and has a more "dressed up" interior.

Or, wait until spring for the G35! (Thats what my wife is getting, but doesn't know it yet. She wants a C Class MB but they have too many electrical problems in my opinion)

Check Infiniti out!

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

Saab: A little out of the price range, dont you think?
WRX: Not a very practical everyday car, and remeber this is for the wifey.
-Cyrus

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

who do you think drive WRX Waggons? local rice boys? most of the people i see driving WRX Waggons are Soccer Moms

Saab is what? mid 30's? Jim is a miser he can squeeze mid 30's

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

why? its just an over priced maxima

and its still slower

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

Yes. Probably their moms' cars though . They are lound and unrefined, and would you like teenage punks in Camaros pulling up to your wife and wanting to race? (or Maximas for that reason)
Saab is mid 30s with like nothing on it. Maxima (the most expensive car on that list) is maybe low 30s with everything and that includes GPS.
-Cyrus

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

what is even better is your wife smoking some guy in a camaro with the rear full stuff she bought from home depot for you to complete the house



yeah .. Saab's don't have that many options.. they come fully loaded already.. and nothing beats Saab electronics.. my cousin's 85 Saab had stuff never seen in a car that year.. telling you how much miles you had left on the gas you had.. the climate control.. lots of stuff.. Saab electronics has been far beyond BMW and Merc for years..

sascuderi

My opinion is I35 is worth any extra cash(if any, priced close to loaded Max) since it looks better inside and out than the Max, and has all the great features of the Max (engine and reliability). So, you get the best of both worlds.

Also, G35 will not be cloned into a Nissan and can only be found at Infiniti, as you know.

Just saying that since Nissan makes great products I would check out all of what they have to offer in the U.S. before making a decision.

(Only negitive I have with Nissan is the tranny in my 95 Max and 2000 I30 don't shift firmly and "float" into gears. Yes, I know, should have gone with manual, but wife wouldn't go for it)

Any word from the other Infiniti owners on the board?

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

Its a Camaro SS. And a 2002 Maxima 6spd.
I agree with you on this, my friends '89 Saab had air conditioned seats (that's right I don't just mean heated). I have always been a fan or their technological advances and innovations.
-Cyrus

costcowholesale

iTrader: (12)

yes, me & my dad went shopping @ home depot then some riceboy with tons of sticker civic kept tailgating him (I was behind hte riceboy). Then theres the redlight & the civic pulled beside my dad beside his odyssey, when the light turned green both the odyssey & civic went @ it but only the odyssey spun tires while civic's exhaust make noise & the steel rims didn't spin. By 90km/h the odyssey was ahead by 1.5 cars then my dad flashed his harzard, so funny that guy probably went home & cry. Minivan & wagons smoking peoeple is really cool, when you see the loser's face its priceless

mAdD MAX

Saab's are beautiful! They have the best seats EVER!! They are soo damn comfortable. If Saab made couches, they would be minting money!! However I heard they have tons of mechanical problems. My school's principal has one, he said you should be best friends with your mechanic if you have a Saab. But their interior and ergonomics is amazing. Don't they have a system where if the car is parked outside in the summer and it gets to hot, it automatically starts the ventilation system (which is powered by solar panels?) to keep the interior cool.

Frank Fontaine

Why not drive a Passat? It would most likely outhandle and have better road feel than any of the cars on the list thus far. If money is a concern you can try a stripped base model. You still get the underpinnings of the decked-out version. I think sometimes buyers are too obsessed with the 255 hp of the Maxima. Like having 384 or 512 mb of ram, it's nice, but there are other considerations too.

I too drove a 2.5 Altima yesterday, it had plenty of power. Just that lousy loose steering feel though.

JAKE02

When i checked I35 prices prior to purchasing my 2002 MAX SE, an I35 MSRP was around 36K and a loaded GLE MAX was 31K. 5K is a pretty big difference to me. Is it not to you? JAKE02... by the way since Infinti doesnt offer a manual trans..wouldnt matter what the price was.

Craig Mack

A Camaro SS 6spd would take out a 6spd Maxima pretty easily. An Auto SS vs. Maxi 6spd would be a fairer fight.

Saabs, IMHO, are the ugliest cars i've ever seen

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

Looks like your price range is mid to high 20's. CRV is also a 4-cylinder, and next gen Accords are not in yet. Is it true that VW started selling Jetta wagons? I know Passats are sold in the wagon trim and a v6 combo. Subaru Outback w/v6 is also a good choice.

Craig Mack

I think a blue Passat sedan is a great car for a woman. Reliable (so they say) and looks like a chick-car.

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

That wasn't the question. Next time read the whole post. It was how a WRX wagon (probably automatic) would be taken by a 2002 Max 6spd or Camaro SS.
-Cyrus

JJW95SC

A 5spd is out since it is for the wife. She can drive one but it is bad for her back. Wagons are out since she doesn't like them, even though they will do everything she wants.

As I said, money is a concern. You just have to draw the line somewhere. Just because she could buy whatever she wants doesn't mean she should or will. She has other things she wants to do with her money. Oh yes, in this case it is HER money (long story) and I'm just an automotive consultant.

She's not going to be racing any riceboys out there so those arguments mean little.

I'm hoping she goes for the 02 Maxima although it is more than she wants to spend. I fell in love with that car after the test drive.

BTW, if you know someone's who's in the market for inexpensive reliable transpo, tell them about this: http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=88208

Jim

Weasel

iTrader: (2)

I agree with the Passat, and have her drive a TL also. The regular version starts around $28k and it includes everything - leather, sunroof, power everything, CD changer... the only option is the grand holy exalted NAV. I'm car shopping for my mother right now and the TL strikes me as a really good value for the dollar. Then again, I'm trying to get her into a 5-series BMW... . See if she likes the Toyota Highlander also. It's basically a raised Camry, it gives the looks and cargo capacity, plus it'll never break. I don't know the prices on one of those though.

Loe max

iTrader: (6)

Just get a Jetta GLS 1.8T and chip it

JJW95SC

Yea, the Passat is on the test drive list also.

Jim

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

hey, you were talking about test driving vehicles in the 25-28K range: RAV4, Passat, Jetta, etc. But then you're going into low-mid 30's range: Highlander. Does your wife want a compact-midsize SUV with a v6 or a sedan? Wagons are out, right?

JJW95SC

I never mentioned Highlander. If you check the original post, the test drives were to determine which vehicle she wanted and how much they go for.

Jim

CRMax

The newer ones aren't as good, IMHO, but the old 900 and 9000 series rocked. My old 900 Turbo smoked so many people it wasn't even funny. One thing Saab can do, is make kick butt turbos.

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

Jim,

Another vote for the Passat....that car is just a lot for the money, especially in 1.8T form....One chip and you're at over 200 ponies and still get better mileage than the Max.

And the Passat is put together much better........I dare say it puts the 3rd gen on the ropes.......

JJW95SC

Bill, what about VW reliability?

Jim

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

The Passat is a great car, and I have nothing against it, but don't chip it. Firstly, the chip will void your drivetrain warantee, and secondly PLENTY of people have blown their engines. All the chip does is turn up the boost, and if that was such a smart idea don't you think VW would have done it? Other than that its a great car, and the only VW still made in Germany.
-Cyrus

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

is Passat made in Germany? Because I talked to GTI, Golf, and Beetle owners...they say VW is a crappy car. I wouldn't lean towards Passat too much, because they are not cheap. They start at around 22-23K for their basic model, which in today's terms comparable to 2k2 SE 6spd, "naturally aspirated" 255hp

cheers

Vyrus

iTrader: (4)

Yes, the Passat it the only VW still made in Germany. The others are made in Mexico!
-Cyrus

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

Jim,

Reliability is above average, and the 1.8T seems to be more reliable than the V6 (according to Cosumer Reports as well as vwvortex.com, clubb5.com, etc.). Chipping it will give you the extra ponies without a reliability sacrifice, provided you don't drive it like a bat out of hell. But that's just a general rule for all motors. You beat on a car enough, and you'll blow engines, screw up turbos, etc.

The 1.8T is like Ford's 302 V-8 or a nice Chevy short block V-8: you can pretty much throw anything at it and it will cooperate. The 1.8 has also been around for decades, so reliability isn't really an issue.

Plus, VW now has a 4yr/50k warranty on their vehicles and are making an effort to right the ship from historically poor dealership practices, much like what Nissan needs to do.

A test drive is worth the time.

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

Actually its the other way around.. the v6 and 2.0L are the most reliable of the Golf and Jetta's.. the Turbo's and BOV's on the 1.8T's are very weak.. and have been known to blow.. one fellow got a hole in his oil pan.. the turbo wasn't cooled and the engine went along with the turbo..

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

only the Jetta is made in Mexico.. the Golf's are still made in Germany

Albertt

Also, I would consider testing a Subaru Legacy GT or SUS. Subaru makes great cars, most of the time, people tend to overlook this fact.

A Passat is available with 4-Motion (only with the V6), but that will put you into $30K range.

JJW95SC

Agreed, my father has two Legend wagons. 4Motion is a great idea but pricey, as you've stated.

I think a used car might be the way to go for us now.

Jim

bill99gxe

iTrader: (1)

I respectfully disagree with Sprint on this one.......based on my experience lurking in the VW forums and knowing a few VW owners...(my experience reliability wise is the direct opposite of Sprint's from a model standpoint)....it occurs to me that the ones having the problems are the ones asking for them in the first place.

For a grocery getter, the 1.8T is fine in chipped form, unless you're taking on Maximas at every stop light........My wife and I didn't notice a performance difference with the V6 versus the 1.8T.....However, the new 220hp V6 that's going in there this year or next may change my opinion......



The best test is to simply close the door on a 5th gen and then close the door on a Passat.....you'll cry at the difference in the feel....




I now await flames from other members about me daring to criticize the Max, BLAH BLAH BLAH