Maybe some truth to that. But I am an octogenarian, and I will put my Maxima maintenance routine up against anyone. I get every listed maintenance item done on schedule at my dealer, and double-check the work afterward. I also keep my car clean, and my 2009 7th gen does not have a scratch or ding on it anywhere. I don't follow closely behind trucks, and always park way out at the back end of parking lots. If I don't find a safe place to park, then I don't park/shop there.

I find the worst-cared for Maximas belong to folks between 30 and 65, who have a full-time job, family, and little time to take their car to dealer service, as they are at work all day Monday therough Friday.

As to the lack of Maximas in Western Canada, that is to be expected, because, for whatever reason, new loaded Maximas sell in Canada for sums above $40K, while a new totally loaded Maxima in the U.S. can be had for below $35K, and a new 'S' can be had for below $25K in the Atlanta area.

 

That's definitely true, not all old people let their cars go! On a side note: I worked as a detailer/ driver, women have the most disgusting cars I've ever seen in my life.

I see some newer Maxima's around, some days lots and other days little. It's mostly Toyota's, Mazda's, and Honda's up here... There are a few 4th/5th/6th gens around though!

 

Gentlemen, the Mazda 6 has won consumer best buy award and best sedan...

It has very mediocre performance, with some decent handling. 8sec 0-60 and all...

..but most people dont seem to want a Maxima anymore these days, most are buying 4cyl econo-boxes with 38mpg highway..

Either that, or (for those with a bunch of money to burn) a horribly overpriced luxury car with mediocre performance. For example Audi A7 TDI for 80k...dont ask me how I know

 

I saw 2 Maximas (Gen 7) the other day on my way home in a rural area.

Why are they so popular with older folK?

 

They're older and hence, are smarter. They buy Maxima, great car.

 

Well I am going to ask anyhow, how do you know?

The new Audis I have driven have offered a significantly better driving experience than does the Maxima. I really like the A7. It drives superbly. Is extremely comfortable. And is beautiful to look at.

My biggest concern with Audi would be long term reliability. If buying one, I would probably go with a low mileage CPO unit to save a bit of money and get the extended warranty.

While our experience with a Maxima has been satisfying, we are looking for more from the vehicle that replaces it. Specifically AWD and inclement weather performance. FWD and performance barely belong in the same sentence. Throw in snow, ice, heavy rain, etc and it's all over.

 

Lol @ all that.

1st thing is, Fwd is better in the snow if you know how to drive. You should know this by now..

And 2nd thing is, have you ever driven an Alfa Romeo Mito 1.8T? I drove it on trip to europe few years back and it was one of the best handling and predictable cars I've ever driven and it's FWD, with a aftermarket suspension that car handles as good as an Evo. Cars like the GTI and Renault Megane come to mind also.

Maxima of course, isnt the best handling fwd setup. Lol

 

^
Nah RWD for high performance automobiles. Superior!!

 

yup true that lol

I wasnt doubting that in the 1st place...

Just pointing out that fwd cars can be good too_george

 

Canada doesn't get a lot of nice cars from Honda now

 

What does Honda have anything to do with this?

Ok then lol

 

I wanna see a recent very good handling/quick FWD car

 

I used to have a 2002 Mazda Protege5, handled like it was on rails. It wasn't quick but made up for it with a go-kart feel, I miss the amazing red colour..

On a side note, talking about Audi's. I've driven all of the newer Audi's and the A7 is fantastic (I agree with overpriced like all premium brands are). If you're going to get an A7, put out the bit more cash and get the S7... that's a luxurious & angry Audi!

 

They're out there george_especially if you include the European market with Alfa Romeo and Renault..

Seems like less of em for recent models but you still got = VW GTI, Mazdadpeed3, Mini Cooper S, Hyindai Veloster, Benz CLA250 for a 4door sedan....im sure theres more

 

FWD is better in the snow than... what? A RWD car? I'd agree with that in general. Although as you get closer to 300hp than 200hp, FWD starts to seem increasingly tempermental. In the Maxima it is just too easy for the power to induce wheelspin. But I suppose that same principle applies to RWD as well. Our Max doesn't leave the driveway if the white stuff is flying or it is wet out and the temps drop below 32 degrees.

Otherwise, I'd rate the general order of severe weather performance as AWD>4WD>Sub 200hp FWD>250hp+ FWD/moderate HP RWD>Performance RWD.

Also, somewhere in mid 200hp range, FWD crosses a threshold where, in my opinion, torque steer and understeer become increasing liabilities.

All of which is why I am now mostly interested in AWD vehicles.

No, I have never driven an Alf Romeo MiTo. I hope it drives better than it looks. Which shouldn't be too difficult, that's one FUGLY little car.


Still interested to hear why you think the A7 isn't a good choice.

 

So it sounds like good handling and FWD are limted to compact/smaller cars in the 200-ish HP range. Save the Mazdaspeed3 with it's 263hp (that was also criticized for it's torque steer).

That's not a segment of the market that I plan to be shopping any time soon. Not something I would want to spend a day in with a family of 3-4 + luggage driving 500-700 miles. Or traveling through the Cascades, Blues and Rockies in winter months.

 

^
Good point too. I'm so used to mid-full size sedans that I can't stand compact cars. Never owned one and don't plan to anytime soon

 

My daughter just bought a new manual Mazda 6, and loves it. She has driven nothing but manuals for 37 years, beginning with something called a manual rotary engine Mazda RX-7 (or something like that) back in the 1970s.

It suits her perfectly. She drives too fast, but is not into jack-rabbit stops. She is not a large person, so there is plenty of room. In fact, we rode it it with her a week or so ago, and with four adults, nobody felt crowded.

 

I drove RWD cars (mostly full size with plenty of power) from the 1940s until 1984, then FWD Maximas since. With over 60% of the weight on the front wheels in the Maxima, I get far superior traction on snow and ice with this FWD than I did with any of those RWD cars (with the weight NOT over the traction wheels) I drove for over thirty years. Of course I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so know how to drive on ice and snow without spinning the wheels.

As to AWD/4WD, the traction on slippery surfaces is great, but the many drawbacks (which I have listed in several places on maxima.org) make such an arrangement a losing proposition here in the deep South.

Very very briefly, AWD/4WD is more expensive at purchase time, reduces the MPG, has more parts (including several that are outside the tranny case) that can go wrong, increasing repair costs, and that also require regular checking and lubricant replacement, and in many cases, can require buying four new tires when only one tire has gone bad.

 

Is your daughter one of those people that go WOT every time they accelerate?



And you're telling me she had a 1st gen Rx7? Thats awesome. I havent been alive for 37 years, so she might be too old for me...but I may be in love.

 

lightonthehill is like in his 80s?

Stay healthy please

 

I wouldn't expect someone from the south to understand or appreciate much about driving in severe weather and/or mountainous conditions. Good luck getting over an icy mountain pass without any wheel spin or slip. AWD or 4WD is a Godsend in those situations.

If I lived somewhere where snow and ice was a rarity and never traveled to areas where they are common, I would probably happy enough with just FWD, too. But I don't, and I have experienced firsthand the performance benefits of AWD and 4WD. AWD is also better performing than FWD on dry pavement, too. Although I do acknowledge that it does come at a cost.

It's nice to have options.