Buddy of mine is looking for a new car, he found a older Accord, a 98 pimped out max, and a 98 i30.

What is the diff between the max and the i30? The max has leather, bose.... Diff interior styles and grill is all i can tell, but when these cars were new they had a 10k diff in price? now he can get the i30 for 2k more (both around 60k miles)

What is the diff with the i30? What makes EVER buying an i30 worth it

by the way i have an i30 and was not pleased to find out its a max. nothing wrong with the maxes but i think i would have saved the money and just bought a maxima if there wasnt a diff.

 

i own both a 96 I30 and a 97 Max GLE and there really is not too much of a difference because the quality is great in both, especially since i have the leather, bose, etc. in the max as well..however, the infiniti was only a few thousand extra for us when we bought it new when it just came out in 95...then we liked the quality so much we also bought a GLE in 97...but there really is not too much of a difference other than a little exterior styling...but the I30 might have the limited slip, i'm not too sure...but i think the max would end up being a little easier to mod as well...but it really depends on the quality of both and how much he wants to spend

 

If thats all it is then nissans rippin me off. Its a bit dishonest of them to sell a 30k car for 40k with no performance or additional safety features.

Dont get me wrong its a great car and i love it. I just think i could have put the extra 6k i spent on my i30 into the bank and got a max. 6k would be really nice to have in a few years when its time to get a new max (or q45)

I find it hard to believe that nissan could get away with making 2 identical cars (besides trim) and charge such a diff amount.

 

you paid 40k? ...i think our 96 I30 was around 32k...not sure cuz my parents bought it...and i think our GLE was around 27-28k

 

Basically the same car 10k more wow, not that much more only a feew thousand more than a GLE. Only the I30T has the limited slip Diff although.

 

Nissan isn't rippin anyone off. Infiniti isn't Nissan. They are marketed differently. Some people favor luxury and are willing to pay for a name. Ever buy a Polo shirt instead of going to Target? Same principal.

 

Infintis have significantly fewer problems per 100 cars than Nissans. Their quality control isn't an oxymoron as it is with Nissans.

The few grand buys you what "Nissan's flagship" should have anyway.




I would get the I30 if you want a slushbox instead of a 5-speed.

 

very true, that's the main reason why my dad purchased the I30...because he wanted the extra luxury name

 

i30 = rich man's maxima

 

I bought mine used for 16k over the 10k for same yr max. New there 40 loaded

 

i still don't see where you're getting the 40k from...i mean, we got ours loaded for about 32k, even though it wasn't the I30T...that woulda added a few more Gs, but not up to 40k..even the new I35s completely loaded top out around 38k...and that's with sport package, navigation, the works...

 

I went to infiniti.com and did build your own.. came to 37,450 Did the same for the max came to 30,740 . . . . 7k for the same car seems a bit much for some diff body moldings

 

if auto= i30
if 5spd = maxima

unless you like how one looks over the other get the i30 for auto

 

Is the auto on the i30 better? or is this just a pref?

I think my buddies gonna go with the accord... Im pushing to go with the max
97 accord w/64k 14k
98 max w/59k 15k
98 i30t 68k 16k

 

what is he thinkin? ...make him go with the max!...less mileage, and that 1k extra will be well spent

 

there is one thing i neglected to mention...the warranty and service of infiniti compared to nissan...the infiniti service outdoes the nissan service in every way possible...loaner cars, much friendlier, etc...they treat you right...i'm not saying anything back about nissan service, because that is good as well, just infiniti is better

also, infiniti offers better warranties on their cars, at least on the new one i know...48/60000 on the '02 I35 compared to 36/36000 on the '02 max...and longer powertrain and rust as well...so this, combined with the better service, and just the knowing you have a "luxury" car drives the price up...but i'm with you about the not wanting to spend an extra 7k...in our case, it was only a few, like 3-4k...but tell your friend to go with either the max or the i30, not the accord

 

I30 is like a Maxima but not exactly.
1. more sound deadening (noticeably quieter)
2. better headlights (9006??)
3. rear headrests
4. fuzzy pillars
5. standard LSD auto tranny on touring models???
6. chrome interior door handles
7. am I missing something else??

BTW, a used I30 will not be a lot more than a Maxima.

 

Hes thinking the accord because in 3 yrs he can sell it for 12k. the max more like 8k

the i30 would be like 8k too.

 

i didnt mean those extact cars per say but i would max i guess if i had to chose between those 3

 

very true, sorry, i wasn't even thinking about resale values ...but if it were to be long-term, the max would definitely be better...especially after the newest listing of the most stolen vehicles of 2001...well...i bid your friend good luck in whichever vehicle he chooses

 

Hey maybe i can help you. Ask him this, does he want to mod the car or not. Its very easy to mod the maxima and honda and somewhat easy to mod the infiniti. If hes not into all that then the infiniti would be a good choice. infiniti has great customer service. you get a loaner car, get the car washed really good and longer warrentee. also i dont see how your gettin 40 thousand for the infiniti. when i got my car the sticker was 33 without navigation which is a 2 thousand dollar option. thats fully loaded 35,000 with navigation. maybe your in canada?? so in summery stay in the nissan family. then ask him do you want to mod like crazy or take it easy.
mod = max
no mods = I30

 

Keep in mind that the Max and the I30 were targeted against different competition. The Max went up against the likes of the Accord, Camry, Tauros etc and the I30 went up against some of the Lexus's and BMW's.
The I30 came in one designated trim, FULLY LOADED, plus the Touring Package was available too, which was just a bunch of added accesories I believe (Spoiler, mags, fatter tires, fog lights, stiffer suspension).
In terms of resale vale, the Accord would be the best choice, but in terms of torquey-rich and Accord-stompin fun, the I30/Max would be the way to go

Don't forget, that some of the I30's came with a 227 hp engine, VS the Max's 222 hp engine

 

Oh my all the confusion.

Lets dispell some rumors here

There isn't much of a difference between the I30 and the maxima.
Most of the differences come in amenities, like power equipment and service.

<b>4th Gen</b>
The I30 is the same as the GLE (both are auto with leather and bose stereo)
The I30t is the same as the SE(Meridian Edition)(Both has the SE suspension heated seats/mirrors/auto climate) The I30 goes beyond to have auto dimming rearview mirror/lsd/optional 5spd/dual power 8way seats/swivel headrests front and rear/thicker glass/sound dampening/sun roof. All of these are std options except the manual transmission.

The only modding that is difficult to obtain for I30 is body kits, they HAVE to be custom fabricated or imported (BIG BUCKS).
Same engine same tranny same exhaust same suspension same light bulbs.

Personally I have found it worth my extra 4500 for the I30t in the benefits of the name. I have read that the I30's do have a lower occurance of repairs than it nissan counterpart. This maybe due to that they were actually made in Japan and not pieced together in the US. If he wants a 5 spd, he might have to travel to buy one. in 1997 there were 25000(appx) imported to the US 2500(appx) of them were factory touring models and 1200(appx) of those were 5 speeds. Just to let you know how rare they are.

 

An I30 costs Approximately $1500 more than a Max if you have any negotiating skills. I30 comes with 4yr 60K Miles Bumper to Bumper
Warranty while Max comes with 3yr 36K Miles bumper to bumper warranty. Most differences are minor and/or cosmetic. I have owned both, the I30 is quieter, while the Maxima has sportier handling. The I30 tends to depreciate faster, as an example I priced a 1997 I30
and Maxima GLE (KBB) with 50K Miles and each in excellent condition. The I30 was approximately $1500 less expensive than the Maxima. Food for thought!!!