i hope that nissan doesnt ruin the maxima, like i dont want it to be a V8, and some big,luxury car...they should keep it the way it is and upgrade some parts, and maybe redesign it...they shud make it more like the 4th generation...and i hope it would still be like some teenager car ya know??...also, i dont want to be driven a Altima, i want a MAXIMA, lets just hope that the Altima doesnt take the place of the maxima, and the maxima movin up to some luxurious automobile...whose with me on this???...please post

 

i know quite a few 2000 and 2001 owners that will be pissed if their body styles only lasted two years. I say the max we have now with the new engine.. same body style till 2005

 

I understand your sentiment, but a rose by any other name is still a rose. If the new Altima drives and feels like the present Maxima, then what's to stop you from liking that car more than the upgraded Maxima? It's just a name. If it turns out that the new Altima feels more like your present Maxima than the upcoming Maxima will, then buy the one you want and don't worry about the name.

 

There's just something about that 4th generation that is better than the 5th...i hope they make it more like the 4th...but i hope they dont ruin it

 

Don't be surprised, though, if they change it before 2005. The 5th gen (body style) wasn't exactly unveiled to resounding critical acclaim, as we all know. And Nissan (who's the president, Ghosn?) is on the warpath with its scheduled redesigns and overhauls, so I'm actually expecting a significant change before 2005. Just a hunch.

 

i heard the 2003 max is going to be a stretched version of the new altima. most likly with the VQ35DE. I don't think nissan will put a V8 in a max unless someone else puts a V8 in their cars.

 

I don't think the Max was ever supposed to be a "teenager car".

 

nope the sentra is more like a teenage car
the altima is a nice car for not so rich people
and the max is the BEST DAMN CAR EVER BUILT!!!!

 

when the Maxima was not a teenager's car in any way, shape, or form. One reason, its 27K price tag. But with the poor resale and deep 6K+ discounts in 98-99, a 3 year-old maxima has become a teenager's first car. Back in 1995 the words "bad" and "phat" were used to describe the Max. It was a car of choice with drug dealers that's how bad-as* it was.

Even though it would be out-of-character for Nissan after 5 lethargic years, for 2002 they should care once again about image. Not just a better motor, but a nice look to it, not like a Ford Contour with weird tailamps the way it's been since 2000.

Nissan can step-up unless they think they'll never win over next-gen Bimmer owners. Seriously, they should make something that make future bimmer buyers take a 2nd look.

 

Give me a bit more power, fully independant suspension and RWD, then I'll buy another MAXIMA. Thank you drive through.

 

Amen, brother!

 

I think the new Altima is going to be what the 5th gen. Maxima should have been. As has been said before, you can't put too much weight in the name. Would you buy a 740i over an M5 because it is higher up in the model range? Most people here would say no.

Personally, I would love to see Nissan turn the Maxima into a car that competes with the GS400. That's the type of car I want, and Nissan knows better how to put "soul" into a car than Toyota does. I want a sports sedan that is fun to drive, comes with a stick, performs like a BMW, but doesn't have the repair and maintenance costs.

 

oh really? like what? no intention 2 start a flame war ...

 

I think the comment is objective going all the way back to the 3rd gen. Think about it, the 3rd gen sold new in early 1994 for what the 5th gen sells for today. Factor in the time value of money, and you could say that the consumer was willing to pay more for the 1994 than the 2001. Maybe as far as performance goes the Max hit a peak with the the 4th gen and it lost the timing belt too so maybe the motor is better in the 4th and 5th. But the 5th has really odd styling--every car mag says this not just consumers.

Also being objective, if all things were equal would one want a 2001 or a 1998 or a 1994 if they were given any one of the three for free? Of course the 2001. But if one had to spend their hard-earned $$ on one of the three cars I think the outcome would be different. The latter is evidence that the poster's comments make sense.

 

This statement doesn't make any sense. If you were given the choice of three cars for free, you would take the best one (2001 in your case). Now, if you had to spend your hard-earned cash and the "as-new" price of the three cars is roughly the same (as you stated), why would your decision be different? And if I misinterpreted, and you were considering the older models as used (and at used-car prices), then you're talking a significant price difference for models of comparable performance (but compromised quality and reliability) and then the decision might change. But even then it comes down to budget -- if you only have $17K to spend on a car, you couldn't buy a 2001, but if you had $25K to spend on a car, you wouldn't probably wouldn't buy a 3-year-old car either when you could get something better in a new car, Maxima or not.