hey im lookin for a car to call 'mine' and im about to go off to college. right now i drive a 2001 smoke colored nissan maxima se. my dad plans to buy me a car and i was thinkin of gettin a used 2k3 max (auto, leather) because of the more powerful engine and newer options it has. i found some starting at 15k and dey sell for no more than 20k. any suggestions on my decision?

 

could look for a 2003 G35 .. you can get those for just over 21000. or if your looking for a change get maybe an acura TL-s or maybe even a cool honda S2000..

 

Go for the 5.5 gen. You are going to be hard-pressed to find a G35 or TL-S that is not going to make you 'car poor'. And as far as the S2000 is concerned, sports car maintinence is DAMN expensive. The Boxster I had before the Max ran me $135 per oil change, mid-motor mount.

Go with the 2k3, you will be quite pleased with what you will be able to get with your money vs most other cars!

 

Here we go again... the classic 5 vs. 5.5 gen deliberation begins!

 

K ready for this...keep the 01 and take the $15-$20K that your dad is willing to spend on a car and mod the hell outta it and save the rest for the tickets you're gonna get!

 

5.5 Gens are totally different cars when compared to the 5.0
They look the same but they are totally different cars

Auto 2k2-2k3 are lighter than an auto G35, so you could be quicker. They are much cheaper, and are very nice cars for the money.

Just get a 2k3 and lightly modify it to make it slightly better.

G35s are expensive when compared to a maxima

 

Going off to college? Keep the old car.

 

They are?

Maxima ----><---- G35

Yes, they are expensive in general when considering what comprible money will buy in another car.

Bingo. You can drop $5k and have a supercharger dropped in there...THEN you will be able to fade a G35!

 

Tell your dad you will make him a deal, you will keep the 2k1 and he will open up an investment account for you in your name and put the additional money he was going to spend on the new car in there.

 

I just had my 2000 GLE totalled. I went right out and bought a 2002 SE. I loved the 2000. I REALLY love the 2002. A lot of very nice upgrades...
-Gil

 

oh his daddy is buying it for him. (i wish my dad would pay my car payments)
so i dont think money is a issue.
anywyas get the 5.5, more power/torque staright from the factory. plus, i love the HIDs and the look of the newer headlights. some more ponies and cosmetics without breaking a sweat (except for my bank account). i still got some money to hook up the car, but it takes me awhile to save, but my mods will come soon or later. just becuase you get a nicer and newr car that doesnt mean, you cant hook it up. im sure this year theyl come out with the 5.5 gen turbo or SC (hopefully)

 

It's only a "slight" upgrade over what he has now.
This car is only 2 years newer, from the same generation.
If it were a early 4th gen or 3rd gen pushing 100k I'd recommend the 2k3 but his 2k1 is still going to be among the better cars on campus and it's got plenty of life for college duties.
I'd take the cash and buy something sweet after I graduated.

 

Keep the 01. The 5.5 gen is not different enough in my opinion to justify the switch.

 

keep the 01 max and mod the hell out of it - ya know a lil supercharger here and there wont hurt- of course you'd be able to smoke a g35 with a supercharged max but what if you run into a g35 with the greddy tt kit! imo keep the 01 - 02/03's have more sensor problems and maf problems than the 00/01- sorry 5.5genners!

 

Outside of the VQ35DE/6MT combo the only other major diff is Navi....and that's a pretty inferior CD-ROM based system.

My $.02: Tell dad to hold the $$$ until you graduate and then use it towards something like an BMW M3 (or M4?). In the meantime, the 01 SE will do the job as good as any 02-03.

 

im just sayin the difference between the two, thats what he was asking for...
he could just get an infiniti..

 

Yeah I know, I was just saying why he should keep the car.

Infiniti for $15-$20k?

 

I have experience with this sort of thing. My dad was going to buy me a car, right before I went to college last winter, a really cheap one. Like cavalier-esque. I got scared and started to work a lot and eventually had enough money to buy a 2k1 max. I wanted a 2k2, but the fact of the matter was that after driving both of them, they both had their plusses. I noticed that the 2k2 was not as refined as the 2k1, and the speed difference didn't really matter. It's not all that much difference. For the first semester of college, I had probably one of the nicest cars of any freshman at the U of M Twin Cities...but now I don't have one. And actually, its better that you don't have a car during college because it ends up distracting you and taking you away from your studies. Instead of actually doing homework, id drive to the mall of america with all my friends. My advice to you would be not to even bring your car with you. It'll be right there waiting for you when you get home. It's just too much hassle and distraction to have to deal with when you go to college.

 

keep the 01 and take the 15g and send them to me.... j/k..... Keep the 15g and save them, when you are out of college get a new G35 or the Skyline that is coming to the US in 2007.

 

That's what I would do!

 

Stupid question; keep the 01. Going from an 01 to an 03 is a HIDEOUS freaking waste of money at the best of times, but since you're going to college what do you need it for? You should be on campus drinking and chilling with friends instead of caring what you have parked.

If it's available to you get the money your dad would have paid and invest it.

 

i agree completely. max's are too nice of cars for us college kids to be driving anyway. I really shouldnt be talking though considering im planning on buying another one this summer. But then again, I have plenty of money saved up so its not so bad. You might like not having a car to worry about while you're in school.

 

As much as I like cars, save your dad's money and use it for college. It's expensive...more so than you realize now. Having $0 debt when you graduate is a great way to start your adult life. Your 01 will run for a long, long time if you take care of it.

 

I'm in college, and I have a 2k3 Maxima. I used to drive a 2001 Sentra GXE. I must say that I miss the fuel economy and the light, nimble handling of the Sentra, but the Maxima's power is intoxicating (so... aren't we ALWAYS driving under the influence? )

If gas money and maintenance aren't a problem for you, you'll be happy with the 2k3. It is simultaneously fun and practical (because you can carry a lot of crap... or your friends... or both, if your friends happen to be crappy). I know there are a lot of more fun cars you could buy with $20,000, but the Maxima is a more well-rounded vehicle than the "torqueless, trunkless, 2-door wonder" that is the S2000 (there's a reason why it revs up to 9000), and insurance on it should be better than insurance on a G35.

 

I think my previous post was biased, because I own a 2k3. I forgot to say that if you have the OPTION of keeping your 2k1 SE, you probably should keep it. It may have half a liter less displacement than the 2k3 and less power from the factory, but it's still a very sweet ride. Don't forget that your VQ30 is more smooth than our VQ35s are, and there are some sickeningly fast modded VQ30-powered Maximas here on the Org.

If I put aside my car-lust for a minute, I can see how the other guys on this thread are right. As much as people might rag on you for it, it's a wonderful thing to have parents who are willing to help you pay for things. See if you can use some of the money you would've spent on a new car for a college investment fund instead. I've had to take out a few student loans, and I must say that I'm not looking forward to paying them back. I don't know how much money your family has. Maybe paying for college and a newer car isn't a problem for you, but if that were the case, I think you'd be buying something other than a used Maxima.

It's not just books and tuition you should be saving for, either. When you go off to college, you're going to want to have cash in your pocket to spend when you're out with your friends. The VQ35 really is a gas guzzler for city driving (and you'll be doing a lot of in-town driving if you're running around a college town). I spend $30 every week and a half to fill my 2k3 SE up.

 

i would definately keep my 01 and use half the money thats going to be given to do all mods..
with 8Gs you can SC or Turbo.. do a complete suspension change.. get kit.. get 02 HID
and still have some change left over..you can totally rebuild your car from ground up

 

Get the 03..**** your dads gonna buy it...i would get the newer car anyways...more powerful. How about i get your dad to buy me and 03 and i will give you my car

 

Get yourself a beater Sentra for college, something in the price range of 1-2K dollars. It will never break down, will get good gas mileage and you can keep your 01 Max till when U graduate from college. I just got myself a beater 91 Legend and lemme tell ya, I enjoy driving that car more than my Maxima. I spend 600 bux on the car, its got 122K miles and got it from grandma/grandpa who owned it since new and always maintained it right. It smokes a auto 3.0L from a hole and gets decent gas mileage still. As far as maintenance costs on a S2000, oil changes are 27.95 at my local Honda dealer, brakes will cost ya 240 dollars for fronts and 235 for the rears- thats new OEM Honda pads and cutting the rotors, plugs are good till 100K miles, air filter is changed every 30K miles. I know a thing or 2 bout Hondas, I been working at Acura as a tech for quite some time now. If I ever sell my Max, I'm getting a RSX Type S.

 

If you are going to the right college, the last thing you will think about is your car! Keep the 2k1 and use the rest of the money for "entertainment"

 

I think double L is saying that his dad is going to buy him a car to call his own. I think he is driving a 2001, but I do not think it is his. Sorry if I am incorrect. I say he should go with the 2003, just make sure it has a good paint job (unlike mine).