I got my Maxima in Feb, and now that I have had it for two months, I want to give you my thoughts.

I have had Preludes (1986, 2000) and Accords (1992) all my life. So torque was something I only read about in magazines..LOL...I never modded my Prelude...just no point to it for me. The lude was fast..not quick. Gotta keep the rpms up. Very good handling.

So when I bought the Max, I knew I was getting a bigger car, smoother nicer engine, and TORQUE!! Things were looking up. They only thing I was worried about was the Nissan quality. I have had nothing but good experiences from my Hondas and their dealerships, so naturally I was a little concerned. But what the hell right?

Right off the bat I realized that this car has two personalities. You can drive it slow..RPMS under 3--get good mileage..kick back..and enjoy. But you also can stomp on it...take off and never stop. Nice. I got an especially big grin when punching it when cruising at 40mph.

Obviously--having a much bigger car...love the space.

Love the controls in the steering wheel. I hate the fact that there 6.5's all around and no 6x9's. I dont have the bose, but even If I did, I still think the stock system blows.

Being 6'4", the legroom is nice, but the location of the ebrake sucks. I have an auto, so I really dont use it. But sometimes you need to use it to get the rear end around in snow.

Love the reservoir for the windshield washer fluid. +1

The Potenzas SUCK (but we all know that). The car had 22,000 miles on it when I got it. The snow storms we had here really showed that this car with the OEM tires is horrendous in snow. Planning on getting either the Toyo TPT or Bridgestone Turanza LSV this summer. 225/50/17 is so much money!


Love that the sunroof goes INTO the roof, not on top ( you hear that HONDA?).

Annoying reflection on windshield from the housing of the clock. -1.

Engine..superb--smooth!!!

Handling..I really havent pushed it b/c of the lousy road conditions and questionable tires. We shall see. Its a bigger car than the Prelude but I think it should be up to my expectations.

and finally..I took a ride to meet Jeff @ Maximum Tuning in Glen Cove on Long Island. I will be bringing my Max to him for all maintanence.

All in all....fantastic so far..no problems...

Bones

 

Buy a beater and park the Maxima in the winter is my only advice.

 

Welcome Bones...ya pretty much nailed it on the impressions....

 

I would agree with you on most points.

As a previous Honda owner ('85 Accord), I would just say that the Honda suspension was more sophisticated - independent all around, no leaning in turns. My Maxima was leaning in turns quite a bit, until I installed a Rear Stabilizer bar. Now however, the rear axle hops badly when I hit a bumpy patch. There is no argument about the space though - I am 6'3", and I love the space in the Maxima.

Overall, I wish I could combine Maxima's space, engine, and solid structure with my old Accord's suspension.

 

Glad you like your Max. I almost bought a Prelude, but I carry around too much crap. I am a teacher and have to haul around papers and projects everywhere... Nice to see that people like their cars and don't just see the negative in them.

 

yeah good thing you came on board with nissan. previously i owned a 4th gen 5 spd fully loaded, every option, and loved it, i totaled it like an idiot. then i did an even more stupid thing by buying a 00 honda civic si, what a joke. needless to say i drove that car for about 8 months before i bought my 5.5 gen. i dont think i could ever get away from nissan. they are what we call the **** .

 

I am much like you in that I always owned Hondas. 1986 CRX, 1988CRX, 1989 prelude, 1994 Accord EX vtec. Loved them all to death, my favorite being the 1989 prelude. To this day, the prelude remains my favorite car even though it was 15 years old when I dumped it.

I then discovered Nissan, first owning a 2k2 Spec V with it's 180 ft/lbs of torque. That was a big change from the torqueless feeling of Honda. But there is something to be said about Honda back between 1986-1994, I consider the years that I owned them to be the best in that the cars still had lot's of character. The Spec V had to much character in that it was too Raw with no refinement, I quickly missed the refinement which is what Led me to the maxima line.

Anyway, I now own both a 1993 Maxima SE (Wife's ride) and a 2002 Maxima, being my first V6 car, with the exception of Gas prices, I love the combination of power and refinement with the 5th gen. My only complaint is the rear suspension. Subjectively, I don't find the handling of the 5th gen maxima bad at all. This is coming from just owning a Spec V for 3 years which is capable of .89gs on a 700ft skidpad. I was surprised at how tossable the Max is.

Bottom line, good choice in buying the 5th gen. They are great cars and seem to be built very well.