You most likely know that you drive one of the best cars on the road. But if you really want to appreciate your max and get that "man this car is incredible" feeling all over again, go and rent a car for a week. There is no better way to appreciate what you have than to drive some rental piece o crap. -and no fair renting another max. It doesn't work that way. Get like a ford or a Dodge.
Later.

 

if apprec my max after driving my moms 98 civic. im not familiar with all the civic models, i guess this is one of the base models, but like i said, i really love driving my max after driving her car.

 

AMEN! I was driving a Ford E350 15 foot moving van all weekend.

I LOVE MY MAX!

 

When I went to NC a month ago for a wedding I drove a neon for 3 days. Nuff said.

 

I work at a rental car place and have to transport cars between a couple locations daily so I have tried out a few different cars. . . I always can't wait to get in mine at the end of the day though, as none of them are as fun to drive. . . Closest thing, power wise, that I have driven is a brand new Chevy Impala and that really isn't even close. I guess they rent Maxima's at some locations, but unfortunately not at mine. . . Oh well. . . They are like 49.99 a day for you guys anyway so I don't think many people will be renting them unless you have some money to spend.

 

I love my car all the time.. I drive my gf's Integ LS.. god it has no *****. Low compression = good for turbo.. but shes not up for that.. shes all stock right now. *sigh* ...

Oh, except for my stering.. it feels SOOOOO light after i get back into my car..

 

You know what else is a good feeling? Test drive a pretty nice car, and still be able to say "I still like my Max better." I recently drove a Jetta VR6 and a Mitsubishi Eclipse, and both times came away only with more respect for my Max.

 

I had a new intrepid for a week.. that thing felt like I was turning the titanic around corners... (but it was fun to jump railroad tracks in).

 

driving around in any modded M3 just makes you realize how crappy your car is - please dont make the mistake ive made, now im hooked on BMW.

oh and the car that makes me appreciate my car is my bro's escort wagon , and my dads 91 mercury sable wagon - with 169k+ - this is one ford that doesnt have too many problems, other than electrical systems, oh and the tranny slips big time - and its auto..... when i was first driving i hit a muffler and tore a hole in the tranny pan - then drove up hilly area's for about 1.5 miles ... =)

 

i drive my mom's 2001 Hyundai XG300, it has 5-spd sport shift, 192 hp and i could beat it without trying. it rides like a boat, sounds like it's dying if you rev it and is SO SLOW. i can't believe she sold me her MAX and got that, i'm happy though.

 

I just got back from visiting my brother and sister in Boston. Before my bro moved out there he bought an M3. Funny thing is that he works in the financial district (driving takes like an hour to get 5 miles out vs 5 minutes on the subway.) so my sister drives his car the opposite way to a theater where she works.

Anyways, I drove my bro's M3 for a week and totally feel in love with everything it had to offer. The close gear ratios, the superb handling, the great weight distribution, the fuel consumption meter, and the illuminated M3 shift **** to top it off.

I like my Maxima, but my brother told me it's gotta be RWD in order to truly love the car. Everything that bothers me about the Maxima is related to the FWD characteristics. i.e:

The offset in weight distribution (by having the powertrain in the rear, the weight will now be in the rear plus the engine will be mounted further back and sideways.)

By the engine being mounted further back in the frame, the amount of overhang from the bumper to the wheel well will be reduced, thus no worries about scraping.

Oh yeah, it's a great sensation to feel a "pushing force"(RWD) rather than the "pulling force" (FWD)

I really appreciate my Max after driving my 89 Mazda 626 though.

 

You guys think that's bad? My daily driver is a '91 Corolla. Not the Max. However whenever I do drive Mr. Max, it feels soo much more different. The rush that you get from WOT is too amazing!

However the Corolla is more tossable, and the auto tranny is just as smooth as the Maxima. Which either says how good the tranny in the Corolla is, or how bad the tranny in the Maxima is.

The main redeeming quality about the Maxima, apart from the engine, is the interior comforts! The Max has air conditioning <climate control>, heated leather seats, BOSE sound system with CD player, etcc.

The Corolla has none of that. No A/C, no power windows/locks, only 2 speakers and a radio/tape deck. But I still love it! =)

 

I drove a Taurus for 4 days when my Max (when I had it) was in the shop getting hail damage repaired. That thing was junk and when I got back in my car it felt so light and nimble. Sometimes I drive my wife's Pathfinder for a week straight and that made my Max feel like a Lexus IS300...

Yes, I do agree with you VQ Quick, the Max is a great car especially for the moolah.

 

You guys are right, I love the way BMW's ride as well. But... that price tag is a big big hurt. Throw on the insurance and luxury tax.. and forget it.

I'm just gonna throw a the lil stuff on my car n make it fun for another few years.. with all these cars comin out that have more power .. gotta do somethin to stay ahead

I'm dyin to have my system in now.. i think i won't dampen as much as i thought i would.. just nuff to make my trunk not shake.. the whiny noise is just too strong thru the firewall .. deadening would be near impossible.. [another nice quality about BMW's, for the most part]

 

Took a road trip to Miami from NYC a few months back. Rental car was a 2001 Grand AM SE that was always filled with 5 people.
Conclusions: the Pontiac sure can't haul any a$$. My Max with 8 ppl!! actually pulled quicker than the Grand Am.

Grand Am took forever to hit 100 (trying to cruise down I-95) and seems like it just can't go over 100 mph... My Max hit 120 with 5 ppl, no problem.

Oh and one more thing, the Pontiac's middle rear seat seriously has some sort of **** probe under the cushion. Most uncomforatble seat I've sat on in my life.

When I got back into my Maxima after returning the rental, I couldn't appreciate the power, comfort, and everything about it enough.

BTW, where are there Maximas for rental? As far as I know, the one's around here (NYC) and a few I checked out down in Miami rent only domestics (and of course there are the luxury car rental places in Miami - Benz's, Bimmers, Porsches, etc..)

 

I rented a hennessey viper once, that thing was so slow. dang

 

ha ha :P

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=45698

I am sooo sad and I NEED my car back!

 

I had a Buick rental for a week not too long ago. I was expecting a Mazda 626, but this was the only "mid-size" they had available. Well, this was bordering on FULL size, I tell you. I felt like I was taking a scenic tour in a land yacht. After getting used to the odd controls layout (thanks again GM, Ford), I began to appreciate the very smooth steady ride. Speed sensitive steering. Plush leather seats. Steering wheel mounted radio controls.

*AAAHHHHH!* Somebody snap me out of it! I began to have visions of wearing floral print shirts, Bermuda shorts, and a straw hat, with an insatiable urge to drive down to Florida.

Trust me--don't own a Buick unless you want to age prematurely. Besides being a total whimp at cornering (tire squealing, although not too much body roll), the thing sucked gas. I got 17mpg.

I was SO HAPPY to get back behind the wheel of my lean and mean Maxima SE.

 

BMW (5 series, 7 series, M series)

Once you drive them, you don't want to get back into your car. Especially after driving the 750il. I had the fortunate oppurtunity to drive the 850 csi, in it's prime years. Those were some good memories. Just my 2

K

 

I sat behind the wheel of a friend's Mercedes C320.

I'm in love!!

The experience was... so damned sultry. This baby felt so sweet just standing still. My friend balked at the idea of let me drive it, because he said I'd be forever longing to have one from the seat of my Maxima. And he's probably right. But this car is about $20,000 more than the Maxima, so it's understandable. No wonder why there's a waiting list...

 

New or used. I like the maxima over the previous C320. I'm really not a mercedes person. Don't get me wrong, they are nice, but the lack the performance aspect that BMW has.

K

 

the same thing happens whenever i drive my friend's plymouth breeze... i just can't wait to get back into MY car! gotto love that maxima... its probably the most sensible decision that i KNOW i've made in a loooong time!

 

You have to ask the rental car companies if they have them, they aren't always listed and most consider them a specialty vehicle. . . I work for Enterprise Rent A Car, and they have a price listed for them, but not every brach has them.

 

My mom got a Sentra when they were working on her car. I wanted that at least...dang.

Ah well. As for cars not to try...Porsche and Ferrari comes to mind...anything very expensive and sleek haha. However, IMO, the Max is such a great year-round daily-driver, and I'm soooo happy with it.

 

When i had my learner's permit the only cars i drove for a whole year where a 95 jag xj6, and a 1990 mbz sl500 convertible. When test driving a 5spd max, it found rides close to the xj6, and has power like the sl500 (although you are comparing driving a stick max that is being revved high, to an auto sl500 that you cant take above like 3500 rpm, or your dad will kick your a$$)

 

hehe last year i drove a euro spec BMW M3 like the 321hp ones... words cannot begin to describe it... its jus so perfect as a driving machine and the engine sounds soooo sweet... i thought the max sounded good =) (it does jus not compared to beemers) my wake up call came in driving a 96 Mazda Protege and my sis's '99 Cavalier... not horrible cars =) jus nowhere near to my max

 

Um, yeah I can agree. When I was 15 I got to floss a '97 (new then) 750iL for 3 hrs on the interstate, and then around town for about an hour. I remember I floored it a number of times, and the rush from the acceleration was so awesome I can't describe it. I can still remember the feeling it gave me in the pit of my stomach when I floored it going 85. I also got to drive a 97' S600, S500, S420, S320, E320, BMW 740iL, 328i. All great cars that would make me forget my Max real quick. Something about those German cars. The 750 was my favorite though. Driving the most expensive, top-of-the-line V12 BMW (and Mercedes-Benz for that matter)gave me a feeling I could never, ever forget.

 

I have to agree with you. Something about that 750IL, just makes ya say...... Once you drive a V12 your never the same again.

K

 

After driving my mom's E320 for a week I can say that the Max is tops. Yea its a nice car but it is not as comfortable as my max and the controls for windows ect. are all incorrectly placed. Plus the stock radio sucks, and the remote-key is too much of a pain to press.

 

but it seems more relevant here...I'm on my 4th car now...
Enterprise has had no problem w/ me swapping cars. But considering I'm going to be in them for another 3 weeks, and they're making $30-40/day off me, I'd expect a little bending. Somewhere in their fleet they have a couple maximas, and they told me they would do what they could to get one to the local office. We shall see.

My reviews of the cars I've so far...none compare to the Maxima.

1st one: 2001 Intrepid R/T 10k miles...Big, slow to get up to speed but if you can keep it around 5000-6300rpm it pulls hard (but not for long because it shifts around 6300or so). The really annoying thing is that when shifting manually throught the automatic gears, it shifts up on it's own when it hits red-line. Not like the maxima that will just bounce off a rev-limiter and remain in gear.

2nd car: 2001 Toyota Camry LE (4-cyl). I hate to say it, but despite the fact that the Camry felt more "at home" than the Intrepid (it definitely feels Japanese), I liked the intrepid a lot better as far as seat-comfort and power. Maybe the 6-cyl camry would be a diffrent story. The suspension was not very firm at all either, and it only had 11k miles on it.

3rd car: 2000 Volvo S40. That's a zipply little volvo! but I had it for only 3 hours before they called me to make sure I was aware of the mileage restrictions on their
high-end cars. Since I would have definitely gone well over the mileage, I returned it so I wouldn't get raped w/ the excess mileage fees.

4th car...the one I have now. A new 2001 Saturn L200 (?) It's the new larger "grown up" saturn with 1890 miles on it. This car suprised me BIG TIME. I am waiting for Enterprise to get another full-size w/ a V-6 in for me to trade this one in for, but I find myself actually content w/ it right now. VERY simple and plain in design, but for a "cheap" mid-sized car, it has wood trim, and a decent stereo w/ CD. Firm suspension, and a suprisingly strong 2.2l I-4 that can squeal the tires from a stop consistantly if you mash the gas! It is definitely faster than the Camry off the line, and I'd even venture a guess to say that it might be quicker (though not as "polished") as my ex's Altima. The engine is REALLY raspy sounding though; I hear they are a direct lift from the Saab 9-3 series. Styling looks strangely similar as well. The other suprising thing is that there is enough space in the engine bay you that could stand behind the engine (between it and the firewall) and straddle the front axle. There is so much empty space in there!!! On a more practical note, my son's carseat fits the best in the Saturn, and it has built-in shoulder strap adjusters to fit small children, and a latch in the trunk to hold the bottom cover up to get access to the spare tire without it falling on you. I hate to say it, but I'm really impressed w/ the thinking that obviously went into the design of the car. Not that I'd go out and buy one, it's definitely not "me".

2nd opinions: My kids like the Intrepid the best because of the "more-comfy" seats and the air conditioning vents/cup holders in the back seat, and their friends at the daycare think it looks cool too...imagine that: peer-pressure at age 6...gotta love kids.

 

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Enterprise does have them in their fleet, but sometimes they don't have one in the area you are living. . . More than likely if you haven't gotten one by now, you probably won't be getting one (Just by my experience) as the have to pay a driver to bring it from another branch that isn't in their area, and I know it is my branches policy never to assure someone a certain type of car.



Your lucky you got the R/T version. . . The SE version is even worse. I hate how long the car seems in general, but of all the cars you have rented, it is probably the closest one to the Max.




As far as I know we don't have any 6-cyl. Camrys in our fleet. . . I think that is why the Maxima is considered in a higher class than the Camry at all Enterprise Branches. I do agree with you that the 4-cyl. isn't that comfortable and really needs more power, but you can tell it has a higher bild quality than pretty much any car I have worked with so far.




Yeah these are limited to 200 miles/day, and you can't get any of the insurance waivers on them because they are a specialty car. Same is true with the Infinity I30 (we will also rent those if avail.) You may want to note though that the Maxima can't have unlimited miles though either as it is limited to 200 miles a day due to the rareity of the car, but you can opt. for full coverage if you wish.



We don't have that in my area so I really can't comment on the car. . .

As for the Kids likeing the Intrepid. . . If they every had to clean one, they would hate it. . . They (And all Dodges) have a velour cloth that just holds every piece of lint that comes on it, the vaccuum (sp?) is completely worthless for it and you have to pretty much pick everything by hand. It is really bad since we typically get black interior and every little thing shows up.