to my surprise the 2010's are fairly cheap now with low miles...however, the interior looks dated.

anyone drive it yet ? the exterior is one of the most gangsterish design ever and IMO is considered one of the ultimate big body sedans ever designed hands down. Big, broad and commanding. I just love car designs with strong, stout nose (hood-grille).

how would you guys compare it to the awesome maxima ?

 

I've heard nothing but horror stories about Chrysler/Dodge there is a whole Youtube channel dedicated to spreading those stories along with various websites.

If you Google "chrysler sucks" and then "nissan sucks" there is a big difference what people have to say about the two.

 

As a big Chrysler fan and owner for many years I would only say that If I wanted a nice engine dropped in a saltine box that had a Peterbuilt front end, I would get the current gen of 300s. It is for that very reason that I made the switch to Maximas (plus no timing belt!!)

 

Do yourself a favor and forget you ever had that thought. First, the engine is ****-poor at best. It dates back to the old 3.3L of 1990, updated for 1999 with an aluminum block. But, factor in that the car weighs 3700 pounds and has a four-speed automatic, and you have performance nowhere near a Maxima. On top of all this, you have one of the cheapest interiors in the industry - wonder why they gave so much attention to the interior on the 2011 models? If you still don't find this reason enough, drive a 2010 after driving a 292-hp Pentastar-powered 2011 model, and you should be convinced.

 

oh go drive one! you will see. We got one as an "upgrade" rental and its a smooth ride, just gutless, and with the 4 speed wow, so so bad. Also the interior was just terrible.

I saw the initial pics for the 2011 or 2012 300, and it looks like they have stepped up their game big time!

But just go drive a 2010 300 and you will see

 

cool thanks guys , I don't think I'm gonna bother test driving the 300.

the max is a bad azz car!!

 

Are you kidding me? I crossed shopped the 300C and the Maxima (same price range for me) It wasn't even close!

300 interior is horrible. The hemi was fairly weak IMO. I can't even imagine how much worse the 300 can get when downgraded to the 3.5L. Drove like a boat too.

 

4-speed? only the 2.7 liter engine used the 4 speed. The 3.5 and up had 5-speeds. I used to have a Charger and a Challenger and I agree the 5 speed was pretty bad. When braking, the tranny would shift down and the RPM's would jump up so you had to adjust your braking to compensate for the engine braking. It wasn't that bad in the Charger but it was very noticeable in the Challenger. And in manual shift mode, unless you shift at just the right RPM, the tranny would jerk into the next gear. I know it wasn't just a bad tranny cuz both cars had similar behavior.

Chrysler is supposed to be currently developing a 7 or 8 speed. They need to hurry up with that.

The CVT in the Max is soo smooth, it's one of the main reasons I chose this car.

 

I saw in the newspaper very recently that Chrysler is about ready with that new tranny. I didn't bother to remember whether it was 7 or 8 speed, but I think it was 8.

If you check the results of the tests Consumer Reports ran, you will scurry from that 300 pronto. Two versions of the 2010 Chrysler 300 both finished ahead of only the Dodge Charger in a group of over a dozen upscale sedans. Poor reliability, poor value for the money, poor visibility, poor ride, claustrophobic cabin, strange suspension noises (in both versions) and tied for worst MPG in class.

CU doesn't rate styling, but I think the 2010 300 styling is now dated, and looked too 'heavy' to begin with.

I am hearing better things about the 2011 300, but that will require a lot more money.

 

Doesn't the 300 handily outsell the MAxima? I know the new one will have a 9 Speed AT/292 HP V6/ RWD and much nicer interior than any Nissan. So there you go, you got atleast one opinion from someone who doesnt think their car is gods gift to man.

 

Half of you guys talking sh^t about the 300 probably never drove one or even sat in one!! I personally love the style!! Yes it is kinda dated now but still a sweet lookin car!!

 

I've driven two. The basic 3.5 and the AWD model.

Both handled terribly, and felt like old man boats going down the road. For an AWD car, the 300 was miserable, at best.

The interior? ****-poor. Cheap, shoddy-looking chrome plastic, and hard plastic everywhere else. One thing I've noticed about new Mopars is that whatever the material they use in place of real leather is, it likes to let off a pretty nasty, God-awful smell when it gets hot in the summertime.

 

The 300 may outsell the Maxima, because there are far more drivers, especially in the age 40 and up category, that are more interested in a plush family sedan with a comfortable ride that the wifey will like than they are in a sporty sedan with a firmer ride.

There are also a few million folks still around from the 'greatest generation' who would walk before buying anything made in Japan. Here in Georgia, some car ads on TV even show an American flag waving, a few even have a voice in the background urging the viewer to 'buy American.' In the south, 'buy American' carries weight with lots of folks.

The new 300 may be a fine car, but that is not the real issue here. The original poster made it clear he can't afford a new 300, and was asking specifically about a used 2010 300, which does NOT have any of the improvements you listed.

The 'God's gift to man' remark does not become you. There are many dozens of posters here on the org that are complaining about problems of various sorts and mentioning things they dislike with their Maximas. Not NEARLY as many problems as 2010 300 owners have (per CR, truedelta and other reliability surveys). But enough to show that folks on this board are telling it like it is concerning their Maximas.

 

The Maxima outsold the 300 in 2010 by about 12-15000 units. The 300 has been around in its current form since 2005 so there are more total cars that look the same on the road. Chrysler's 2010 corporate sales numbers were inflated by a shocking 49% being sold to rental and fleet companies toward the end of the year.

The new 2011 Chrysler products are much improved according to the auto bloggers who have seen and driven them. They will need to be as Kia, Hyundai, Ford and GM are moving forward faster at this point. Honda seems to be treading water and Toyota has problems as we all know...but remains a powerful force in the market. VW is bringing the Passat into the mainstream with price cuts so it is going to be quite a battle in 2011-12 and Chrysler may be on the bubble.

We will see if Nissan's new strange looking little cars are going to sell. I hope the Altima and Maxima are being further refined because the competition is becoming stronger every year.

 

300 is not a bad car, having driven the 3.5, it's just a car to cruise in, nice but big and heavy with an underpowered engine, and the 3.5 and especially the 2.7 are among the higher problem prone ones, just be aware of that if you buy one, and change the oil every 3k unless you go with synthetic, those 2 engines have a history of running hot cause they are overworked.

Just some info, the 3.5 and 2.7 come with the Chyrsler 4 speed, but the 3.5 AWD model has the MB 5 speed auto, same unit that is used on the Hemi version

The interior is not bad, but it was redone in 08 across the board which vastly improved it and now with the new models on the way, I can't wait to see the cars in person.

Just like looking for a used Maxima, finding a good condition used 300 will be just as hard

 

Yes, but the topic is Nissan Maxima's from Tennessee....or Chrysler 300's from another country.

 

I have driven several of these cars. 2009-2010's I do like the styling from the outside. it is a nice looking car! However, I drove the rental versions with most likely the 2.7L and 4 speed. Car was just junk. I would rather buy a versa then this. Interior was the absolute worst. So so so cheep.

I have heard nothing but good things about the new ones coming out. I have yet to drive one of these, nor see one in person. I will have to check them out once they become available. But the older ones are not worth anything to me. I just don't like them at all, except the looks. Its not my style at all, but i can see why people like them. They are different!!

 

ROFL at the handling remarks. It basically rides like the old E-Class. Apparently the E-Class must be sh*t if you go by what these Maxipad owners think. Thanks for the laughs fellers (Hemi is weak rofl). It reminded me of why I stopped coming to this side of the forum

 

The 300 has an awesome suspension, but probably cause it is off the e class

 

Steve - Thanks for remembering that point. This is a situation that has bothered me since January, 2003, when the first 6th gen Maximas began rolling off the assembly line in Smyrna.

Neighbors, friends and even strangers continually ask me why I don't buy 'American' vehicles. They don't seem to understand Maximas are assembled by American labor in the USA using over 80% parts also made by American labor in the USA.

The REALLY upsetting thing for me is that some of those folks are driving Chevys, Fords, Mercurys, Chryslers, Pontiacs, etc, etc, that were NOT made in the USA, but yet they consider them to be 'American.'

You and I have an interest in cars, and sort of know which vehicles are really American. But the average person on the street does NOT know which cars are really 'American.' This is especially true of older folks. I am old, and many of my closest friends fought in WWII. Almost to a person, these folks will go to their graves despising 'Jap' products. Give them a good old Chevy, Ford or Chrysler any day.

If I try to tell those folks their car was not assembled in the U.S., they bristle, and simply say 'but the PROFITS stay in the U.S.' I don't even bother to tell them most cars sold by Chevy, Ford and Chrysler the first part of this decade actually LOST money for those 'American' manufacturers. That would simply be butting my head against a stone wall.

 

[QUOTE=BLACKNESS MONSTA;7891905]Doesn't the 300 handily outsell the MAxima? I know the new one will have a 9 Speed AT/292 HP V6/ RWD and much nicer interior than any Nissan. So there you go, you got atleast one opinion from I don't think that about my car and I have a 7th Gen but it sounds to me that either you are A. Jealous of 7th Gen Owners judging by all the negativity that comes from you nearly all the time you post, or B. You ASSume all of us who own 7th Gens are the same.

Which is it? I don't want to have a problem with you or anyone else on this forum because of being stereotyped into what you "think" all of us are regarding this car.

FYI, my goal with owning a car isn't to have a 7th Gen and that's it, when I retire I will buy a Corvette Z07 (they should be out by then) but still I won't think that the car is god's gift to automobiledom.

 

That guy only comes to the 7th Gen forum to flame on anyone here who says anything good about the Maxima in our Gen. He owns a 5.5 Gen (nothing wrong with that, i have 2 of them) but he tends to generalize all of us as though we're all saying only good things about our cars.

I've seen more negative threads started on the 7th Gen than I have good threads started of late, especially if we're only talking about the car itself and not the aftermarket parts/mods or the like.

If he came here with a lot less anger and a lot less generalization/stereotyping of us 7th Gen owners then he probably would be taken a lot more seriously but he just pops his domepiece in here to flame and then he's out.

I don't bother posting in the 5.5 Gen threads anymore because it seems that some of the time it is just one big "one up" show about guys trying to show how much knowledge they have about these cars and then flame on people who don't know half as much instead of trying to share knowledge and educate without the ridicule. (you can tell it in his attitude when he comes here).

 

Ok guys. My husband has a 2007 Magnum with the Hemi & Road & Track Packages. I just recently bought a 2009 sv premium. It really depends on what you want. My interior is waaaaay better than his. He does have more power but my ride is more sporty. He has more room but I have more gadgets. Like I said, It's really what u want in a car. I like his car, just not for me.