here in the west coast at least, they are not as common as the lexus es, gs, infiniti g35 g37 so it's nice to see on on the street once in a while.

I have been noticing an increase in sales in the used car market for these maxima's. It's kinda strange because you figure with gas prices going up, they wouldn't be selling as well.

I think this is a sleeper of a car because it came out in the heart of the economic crisis of 2008-2009. It seems like the buying public overlooked this vehicle and is now barely realizing it's greatness.

you figure that a car like this would be appealing to more people but I guess it's not.

 

I don't think I've ever seen or heard an advertisement for a Maxima...I only really know about them because my friend used to own one. Some of my coworkers heard I got a Maxima and said "ehh" when they see it go "oh, THIS is your Maxima? wow" when I show them the car in person. It is definitely a sleeper of a car, which I kinda love, because everyone around here has G35's and G37's.

 

Well down here in Miami the Maxima is a very popular. Cant make a trip to the grocery store without seeing one. Im also seeing alot of paper tags on 6th gen maximas.

 

sleeper?

 

In Orlando I seem at least one a day. A couple people in my garage at work have one, and I see some around town. I own a 4th gen and see those and 6th gens mostly. I have driven my family friends 7th gen though, its a sleeper for sure. I loved it.

 

A "sleeper" car means lots of potential in an unassuming package (think Buick Grand National)

I agree with what was said above though. Folks are definitely attracted to the G35/G37 more. Don't get me wrong, they are fantastic cars, just a little too small on the inside for me. All my friends and family were VERY impressed with the looks and performance of my 2010 SV. Albeit, the CVT confused the snot out of most who drove it

 

It might be a sleeper car to a certain extent but 60,000 sales for 2010 is pretty good for a flagship car. That means there was 60k people who's eye that caught.

 

The demise of the Maxima is in the same as the Toyota Avalon. It falls right in between the basic and luxury.

For an extra 1k or 2k, you have a premium brand and premium dealer service. A base Max SV Premium is just $120 less than a base G37x AWD. Albeit the features are lacking but most people would prefer to be seen in a premium brand car rather than a base brand. I would not trade the looks and comfort on my loaded Maxima for any other car on the road at the moment though I would have loved it to drive as fun and sporty as my old 07 Altima SE

It doesn't help either that the Maxima is NOT a 4-Door-Sport-Car as Nissan claims it to be.

However, it all comes down to preference...

I do however notice an increase in its presence on the roads in the past months. Though I must admit I haven't seen or notice the new sports grill Max Sports out here in NJ

 

The sales success of the 7G Maxima would completely contradict that opinion. Plenty of people month after month are finding just the right niche that the Maxima fills, sporty family sedan that stands out in a crowd without having to go up into Infiniti and get a smaller (less family friendly) G Sedan with worse gas mileage.

Now, for this to keep going, a lot is going to depend on what the MMC does to the Maxima this year and what Infiniti decides to do with the next gen G-Sedan, which is coming.

 

I do see a lot of older generation Maxima's floating around here, but the 7th gen is still rare and I've only seen maybe 5 or 6 others since I got my car in November. Most of the ones I see are the base S model too. What surprises me though is how I've literally seen no advertising for it, the Nissan ads played here advertise the Altima or the stupid looking Cube.

 

yeah good point, a base SV premium gets up there in price and that's why IMO the base S model is the best bang for the buck...especially used ones since the rental fleet's are artificially pushing the prices lower than what it should be.

yup definitely no 4DSC, IMO there's no such thing as a 4 door sports car. A sports car should be 2 doors no if's, and's or but's about it.

but wow the a35 max is a fun 4 door sedan to drive, definitely an aggressive 4 door sedan. More fun to drive than any other sedan out there IMO. The power o tap is just a lot of fun, and to top it off you get an average 22-23 mpg which is in same range as lexus ES.

 

Its a cool looking car and I believe better looking that the M37 and the G35.

However, I like my 4th gen because its light, simple interior, has 4 doors, and has a big V6 with a manual transmission.
The current Maxima really needs a 6 speed MT option. They should also look into a transverse AWD setup like other competitors use.

 

An 8th gen Diesel Manual transmission Maxima would be sick.

 

I was going to start a similar thread entitled "This Car Gets No Respect" but see that much of what I was thinking about has surfaced here. I've been in my '11 SV since December and it continues to impress me with it's manners, features and especially it's looks (if I could just keep it clean).

A friend bought a G35 last summer and wound up selling it because he felt too pinched in it (and he;s not that big a guy). I drove him out for lunch the other day and he had many compliments about what the Max did right in comparison (seats, interior space, etc.).

What really gets me is reading the reviews from virtually every car mag and website, giving it very high marks for it's driving characteristics, looks, features (best iPod integration on the market), no name it. But... everyone dumped on the CVT (some without even having driven the car) and the (perhaps) unfortunate marketing ploy by Nissan to call it a 4DSC. Get over it...it's just an ad campaign and the tranny is smooth as silk (maybe too smooth for some).

...and I just don't understand this "almost a luxury car" schtick. Any similarly featured "high end" car from Japan would be $10K more...a euro car $20K.

 

I see the 7th gen catching on more and more where I live. When I first got my 2010, there was hardly a 7th gen to be found anywhere I normally travel. Now there are at least 3 in my subdivision including mine. I do agree that they have been slow to get snapped up when compared to the previous generations. It seemed like everyone was driving a 6th gen when I had one.

 

in queens ny where i am i see them so much all over

 

I haven't seen a whole lot of max's here in jacksonville, the altima is all over the place,I keep getting all kinds of wow's and looking good on mine, I have had 5 of them and keep going back for more,

 

I've been seeing more more and the past few months. But I think they might be the same few people. 6th gens are a dime a dozen though.

I've never considered buying a Max even when I 1st saw the 7th gen. But it grew on me.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure every other car I see is a Nissan Altima. That has to be Nissan's cash cow judging from how many I've seen on the road. The newer generations don't look that bad either, the little 2 door Altima's are actually kinda cool looking. So many on the road though made me look at the Max, and I fell in love when I saw what the differences between the two were.

 

on long island i cant go down my block without seeing atleast 2 everyone and there mother owns a maxima here

 

Alti is their cash cow, they have great incentives on them and even without them you get a great car for the price of the base S model. Although alot are in the rental car fleets!

 

True, but alot of those sales are the base S models being sold as fleet cars! National, Hertz and Avis to a smaller extent have quite a few of them in their fleets. Whenever I'm on business I try to nab one at National but they are hardddd to come buy, the rental car personel will a test to that. They don't stay on the lot for any time!

 

Here in NYC maximas are all over. Anytime I got to school I see at least 5 or 6. Two people who work at my job have one, my neighbors have one. Its a very popular car and it is fun to drive for sure. That smooth as silk tranny that can be agressive when you want is perfect for me!

 

New to the boards here and I enjoy reading the comments.

This is my first Maxima, I just bought the 2011 SV Sport Package and I fell in love with it on my first test drive. There is something very sleek and sexy about the lines on this car coming and going. I traded in my Toyota Avalon on my new Maxima and comparatively, my Avalon was just a complete snoozefest to drive. For the money, in my opinion this is the best car on the market hands down if you are looking at looks, reliability and performance in one package. I really don't get what the gripe is about the CVT, although I am still getting used to the no shifting thing. Sure, it doesn't shift, but when I step on the pedal shift or not, this puppy sure does move.

Anyhow, I'm not a big American car fan ever since I owned a 1986 Corvette that spent more time in the shop than it did on the road, but that is another story for another time, so when I was car shopping, I didn't look at any of the American comparable offerings (Lacrosse, the 300M or the Cadillac). I did however look at the Hyundai Genesis (couldn't bring myself to pay 33 grand for a Hyundai), although I will say, that it is a very nice car. I also find it interesting that the Genesis "mysteriously" looks like a Mercedes S class, I don't think it's a coincidence since the new Sonata also seems to resemble an E class IMO. I then looked at the Lexus IS, which was surprisingly very, very small interior-wise and way, way overpriced for what you get car-wise. My jaw literally dropped when I looked at the sticker on the IS in the showroom. I then looked at the Acura TL and the TSX, but I cannot stand what Acura has done with the smiley face grills or the smiley face rear ends of these cars. In fact, if I were in the market for a new car 4 years ago, I probably would have bought the TL, the TSX just seems like a glorified Accord.. I also looked at the Infiniti G37, but I just couldn't see paying what seemed to be an extra 5-7 grand for RWD and the Inifiniti badge and I could care less what my neighbors think.

In closing, I think anyone would be hard pressed to find a comparable car priced in the low 30 grand range with the features, reliability and the performance for the money. I don't think that the Maxima has caught on because most drivers are way too hung up on Lexus Infiniti, Acura, etc. emblems on their vehicles. I look forward to dusting a few of them in my new Maxima.

 

Well, I bought my 09 in Aug 08 and haven't had one regret. I get tons of stares, glares and compliments on my car whenever I'm in it and even when it is sitting outside of a store somewhere people stop and oogle over it as though it is a Ferrari or something, that makes me chuckle inside.

This isn't my last stop on having a car but I do plan to buy a Corvette for my retirement present and hopefully I will own an Aston Martin Vantage (it's ok to laugh but I will be there soon), so for right now this car fills the bill between those two cars. Sure it isn't blazing fast as either of them but it looks sexy, rides well, has room for 4-5 and groceries, suitcases and is extremely comfortable on long trips with decent hwy mileage (I averaged about 32 mpg going to Chicago and back) so it does what it was supposed to and well to boot.

Many people here that I see with Maximas have stopped me and told me that they bought one because they saw how mine looked and they wanted to have that same effect on others, I guess this car is catching on.

 

Some fallacies here. Those posters proclaiming that a 'true luxury' nameplate can be had for just $1K or $2K more than the Maxima are going by MSRP, and are looking at the base models of the luxury brands. That is meaningless.

To get a luxury brand SIMILARLY EQUIPPED as the Maxima around where I live would cost at least $5K more. I got over $5K off list on my Maxima, and the local Infinity dealer wanted over $6K more driveout for a G37 WITH ALL THE FEATURES I have on my Maxima.

Plus, I found the Maxima driver's area to seem far more spacious than the G37.

As for seeing the 7th gen on the road, there are 28 Nissan dealers within 1 1/2 hours driving time from my home, with a big dealership just 4 miles away. I'm seeing more 7th gen Maximas than I would like. Easily more than G37s and TLs.

Having lived in the Los Angeles area (specifically Santa Monica) twice, I am very aware folks out there are far more hung up on image than reality, so I would expect the luxury brands to dominate there, with price being no object.

 

"Some fallacies here. Those posters proclaiming that a 'true luxury' nameplate can be had for just $1K or $2K more than the Maxima are going by MSRP, and are looking at the base models of the luxury brands. That is meaningless."


Spot on, in fact I was browsing this board before I bought the car and looked at the Infiniti because I thought the Inifiniti was only going to be a few grand more. Untrue as you stated above, it was at least $5k north of the Maxima based on Internet quotes from 3 dealers. Add to the fact that I don't think that you have as much negotiating power when you look at the luxury brands.

 

^x2

Not only that, but even with the G37, you can't even get most of the stuff offered in the premium package or a heated steering wheel even when the G is loaded up to its Max, no pun intended!

 

Over in LA I've literally only seen three 7th gen max's, a silver one on the 405 north weaving in and out of traffic, a black max on the 5 south (about 3pm~ daily), and a twin of my own max I seen right after I bought mine... Navy Blue, same options and everything, was pretty disappointed to find someone who had the same exact car as me so fast but have yet to see them since and it's been almost a year now.

 

When I got mine (first shipment in Aug 2008), nobody had one and I got tons of looks.

Now, sadly, it's so common, I see 2-3 a day and 1 other in my neighborhood alone. Granted, not as common as the Altima or Camry's, but doesn't feel so "special" any more.

 

Light that is exactly correct. I was in the same boat. We came from an acura and the dealer service was way above anything I have ever been a part of. Great service, great little car, tsx. So naturally we looked at Infiniti. But for an equivalently equipped G37 vs the max, the price was 6k difference and that was with our family employer discount, which is great by the way. But ultimatly it came down to size, and the max is larger/wider on the inside. Plus I think it looks better! There are perks to the G37, but the max won us over and we haven't looked back

 

Looks, handling, power, comfort, mileage and price. I can't find any legitimate contenders anywhere close to the price. Mine is a lease that will either be bought out or traded for a new lease and that will depend on what is offered at lease end. I will be fine with buying it out or getting a new one...feels like a win, win situation.

 

Many of my coworkers (realtors) drive Lexus or Mercedes Benz simply because of the name, they even include it in part of their training to at LEAST get an older ES300 just to have that L. Great part is how many of them sweat my Maxima and keep making comments like "it just blows me away what the other car manufacturers are doing now". Then they hop in the ride and see that it's the SV Sport/Tech with leather interior and the jaw drops again. Trust me there ain't nothin like having a millionaire (which I'm nowhere near) get in your car and say "WOW!" 3 different times as their eyes travel around the car. Did I mention that I love my car?

 

i guess thats y its your opinion...u should keep your opinion to yourself...its like a "moopoint"...a cows opinion...its moo...maybe u should relay that message to porche....or bmw...and mercedes because im pretty sure they have some of the fastest luxury sport cars out there...and theyre pretty freaking sporty....or better yet...cadillacs V...500+hp with 4 doors...read a book and get with the times...2 doors are less convinient...no one wants to pull seat forward to cram in the back anymore!! Loser

 

I live in Brooklyn NY i drove 2 miles my friend and i counted 10 7th gen maximas. I do love my maxima but seeing so many does take the fun out of it a little bit....well thats why i mod it to be a lil different from everyone else.

 

You need to slow your roll bro, He was just stating and opinion, and yes I 100% disagree with him, but theres no need for all the extra touches.

 

I think you mean moot point...

 

And I guess you are entitled to your opinion as well but we are all civilized enough on these boards and not bash your opinion the same way you have done with BBmaxi?

Fact of the matter is, we're talking about non-luxury cars since we are on a NISSAN board. Cadis are considered "luxury" cars. So are Porsche, Mercs and Bimmers. Which I'm sure costs more than a loaded Max

I must admit, though having never drive a RWD ever, I know why everyone says that the car should be RWD - just way to much power in the front for a car this heavy. Otherwise, still a fun car to drive and yes, it does get a lot of looks...from others and myself included

 

A. 290 horsepower is more horsepower than I will ever need. Especially here in Washington DC traffic where you do nothing but sit in traffic.

B. Regardless of how many doors this car has, it feels like a sports car to me. I can toss it into off ramps and corners and IMO, it handles very well.
I was traveling on business yesterday coming back from Roanoke merging onto route 66 from Route 81 and some ***** head in a Boxster decided not to let me merge, I punched my Max and got ahead of him. I am willing to bet that he was surprised. Although I felt bad because I took my Maxima over 4K RPM limit before the break in period.

C. I have a co-worker that owns a 2006 Mercedes S430 and every time he pulls it into the dealer lot for repair it costs him at least $1,000. Just kidding, but he gripes about the repair prices all the time. I kid him all the time as to why he is worrying about high repair prices when he could afford to buy a car that cost 80 grand new, but he does. In fact 2 weeks ago, he just replaced a headlamp that went out at a cost of $900 plus installation because guess what? He couldn't just replace the bulb, he had to replace the whole headlight assembly for some reason. A few months ago he spent $3,000 on a suspension issue. Apparently the S Class uses airbags to raise and lower the suspension to make it a sporty ride or a luxurious ride and one of the airbags in the rear went. About a year ago he spent around $2-3 k because his instrument panel (Fuel, speedo, etc.) went on the fritz and he had to replace that assembly.

Give me reliability and performance for the price that I paid for my Maxima and I am one happy camper. Knock on wood.

 

Ya many car enthusiast really respect the a35 max, but many of them always add a comment of "dang if that was rear wheel drive it would be so sick".

i wonder why nissan just didn't make it a rear wheel drive rather than spend all that R and D money to make a front wheel drive car feel like a rear wheel drive car. I don't get it. Is it that expensive to make a drive train / differential that throws the power directly to the rear wheels ?