Hey guys I'm new here and I'm hoping I could get a few questions answered. Did some searches and found some good info. I'm starting to look at some Maximas. My assumption is that I'll get an SV w/ sports package so I can get leather, beefier suspension and shift paddles. My first question is how responsive are the paddles. I've driven a 370Z w/ them a G37S, an Audi TTS and few others. If anyone knows how they compare I'd love to hear your thoughts. I know they're connected to a CVT and that may be a bit different.

Also, I'm a big fan of black cars. How "soft" is the Nissan paint. I had a 335i that I swear got swirls marks by just going over 75mph - the paint was like butter - I hated it.

Background info: I currently have an '09 RX-8 R3, but my kids won't stop growing so I guess I'm going to have to get something bigger. I'm a bigger fan of manuals, but I'm getting a little tired of shifting so I'm hoping the paddles will give the control that I like. May be useless.

Lastly, I'm looking at '09 - '11, anything I should know. I like the '09 prices better.

Thanks.

 

My input on the paddle shifters is that I think they are very responsive with the CVT transmission. I work for Caddy and I drive alot of high end cars. one mainly being the CTS-V and the CVT shifts much faster than the CTS-V tranny.

 

That's nice to hear. Does it blip the throttle on downshifts?

 

The paddles are cool, a lot of people think they're useless but I like em. I use them all the time to down shift and slow down, which is really useful if you're aggressively driving twisty roads that require both hands on the wheel. Awesome cause you definitely can downshift and floor it and feel some great acceleration coming out of the turns.

On straight-aways though they're not so useful for accelerating (people have hit the track and determined D is faster than Ds or manually shifting) but still makes the car fun to drive if you get bored with automatics. On the same token when you get stuck in traffic you don't want to shoot yourself in the head because you have to keep shifting.

The Nissan paint is soft though, many people get a 3M clear bra installed on the front to protect from chips in the paint from rocks.

 

yeah I have to let out my inner Schumacher at times. I'll go do a test drive when I get the chance.

Just thought of another question. How bad is the torque steer? Had a '95 Maxima and it was pretty bad. Most reliable car I've ever owned though.

 

at first I had to get used to it, wasn't used to a FWD car. once i got used to the idea of "keep the wheel straight and you'll go straight" it got much easier. its obviously not a RWD so you will have to be mindful of where you're pointing the wheel, cause a dip in the road that causes your wheel to turn will require some quick course correction like any FWD car. you also get the benefit of having something that drives halfway decent in snow.

 

I don't know where you live, but I would strongly consider AGAINST the sports package. They have stiffer springs but do not appear to offer any performance benefits and if your roads are awful, pot holes and such, I would guess you would regret that decision pretty quickly. At least that is my understanding. I would personally find a premium package, it has all the features of the Sport packages, except 19" wheels and stiffer springs (to my knowledge anyway), plus some added perks (nicer leather seats, cooled drivers seat, power rear sunshade...). The paddle shifters can definitively be fun, but the novelty wears off.

Torque steer: It is really only obvious when you turn the wheel or the suspension dips. The car is designed with equal length half shafts. Since force is a function of distance (hence how torque wrenches work) this is a big benefit in minimizing the issue. Also a proper suspension setup helps.

The singles biggest downfall to this car is the CVT. Otherwise this car dominates in its own class and even those above it. It has excellent fit and finish. Rides nice, has a great power plant, and great standard and reasonably priced options. If you consider the initial cost of the car with the high end features of a premium package, 40K is reasonably priced considering some of the 'standard' features on the maxima aren't even options on the infiniti G, you would have to step up to the M for them, like the cooled passenger seat. Granted nissan did skimp on certain things, no cooled passenger seat, heat only, and the passenger side view mirror isn't auto dim...

Overall it is a great car for daily driving. If you are looking for a performance vehicle, there is little real support. Just the usual's such as exhaust, brake, intake. There are some home brew mods available from people here. But the reality is the CVT limits pretty much all efforts. If you want something that has performance options get a G37. If you want a great daily driver that has more passion that an accord, camry, taurus, malibu....anything along that line and does most things very well, then by all means grab the maxima.

I don't discount the car for its faults, it is still a very good and a hopefully reliable vehicle, you just need to be aware of them going into it.

 

Well, i have an 09 (but I bought it brand new in 08) and I think they're a bargain right now as they're proving to have a high resale value. I was offered 23K (no lie, I have the letter to prove it) for my 09 which is in excellent condition with nearly 80K miles on it but it was towards the purchase of an Infiniti (any model), plus Nissan has been nearly begging me to trade up so they can buy back this car and resale it.

I know many people here have complained about this and that every now and then but I truly thank God because as you stated your 95 was the most reliable car you've ever had then so is my 09, no issues with this car.

I too, have a 2K, 2K3 and the 09 Maxima so I'm well aware of these cars capabilities, both my other Maximas are running great and well over 100K plus miles. The 09 runs great, I have the Eibach Pro Kit (necessary to eliminate the big wheelgap) and an FSTB and RSB (the latter is a must to stop some of the rocking up top when going over bumps and both are necessary to increase stabilization).

You can see my car in the link in my Sig, it still looks the same today, drives great (actually even faster/better than when I first bought it). Nissan did skimp a little especially on the windshield (cheap glass, cracks when the wind blows hard, LOL) and the CVT (while decent) does hurt this car performancewise (it'd be so much better with a 6spd manual or a 7 or 8 speed Auto) but for what it is it gets the job done.

I hope you decide on getting an 09 because I think you'll find what you want as far as pricing and still get the same benefits of the 10 or 11, God bless you and your family Bro and go for what you know.

 

vr4z06gt I live in San Antonio and we actually have pretty good roads here, plus my current car has incredibly stiff suspension, so I think I'll be okay with the sports suspension, but thank you for the heads up. It's surprising there isn't much performance gain. Can yo elaborate on the suspension setup you referred to?

bk2k3max nice to hear on the resale value. What's the cost of the Eibach kit? And God bless you too. Have a great Easter.

Thanks to everyone for your input. I really do appreciate it.

 

bk2k3max found the Eibach kit online. Did you just do the springs or the whole coilovers?