Well, I don't think I can afford the 02 Maxima after all. After talking to the dealership, it seems that I may have to settle for the Altima. So...here's the low down...is the Altima SE 5spd a decent ride??? I know the Max is better, but do you think I would be happy in the Alt? Seems to have basically the same power...one less gear, and about 3k less in cost. Not bad. Insurance is also cheaper too.
I need payments of less than $350 a month with a downpayment of around $1500 on a lease. Don't think the max is going to happen. I'm sad...but will the altima do, or should I just wait??????

 

I like the alty but the interior is cheaoy to me (and many others)--but if you like the interior, performance is great like the max for the $$

 

Straightline acceleration, dead even.
Handling? Basically the same on flat roads, get to bumpy roads altima has the lead.
Altima is a good buy if you dont care about the interior features and your ok with what you have on the altima. both great cars IMO.

 

That's strange! When I got my 2K2 SE, the 3.5SE Altima was about $2G over the sticker on my SE (though I got a base SE w/sunroof) @ $29.6G vs the $27G of my SE (both automatic).

Between the Alt 3.5 and the 2K2 Max, there really is no straightline performance difference--on paper. So if you're mainly into the performance and don't want/need Navi then the Alt should suit your needs.

 

I'd get either. The only downside to the Altima at this point, as others have pointed out, is the interior. Hopefully that will get better with further iterations of this model.

If you're deadset on getting the Maxima, wait until around June when the final model release of the 5th gen will come out (rumored to be "Titanium Edition"... same car, some minor visual elements upgraded). That should bring prices down on pre-Titanium inventory a bit more. And given it is the final year there'll definitely be a lot of inventory clearance sales to make way for the 6th gen Max.

 

Max has a LOT more standard features.....HID..so on and so forth.

 

Ummm ... if you're even half-way decent at negotiating, you should be able to get a base Maxima SE at well under $350/mo with $1500 down and 15K mi/yr. It is a piece of cake to get Maximas at invoice price.

If the $1000 rebate is still in effect, you could get an SE with sunroof, HLSD, floor mats and the painted splash guards for $346/mo. A comparably equipped Altima (incl. HIDs and spoiler) is a bit more.

 

I liked the stlying and power in the Altima. What turned me off was the road and windnoise. The Maxima seemed to ride better and had definitely less windnoise. Gauges on the Altima didn't have that "refined" finish to me...looked kind of cheap and quickly put together. Again, just my opinion. But as far as looks, the Altima is really sharp.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DrVolkl
[B]Well, I don't think I can afford the 02 Maxima after all. After talking to the dealership, it seems that I may have to settle for the Altima


Are you talking about a comparably equipped Altima SE 3.5 ? If so, I'm surprised to hear that you found a dealership where the Altima is cheaper. One of the reasons that I settled for the Maxima was because the best deal that I could get on an Altima was ~ $ 2000 more than a comparably equipped Maxima.

 

Well, when I spoke with the ONE dealership I went to, they made it sound like it would be impossible to get into a maxima for less than the altima. I don't know why...just did. I was looking at the BASE SE 6-spd. Well, they didn't have one on the lot, so they pulled up a pretty basic Alt SE 5-spd. Cloth, with basically no add ons. The list was 23k, vs the Max's 27k. They even offered to put a sunroof into the alt (by the way, is this a wise thing to have the dealership do???). I dunno. The alt was silver, which is fine, but I'd rather have a superblack max. I'm going to have to sit on this one for awhile. Oh, and yes, the cloth interior on the Alt looked kinda cheap. Some of the plastic looked REALLY cheap. I thought if I could find a leather one, it might not be so bad. As far as numbers go, it looks like I could be happy in the Alt. I need to find a bigger nissan dealership with more cars on the lot to get a better idea of what's going on.

 

DR, I can tell you that the Nissan Dealers in the Hampton Roads Area (South East Virginia) are dealing like crazy with the Maximas (including rebates, etc.). Keep looking and keep pressing (you'll have better luck towards the end of the month...when they're really trying to get the cars off of their lot). Good Luck!!

 

Oh its only $3000 lousy dollars.Get the car you want,go with the Max.3 grand is only $83.33 a month,$20.83 a week,$2.98 a day,12.4 cents an hour,.020 cents a minute.Whats the big deal.You could give up coffee in the morning and afford that.

 

I went in to buy an Altima and drove off with the Max because of rebates and a stronger demand for the Altima( Nissan is pushing the Altima vs Accord/Camry). I drove my salesman nuts by testing both models with various configs about a dozen times. THE MAX SE 6SPEED IS QUICKER THAN AN ALTIMA 5SPEED! Maybe from a torque standpoint but I know it beats the Altima in 1/4 mile.
Bottom line: both cars are a great choice. I felt the interior of the Altima was similiar to one you find in a entry level car. But the motor will last forever.
Before you buy, shop other dealers that are having less luck pushing the Max.....
Rob

Rwbro719@aol.com for pics

 

I BOUGHT my Maxx, I saw a Loaded Altima for for not much less than a Maxx without Navi. I saw the Altima, and was interested, till I saw the leather ... It looks like Cheap garb....I was looking for Navi. in my next car, so I was definetely looking at the Maxx... I paid $29800 for a TRULY FULLY LOADED Maxx.... Your price seems too high. I know you can get a Base Se with a 6 speed for 23000, for SURE !

 

I was supposed to buy an altima back in november but it was going to cost me more than i wanted. I was puting down $12,000 and it was $370 for 60 months. Needless to say i didnt get it. i think u can get a much better deal with the max.

 

Well GET THIS: I am now the proud owner of a 2002 Max SE 6-spd in Super Black.

Thanks for all your help. Unreal. You were all totally right. After trying to get the altima at one dealership, I went to another which had HUGE volume, found a stripped '02 Max and went to work. I got my payments to $340.32 a month with $1500 down as well as a check for $2776 to pay off the remainder on my Explorer Sport. Not too shabby. I'm pretty damn stoked actually. The car is pretty damn basic...just has the sunroof....other than that, pretty plane jane stock. But man, do I love it already! 112miles and counting! I asked the guy who wrote up the contract if I got a good deal and he said they lost $812 on me...but hey, he didn't care. If the sales men want to lose money, it's up to them. He basically said it was a volume deal, they need to sell so many cars a week...so I suppose they figure they'll make money on someone else. I just stuck with my guns and was out to my car before the guy came running out and asked me for $5 more a month than I was asking ($334). I said fine...

I couldn't have done it without you guys! Thanks a ton! I am a VERY HAPPY OWNER...Just wish I coulda gotten the HLSD, but hey, I suppose you can't always have everything! (leather woulda been nice too...but hell, I'm just glad she ain't an Altima! (even though it is a nice car and all))

 

Nice. good luck with the car man

Hopefully im getting one 2. have to sell my 98 max and my pathfinder first.

 

i hate stripped cars, i only buy fully loaded
they are too empty and you don't have any fun driving in them

 

DRVOLKL, good show and don't worry about it not having all the goodies. I have found that down the road when it comes to resale...a lot of the goodies mean nothing. Look at any NADA and you'll see what I mean. Have fun and enjoy your MAXIMA!!!!

 

Ahh! But some people have these things that (I believe) are called---"budgets" and apparently each one of these "budgets" varies by individual.

The SE I test drove had leather, navi, meridian, BOSE w/changer but the lease payments with only about $1G would have been close to $500/mo. Nice car but nahhhh! So I jumped into a base SE w/sunroof and am only paying about $350/mo. Good enough for me! (Besides, why would I need a navi to go from home to work; If I can't figure THAT out by now, then I shouldn't be driving.)

And MarkS is right; alot of these options don't have any beneficial impact when it comes to resale. For the past 20 years (or more), the only options that count (when it comes to resale) are auto tranny, air conditioning and cassette/cd.

 

As far as stripped vs. loaded...well, of course a loaded car is nicer. However, a lower monthly payment is also really nice. Who wants to pay $450 to $500 a month on a max? The only options I wish I got was the HLSD and the leather (which the dealer said they could put in later if I want it). So, all in all, I'm very happy. A sunroof and a 6spd is really all you need. The audio will be done by an aftermarket company anyhow, and who needs NAV? Sure looks nice, but I have a handheld GPS anyhow.
Took the car to the coast for the weekend...drove like a dream, and it's a lot faster than I thought. It won't be hard to get a ticket in this car.

Now...time for mods....looks like intake will be first.

 

On the contrary ... the more gadgets that are on the car, the less you can really focus on what makes driving fun .... DRIVING!

 

regardless, they get about $2K per car at the end of the month.. Even if they sell below invoice. Dealer hold back is that whole 'volume' thing. Thats where the real money is for them. Anything over invoice is just extra gravy.

 

wooo hooo !!!

Congrats on the Max !!