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Nissan Maxima

8981 messages,  Last post on Feb 09, 2011 at 1:37 PM

You are in the Nissan Maxima Forum.

What is this discussion about? Nissan Maxima, Sedan

Messages Page 766 of 899

#7647 of 8981 kennyg5 by dklanecky

Dec 13, 2003 (8:39 am)

"IMHO, Nissan has committed a big blunder this time, and it must carefully rethink its market and design strategies for the "flagship" Max before it becomes a dinosaur. Survival of the fittest, that is the rule of the jungle and the marketplace."
 
Your analysis of the contemporary auto market is flawed because your trying to only look at Maxima vs. Maxima sales results. The auto market in 2004 and forward doesn't work that way any longer.
 
 Sales Units % to Total

Nov-03 5,875 6.3%
Oct-03 5,708 6.1%
Sep-03 6,895 7.4%
Aug-03 8,456 9.0%
Jul-03 7,356 7.8%
Jun-03 8,388 8.9%
May-03 9,262 9.9%
Apr-03 11,584 12.4%
Mar-03 8,370 8.9%
Feb-03 4,336 4.6%
Jan-03 5,209 5.6%
Dec-02 6,092 6.5%
Nov-02 6,212 6.6%
93,743
 
Sales Units % to Total

Nov-02 6,212 5.8%
Oct-02 5,087 4.7%
Sep-02 6,813 6.3%
Aug-02 9,195 8.5%
Jul-02 7,472 6.9%
Jun-02 7,657 7.1%
May-02 7,310 6.8%
Apr-02 7,904 7.3%
Mar-02 15,162 14.1%
Feb-02 10,356 9.6%
Jan-02 9,242 8.6%
Dec-01 8,656 8.0%
Nov-01 6,602 6.1%
107,668

Important Dates to consider:

03 Maxima announced 06/10/02

04 Maxima on sale 03/05/03
 
It's pretty clear that the 2003's drove sales as they were liquidated at well below invoice (from your own comments).
 
Since the MSRP (as well as the actual selling price overall on the Maxima has increased for 2004) I don't know how you can say this is a such a disaster for Nissan.
 
To me it looks like a pretty smart market segmentation strategy.
 
When you analyze all the Nissan/Infiniti product offerings and their sales, you'll find an economic success. Some former Maxima Owners (like me) now have a Murano because it fits my current needs better. Some moved to the G35 platform offering (including the FX), while others moved down to the Altima and quite a few stayed with the Maxima.
 
To simply compare one model years sales from one year to another, without taking into consideration the segmentation that Nissan clearly INTENDED is ignorant.
 
I'm sure your shooting from the hip with your comments rather than carefully analyzing ALL the facts.
 
If you'd like to try some some facts for a change, try NissanNews.com.

#7648 of 8981 dklanecky... by bowke28

Dec 13, 2003 (12:25 pm)

good points. the thing that formar maxima "afficionados" have trouble understanding is the fact that nissan has 'reset' the maxima's position in the lineup. the altima 3.5SE is now in the position that the maxima was in before. thats by design. the new maxima isnt designed to be the "4-door sports car" that the MSRP sticker said last year. this year's model says "nissan's flagship".
 
im sorry to all maxima owners from before for their car being different from the current model. its really sad that some people cant accept that reality.

#7649 of 8981 dklanecky and bowke by kennyg5

Dec 13, 2003 (1:43 pm)

Dklanecky -- I was quite clear in my post (demise of the 04 Max?) that my comments are strictly directed at the Max, particularly the 04 Max, rather than the entire Nissan/Infiniti line up as a whole. If you read my post again carefully, you will note that was the only point I was making.
 
As an owner of 3 Maxes, 3rd, 4th and 5th gens, I think I know the Max quite well, and I believe my sentiments are shared by many pre-04 Max owners, i.e. we know what we want and the 04 Max does not seem to deliver. As Bowke concedes: "im sorry to all maxima owners from before for their car being different from the current model" Yes, the 04 Max is different and that is indisputable. The REAL bottom line for Nissan is - AS FAR AS THE MAX "FLAGSHIP" IS CONCERNED - will the former Max fans shop the 6th gen when it comes time for them to replace their Max. You can draw your own conclusion, but as I noted in my post, I believe the Max may become a dinosaur if Nissan does not take note of what former Max owners want. Even Bowke acknowledges that former Max owners are the best customers because they are repeat buyers. Yes, we are repeat buyers, but only if Nissan knows and delivers what we want.
 
It may very well be true that Nissan/Infiniti is making a very smart move for the entire line-up, as is evident from the fact that its profit has risen substantially over the past few years. However, as a Max owner, my views are more narrow (or myopic) because my focus is on the Max alone, and nothing more. Indeed, this thread is supposed to be dedicated to the Max, but we are free to diverge, of course, within reasonable limits. As noted, Max is the flagship car for Nissan for many years, and as a Max fan, I hate to see the flagship become a dinosur.

#7650 of 8981 kennyg5... by bowke28

Dec 13, 2003 (2:14 pm)

along with my point about past maxima buyers/owners, i would also point out that the altima 3.5SE is a perfect replacement for the previous maxima. many previous maxima owners are very closed minded about trying an altima on for size. you all might be pleasantly surprised.

#7651 of 8981 bowke by kennyg5

Dec 13, 2003 (4:03 pm)

That may very well be true. However, I do not believe many Maxima owners want an Altima whose interior materials are inferior and whose name lacks panache. You may also be right that Maxima owners can be closed minded -- indeed, we don't want a dressed up Altima even if its interior materials are better.
 
I think Nissan is trying to squeeze more profit out of the Maxima. That's ok because a moderate amount of greed is not bad. However, if someone spends $35k on an 04 Max, don't tell him that he gets the same showroom and dealer service as someone who buys a $12k Sentra. That is why I said Nissan has failed to properly place the 04 Max in its market segment.
 
The price of my 03 Max was slightly over $30k MSRP. To get a comparably equipped 04 Max, it will be $34k MSRP. The only way Nissan can get someone to buy the 04 Max is to cut the price, possibly by $3k to $4k or even more. Such a significant price cut for a brand new redesigned car, however, may be embarrassing for Nissan. Well, I will let Nissan figure this out!!

#7652 of 8981 kenny... by bowke28

Dec 13, 2003 (4:33 pm)

you said: "The price of my 03 Max was slightly over $30k MSRP. To get a comparably equipped 04 Max, it will be $34k MSRP."
 
no. the price of a loaded SL is $31400. the same SE is $32300. you are pricing the elite package with rear buckets and navi, which wasnt offered on your $30k 2003.
 
dont debate price points with me, my friend.
 
fact is, a loaded 2003 GLE is only about $800 less than a 2004 SL with the driver preferred package and sunroof.

#7653 of 8981 replacement for max by cheerioboy26

Dec 13, 2003 (4:58 pm)

I own a 2000 Maxima SE (my wife's) and a G35 for me. According to my wife, she either wants another Maxima (2005 by the time we buy it) or a Murano.
 
FWIW.

#7654 of 8981 Altima vs. Maxima by suydam

Dec 13, 2003 (5:02 pm)

I wouldn't want an Altima because the interior is not nearly as nice as the Maxima. Speaking of which, I don't care as much for the looks of the 04 Max interior as I do my '01 GLE. I do like the look of the exterior. But then I'm not in the market and haven't driven one or even sat inside. When we were shopping, we wanted a very nice interior with rear seat room, in addition to power, handling and reliability. My comparison car was the Passat, which I loved but couldn't get at the time for under $30k. We thought the Max was every bit as nice as the Passat (ok, so the rear is "distinctive"!) for 4 grand less. I imagine that's a pretty typical first-time Maxima buyer experience. After that, my thought is, "I love this car; this is what I always want to drive!" Which I guess is the repeat-buyer experience. But I don't think either group would be happy with the Altima, which is why they are keeping the Max. -- Mary

#7655 of 8981 bowke by kennyg5

Dec 13, 2003 (5:18 pm)

I was comparing the MSRPs of the fully loaded 03 GLE and the fully loaded 04 SL. I paid $26.5k for my 03. Would I get a comparably equiped 04 SL for about the same price? If yes, then Nissan must be giving very SIZEABLE discounts for a newly redesigned car.
 
I am not knocking the 04 Max, trust me. I am a Max fan and the last thing I want to see is for the flagship to disappear from the lineup. I can also understand why the 04 Max is built on the Altima platform. It is cheaper to produce, particularly when they are both now built in the same U.S. plant. However, the Max may be construed, by some, as a dressed up Altima, like the I35 has been invariably been criticized as a dressed up Maxima. In the later case, however, the Infiniti nameplate gives you a longer warranty and better service, which to some, is worth the extra $$.

#7656 of 8981 $26.5k... by bowke28

Dec 13, 2003 (5:25 pm)

also had a $2k rebate. the '03s had them from day 1. that makes your price $28.5k. the SL is $31400. if you bought at invoice, you are at $28.7k. the fully loaded '04 isnt comparable to a fully loaded '03. comparing apples to apples, the car isnt much more than before. they just offer more now on top of that.

Messages Page 766 of 899

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