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Nissan Maxima

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

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What is this discussion about? Nissan Maxima, Sedan

Messages Page 874 of 899

#8726 of 8981 Re: Maxima vs. Altima [habitat1] by xrunner2

Sep 24, 2005 (8:56 am)

Replying to: habitat1 (Sep 22, 2005 7:32 am)
Nor does the current model invoke the owner "passion" that the 4th and prior generations did.
 
Agreed. Also agree with other recent posts about fit/finish, interior, sportiness, handling, etc. about current generation of Max vs 95-99 (gen 4?).
 
Have a 97 SE with 171K miles and excellent reliability - it has essentially been bullitt proof. We have always had all service done at either of 2 Nissan dealers so I always wander around the showroom and look at latest offerings from Nissan. In my wanderings and observations, my opinion is that my 97 SE has better quality, fit and finish (including paint) and interior design than the current generation.
 
In the autumn of 2000, wife and I test drove an 01 SE from two different dealerships. In the autumn of 2003, we test drove the 04 SE. In all test drives, we got to drive the car ourselves without a salesperson and drove the car on suburban roads as well as the rural twisties that we had very good familiarity. Since each of us had put on many thousands of miles on our 97 SE, we had a very substantial basis for comparison.
 
The main thing I recall about the 01 model was that it did not handle as nimbly as our 97 and that it did not shift smoothly. On the 04 SE, the torque steer was noticable, the turning circle was too big and most of all, the car felt "ponderous".
 
In both cases, autumn of 00 and 03, we took a pass on buying another Maxima and bought another brand both times. Of course, still have 97 SE.
 
I too am wondering what will be the future of Maxima. Recall that Nissan had commercials on TV (early 90's?) where they tried to emphasize the sportiness of the car. Definitely could not do that today with a Max. Really don't know what Nissan is trying to accomplish with this generation.

#8727 of 8981 Re: Maxima vs. Altima [xrunner2] by habitat1

Sep 24, 2005 (9:57 am)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Sep 24, 2005 8:56 am)
Congratulations on your 171k bullet proof miles on your 97 SE.
 
I think you hit the nail on the head with the term "ponderous" to describe where Nissan has taken the Maxima.
 
Almost all cars have gotten bigger over the last 10-15 years. A Civic today is substantially larger than an Accord of the late 80's and early 90's. The latest 3 series by BMW offers nearly the same interior size as the pevious generation 5 series. And, to be fair, when I bought our 1995 Maxima, the decision was partly based upon the fact that it could comfortably carry 4-5 passengers.
 
But somehow, as the 4th generation Maxima evolved from a 3,010 lb "4 door sports car" to the current 3,450 lb version, it lost a lot of the sportiness, both in nibleness and in looks. Other manufacturers, like BMW and Acura, have done their "upsizing" with more finesse. My 2004 TL 6-speed weighs 3,400+ lbs, but feels much more nimble and sporty than the "ponderous" Maxima. The 3 series of today weighs 600 lbs more than the 1990 version, but is still the classs leader in handling and performance.
 
I will continue to defend my 1995 Maxima SE as the best balance of size, sportiness, and damn good build quality (as both of our cars attest). Whether or not Nissan can recapture some of that is questionable. The fact that a good portion of the market now cross shops the Maxima with the Buick (I mean Toyota) Avalon, is not a good sign. That would have been virtually unthinkable back when I bought my 1995 SE 5-speed.

#8728 of 8981 Hmm by obyone

Sep 24, 2005 (12:37 pm)

"The fact that a good portion of the market now cross shops the Maxima with the Buick (I mean Toyota) Avalon, is not a good sign."
 
Guess you haven't seen the specs on the 2006 Avalon....nor the reviews....
 
0-60 in 6.5....15 sec 1/4 mile.....280 HP......
 
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2006/toyota/avalon/100577983/photos.html

#8729 of 8981 Some more things about 95-99 gen Max by xrunner2

Sep 24, 2005 (1:31 pm)

Recall that introduction of 95 Max SE got glowing reviews by the car magazines. I believe that it was introduced in Summer of 94. Think that Motor Trend named it Car of Year. All liked the power, smoothness and easy revving of the engine and appreciated the car's handling in spite of not having an irs. Magazine testers preferred irs of previous gen of Maxima, but said that setup on 95 worked fine. Some of the testers said that Max should have offered 16 inch wheels on the 95. Max did upgrade to 16 in 96.

#8730 of 8981 Re: Some more things about 95-99 gen Max [xrunner2] by kennyg8

Sep 24, 2005 (2:08 pm)

Replying to: xrunner2 (Sep 24, 2005 1:31 pm)
I saw the review and it indeed had high praises for the 95 Max. The engine was sweet, smooth and powerful (when compared with similarly priced and even higher priced cars) but I did not like the "broom stick" suspension (even though I ended up buying one because of great experience with the 92 Max). I prefer the irs in my 92 Max and I felt it was more solid and higher quality in terms of fit and finish. Times have certainly changed ... the new Max made in the U.S. is not like the ones made in Japan.

#8731 of 8981 Re: Hmm [obyone] by habitat1

Sep 24, 2005 (5:34 pm)

Replying to: obyone (Sep 24, 2005 12:37 pm)
"Guess you haven't seen the specs on the 2006 Avalon....nor the reviews....
  
0-60 in 6.5....15 sec 1/4 mile.....280 HP...... "
 
Yeah I've seen the reviews. Interesting, In 2005 it takes Toyota a "reported" 280 hp to get virtually the same acceleration figures as my 190 hp Max SE 5-speed achieved over a decade ago. I guess if you put enough horsepower behind a river barge and you can get a 15 second quarter mile out of it.
 
"Avalon" and "sporty" are mutually exclusive terms. It's only transmission choice is a slushbox automatic. Its suspension is tuned to take you over railraod tracks without spilling your coffee. And the seats are designed to hold butts that are twice as wide as mine. Or at least twice as wide as my wife's. It may be a nice alternative to a big Buick or Crown Victoria, but the Avalon wouldn't make my mother in law's definition of sporty, let alone mine.
 
It appears that the Infiniti G35 sedan has taken over the role once reserved by Nissan for the Maxima, while the Maxima and Altima have morphed together into less distincitve cars. But, whether it was the Cresida of old, the Camry throughout, or the Avalon today, I don't think anybody with a sporting bone in their body would get too excited by these offerings from Toyota. So, again I say, if that is what the 2005 Maxima is competing with and being cross shopped against, it is a sad sign.
 
P.S. Look at the kennyg8's post subsequent to yours. The debate among 3rd & 4th generation Maxima owners was whether the IRS was better than the newer Multi-link solid beam axle. That's the kind of debate that driving enthusiasts have. And regardless of which side of that debate you were on, you knew that back in 1989 through 1999, nothing from Toyota or Honda even came close.

#8732 of 8981 Re: max [kyleknicks] by ramped

Sep 25, 2005 (5:59 pm)

Replying to: kyleknicks (Sep 22, 2005 10:13 am)
I made exactly the choice you stated when I traded my '92 Maxima SE last year. Since it's essentially a second car and I needed to stay within a budget, I got the Mazda 6s with the sport package/side airbags.
 
Suydam pretty much summed up the difference between the earlier generation Maximas and the Mazda 6. The Mazda is a great car to drive (It'll outhandle the Maximas all day), but it's power train is nowhere near as powerful and efficient as the Maxima's VQ 6. I am growing a little weary at the lack of low-end torque in the Mazda 3.0 litre V6. There's a lot of shifting at low speeds with the 5-speed automatic transmission. But, overall the Mazda is a very good car, and I have had no reliablity issues with it at all.
 
Like many of you, I never considered the new generation Maxima. What a shame what Nissan has done to the car.

#8733 of 8981 2005 vs 2006 Maxima SL by silverfox1

Sep 26, 2005 (9:18 am)

Have a current 97 Maxima GLE and want to replace it with a new Maxima SL. Have the possibility of finding an 05 SL (new) for $1720 less than an 06 SL. May have a better chance to get the color I want with the 06. What are differences or why is it better to get the newer car (06)?

#8734 of 8981 Re: 2005 vs 2006 Maxima SL [silverfox1] by kyleknicks

Sep 26, 2005 (10:21 am)

Replying to: silverfox1 (Sep 26, 2005 9:18 am)
for one... depreciation

#8735 of 8981 Re: 2005 vs 2006 Maxima SL [kyleknicks] by silverfox1

Sep 26, 2005 (11:45 am)

Replying to: kyleknicks (Sep 26, 2005 10:21 am)
I tend to keep cars for at least 7 years, longer if the mileage is low. My 97 only has 78,000 miles on it. Really don't need a car but getting up in age and want a change. Will try to sell it to some one in the family since the car is immculate.

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