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Comments
--tia
So my "TMV" for this car would be about $3,500 under the new car invoice, since I believe $1,000 to $1,500 under invoice deals were pretty commonplace. Use Edmund's to price it up; I think they still have the 2003 invoice pricing on the "new car" tab above.
On the other hand, if you love the car and there are no more new 2003's to choose from, you may not have a lot of bargaining power other than to walk away. But still try to get a fair deal - and that is not a 6,000 mile demo for marginally less than a brand new car, in my book.
Good luck and report back.
One additional question -- This car has black leather. I've always had tan leather and I've heard that black leather gets hotted quicker. Is this true?
thank you all
I bought an 02 demo,1700 mile Majestic Blue, frost leather about a year ago for 26500
2.9%/60 mos.)- stickered for 29800. I thought that was a pretty good deal at the time. Likewise, also did not have much to choose from either.
Regarding your leather question-
Dark surfaces absorb more heat than lighter ones. In this case since it is leather- its going to get hot, regardless of color. I really think the sensible differences will be negligible.
Kinda like being able to differentiate between an air temperature of 99 and 102...
Just my .02 cents.
Enjoy your ride!
Thanks
Looks like I opened a "can of worms" with my post
about "leaving the flock" to buy the Accord V-6.
It appears that a lot of you agree with me about
Nissan's corporate decision making.
This was a really difficult decision for me to make. I look at my '00 SE and think what a great
ride this has been and it still looks so appealing
because (and I admit it) I'm anal about its care,
both mechanically and cosmetically.
I believe the Accord is a finely made automobile
and my recent research has punctuated that thought
with numerous extremely positive reviews and road
tests......BUT, it's still not a Maxima.
Re the complaint on option packages. What I meant
was that no other manufacturer (of which I'm aware)
makes you purchase four other packages in order to
get the items in the fifth package that you want.
Yes, others do group items into packages and you
have the choice to purchase an individual option
package but Nissan requires you to purchase, e.g.,
package #1, #2 and #3 if you only want the items
that are in package #4. Sorry to ramble on about
this..........This policy is one of the primary
factors that has increased the cost of the '04
Max beyond what I'm willing to pay for this par-
ticular car AND it appears that quite a few of you
have very aptly said the same thing in different
words!
berbel
does anyone know a good source? the costs to the dealer?
this is not neccessarily from your purchasing dealer as long as before the standard warranty expires. any nationwide Nissan dealer will do.
someone mentioned that they were offered 25K for a C320 base model... 32k for a max vs ..even if i had to pay 27k for a benz... i would pick the benz anyday of the week even if it's the base model... I'm a big fan of nissan, but the new maxima definitely turned me off.... the only nice product out of the nissan camp nowadays is the Z.. not to mention the G .... i might look into a 3series or a C230 or C320 when it time to replace my 2000 maxima in a few yrs...
suggest to your lady friend that she add the lighted spoiler to her car. It changes the whole
"character" of the rear end, which incidentally,
looks like the backside of an Alpha Romeo 164.
PRAYERFOR: The interior of the Accord, if you add
the wood trim kit like I did, is much more refined
than the 6s altho I subjectively think the 6s
sheetmetal has the Accord beat. The Accord interior
reminds me more of the refined interior of the
00-03 Maximas and with the exception of the '04's,
it will remain a car near and dear to my heart!!!
berbel
I agree though, $34k is too much for a Maxima.
Also what I noticed recently slight transmission hesitation before switching to the 2nd or may be 3rd gear, it let engine rpm pass 3000 Is that normal? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
85-octane: 30.1, 27.6, 29.1, 26.7, 28.6. Average: 28.4 mpg.
85.5 octane (in Great Falls, MT): 29.4 mpg.
87-octane: 25.2, 27.1, 27.7, 28.3. Average: 27.1 mpg.
88-octane: 31.6, 28.1. Average 29.85 mpg.
91-octane: 27.2 mpg.
The car performed flawlessly. I certainly did not notice any appreciable change in torque nor any pinging. Therefore it seems that any gasoline will do but I intend to refill with the premium once in a while anyway.
I've never seen less than an 87 rating anywhere I've driven, including both coasts.
I think its a no-brainer...this car is not a smart purchase as it competes with others in its class. The hype of the new vehcle will wear off and at the end you will have a few fools who jumped to quick and ended up with a 34K dolar car that sucks in comparison to a G35, Bimmer and others.
Nissan will have no option but to make serious changes, rebates, and initiatives to make this model a success in the long run. just an opinion from an opinionated fool! Who knows...will see.
If you evr see the interior of the Z you may agree that it is superior to the maxima's...almoust any interior is.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Thanks.
fastdriver
I respectfully suggest that you let some air out of your tires if you're running 40 pounds as you posted you are.
If you think 32 is too "soft" then you can "safely"
inflate to no more than 2-3 pounds over recommended
tire pressure. Carrying 40 is going to wear the
center tread off your tires very prematurely. More
importantly, when you inflated to 40, you significantly DECREASED the tires "contact patch"
What exacerbates this is the fact that the faster
you drive, the more the contact patch is decreased.
The more the contact patch is decreased, the more
your "stopping distance" is increased. NOW, let's
make this scenario WORSE. Let's ADD rainfall to the
highway surface and let's watch what your car does
when when you try an emergency stop or try to
execute an emergency avoidance procedure. Let's
speculate about how much more than normal your car
will hydroplane with 40 pounds instead of 32. I
don't want to be anywhere near you when this plays
out 'cause it ain't going to be a pretty picture.
Please drop your air pressure and NO, I don't sell
tires for a living. I do however have some background in technical accident investigation and
accident reconstruction.
sailoverfuel/post 7012/For the reasons you mentioned and others as
well, I'm now driving a different make vehicle. I'll be very surprised
if Nissan doesn't have a bad sales report on the Max by the end of
12 months.
Take care/berbel
just an update i got from the local Nissan dealer. They now sell the '04 maxima for $100 over invoice +tax no matter what the invoice price is. Does that sound like a good deal?
I know Maxima has completely cheap interior, but I think it looks cool (exterior, personal taste).
The price is the only reason Im still considering this car. Cos if they're still selling it for MSRP i would go to the Audi dealer instead, which offered me '03 A6 quattro almost fully loaded for $40k+, that price includes WA tax, lisence and other fees, and delivery to home ( about 70 miles from dealer)
Let me know if the Maxima's price is pretty decent. Thanx
The manual actually talks about the 85-octane being OK for you Maxima in mountain states. The caution, of course, is not to gas up on 85-octane for a trip to a lower elevation. Otherwise, 85-octane works just fine.
it costs 15k and my dad and i got it down to 13700 or something around there (not including taxes or anything). What do you all think?
I would rather have a smaller car, but I dont know what else is out there that isnt very expensive with a sunroof/spoiler on it. And is the non-bose speakers good? (compared to my 1985 oldsmobile regency 98 and I have a JVC mp3 player to replace their cd-player)
Or there is a Jetta with like 24k miles on it and i got them to add a sunroof for a total of 14k (not including taxes and stuff)
Thanks
Fastdriver I have not experienced any clicking/ticking at the top of console, that sucks I hope they fix it.
Wow, sailoverfuel and kyleknick what a generalization of intellect of us 04 buyers. I had looked at all the other cars people have been talking about on this board and the new Maxima filled my needs. Obviously, I believe the car is great inside and out and believe that the model you both drive is one of the most boring and bland styled cars out there and could question your intellect . However, that is my opinion and you have yours and neither of us are going to convince the other. If it was not for this model change I would have not bought another Maxima.
I believe Nissan has finally designed some excitement into the Maxima (look at the discussion it has generated) and of course others will disagree. The previous models were so bland people would not notice them at least now the car is turning heads if you like it our not. Perhaps it is because it is so new and has nothing to do with the design. Hopefully it will help increase the declining Maxima sales. However, sailoverfuel you are right and we will see soon what type of change this will bring.
Think about it...in order to get Xenons (which USED to be standard on the BASE GXE)you have to get the VERY expensive Driver Preferred Pkg...no not the Sensory pkg...but the Driver Preferred pkg.
That is RIDICULOUS...you can get a darn Altima 3.5SE with the Sports Plus Pkg. and get Xenons.
Also, I don't see the benefit of the Skyview...it might look nice inside the car, but on the outside it's extremely ugly and takes away from the looks of the car...Nissan should have not offered it AT ALL...
Futhermore...the interior materials (which are WAY WAY WAY better than the Altima) still look cheap looking...and the gauges inside the car aren't as good as the ones from the previous Maxima
For Nissan to try and move the Maxima upscale...interior material should have been BETTER than the previous generation...but it is worse.
The cloth on the doors is nice...but really...leather SHOULD have been used on models with leather.
I like the rear of the car, and the sides look nice to but the front is UGLY...not just the grille...the lights are ugly and the lower panel looks retarded to...it looks like a smiling dog
While I would consider a basic SE 6spd with Cloth and sunroof or a Basic SL with the Sunroof...the optional pkgs. make the price OUTRAGEOUS...and not worthy of the cost.
What should have happened is simple...
The Altima should have came out (like it did) and it should have had a better interior to compete with the class....
Later the Maxima should have come out, looking like it looks...but without the toothy grille and the dorky headlights...the interior should have been on Audi/Lexus level and the price for a fully loaded model should have not gotten any higher than $32K with every option....Xenons should be standard and the skyview needs to go IMO...but some may like it.
The car is wonderful, style-wise...especially in Liquid Silver or the white color...but the car needs REFINEMENT big time.
I agree with you that my Max 03 is BLAND and boring and that the New Maxima looks better than mine on the outside (excluding the plastic cheap grille).
My poit is that both cars in reality are equally fast. It may take, in my opinion, a professional driver to notice a difference...really they are the same...both are nice and fast. I do push my car and love its torque and acceleration to the max. On the other hand, the old model is miles away and has superior interiors. hands down.
So in a nutshell new Maximas may look better, to some of us, but they are a lot more expensive and cheaper inside. Oh, by the way...have you had a chance to touch the front grill...cheap plastic...
I think that the overwealming opinion in some of these forums is that the new Max IS overpriced and has decreased in quality as far as interiors are concerned...after all you, the owner, will be INSIDE most of the time you are near or around the car.
Maxamillion- I AGREE W/ YOU with everything...specially these 3 points u bring up.
1. For Nissan to try and move the Maxima upscale...interior material should have been BETTER than the previous generation...but it is worse.
2. The cloth on the doors is nice...but really...leather SHOULD have been used on models with leather.
3. For Nissan to try and move the Maxima upscale...interior material should have been BETTER than the previous generation...but it is worse.
And if you look back and review the opinion of others you will find strong support for these opinions. That does NOT mean we are right. There will always be individuals who are willing to dish out a few extra thousand dollars and not reaaly get additional tangible benefitts for their purchase/goods.
To Bones and other '04 owners: While there obviously is disagreement about the value the new Maxima provides, and some of us are not thrilled by some elements of its appearance, I would never challenge the intellect of anyone who purchases a new model. It still is one of the best midsize sedans out there. I just wish it had been executed a little better and was more affordable. Good luck with yours.
I agree with you that you get more for the money with the 03 (xenon, nav., etc.) I believe Nissan has done this to sell the car since style-wise (exterior) the car could not bring people in (look at the change in Altima's sales with the new exterior design). This is great for bang for buck. Perhaps, if the new Maxima does not bring them in they will do the same. We will see... I do miss the white on black and black on white gauges of our 98 Maxima .
As for the xenon lights that was not a high priority on my list. As for the grill, I agree it looks funny at first but is not a big issue. I may look for an after market in the next year. The plastic, from what I can tell is nothing out of the ordinary. We had it on our 98 Maxima and our 01 Sequioa and I see plastic grills on many cars. The skyview, for me, is great (as previously stated I am 6'5") and provides a good compromise between head room and sunroof (I love sun roofs). My head brushes the top of the roof with a sunroof. I have gotten nothing but positive comments on the sky roof (and interior).
My priority was size and I guess is the basis for our difference in point of view. I looked (sat in some) at Infiniti, Acura, BMW, VW, Lexus, Audi, Honda, Toyota, etc.. and felt at the price I purcahsed our 04 it was the best at size/price (and not forget performance ) and to me this is a tangible benefit. None of the interior issues you spoke about were my priority. The 04 just fits me better.
The 03 Maxima I could not sit up straight when I was in the back seat and my knees hit the back of the front seats. If we did not have kids that might not be such an issue. I can sit up straight without knees hitting in the 04. Sitting in the front was of the 03 was tighter. The G35 (I would have loved to purchase) felt the same - just a tight fit.
This is why I went with the 04. Obviously I am not the average buyer (height-wise, I have the same problem with clothes:)) and will be in the minority (as far as needs) and maybe Nissan will find there are not enough people like me to keep certain options (if no one is getting them for different reasons than me)
Thanks for listening, this is the angle I looked at for my new car purchase (which I may be in the minority). I look forward to discussing issues with you all in the future (hopefully no problems with the car ).
What are your mileage when you take delivery for your 2004 Maximas? Is 5 miles on the odometer sound right including testing by Nissan before shipping to dealers for their final prep?
Thank you!
For that space...only G35 gets close (close but no cigar!)to it. That is the one thing that makes the Max a niche at that price. A Big Lux Wannabe that is Fast drives nice for a decent price (still, as you know I think they lowered their quality inside did not make it that much faster and yet INCREASE the prices).
The grill...I have to agree with you...GET AN AFTERMARKET AS SOON AS YOU FIND ONE.
Not trying to sound rude,
but what difference would it make if the odometer reads 5 miles...10...32...50?
If the car has been on the dealers lot awhile and has been test driven frequently it may even have a few hundred miles on it.
FWIW- I bought my 02 max SE as a demo with 1700 miles on it.
This may be different if one buys at end of the year when there is little choice in terms of color or optional equipment. Then, you may be stuck with a car that does not perfectly fit your choice, has been test driven quite a bit, and may not even have the new car smell.
You may save some money by buying such car(perhaps $1000 or even more), but you'd have to take the risk that the car is not really the one you would have liked had you bought it a few months earlier. JMHO.
I should re-phrase my question in post #7029:
What are your mileage when you take delivery for your 2004 Maximas when you order it from the factory? Of course I am not expecting a zero mile on the odometer.
I drove an Acura TLS and I like the performance but don't like how it fits me. Pesonal issue. Otherwise I would have thrown in a TL S-type too.
How does the I35 and LS8 compare. Can get '02's with low mileage although the Max is cheaper by a bit.
If its a car you ordered, probably between 4-7 miles is what comes to mind.
kenny-
"When I buy a new car, I make sure that the car, when delivered, has very little mileage on it (no more than 20), particularly if the dealer has a decent supply of cars."
Say the dealer has a good supply of the model you want...though the car that is optioned the way you want it say, has 80 miles on it. There are others of the same make that are close in options but the miles are less than 20. Would you compromise the first choice just to get a vehicle that will have less than 20 miles on it?
Just curious.
To answer your question, I will NOT buy a BRAND NEW car with 80 miles on it. Of course, I will always tell the dealer first about this before I even sign the contract. I believe there may be laws out there that put a cap on the maximum amount of miles on a brand new car and the car must have less than the cap if it is to qualify as a new car. Anyone know of the cap?
Fair enough.
"So, simple math tells me that a new car with 80 miles on it must have been test driven quite a bit."
Not where I have lived. Cars that have been on a dealers lot awhile, and/or are in areas where longer test drives (than what you are restricted to) are the norm, you can bet you will find vehicles that have that kind of mileage on them- and will be sold as new, no questions asked.
I just dont see (at the very least from a mechanical standpoint) where 80 miles is a big deal from 20 or 30. I guess its just preference.
"...in my model would have 80 miles on a new car unless that car has been used quite frequently as a demo."
Sorry, but a vehicle with 80 miles can in no way be construed as "used frequently as a demo ".
Typically demos are vehicles that are driven like the ones we would buy. If you find a vehicle thats been tagged as a demo with only 80 or so miles on it, THAT would be a find. Demos in my area are driven up to 3-4000 miles....then they are grounded(not used).
"I believe there may be laws out there that put a cap on the maximum amount of miles on a brand new car and the car must have less than the cap if it is to qualify as a new car."
I dont know a specific number, but I would think there is some sort of mileage limit. I have seen cars sold as new with as many as 400 or so miles at time of delivery.
One thing I know is that I am, and will be, a smarter buyer or leaser when I turn in my lease in a few years.
For those of us who enjoy our cars and driving...we take our time to look for our next vehicle.
The good thing is that I have plenty of time to see what happends with a few models before the time comes. Will see what are the changes to the Maxima (price, style, and interiors) and other cars that compete in this category.
In the meantime, I will enjoy my 02 Maxima and read on other models. I must say that I DO like my car...specialy the way it drives...its nice!!!!
SAILOVERFUEL - I agree with you the niche for the new Maxima (for now) will be the extra room but the question is are there enough people like me to make a difference to not get a G35 or Altima instead? We will see? I was trying to justify the G35 for myself but just could not do it. If the 04 had not been bigger I would have went with the G35.