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Here are the Infiniti advantages:
1. rear wheel drive, which eliminates the torque steer
2. more compact car on the outside and better looking than the new Maxima (at least in my opinion), while the engine horsepower is about the same (260 HP for the G35)
3. G35 is available with a manual 6 speed transmission as well. I saw a 6 speed G35 with leather seats retailing for about $ 29K, which is cheaper than a similarly equipped Maxima (this car had no sunroof or some other gismos)
4. G35 is built in Japan vs 04 Maxima built in the US. This is a big factor, especially that this is the FIRST year of US production for the Maxima. History is full of examples of what happens the first year when a foreign made vehicle is produced in the US (e.g Mercedes ML, VW rabbit, Ford Escort, Mazda 626). There will be problems with the 04 Maxima. It is just a matter of time.
5. Warranty. Maxima has a 3 year, 36K mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. G35 comes with a 4 year, 60K bumper-to-bumper warranty, and supposedly much better customer service.
Bottom line, I would buy an Infiniti G35 over the Maxima.
"Some models are speeding out of dealers' lots, generally at sticker price or above. They include BMW's Mini Cooper, with a 9-day supply, and an early released 2004 model Nissan Maxima with a 10-day supply as of June 1, according to Automotive News."
i
I would rate the "prestige" value of Infiniti as being worth absolutely zilch over Nissan. They have no automotive history or "heritage" like BMW or Mercedes. IMO, rate Infiniti (or Nissan) cars on substance, but don't impute any intangible value to the brand name. There isn't any.
Relative to customer service, one would hope that Infiniti would be better than Nissan. However, that isn't always the case. In my area (DC), I'd much prefer going to VOB Nissan than Coleman or Rosenthol Infiniti. And those two are my only practical choices. There are several more Nissan dealerships to choose from. By the way, check out the price for say a 30,000 mile service between a Maxima and a mechanically identical I35.
O.K. - that's off my chest. And I do happen to agree with p100 that the G35 may be a better value than the new Maxima. But not because of Infiniti prestige or customer service. Because it appears to be a better (Japanese built) car for about the same price.
This is off the Nissan area, but it can be a good reference. Audis salesmen can answer all my questions, including the ones regarding performance and technical issues. They know more than BMW salesmen with their own BMW cars. It pretty much proves prestige and name doesnt always show quality service
As far as dealership service personnel competence, I would not generalize based on experience in one particular location. I have met some salesmen who were selling cheap cars who were very knowledgeable about their product. On the other hand, some exotic import vehicle salesmen were as ignorant as they could be.
The new Maxima's dash board is big enough to have Thanksgiving dinner on it and nothing "flows". Every piece and component of the interior: dash, console, instrument cluster, center stack, etc. looks like it was designed by a different committee and manufactured at a different factory. And whoever previously mentioned the interior door material had it right on. A little glow in the dark paint on the doors will turn them into velvet paintings that looked ugly in 1970's fraternity house movies. Back 9 years ago, the interior of my 1995 Maxima got compliments from friends and associates who drove considerably more expensive cars (mostly BMW's and Mercedes). The 2004 would likely invoke laughs. Or worse.
Thankfully, I was able to obtain and install a $45 blower "resistor" to restore my air conditioning fan to normal operation (it had worked on full speed, but no reduced speeds). I have pledged that with 142k miles on it, I am not going to let my 1995 Maxima nickel and dime me to death the way my old Acura did. However, after seeing the interiors of the new Maxima and Infiniti G35 sedan, I'm beginning to think my 1995 Maxima is worth a few more nickels and dimes. I will be concurrently praying that BMW's new 5-series isn't adversely influenced by the schizo movement.
P.S. There was a dealer advertisement in today's Washington Post offering new 2004 Maxima's starting at $23,799 (not "hail damaged" cars, those were even less). I believe that is a few thousand less than MSRP, so it doesn't appear that the general public is taking to the new Maxima with much enthusiasm either.
I also own a 95 SE V6 4X4 Nissan pickup and will probably own it for a long time. I can't stand the look of the new pickups with cheap plastic gray bumpers with the fake rivets in them. The ones with bumpers painted the body color are at least reasonable looking, but the gray ones are cheap and shoddy looking directly from the factory. And they fade in the sun rapidly. I saw a left over brand new 2002 Xterra the other day on the dealer's lot and its front gray plastic bumper was faded badly from the sun already and it looked like it was 10 years old.
There are some of us who are not impressed with extreme styling, especially if the "extreme look" is achieved by using cheap looking materials.
I think "extreme" is an apt way of describing the direction Nissan has taken with vehicle / interior design. Again, not to age myself, but back in 1995, the Maxima fit nicely on the continuum between less expensive cars like the Accord and Camry and the more expensive BMW and Mercedes offerings. And it generally looked the part, especially the interior. Many of my then 30-something friends and associates who owned 3rd and 4th generation Maximas graduated into 5-series and E-classes.
The "need" for constant redesigns when you essentially have something that works isn't apparant to me. Refinement and evolution are one thing. But abandoning the family tree and going mutant is another. Now, rather than be a nice midpoint between a Honda Accord and a 530i, the Maxima looks like it was infected by some garish GM/Pontiac stains in its DNA.
I believe time will prove our respective 4th generation Maxima's to have been the peak of Nissan's success with the model. Certainly the peak of respect. Adding 75 horsepower to a FWD platform and shaving a miniscule 0.3 seconds off the 0-60 time since 1995 isn't enough to overcome the "de-volution" of the interior design and material quality.
I heard Nissan's also targetting for fewer sales than '03 models, not sure whether its true or not though
Habitat1, where is the dealer youre talking about? In what area? Just wondering since I havent given up my hope yet to get a nice Onyx or Red '04 max
Interestingly, they had many 2004 Maxima's in stock and pushed me to take one for a test drive. When I asked for a SE 6-speed, they didn't have any and indicated that those versions will be produced in even lower volume/percentages than the outgoing 2003 due to "limited demand". If that is the case, either the "sport sedan" market is shrinking (doubtful) or the Maxima has become less appealing to those buyers (more likely).
This morning my wife asked me what I would replace our Maxima with if it were crushed by a tree tomorrow. (A distant neighbor's old BMW suffered this fate a week ago). I was unable to immediately respond. A 530i sport is my first choice, but it's $43k+/- and going through a model changeover. The $38k 330i is a bit tight for our family. In the $30k price range, the G35 sedan may be a decent choice, but I am not a fan of it's looks, inside or out. The Acura TLS is dated and boring - and besides, I don't know how to drive a so called sport sedan equiped with an automatic transmission. There is almost nothing that pops out in the $25k price range that wouldn't feel like a performance and/or quality downgrade compared to our 9 year old Maxima.
Needless to say, I'm not parking under any trees in a storm.
I'm thinking about going for a 1999 Nissan Maxima SE. I know the styling is a little more..."bland" then the current model I have, and looks "generic" among its peers, but at this point, styling isn't really high on the list. The "generic" styling will change a bit if I add the Skyline body kit anyway.
I'd really appreciate anyone's opinions on this model, or if you feel like I'm going in the wrong direction, a suggested different course would be welcomed. I basically want a sedan with lots o' punch, good gas milage, and decent reliability. Thanks in advance. - Matt
One negative: These cars are very sensitive to correct wheel/tire balance. And it is increasigly more difficult to find a place that can balance your wheels properly.
I bought the 89SE when it came out and loved it more than I thought possible to love a car. Never should have traded it in. But I just had to have the 95GLE I saw in the showroom.
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And now that I just completed 9 years with my 95GLE, I think I may never let it go. I absolutely love this car more than when I first got it. Especially the interior. And the reliability is ridiculously fantastic. It simply is not possible for any car to be as reliable as my 95 has been.
I guess......"If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
At least one review I've read suggested that the TSX, despite being a 4 is akin to the 4dsc days of the Maxima. Haven't driven one yet though...
Just make sure u check the car that u want to buy on www.carfax.com to make sure the title is clean.
The Mazda 6 is likely too downscale. Back in 1995, I considered the Maxima, Accord, Camry, Altima and Mazda 626. They pretty much finished in that order. I may be biased, but I have also never seen Mazda rated anywhere near Honda, Toyota and Nissan in terms of long term reliability. That seems to be reflected by the fact that three year old Mazda's have resale values considerably below their Honda/Toyota counterparts.
Which leads me to another point. I have 142k miles on my 9 year old Maxima and the 3.0 V6 is running as stongly and smoothly as the day I bought it. We had our Trooper in for service at an independent shop yesterday and I took the opportunity to ask the owner what he thought of the Maxima. First words out of his mouth: "Best V6 engine this side of a Mercedes, without the maintenance requirements of the Mercedes". The only other engine he considers as "durable" is the 2.8/3.0 liter BMW I6's. He thinks Nissan's V6 is better than either Honda's or Toyota's. He also strongly recommended against a 4-cylinder engine in any 3,000+ lb car, even the stalwart Honda Accord. Claimed that the added weight and stress will likely take it's toll after 80,000 to 100,000+ miles.
I own a 99 Mazda 626 ES V6, 5 speed, leather seats, power sunroof, alloy wheels, power seat. Bose CD cass, 68K miles, mint condition. Recent trade in offer: $ 4500!!!! This car does not have a resale value, it has a give away value!!!!. I should never have bought this car. It is noisy, sluggish, problematic, unreliable, a gas guzzler, (compared to my 98 Maxima SE), and has maintenance requirements of an exotic car. And above all it is worthless from resale value standpoint.
You'll see 4 cyl Accord engines outlive the car most of the time.
To me, it is what the Maxima used to be when I bought my '92 SE way back when. I've owned most Japanese import brands (except, strangely, a Honda) and I'll put my experience with Mazda up against any for reliabity.
Now, both of my Mazdas were built in the '80s ('82 RX-7 and '86 626 coupe) so there is the possibility that the 90s models weren't as dependable. I considered a 626 sedan when I bought the Max.
As far as upscale transportation, shop elsewhere. Nissan isn't and never will be upscale. It is essentially the Japanese Pontiac. It's a fun brand but the sales and service departments have all the charm and efficiency found at GM.
I agree with habitat's mechanic - the VQ 6 is hard to beat. That's why my next car will likely be either the 6s or the Altima SE. Can't see spending the additional $$ for the Maxima unless the rebates get real, real big.
On the "upscale" issue, I'm the first to acknowledge that my 1995 Maxima isn't a BMW 530i. But it had a lot more interior quality than the 1995 Accord or Camry. The 1995 626 wasn't even close. Check little things like the headliner, center console, etc. Frankly, for it's day it was a notch up from the current G35.
Regarding Mazda 6, I shouldn't be critical of a car that I've never driven, so I won't. But my criticism of Mazda as a manufacturer is based upon the assumption that if they were such good long term cars, they wouldn't have "give away" resale values after only 3-4 years.
I havent sworn off Hondas, but I wouldnt say they are better than Nissan/Toyota.
~alpha
As a matter of fact, I drove my RX-7 for five years, paid over $1K over list, and still got 50 percent of my investment back when I traded. The reason, of course, is that the public appreciated what a great car the RX-7 was. It never needed a rebate until it became ridiculously overpriced in the early '90s.
That is the key to resale value. Like stocks, cars are only worth what the public will pay. All of the Japanese imports are good reliable cars, but the public at large has identified Honda and Toyota as those they trust to buy used, hence the large resale on those models. That's why when I buy a used Japanese car, I steer clear of the Hondas. I know I can get quality and reliablity with Nissan, Mazda or Subaru at a discount.
In addition, if you compare an SUV against a sedan, or a 4-cylinder against a 6-cylinder, you are talking about different classes of vehicles that cannot and should be be compared.
Sometimes, generalization may lead to futile or unproductive analysis and/or argument.
What really annoys me is that my 626 is top of the line ES model which cost over $ 4k more than a 4 cyl 626 LX, but nobody seems to even notice when I try to sell the car or trade it in. Even on E bay, people bid ridiculously low on used Mazda 626s.
That is not my personal reality. I had an early Acura Integra that took me to the cleaners after about 80k miles. But that my one bad experience does not make Acura a bad brand.
In my research back in 1994 before buying my Maxima, I concluded that the Maxima (with its V6) was equal in quality and reliability to the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord as evidenced by Consumer Reports, the various other car publications and every friend, relative and car mechanic that I questioned. As I recall, the Mazda 626 was not well regarded and considered well below the gold standard for Japanese manufacturers.
I do agree with ramped1 that there are market anomolies with respect to resale values. In spite of being rated highly, even in 1995 I could see that the Maxima would not likely retain quite as much of it's original price in resale value as the Accord or Camry. But I bought what I believed to be an equally high quality and superior "driving" car, figuring that I would keep it for at least 6-7 years and 100k+ miles, after which resale doesn't matter much. Now at 9 years and 142k miles, I can comfortably say that I made the right decision. For others that are considering the 95-99 4th generation Maxima as a used car, lower resale values may make it one of the best price/quality values out there.
kennyg5 hit on another reason for resale value disparity: the Maxima, Civic and Accord / Corolla and Camry have been around a long time and have earned "sustained" market respect. Relatively low volume RX-7 and Miata specialty cars aside, Mazda has never achieved that level of success and respect with a mainstream model. It seems that they drop, redesign and rebadge sedan models more frequently than the Honda, Toyota or even Nissan.
i have a 2000 GLE which i bought Dunlop A2's for $500 total cost...