Nissan Maxima vs. Honda Accord

maxamillion1 · March 2003

The guy was just stating his opinion, calm down! He said don't make the mistake I made, which would mean, in his opinion, he made a mistake. I don't think he is trying to imply it the way that you guys are seeing it. The guy asked for opinions, so he gave him his opinion. I am not that crazy about the Maximas resale value, and I am not crazy about the rear beam axle suspension, BUT since he is considering a 2000 Maxima. It is a 2000 Maxima right? The guy was just passing along his opinion of both cars. The guy has a right to voice his opinion on the car. In his opinion, the car didn't have enough power, to you and I, it does. Some people just don't worry about rear-beam axles, and resale value, you do, and to a certain extent, I do as well. But this stuff is all about opinions, and I don't understand why you all are getting so into it.

speedracer3 · March 2003

Some of these Honda followers seem to have a bad case of sour grapes. So, who cares if the guy chose a Maxima. I drove the Accord too, it put me to sleep, and chose the Maxima as well, it happens everyday...live with it, get over it, move on, and enjoy your mommy mobile (sorry cheap shot).

mikek37 · March 2003

Considering you would fall asleep in the accord , its a good idea you chose the extremely loud cabin of the maxima and rough ride to keep you awake. Oh but wait, but maxima lovers are okay with this because its a so-called "SPORTS SEDAN".

kennyg5 · March 2003

Accord is a great average family car, which is a fact not subject to much dispute. Moreover, it is more economical to buy (cheaper price) and to own (better mpg) than a Maxima. But for those folks who like to have a bit more fun (as a driver and not a passenger), and do not mind spending a bit more, get the Maxima and you will not regret. Just my humble opinion!!

speedracer3 · March 2003

Amen Kenny, if you want a sedate family hauler, get a CamCord. You want a fun to drive sedan, Maxima/Altima/Passat/Mazda 6 is the way to go.

03maxmiase · March 2003

If you want a fast reliable fun to drive Japanese Manual 4 door, I feel the 6cyl. Maxima beats the 4cyl. Accord. That's all. Sorry for putting everyone on the defensive. Thanks, speedracer3, kennyg5, maxamillion1, vooch.

mirth · March 2003

The Maxima is obviously the better car because it's what I drive.

Oh wait, are we suppose to be making logical arguments? ;-)

mikek37 · March 2003

lol..

pat · March 2003

Come on, folks .... let's try to keep the snideness (is that a word? sure fits in here!) out of this.

We are supposed to be talking about the pros and cons of the vehicles as they compare with each other. Obviously, we are all entitled to our own opinions. There is no reason to snipe at someone because that person's opinion differs from yours.

perna · March 2003

I think some of the arguing about these cars is ridiculous. They're both great cars, and I'm not going to belittle the Accord just because I happen to drive a Maxima. However..

In a highly scientific poll that involves my workplace (cough), the engineers and IT guys drive Maximas, and the accountants drive Accords. Obviously not all of them, but you get my point, though fully half of our accounting staff DO drive Accords.

I'm not knocking either car, but I do think they definately appeal to different audiences which makes a lot of the (repetitive, stupid) arguments in here moot.

Well, off I go to tear up some highway in my Maxima. Yee-ha!

xqu · March 2003

Which car is quiter? Compare V6 Accord with Max

monte4 · March 2003

This is so sad, who cares if a car is th old car that doesnt make it outdated,lol. To each his own!

speedracer3 · March 2003

Probably the Accord quieter. In the Maxima you can definitely hear the engine snarl when you accelerate. Personally, I love the hear the engine, it adds to the sporty personality of the car. Anyway...the Maxima has such an awesome stereo that if you don't feel like listening to the VQ engine purr, you can put in your favorite CD and get your kicks that way.

2zmax · March 2003

Hi all,
just got back from extensive travel related to a project during which I got to drive 2003 Accord and 2003 Camry, when I came back I drove my wifes 03 Max and Here are my impressions:
Accord:
Exterior = UGLY, especially the rear end
Interior = Fine, like the stereo.
Acceleration = OK, better than camry but slower and louder than Max.
Handling = OK, better than Camry but worse then Max (the front end feels too heavy)

Camry:
Slow, Ugly and BOOring as hell.

Max:
FAST, Better looking out of three and definitely
catches more attention then the others.
Accord was nice, but the soul was missing, felt like Buick on steroids,
I'd go with the Max, if I had to
Fortunately I drive its' better looking younger brother the Z.

xqu · March 2003

2zmaz, did you drive the V6 Accord or the I4 (it won't be fair comparing the I4 engine noise with the Max)? My roommate is cross shopping for a 03 Max and Accord and would like some input from you guys. Thanks.

mikek37 · March 2003

What an amazing subjective opinion. Next time, try to be a bit more objective when rating similiar cars. You are quite biased towards the maxima.

And what extensive project are you talking about.

Seems after reading your post,your "indepth project", is worth about as much as the maxima (residual value) will be in 5 years, nada..

jcw915 · March 2003

I've owned both an accord and a maxima. I had a 99 accord, then traded it in for a 2001 maxima, then got a 2003 cause the 2001 got totaled. I personally wouldn't get a maxima again after this. The accord's resale value is GREAT and the problems for that car is almost zero. I personally think that the accord will last longer then a maxima. It's hard to compare the 2004 maxima to 2003 accord because of the price range. A loaded accord ex v6 with navi, you can get one for around 26,000 after A LOT OF HAGGLING. The max is EXPENSIVE. I honestly wouldn't pay 34,000 for a NISSAN. I would much rather get a IS300 if I were to spend 34000 for a car. After taxes, you're looking at roughly 36000 for that max.
Pros:

Accord: Nice dash (love the led); great emissions; very good gas mileage, scored very well on safety ratings from www.highwaysafety.com and the government; reliable; GREAT resale value.

Maxima: POWER; roomy; can get xenon lights; sporty; unique.

Cons:

Accord: Every where you go, you see one; back is UGLY, but the coupe looks nice; no xenon head lights; too bland.

Maxima: PAINT. THE PAINT SUCKS. Huge turning radius; look isn't for everyone; resale value is horrible; service from dealer sucks at a lot of nissan dealers; over priced.

Thats my 2 cents for now.

I wonder how the 04 acura tl will compete with the maxima...

beanctr · March 2003

One thing that wasn't mentioned is the fact that the Maxima requires premium fuel and I believe the Accord V6 does not. However, you can't beat the performance of the Maxima.

Reliability shouldn't be an issue with either the Accord or the Maxima. Both have proven reliability records.

I agree that the Maxima's paint quality stinks. It scratches and chips VERY easily. As an owner of a 02 Maxima SE, this has been my biggest disappoint with the car.

One last issue, Nissan elected to fit the Maxima with an odd tire size which means $$$ when replacing your worn out tires.

speedracer3 · March 2003

Jcw,

I am in total agreement, the paint quality in my 2k Maxima is terrible. Mine is black and a scratch magnet. That's my only beef with the Maxima. I should have gone with a lighter color.

jcw915 · March 2003

hehe, I was smart, that's why I got the sheer silver.

I had a black maxima. big mistake. lol all those paint chips. I'm dissappointed in the pearl/glacier white for the maxima. they seem to fade and turn yellow in a year.

rodut · March 2003

I owned a 79 Accord, a 94 Accord, a 1997 Maxima and now I own a 2001 Accord. I kept Maxima only for 6 months because, even if the engine power is certainly impressive, the car is very far from perfect. With Accord I have this great feeling of ACCURACY. Anything works perfect. I think I could live with Maxima's vibrations (Nissan couldn't solve that), poor paint, poor suspensions, weird plastic noises, completely stupid automatic gear box (when switching from 3rd to 2nd under heavy throttle it was like a truck was rear ending me / at rolling stops the stupid "intelligent" grade logic used to decide to start in the 3rd gear, and so on). "Perfection" is an unknown word for Nissan. They know only the word "power". I saw a Nissan TV commercial. They were saying that "power changes anything". Poor guys. They are dead wrong. Power just makes you buy it. Then you have to sell it. That's why resale prices are so low. Probably Nissan doesn't care. Even that terrific engine they have ... mine didn't start between -20 to -30 degrees Celsius. This wonderful feature and the gear box made me decide to get rid of it. The only think I am missing is that V6 noise. In 2001 Honda didn't make manual transmissions fitted with V6. After having chest pain because of the Maxima's automatic gear box I decided to get a manual. At least I know when it switches ... when I tell it to ! And on ice the manual car is by far easier to control. I am happy I bought it new. I plan to keep it forever ! Honestly, why waste time and money trading cars ?!

dklanecky · March 2003

I generally agree with your points speedracer3, but not in this case. The paint on my 00 SE in Sterling Mist is still in excellent condition at 122,500 miles.

Yes, I have a few front chips and a couple of small "garage scratches" here and there but nothing that was the fault of Nissan.

Any dark color is terrible to try and maintain, not just Nissan's. Check out any used car lot and look at all the black cars and you'll see what I mean.

speedracer3 · March 2003

Rodut,

A 1997 Maxima was a totally different car from what the Maxima is today. Judging a whole company on one bad car experience is a little hasty. There is a lot more to the Maxima than just the engine...it is a more engaging car to drive than Camry or Accord.

Dklanecky,

I know that dark color cars are harder to take care of than lighter ones. I've had other black cars before and so far the Maxima's paint job has been the worst I've seen. Nissan does well with light colors, sterling mist is a nice one, I should have gone that route.

jcw915 · March 2003

Wow...you must be very luck not having much paint chips. I already have about 10 pebble size chips on my hood already and I have 20k miles on my 03.

It would be nice is nissan had thicker paint on their cars. My dad has a S430 and it feels like the paint for that car is twice as thick as on the maxima. I think even accord's paint is thicker then the maxima.

blh7068 · March 2003

Premium fuel is not required for the max, it is recommended for optimal performance. Until a few weeks ago, I always ran premium in my 02 SE, but have recently run regular. As expected, improved gas mileage, though performance is compromised.

Yes, the paint quality is quite poor...less than a year and the majestic blue paint is already chipping on hood.

As for pricing on the 04 max...Was at the local auto show this past weekend and sat in an SE 6 speed w/nav...stickered for 31.9. Like with any new model, let the novelty wear off and there will be better deals in the future.

I owned an Accord SE back in 97, bought new. It had a lot of problems. No manufacturer is exempt from producing lemons.

drakutismax · March 2003

I was using premium in my Maxima and then the prices went up so I went to regular and I felt the difference. Right now I don't let my tank go below half and I alternate between premium and mid-grade. I know people say things about the cost of gas and the Max is not as fuel efficient than the Accord, but I would not trade my Maxima. If I could afford an '04 Maxima, I would still keep this one.

speedracer3 · March 2003

I have tried all fuel grades with my 2k Maxima and have settled on using mid-grade. Ofcourse, the car performs much better with premium, but premium has gotten too expensive. You can use low grade, but you do take a huge step back in performance. As others have pointed out, I notice the lack of power when using regular. Mid-grade is a nice compromise between economy and performance.

jcw915 · March 2003

Talking about expensive gas prices? Just filled my max up this morning. $34.50 That's FREAKY. We better take over those oil fields in iraq. I'll be very very mad if sadam decides to blow them up. A freakier thing is that I probably had half more gallon to go.

Now i'm going to start admiring those honda/toyota hybrid cars and POINT and roll on the floor laughing at the people that drive Tahoes, Suburbans, Land cruisers. HA HA HA. lol.

mikek37 · March 2003

I feel your pain. And I also get a kick out of the huge mammoth SUV owners when I seem them at the pump.

rodut · March 2003

Speedracer3,
History showed that governments and companies don't change their policies for decades. From my point of view the 1997 Maxima I owned was not a different car from what the Maxima is today. I don't care they made them more powerful. What matters to me is the feeling of perfection. The feeling I had with my 1994 and 2001 Accords was that the car was glued to ground at any speed. Driving my Maxima at high speed I felt disconnected, like I was on a plane almost taking off. Or perhaps this is what you call "engaging car to drive". Better buy a small plane. It's certainly more powerful than your Maxima and it really takes off !
Seriously, you cannot compare the Accord's double wishbone front wheels suspension with Maxima's cheap McPherson struts. You cannot compare Accord's rear independent suspension with Maxima's broom stick who connects the rear wheels. Why put a great V6 on that structure I can't understand. Obviously it takes off !
By the way, talking about perfection, can one of the new manual transmission Maxima owners try to drive it in the 1st gear and oscillate around 1500 RPM. I tried this in 2001 when I was shopping for a Maxima or Accord and it was jumping back and forth like somebody was rear ending me. I am curious if they fixed it. Nissan called it the fuel-cut problem and the lady dealer explained to me that it's done on purpose to save gas. I tried the Accord and it didn't jump like that. It's not thirsty though. About the stick, does it feel like connected to the gear box with some kind of elastics ? And the finger moving inside the gear box (to switch gears) feels like a screwdriver moving inside a pile of rocks ?
The Accord inherited anything Honda ever learned at the car races they fought. Except the engine block. Finally out discussion is useless. Take the VQ engine block and put it in an Accord and you get the best car. If not learn to live with mediocrity. Sooner or later we all have to learn it.

beanctr · March 2003

The Maxima's engine is designed to run on Unleaded Premium (91 octane). The instruction manual (for 02 Maxima) states if unleaded premium is not available, unleaded regular can be used. Granted, the instruction manual also states that unleaded premium should be used for maximum performance. Weighing these two comments and taking into account some of you have stated that you are currently using unleaded regular, I see no problem with this for the short term. However, I question whether doing this over the long term is good for the engine. Using lower octane gas will cause the engine to retard the timing to avoid knocking. I have heard (from a mechanic) that this is not good for the engine if it is having to do this on a frequent basis. Any thoughts?

speedracer3 · March 2003

"History showed that governments and companies don't change their policies for decades. From my point of view the 1997 Maxima I owned was not a different car from what the Maxima is today"

You are wrong, the 1997 was a totally different car than the current Maxima, and the company has gone through a total overhaul in the ealry 2000's.

Let's talk about tranmissions, Honda can't seem to build a good automatic transmission. My old '89 Civic jerked you abruptly when the car shifted between first and second. I test drove a 2000 Accord auto when I was shopping for my next car and Honda still has not fixed the problem. Honda makes a good stick shift, but what's the use, since you can't get it on a V6 sedan. Your only choice is Nissan here. BTW...the 2004 Maxima uses a close ratio 6 speed tranny (taken from the 350Z), that you can't even get on an Accord sedan.

Let's talk suspensions. Sure, the Accord suspension is more sophisticated, more expensive. But it is tuned for "boredom", the ride totally aliantes the driver from an enjoyable driving experience. I don't care how much the suspension costs, the suspension tunning on the Maxima is just head over heels more enjoyable to drive than a Camry or Accord. Anyway...all of suspension talk is moot since the 2004 Maxima comes with a fully independent suspension.

mjw24 · March 2003

Hello everyone,

I've been reading the boards on this fantastic website for a few months now in an attempt to come to a decision between the 2003 Accord EX V-6 and the Maxima GXE or SE (can't afford the GLE). And the more I read the more confused I become.

Postiives for the Accord include an excellent reputation for reliability and safety. Fuel economy is pretty good for a V-6. The interior is nicely laid out and the seats are comfortable. And resale values are very good (although I plan on keeping my new car for 5-8 years). Negatives include the styling (awful back end), it rides like my wife's Odyssey (I'd like something a little more "fun" to drive), and it's pretty expensive relative to my budget ($22-24K).

Positives for the Maxima include the the styling (I love this car), the award winning engine, and the currently low prices for the '03s. The negatives for this car are poorer than expected gas mileage, premium gas requirement, lack of side and curtain air bags, paint problems, and the overall cost to maintain the car including insurance and the famous headlight theft problems.

Maybe I should try and hold out and find an '03 GLE at a rock bottom clearance price so I could get the side airbags and traction control (very concerned about safety).

Bottom line is I'm looking for a sporty sedan that I can haul my young family around in that is still fun to drive and is safe.

My head says Accord, my heart says Maxima.

speedracer3 · March 2003

Go with the car you enjoy more, after all you will have to drive that car for at least 5 years. If you go with a 03 Maxima keep in mind that you should be able to get invoice or below on the outgoing model.

Good luck

jcw915 · March 2003

Hey,

If safety is your number one concern, go to www.highwaysafety.com
Also, if safety is very important to you, I do not recommend a maxima. Try volvos, volkswagen, lexus, mercedes, toyota, 04 accord. If your budget is around 25k, I would recommend you buying a used 2000+ mercedes E class or C class with low milage. Those cars are built like a tank.

If you're going to drive a car to the bottom, then there's no point in worrying about resale value.

The SE comes with SIDE AIRBAGS as an option. IT is the titanium edition option. I don't recommend the GLE. The transmission isn't as responsive as the SE. Also, for the price of GLE, you can probably haggle 8 hours at an Infiniti dealer for a I35 for the same price as the GLE, AND they'll have better service then the nissan dealers.

jcw915 · March 2003

Come on guys stop aruging about the freakin accord vs maxima. It's pretty hard to compare the 2003 accord with the 04 maxima. The price difference is ALMOST 10,000 after the options. Might as well wait for the 2004 acura tl and then compare it to the maxima.

pat · March 2003

Join us tonight, 6-7pm PT/9-10pm ET for another
round of automotive trivia and member-to-member chat.
Test your skills (or multiple choice guessing ability)
against other Town Hall members.

http://www.edmunds.com/townhall/chat/townhallchat.html

Hope to see you there!

bodble2 · March 2003

When you said "current" Maxima, were you referring to the '03 or '04? If you meant the '03, then I'd say there's not a whole lot of difference between that the '97. Just more power, a few of luxury items -- and more torque steer. Nissan more or less just tweaked the styling from 1999 - 2000.

speedracer3 · March 2003

"Nissan more or less just tweaked the styling from 1999 - 2000"

Not so, Nissan totally re-designed the Maxima in 2000. The engine was the same but was totally tweeked, and the suspension was modified for the larger car. Go drive a '97 and then a 2000, two different animals.

bodble2 · March 2003

I did. I stand by my opinion that there is not a whole lot of difference. They may have done more than just some styling changes, but overall it was more tweaking than redesigning. Now, from '03 to '04 -- that's a redesign.

carguy58 · March 2003

Didn't Nissan up the horespower from 190 to 222 from the 99 to 00 model year for the Max? Also between the 01 and 02 Maxima model years they upped the horsepower again from 222 to 260. I guess the 260 was to match the Acura TL Type S horsepower.

bodble2 · March 2003

Actually the final increase was to 255. Funny thing though was that performance did not improve by the same degree that you would expect with that much stated HP increase.

tedescm1 · March 2003

I recently test drove a new 04 Maxima and I think the exterior of the car is really well done (except the grill). The interior of the car is quite a different story…it’s down right cheep.

If one compares the interiors of the new Accord and the new Maxima, the Accord wins by a long shot. By the way the Honda is about 6 or 7 k less!

speedracer3 · March 2003

Personally, I'd rather have the G35.

Booble,

We agree to disagree.

tedescm1 · March 2003

I would also rather have the G-35.

However, it's about 35K!

monte4 · March 2003

The 00/01 or the 02/03 share no body parts with the 95-99 and is a totally different looking vehicle from the front to the rear and look as different as the 95 does to 00 and 00 to 04. As far as the power increase for 02 their is a noticeable diffrence in performance vs the 95-01's especially with the automatic. Guys are running 0-60 in the mid 6's whereas the older ons are mid to high 7's which is a considerable difference and the lowend torque/pull is so much better. Hell auto 350Z are running low 6's to 60 and manuals mid 5's and manual 02/03's to 60 in High 5's to about 6 expect the the 04 Maxima to be on par with the 02/03's I dunno what some expect out of the Max but it delivers well for what it is. go to Maxima.org if you have doubt plenty of things to show/prove the differences!

maxamillion1 · March 2003

Well, that's like saying that the Accord wasn't redesigned. Is it not? The Maxima received a new Interior, new exterior, more power, and it was roomier than the model before it. A facelift is only when you update the front and rear end, and mayber add some new features. The 2000 Maxima WAS a redesign.

Again, if the 2000 Maxima wasn't a redesign, the new Accord surely isn't because in some ways it still looks similar to the previous Accord, plus don't they share the SAME suspension?

speedracer3 · March 2003

tedescm,

You can pick up a G35 without leather, for around $27K.

Maxamillion,

We both know that the 2000 Maxima was a re-design. It seems that Honda owners are "all knowning" about Honda and about Nissan as well...let's not burst their bubble...ignorance is bliss.

mikek37 · March 2003

A G35 for 27k, I dont think so!

atlantabenny · March 2003

A reliable way of knowing a complete redesign from a facelift is noting the door and window appearance, especially the C pillar. It's because the door & window assembly is one of the more expensive body parts due to the parts associated with it like the glass and various mechanisms.

Carmakers are either masters or amateurs of carbuff psychology in the way they treat car windows. Ford, for example, changed all body panels except the doors & windows on one Taurus generation and to the car enthusiast, the car was just a rehash. Ditto for Explorers. Audi, on the other hand, gets the windows right (particularly the A6) and their cars are forever regarded as beautiful - if not problematic.

On the 2000 & 1999 Maxima, Edmunds' photos indicate a complete redesign based on this reasoning.

Nissan Maxima vs. Honda Accord

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