Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
My guess: Because those resale values haven't yet been diminished by how ugly the new TL truly is.
Here is the way I see it from afar, I neither own an 09 Max or the 09 TL, instead I went from the 04 Max to the 07 Max which I currently still drive and except for the CVT, find it a very nice car.
Living in the DC area and having just landed from a shorty trip to Miami, I can assure you that in these 2 areas of the US, the TL is outselling the Maxima by a long shot. The streets are full of TLs in every trim and color. On the other hand, an 09 Maxima sighting is rare and far between. The Maxima may look good while on the showroom floor or the lot but on the move in traffic, when compared with the rest of the vehicles, the car looks awkward. The styling is too busy with obvious attempts by the design team to distinguish it from the previous version.
Yes the TL grill is pretty awful to get used to, some area dealerships are addressing that by painting it in body-color, it seems to do the trick. By the way, as unpopular as statement as this may be, has anyone noticed the similarity between the exterior design of the 09 TL and the previous Maxima? Even the metal strips over the roof line and the buttress C pillar are right from the previous Max. Yes Acura decided to sharpen up the edges and it works great (Cadillac CTS-likish), but the similarity is there. Even the TL grill is as much an eye sore as the grill on the 04-06 Maxima. Park an 08 Max in line with the 09 TL and you might notice the resemblance; not similarity, I know better than to say that.
I also find the interior of the Maxima as ordinary run of the mill, not too different from some Toyota products mixed with the Infinity dash and center stack. The 04 - 08 model, as unpopular as some may think, had a unique and distinctive interior design. Too bad it was plagued with cheap materials and terrible fit and finish. In my 04 the rattling and squeaking drove me nuts along with the panels that did not line up. In my 07 the rattles and squeaks are gone but there are still panels that do not line up (thanks Carlos Gohsn, poor materials at a high price and Nissan becomes profitable again, what a concept).
Last point - Nissan owners may find it flattering that their Maxima is being compared to an Acura. Clearly the Acura line of cars is the upscale Honda product, similar to the Infinity by Nissan yet the Maxima is teamed up with the Acura.
Oh well keep up the dialogue, especially the great lease deals on the Maxima. Inevitably I will eventually drive the 10 Maxima when my 07 lease is up.
draz, on that we are in total agreement.
The Maxima's nav screen is decidedly inferior to that in the TL and the nav system itself is much slower and doesn't provide anywhere near as much useful information as the TL's. It doesn't have navtraffic or weather and it's audio system can't hold a candle to the ELS system in the TL.
For all I know, you are 100% right about this. Which is one of the reasons I said nothing about this topic whatsoever. Who are you replying to?
You can call the engine intrusive noise level "feral" if that makes you feel better.
draz, I don't own the car, I merely test-drove it. I, for one, have no need to feel better.
As to the Bangle issue you really need to do your homework. Under his design leadership, BMW sales and market share jumped dramatically, both in the USA and in Europe. He was not "kicked" anywhere...he wanted the change.
Sure he did. And I'm sure he's equally enthusiastic about BMW walking away from all his most trademark styling cues.
I just got my new 2009 Nissan Maxima SV with premium and tech package. Awesome car! I was going through the manual and on page 4-126 through 4-127 it shows that you can access tire pressure information through the voice commands. When I tried to do it, both the tire pressure and trip computer options are not showing up. Any ideas why? Do I need an upgrade on a new car? Thanks for any help
http://mcdesignwhips.webs.com/apps/videos/videos/view/3033115-mc-design-whips-20- 09-acura-tl-sh-awd-for-esserman-
A case in point, I live in Raleigh and I-540 was completed two years ago. Neither the 09 TL nor the 09 Maxima have this major interstate on their maps. Don't even get me started on points of interest!! I pull out my Garmin 255W, voila, all of the maps and data points are accurate!!
That said, I REALLY do like how current Navi systems have a hard drive so that you can have a TON of music onboard the car without having to bring DVDs or an iPOD. I do enjoy this feature - but probably not worth the cost of the complete Navi system.
I simply used the link as an example of what the car can look like with the grill painted body color. I could not find one without the additional modifications that I guess automatically make the car attractive to what you refer to as "much different demographic."
Demographics are the categories into which individuals are divided for marketing or census purposes. Commonly-used demographics include race, age, income, disabilities, mobility (in terms of travel time to work or number of vehicles available), educational attainment, home ownership, employment status, and even location.
Hasty conclusions often expose one's own bias!
I'm not sure how (well, yes I am, actually) this turned into a TL discussion, but it's not the right place for that either.
How about we either meet up in an appropriate TL discussion or someone makes a comparison discussion with the Maxima and let this discussion get back on track?
I just past my 1-year mark at the end of June with this car. Mine is an '09 SV w/ technology package. I've put 33k miles on it over the past 12 months, which means I may well have more mileage on the '09 Maxima than anyone in the country.
In a nutshell, I'm almost as pleased with the car today as I was when I first bought it. I've hit every scheduled maintenance visit (many oil changes during the year, the 15k service, and the 30k service), and the car has been trouble-free.
I'm really surprised at how well the original tires have held up! I've still got a lot of life left in these tires. I thought I'd be getting close to replacing them by now, but they've held up really well. (Almost too well, as I've planned on upgrading to some after-market wheels when I finally do need to replace the tires, but at this rate that won't happen for another year!:))
The only annoyance my car has given me is a slight "pop" sound. Entering my driveway, I go over a bump, and when I do so while going slowly and turning left into the bump, there is a strange popping sound. It might be coming from the suspension - I'm just not sure yet. I've been meaning to get it into the dealership to see if they can find out what is making the sound. I'm due for another oil-change right now, so I'll have them look at it this next week. The sound is almost identical to a sound that my 2000 Nissan Frontier used to make. It took the dealership weeks to figure out what was going on at that time: Turned out a small break had occured in the weld between the truck's frame and body, and when turning at certain angles, the weld seam would 'pop'. Perhaps the same thing is happening with my Maxima? I'll find out.
In any case - aside from that popping sound under the right conditions - the Maxima has proven to be a great purchase.
If any of us hit this issue, they recommend we just fix it ourselves (at a cost of $2) as this was not covered under warranty.
Sorry, but in my opinion price is the FIRST basis of comparison, or at worst second only to vehicle size / class. If you're going to charge nearly $40k for a sedan with all of the modern amenities and technology, I'm going to compare it to whatever else I can get for around $40k.
The problem with comparing Nissan is that they've actually positioned the Altima as the competitor to the Accord and Camry, leaving the Maxima in it's own class.
For my money, I wish they'd put a bit less into maximizing HP and refining the interior. I'd gladly take a 250hp engine with better gas mileage and slightly less refinement for $32k.
Tony
P.S. It took my less then 15 minutes to change the battery, this includes reading the owners manuel on how to it.
WINTER FROST, CAFE LATTE, FLOOR & TRUNK MATS
I really need help, how can get the best deal with putting $500 -$1000 down? In live in GA. I need my payment to be $400 per mo or less.
I'm working with the dealership via the internet. Here are the numbers they sent me. They gave me a deal of:
Vehicle Price: $37,900.00
Theft Protection Program: + $299.00
Preferred Customer Discount: - $3,416.00
Selling Price: $34,783.00
Sales Tax (estimate): + $2,476.74
Title Fee: + $46.00
MVWR: + $3.00
Documentation Fee: + $599.00
Balance Due (estimate): $37,907.74
This would be for a 36 month lease @ 12k per year.
The money factor is .00139
The residula value is $20,446
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
After reading all the comments on the 09 Maxima, including my own critical comments, I finally walked into a dealership and got myself one. Mine is Precision Grey with Frost Seats (no-way would I ever buy it with black seats). I must say it took some driving around to find the car without black seats but well worth the extra effort. Here is the deal I got.
Sticker for SV + Sport Package + Splash Guards + Trunk and Floor Mats = 36,505
Wholesale below dealer cost 29,900 for the car, plus taxes and fees. So I think your dealer can do better with the price of yours. Rebate may very well be in the deal package. Add to that the fact that I gave in my 07 Maxima 16months before the lease end on that one and was 5K upside down on that car. I still walked out paying 499.00 a month for 39 months with ZERO (0) money down, just the 1st monthly payment and that is it. If you calculate all those numbers, the dealer really went to bat to sell that car. Now take into consideration that it was the 30th of the month, at about 11pm and the dealer needed to make its quota. Nevertheless, I got the deal I needed to say yes and went from paying 429 for an 07 to 499 for an 09. How the additional 2,800.00 covers all the taxes, upside down payoffs, fees, and 6K higher sticker price on my 09 compared to the 07, I will never know but don't care either.
In general I miss the 07's power folding mirrors, rear sonar parking assist, trip computer display on the center stack in large numbers vs. on the instrument panel in small numbers, dual auto dimming side mirrors, and the ability to have only one side mirror fold down in reverse vs. both.
I gained a much better handling car, sweeter sound from the engine and exhaust, more horsepower and quicker pick-up, paddle shifter, way better CVT, and better fit and finish.
I have only had it a week so more to follow as I drive more miles. Bottom line is I have to now put aside all my past criticism of the vehicle and enjoy having the latest Max on the road.
I think you might be visiting the wrong places.
Do an inventory search on these places:
Fitzmall.com Chambersburg, PA
Antwerpen Security Nissan Clarksville, MD
You can see that significant discounts are available in the DC area.
Antwerpen shows MSRP of 37585 for 32460; 39205 for 33907; and 31205 for 26840.
Brown's Sterling Nissan and Brown's Fairfax Nissan in NOVA used to post similar aggressive prices online but stopped a few months ago. You need to contact some of these places by internet first and see what they say.
I found these places online a few months back when I was considering the Maxima but ultimately bought a CPO BMW instead.
Turns out, I've got a defective front-right strut. Probably just a ball bearing or something, but the sound is definitely annoying. Funny thing is, the parts are on backorder and my dealer has no idea when they'll be in. Seems very strange that they'd be on backorder. I suspect this may be a pretty common defective part with Maximas...perhaps they are in the process of changing suppliers? In any case, the sound is only annoying, and does not impact my car's safety...and I've been listening to it for months now, so I suppose I can wait patiently until the part comes in.
My first warranty repair with this car!
I have Premium + Technology, dark slate with charcoal interior. Although not what you wanted, I think the black interior looks very sporty and masculine - I wouldn't have gotten it any other way. This is just a matter of personal taste.
I find it interesting that some who post here take pains to try and differentiate Honda, Toyota and Nissan with Infiniti, Acura and Lexus, as if it's some kind of class struggle with clear-cut lines of product differentiation. What about the GT-R? Is that somehow a lower-class car because it isn't an Infiniti? Before I bought my Maxima, I compared it to similar sport sedans at a similar price point: Acura TL (both FWD with similar power), Lexus GS350, Infiniti G37, etc. The Maxima compares very favorably in fit and finish, and quality of materials with all of these cars. What's in a name?
I did not like either the exterior or the interior of the new TL - but this is just subjective. The Maxima, IMHO, is better in both respects. Ditto the G37, I think the Max is better in both respects as well. I like the exterior of the GS350 a bit more, but the driver's seat is not nearly as comfortable as the Max. I was actually ready to sign the papers on a GS350, but the lack of padding in the driver's seat back caused me to walk away after a last-minute test drive. Why would Toyota skimp on padding in a Lexus? The salesman said it's because the GS is supposed to be more sporty than luxurious - that's not an excuse in my eyes - the car retails for almost $50K. The driver's seat in the Max is just perfect, the only one that I found to be better was the upgraded 20-way adjustable seat in the BMW 535i.
The G37 sedan with RWD and a real transmission on paper was more appealing to me, but the car is too small, and I just don't like the styling that much (the G37 coupe, on the other hand, is gorgeous though). Also the constant exhaust drone in the interior was irritating after awhile. And, the interior in the Max is more plush.
The CVT is okay, I don't mind it in every day driving. I would have preferred a real gear-shifting tranny though. The paddles are just a novelty, I haven't used them since the first week I had the car.
What about the exhaust sound in the Max? It has a rorty sound when punching it, but is quiet when cruising - to me the perfect combination. The Lexus had no sporty sound at all.
Fuel efficiency - My average for 7500 miles is now 21.5 MPG per the readout on the dash - and I am not at all shy with the gas pedal...
Overall, this is an excellent choice if you are looking for power, luxury/comfort and sportiness. Also, I get a lot of compliments on how handsome the car is in dark slate.
BTW: Here's the link to the article.
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/autos/0907/gallery.2009_jdpower_apeal/11.htm- l
We VW owners love our cars because of the driving dyanmics, dash stroker interiors, ergonomics and Euro panache.
We VW owners don't always like our cars because of the random CEL's, bad coil packs, sludging turbo engines and various electrical gremlins.
But they have soul!!
I have a 09 Max SV with the Premium and tech package and my controls are illuminated in the red light like it is on the dashboard. I assume that all models are the same. It is hard to read what they say at night because the type is small and you have to watch the road but they are illuminated and it make them easy to find. Besides a few things I would do differently, the car is AWESOME. I am getting a lot of compliments, everyone loves it. And as much as everyone complains about the CVT and front real drive I don't mind it at all. It is nice to go from 20 to 90 in seconds without feeling the jerky shifts and as far as torque steer, I find it very non-existent and I have no problem controlling the car which handles great!
When you enable (turn on) the cruise control, there is a green light that turns on in the dashboard. However, when you actually engage the cruise control, there is no additional light to indicate the cruise control is active - you just need a "seat of the pants" feel to know the cruise control has kicked in. I keep thinking my Cruise light must be burned out but owners manual seems to imply there is no such light.
One other "design flaw" is that the trunk open button is not visible nor lighted. It also in a terrible location right under the steering column. It needs to be moved further over to the left.
There...I've said my peace. I still love the Maxima but these issues could be easily improved.
I think all the misfires on regarding indicators can be overlooked considering the addictive exhaust note (WOW), and in my case the improved (though not perfect) CVT; just my opinion.
By the way, 2009 JD Power "New Vehicle Launch" success index has the Maxima as the 4th best launch out of the 27 "new" vehicles launched in 2009. Hyundai Genesis took the top spot. Acura TL was 23rd. Overall, a decent showing for the Maxima.
- alloy wheel finish will be different
- two new color choices
- diesel engine option from Renault (due out mid-2010)
- iPod changed to be a USB port
- NAV system to include Weather data
- packaging changes
- rearview camera a separate stand-alone option (don't need NAV nor Premium)
- satelite radio a separate stand-alone option