Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
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
I had a quick question: According to post #3793, college grads get an additional $500 rebate. I bought my car on Jan. 2 already (see post #3778). The $26,000 price includes any advertising fees and the $500 rebate that was going on at the time. We got 0.9% financing as well. My question is this,,, is there anyway for me to try and get the extra $500 rebate for being a college grad??? I know it's a long shot but what the heck.
The main reason people talk about it is because of the bait and switch adds you always see in the paper. You know the ones, buy a Maxima for 12,999 or whatever. Of course the fine print says that it includes 75 different rebates that you have to have 3 toes, on of which is pink in order to qualify for.
Its another ploy to get you in the showroom. My store almost never mentions it.
Sid
By the way, what do you think about the price that I got for my new GLE? The trim and options are listed on msg#3778.
Paul
Also anyone know if the xenon bulbs in the 2002's are that much brighter than the 2001 halogens?...And has anyone tried these PIAA bulbs and noticed a big difference?...It looks like changing the foglights will be a real pain in the butt...Joe D.
The Xenons are WAY brighter than the 01 halogens. People sometimes flash their bright's at me like I can do something about it!
You also will get auto approval providing no negative credit history.
This will apply to all models including used.
College Grad programs apply to people that have graduated from a US College in the last 2 years.
because there is a very large piece of weather stripping
that acts as the rain gutter for the roof. This is normal.
Concerning water on your floorboards, I presume you
mean door sill plates. If this is what you mean , then
this is normal. When it is raining or has rained, water
drips off of the top edge of the door onto the door
sill plate when you open the door. I know this has
happened to me and appears normal. Also, as on most
cars, the sill plates are outside of the weather stripping
and condensation can form on the sill plates
roar: thanks for the info...I stand to be corrected as them being sill plates...still and all thats alot of water in what I consider "inside" the car for my taste..I would think a little more with tighter seams and tolerances would do the trick...
Has anyone noticed they've done away with the exhaust wrap that goes around the pipes on the 2002's?
College Grad does guarantee you a Tier 1 rate on everything if you don't have any credit at all.
"The top five cities in "Car Smarts" in terms of haggling and vehicle knowledge were (in order):
01. Detroit
02. Los Angeles
03. Princeton, New Jersey
04. Chicago
05. Boise, Idaho
Lagging the field in the bottom five spots were:
96. New Orleans
97. Miami
98. Seattle
99. Washington, DC
100. Portland, Oregon
The "Car Smarts Index" is determined from an analysis of new-vehicle prices in each city, actual transaction prices, typical discounts, the amount of haggling shoppers perform, depth of vehicle knowledge, and use of the Internet for collecting vehicle information."
Source: CNW Marketing Research
!!!! most recently I had my ignition coils replaced after the SES light came on, the gas mileage has dropped afterwards from 26-27 down 21-22 on the hwy. "it depends on the trip" same trip to OHIO every other weekend, next "depends on the gas, maybe it oxygenated", thought they did that in NOV or so, not over New Years day, it was only 1 week between fill ups anyway, "how fast were you driving?" me "72 ish the speed limit plus 2" to myself I went slower this time cuz new rotors (2nd time, not going there now!)"well thats it, you drive fast!" out loud again" a little slower than usuual" dealer "well how does it drive ?" me"pretty good", dealer "thats all then, have a nice day" doesn't offer to check a damn thing me to myself "2nd time a max fails 2k out of warranty and treated shabby, German cars may be worth the money, i am not doing well here"
version.
I am going to the Philadelphia car show today to check out the G35 and the new Z. Hopefully I will get some nice pictures of both of them.
No, I don't or never owned a German car. In the family we own an Avalon XLS, Maxima GLE and Volvo S70.
I live in the Boston area where there is a high percentage of foreign marquees on the road. What is puzzling to me is what the auto dealers define as invoice. From what I know about business it does not appear possible to remain in business selling a car at or below "invoice". To do so would be economic suicide. Consider the additional costs involved:
salesperson commissions
office space
administrative staff
rent or ownership costs
real estate taxes, etc., etc.
Thus, the published "invoice" cannot be the true amount the dealer pays for the car. I know there are other profit centers such as the finance department and service, but they too have their own overhead and cannot expect to carry the sales department, the core business segment.
I think it would be naive to believe that a company can sell at or below cost and remain in business.
Are there any dealers or salesmen out there that can shed some light on this?
When we needed the first service, we stopped in at what used to be Stohlman Nissan but is now under another name which I forget...anyway, all of the new cars on display had an "Additional Dealer Markup" on the sticker. After seeing that, we got back in our car and drove out, refused to go there for service even though they are closer. I can't stand dealers who play that game and refuse to do business with them for either sales or service work.
When I bought cars in No. Va. in the past, it was more of a haggling situation than in Michigan, definitely was ripped off on my first two car purchases when I was young and innocent (a LONG time ago!), and had to spend a fair amount of time haggling and visiting several dealers when I bought a Camry in '93. Buying a Jeep GC in '97 was easy, though. Guess the moral of the story is that with all the dealers around the Washington area, there is a lot of competition, a large market, and there is probably a wide range of both consumer knowledge and dealer courtesy/fair dealing.
Just bought a 2002 Maxima GLE a month ago and have
noticed an odd little noise in the dash area.
It is hard to explain, like a little popping noise.
Like the windshield or dash don't fit just right and when
you hit a certain type of bump it kind of cracks or pops.
Also any when experience a lot of road noise?
Besides these two minor annoyances the car is incredible.
It is just plain fun to drive.
Thanks for any help
Anyway, as you know, the main changes were 1. the styling, 2. dual air bags, 3. the engine, and 4. the beam-axle taking the place of the independent rear suspension. Obviously, the new engine is better (though it needs premium, unlike before) but Consumer Reports claims a significant degradation of ride and handling in their test of a 95 GXE; they also noted comfort of all seats took a fall. Consumer Guide also noted that rear seat comfort was compromised because they lowered the seat, which adds headroom but kills leg support and you now "fall into the rear seat". Car And Driver didn't seem to notice any of the above and thinks the Maxima is a masterpiece, although they did complain about the beam axle on the 95 Sentra (which I also complain about).
Who's right?
Wittb
All vehicles I test-drove come standard with traction control system, but for Camry and Maxima. I live in Southern California where it is not that slippery and roads are fairly wide. However, comparing the driving handling, vehicle control and breaking comparisons; Maxima and Camry stand behind the rest. I wonder if having a traction control option help the matter. I am seriously considering Maxima since it gives lot more power at lot less money and when compared apple-to-apple, Maxima comes out ahead of the rest. So, how much does traction control will really contribute to the steering, handling, and breaking - overall quality, safety, and fun for me? (note: selecting the Traction Control option mandates adding three other options - Meridian, Side Air Bags and Power Sun roof - easily adding $2K more grands to the base price; is it worth it or am I just going to throw money on the option that is not that necessary for this vehicle?). Thanks.
Haven't driven the Lexus IS30 (since I'm not a "kid"), but the BMW 3-series is the king of small sport sedan handling. The Passat is close to the top in FWD cars - I think it has slightly more body roll than a Maxima SE, but some like it's steering feel better. The Camry & Solara are not in the same league as any of these other cars. They are well built Japanese Buicks.
If you want a better handling car than the GLE - and one that is alot more fun to drive - try the Maxima SE 6-speed. With or without traction control, it will feel tighter than the GLE. And the six-speed will definitely add to the "fun" factor, if that's what you're really looking for.
P.S. to "mmx6" on the 89-94 vs. 95-99 Maxima: I have a 95 SE which I bought after very positive recommendations by a friend who had and still has a 92 Maxima SE. The 95 equals or exceeds the previous generation in all respects. The criticism of the rear suspension seems to be being circulated by those that have all read about it in Car magazines but have never seriously test driven a Maxima SE against one of it's supposedly "more advanced" competitors like a Honda Accord or Acura TL. I wonder why these same authors don't knock the BMW 540 and M5 for using old fashioned recirculating ball steering? As an owner of a Honda S2000, I like both high technology and great handling. But I still let my rear end judge the latter and the 1995+ Maxima SE does, in my opinion, beat the previous generation.
Notice how the Altima went back to a fully independent suspension? The new Infiniti G35 also uses a fully independent rear suspension. The next generation Maxima will return to one as well. Without one, the next Maxima won't be competitive in its target market.
My wife wants to get a 2002 Maxima SE but if it is going to be redesigned again than maybe waiting a year might be the wise thing to do.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=84199&highlight=rear+beam+suspension
Granted ride quality is not close to as good as the Camry I doubt the Maxima will lose to one in the twisties..
Will those who defend the lowly cheap beam axle today bemoan its loss in future? Will they write how Nissan is making a mistake? Will they clamor for a return to beam axle for 2007? How come I find that hard to believe.
Nissan would've had the best of both worlds with a fully independent suspension set up. It would improve ride quality for those buyers who value it (most Accord and Camry buyers) as well as made the Maxima a better all around sport sedan for those who love its performance with its wonderful V-6 and manual transmission option. At least Nissan knows it made a mistake and will fix it.
I think the main reason C&D liked the '95 Maxima so much was the new engine. The VQ engine used in the '95 and above Max is completely superior to the old VG V6 used in previous generations (we also had an '87 Maxima with the VG engine, so I have experience with both). The VQ engine is much smoother, more free-revving, and much more powerful. It feels like a sports car engine, not a family sedan engine.
As for handling, I've never driven the '89-'94 Maximas so I can't give a fair comparison. Also, my parents' Max is a GLE, which has a softer ride and more floaty feel than the SE models. I can say that there is a good amount of body roll on our Maxima, and the handling overall is not particularly confidence-inspiring. You can feel bump steer (a result of the solid rear axle) when you hit a bump mid-corner. I have an '02 Altima SE, and my car has much less body roll and feels more composed in corners, though the ride is stiffer.
In the past, I've driven both a 98 and a 2000 Infiniti I30 non-Touring (on two seperate days when our G20 needed servicing and we were given a loaner car) and the ride actually seemed pretty good, but it's hard to make comparisons in your distant memory.
Yes, the VQ30DE engine is definitely superior and more efficient than the old VG30DE: it's lighter (since it's aluminum) and has more horsepower and torque from the same-size block. But since I'm planning to use this as a mild-mannered family car, torque is the most important commodity, and it didn't improve all that much. Plus the 89-94 GXE models with their SOHC engine only ask for 87 octane, correct?
What else was degraded on the Maxima on 95 besides the suspension and styling? I noticed the little details on Nissans started getting cheaper around that time. My 95 SE-R doesn't even have a CLOCK. Didn't the Maxima gain a big stupid intrusive trunk hinge and such? I noticed that Nissan leather quality went down in the late 90's. Seems to me that the world's most perfect mid-size sedan would be a 94 Maxima with the 95's engine and dual air bags.
The most recent experience I had with the beam on my 02 SE model was going around a 50 mph corner at 80 mph. The back suspension hit a bump and the back end jumped out on me. It caught the ground again, but it was still a pretty unsafe and scary feeling.
Believe me, NO one is going to miss that rear beam! Especially me! I love my Maxima, but that is the only negative thing about the car. I am glad they will be changing it for next year.
The recirculating ball steering in the 540i is clearly inferior technology to the rack and pinion setup in the 530i. And while some (me included) may notice a bit better steering feedback, smoothness and precision in the 530i, nobody is likely to dump on the 540i (and M5), just bescause BMW made the steering sacrifice to fit an 8-cylinder in the engine bay.
There is no doubt in my rear end that the Maxima SE outhandles virtually all of it's front wheel drive competitors from Japan, Germany or Sweden. (oh yeah, and America).
If your rear end tells you differently, then I respect your opinion. Just don't give me the "technical" answer as to why it can't be. After all, bumblebees do fly and the M5 is the ultimate performance sedan (imagine that, even the Maxima has rack and pinion steering!).
Being more expensive or more "sophisticated" does NOT automatically mean it is "better". Technology is only superior when it is used by real people every day, not when it is looked at on paper or compared for its "technological superiority". Was Beta superior to VHS? Apple Macs over Microsoft Windows?
An automatic transmission is more "sophisticated" or "technologically superior" to a manual transmission. Which would you prefer? In my opinion, the former is inherently inferior. It adds weight, complexity, cost, eats up space, reduces acceleration, degrades overall performance, and wastes fuel. So why isn't it better?
Is a turbo-charged or super-charged smaller DOHC 4-valve engine better than a larger, normally aspirated OHV engine? There is a lot to be said for the "primitive" engines in Vipers and Corvettes.
Probably because the proof is in the pudding. The 5 Series handles superbly. It may not have as "sophisticated" a front suspension or steering rack, but then both do exactly what you want when you want it.
What famous law posits that the prefered solution is the simplist one? You get to the same conclusion (driving nirvana) but reach it thru different steering or front suspensions.