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
SE auto, trunk mat, floor mats, splash guards
MSRP: $26,456
Paid: $22,500 +tax($1,125), tag&title($136), processing fee($25)
I had gap insurance($299). $0 down, $0 payment for 90days, 2.9%APR for 60 months...
Did I do OK with the purchase?
The dealer also recommended Nissan's extened warranty, but I did not make decision on it. Is it any better than ones from 3rd party warranty companies?
How do you think?
Any way, I hope it would not cause any problem.
Interesting that you got 0 options. That's how I justified getting my 1995 SE 5-speed over an Altima when I was on a tight budget. Only option I got was anti-lock brakes (since became standard) at a whopping $1,000. But they've paid for themselves by avoiding a few encounters with idiot drivers. I don't think I've seen more than one or two other SE's without a sunroof since I bought mine.
As for the extended warranty, I personally advise against it. Finally, at 8 years and 130k+ miles, I've had two repair items - water pump ($550) and starter ($420). But, prior to that I had absolutely nothing go that would have been covered by an extended warranty. It seems from others I've talked to that the Maxima is about as reliable as they come and if some occasional fluke doesn't pop up in the first 3 years or 36k miles, your'e probably good for another 100k after that.
What color did you get?
Enjoy the ride.
It includes $1000 rebate. It had 90 miles on odo. That made me a little bit uncomfortable, but I took the car with free 3 oil changes.
I wanted 6-speed, but it's for my wife. I got SE over GXE, but AUTO.
Regarding the extended warranty, I'll see how my max runs for next a year or two. Thanks for your input.
nissangirl,
It seems that you got a better deal. I got 03 SE auto w/o leather for the money. The color is sterling mist exterior/black interior (basically gray with black interior). We like soft feel of interior fabric.
I have not had any purchase with loan before. I guess using my credit card on everything might have helped my credit score. Well, I don't even know what my score is. I just took the APR since I was told I was quaified.
When I testdrove SE, I did not have bumpy road. My wife may not like harder ride. Do our OEM tires play positve or negative role on a bit noisy ride? How do you guys like your Bridgestone RE92 tires?
Thanks.
Just the pix:
http://www.nissannews.com/events/autoshows/nissan/2003detroit/maximafull.jpg
http://www.freshalloy.com/site/cars/nissan/2004/maxima/preview/home.shtml
Mileage, so far I'm getting 21 miles per gallon in the city. I have not yet taken it on a road trip yet, as it is still a new born, so I don't know what kind of highway miles I will get.
So you got a brand new 2003 SE w/ leather package for $22.5k? Isn't that about $2,500 under invoice? Or, $1,500 under plus $1,000 rebate. And you still got a good financing rate?
Makes me think that $2,500 under invoice for a fully loaded SE 6-speed with no financing (cash sale) might be possible. Your thoughts?
Nabi:
I'd second nissangrirl and go with premium. I have 132k miles on my 1995 SE and it's only used a total of 5,519 gallons (average 23.97 mpg) at a gas cost of $7,847. Assuming I saved 10-15 cents a gallon on regular, that's only $550-800 over 8 years, ASSUMING no reduction in gas milage. Drop the mpg by 1.5 and there goes the savings, not to mention the performance.
Does finance make difference on sale price of the car? If I remember correctly, Nissan offers 0.9% for 30mths /2.9% for 60 AND $1000 rebate on Maxima.
A "loaded" 2003 model SE 6-speed (w/o navigation, but most everthing else) has an MSRP of about $30,500 and an invoice of roughly $27,300. With the current $1,000 rebate, a price of $26,300 +/- seems possible, but much less than that is unlikely.
Perhaps your $22k quote was for a leftover 2002 demo, and/or didn't include a lot of gothchas like freight, processing fees and advertising fees. I have a friend who recently moved to Atlanta area and is looking to get a Maxima SE Titanium edition. He was quoted a better price (by $400) from my dealer - VOB Nissan in Rockville Maryland, than the several bonifide quotes from Atlanta dealers he checked with. He has also indicated that sleeze is cheap among car dealers in Atlanta and bait and switch is a frequent occurance. He, like I was, is a no BS cash buyer. If you have a dealer reference, please post it. I'll pass it on along with a suggestion of a bottle of ____ as a finders fee for you.
I suspect that the dealership u went to.. claimed it was "loaded" when it was basically a base SE which WOULD go for around 22k... haven't u seen big signs with the word "LOADED" on cars on dealer lots that weren't actually LOADED?
If you are interested in a base automatic SE and live near Boston, it may be a good deal for you.
P.S. He confirmed what I've heard locally - that there won't be many more 2003's produced in anticipation of the new model, due out in April. I think I'll just wait it out and continue to enjoy my 1995 Maxima and 2002 S2000.
Have a hard time reading the fine print though.
These are screamer ads.
Look at the ad for 2002 Maxima's with 8138 discount.
Great deal until the fine print mention's that it is used.
BTW.......discuss........2003 max vs. 2003 Mazda 6. Loaded versions each w/ man. tranny.
I would guess right now the prices are close, out the door. The max MIGHT even be cheaper.
horsepower war....max is the winner. Handling, most likely the 6.
Styling.....pick em.
I would love to get either......cmon guys, you want the Max and 260hp? or the 6 with crisper handling?
The numbers look good (around 2k under invoice) and special financing (2.9 or 3.9 - I forget which) that'll actually lower my car payment. However I'll be picking up another 2 years of payments (if I decide to keep the '03 that long).
The pros outweigh the cons, but I'm reluctant to pull the trigger. I like the look of the '04 (from the one pic), but I'm definately not buying a 1st year model again (too many TSB issues with my '00) and I'm sure the price will be mid 30's and they won't deal too much on the price (maybe 500 over invoice in a few months...but definately not the same deal on the '03 for a while anyway).
Decisions, decisions.
Habitat:
I saw the funniest thing yesterday and thought about you. I was digging my car out from the 8 inches of snow we got yesterday, and I look up my street and see this little car driving about 5 miles/hour fish tailing back and forth. He proceeds to get stuck right in front of my house. I look at the car and he's driving a Honda S2000 in a snowstorm! I thought that was hilarious! Those things have what...1" of ground clearance? I hope he made it wherever he was going.
tylercn.... i am in the same boat as you... 2k maxima looking for replacement tires.. i have the gle 16in 5 spoke wheels... i've researched the kumho's, dunlops sport a2's, and the michelin mvx+'s....... i've decided on the dunlops and i think u should too.... kumho's are inexpensive..but are 3 season tires.. u would definitely need snow tires or all season tires if u encounter snow. i was thinking bout going this route..but since these are hi performance tires, they wouldnt last me that long.. maybe 20k miles vs getting 35k on the proxies.. dunlops do everything well.. kinda sporty, kinda comfy.... great traction... the michelin mvx4+ are touring tires... they give u good mileage, but not very good in terms of handling for a maxima.. it's good enough for an accord.. oem tires for them... although, mercedes C and E classes use those MVX4+ as OEM tires too..they're very quiet but very expensive...125 at bj's and more at other places. im waitin for after christmas to get me the dunlops since they get great reviews on tirerack and from people on this forum.. good luck on your choice.. let us know what you get.
I also saw something funny going downtown Thursday morning for a doctor's appointment. Connecticut Avenue was pretty empty and still had a fair amount of snow on it. A guy dressed in a business suit and bow tie was trying to go up a very slight grade in a Jaguar XKR (convertible, no less). From the looks of it, his back wheels were occilating between quick bursts of 0 to 100 mph while the car was moving at a nice steady 1.5 mph, but more sideways than forward. So much for traction control in the hands of a novice. I should have offered to trade him vehicles - he looked like he was ready to deal, but probably not the type that would know how to drive a 5-speed.
Your 2003 Maxima deal sounds very tempting. I think the real question I would be asking is, can you see yourself being happy with a 2003 Maxima for the next 5+ years. If so, I'd go for it. It's a significant upgrade and a hell of a deal. On the other hand, if you think that in a couple of years you might be envying the new 2004 model (or something else), I'd probably advise keeping the 2000, and not get hit with another new car depreciation. I also generally agree with your assessment of the new Maxima. I suspect that it will be repositioned to be more expensive (both MSRP and lack of early discounts), perhaps pushing towards G35 territory. At that price, and as a rear wheel drive car, I'd be cross shopping with a lot of other cars including European Delivery BMW's. But at $25k+/- for a loaded 2003 Titanium edition SE (6-speed?), there is NO close competition and probably never will be at under $30k+.
I did not see any Honda 2000 on my way so I not think of Habitat :-), but I did see a lot of small cars struggling and fishtailing, particularly when they tried to go up a grade. IMHO, small sporty cars are good for the summer, but they are horrible in the winter snow.
Apparently, the way Nissan sells the 03 Max (at rock bottom prices) is to make room for the brand new 04 Max. If you are like me (one that doesn't like to be treated as a guinea pig for first year production cars), you better open your wallet quickly and snap up these great deals when there are sufficient colors and trim levels to choose from. Go for the "fully loaded" Max(except for the nav. That seems the only and right way to go; you are getting a lot but not paying a lot. Forget about resale value because you will be able to keep your 03 Max for at least six to seven years, at which point, depreciation and resale factors are pretty much moot.
By the way, I have 2 Nissans sitting in my garage purchased from those "sleazy" Atlanta dealers. Watch out how you talk to us hillbillies!
Anyone have any ideas (heard any rumors) about what might be coming off the old Maxima Production line in Japan?
I'm curious simply because of the relative high quality of the cars built there over the last 20 years.
I'm seriously thinking about starting to shop for a loaded 2003 GLE/SE just because of the new 6th generation's looks and the fact that it'll no longer be made in Japan.
Problem is my 95GLE and my 00SE are both still in great condition (195,000 and 112,000 miles respectively).
Maybe a 2003 test drive would help me make up my mind! I probably should add another garage spot to the house first. (But then maybe a 350Z would look better in that spot:-)
But, I'm starting to love the look of the '04 (though I'll likely wait until '05 before buying). Here's the latest spy shots of the '04 I came across...
http://www.freshalloy.com/site/cars/nissan/2004/maxima/spy/home.shtml
That looks pretty good! I'm dying to see a frontal shot!
Horsepower at least comparable to a 350Z?!? Wow!
Also, is that a 3.5L tag on the trunk? I wonder if that means it can be had with another engine?