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Comments
May have been a fluke, but Nissan doesn't have the best rep for interior quality, so I felt like it was going to be the norm. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong, since competition only helps the consumer.
The Accord IS higher in quality than the Civic (my dad has a 2007 Civic, I have a 2006 Accord - both EX models).
Not sure what price you are talking about, unless you can get Maxima's for $24k - the price that EX-V6 Accords can be had for. V6 Accords start around $21k I believe. They are approx $750 below invoice with a factory to dealer incentive. Not sure the Maxima offers the quality you are looking for...LOTS of plasticky plastic (if you know what I mean).
Have you ever actually driven a Maxima?? Go check out an '07 and get back to us. It's an amazing car.
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I've only sat in the 07s, not driven, but I couldn't tell a great big difference. I had only a limited time in them though, so I'm a little reluctant to stand by a statement about the 07s yet. I need another go in it. The 2006 Maxima felt pretty cheap (while having nice features).
What kind of van did y'all get?
What kind of van did y'all get?
Chrysler Town and Country. I'm not a huge fan of Chrysler, but it offered the most for the money by FAR. It will be the van that gets our kids all the way from toddlerhood through elementary school, so I'm not especially concerned about resale.
I can honestly say that the '07 Max is better than my '03 in nearly every category. Heck, in a lot of areas the '07 Altima is a better car than my Maxima.
I do like my car's front end better than the current Maxima, though.
I'm specifically thinking of the '07s beefier seats, the center stack looks MUCH more modern, it's quieter, a ton more trunk space, more gadgets, etc...
It is weird, though. There are some discrepencies, like my '03s little cupholder compartment door is much thicker than the newer car's, same for the sunglass holder.
It's really too bad the G35 is so expensive. I just have limits on how much I'll pay for a car, and the Maxima is right there. The only reason I will even pay the Maxima price is because the car is so good. Even though my car was built in 10/02, it is just rock solid and hasn't really seemed to age. I took delivery of the thing 4 years ago from last Monday, and it is just bank-vault solid. On Michigan roads, no less.
If it were my money, I'd go with the Max, between those two. The G35 is just so small compared to what I'm used to.
At 4 years old, your car is just getting going. My buddy's '97 Maxima GXE Automatic is still running just fine (equally as good as my '96 Accord - both have over 170k miles, I don't know what repairs that have been done to his car though). Still runs smoothly, and only has some rattles and two blown rear-speakers (they were blown when he got the car last summer).
If that car is any guide, your current Max will still be running fine years from now.
Would you please elaborate on these Honda V6 engine troubles. I guess my engine is very shy, and doesn't want to open up to me.
Show me the 2007 Accord V6 "never ending engine troubles" please, or just don't make comments like that without backing your comments with some facts, or it comes across as empty Nissan bias.
If that car is any guide, your current Max will still be running fine years from now
Nissan builds the best running cars hands down. I've owned 2 others besides my 07 altima. between them i had/have 360,000 miles. one of them i still own and is running fine, the other i traded in (still running) with over 220,000. between those two cars, over the course of 360,000+ miles and 17 years, i performed the following,
5 brake jobs, 1 replaced cv boot, 3 batteries, 1 muffler, 3 halogen bulbs, 2 brake lights, 1 oil pan (the wife's fault) 1 belt, and the rest is regular maintanence. and both my other nissan's were standard transmission and never needed a clutch replaced. they are simply the best cars built. bar none.
Come on now. You are comparing a Civic to Altima and Maxima. If you really want to get that "budget car" feeling, the Sentra will give it to you. I had a Sentra, and the "budget" must not allow for padding in the seats, because you can feel the springs on your backside.
My wife has a 2001 Honda Civic she bought brand new. 80,000 miles, no problems at all, just oil Changes, brakes and one motor mount (last month). Still runs great, great mileage and in my opinion, the engine is probably barely broken in because those cars go forever.
We just bought a new 2006 Altima to replace it though, because the seats in the Civic are horrible, it causes back pain. I have driven in Accords and the same thing occcurs, my friends who own Accords have the same problem. Something to do with the padding or just the angle of the seats in the Hondas. That is truly the only bad thing I can say on the Accords.
We did look at 2007's, but my wife didn't care which one, and we got the 2006 fully loaded for $21,900+TTL when MSRP was $27,300 and I looked up the invoice, which was $25,200.
Equipment-wise, the 2.5s is comparable to an Accord VP/LX, which are 2-3k less in transaction price (and includes ABS). I feel like I am missing something.
In the 80s and 90s, Honda used to make the best FWD stick in the business. Now it feels a little like a rowboat on the 4 cyl (haven't driven a V6) but its better than nothing.
I'm surprised that you don't like the newer sticks. I find my 06 Accord manual is so much smoother than my 95. And the difference between the auto and manual on the I4 is huge, IMHO.
The last time I test drove one, we were looking for my wife so I wasn't as particular about making sure I was totally comfortable. We test drove an '05 LX. We ended up going with something else that met her needs a little better but maybe I should give it another look this time around, although I think I would be looking at the VP model.
Oh, and I agree with you about the '95. I think the '94-96 Accords were my least favorites. We kept our hand-me-down 93 Accord EX even after being offered a hand-me-down 95 Accord EX.
And I agree about the stick thing, I won't drive an automatic so those vehicles aren't on the list.
The other thing is the Altima has more power, better acceleration and to top it off better gas mileage. I am getting combined 32-33MPG. This is a little better then my '96 Civic that was getting 31-32MPG. My daughter will be driving the Civic now.
As far as maintenance on the Civic; 185K 2 timing belts. 2 complete exhausts from cat back, 1 extra muffler, both front axles, 5 sets of front brakes, 2 sets for the rear, 3 sets of front rotors, all belts replaced with timing belt and water pump. 1 cat and now getting ready for rear struts. Not to bad over 10 years but still not "repair free". My Accord was about the same with the added inconvenience of the rear passenger side upper control arm breaking. I sold the Accord with 185K as I just did not want to deal with it any longer. No bad for either car and the engine and tranny never gave me any problems. Changed oil on both every 3-4K and change all other basic maint items at about 1/2 the recommended intervals. Both cars were driven 65/35 highway/city.
Both MI and NY are hard on cars. Lots of salt and bad roads.
If I get the same or better from the Altima I will be happy. :P
I think you will. As I've posted before, IMO, nobody builds cars better than nissan. My 1998 200sx-se now has 143,000 miles on it. I've replaced the tires once, one headlight, 1 battery, and the front brakes. Thats it. every other part on the car is original. that's including the muffler, rear brakes, belts, and hoses. The car runs and looks as good as it did the day I bought it. And, the car has never broke down, and has never failed to turn over with the first turn of the key. In 9 years, I've never even had to crank it twice. In fact, thats the reason i still own it. When i bought my '07 altima last month, i decided not to trade in my 200 because the money they would give me for it wound not come close to buying a car like it. Just take care of it, do the maintanence when your supposed to, and it will run forever. wash it every month or so, and wax it twice a year, and it will look like new 10 years from now.
Could you comment on the ride quality of the '07 Altima compared to your past Hondas? Road noise & road shock is usually one area where Honda scores low.
I find the ride quality on the Altima very good. It is VERY quiet on the highway compared to both the Accord I had and the Civic. It also absorbs the bumps pretty well. My wife and and I were driving the other day and I saw her cringe just as I hit a big pothole, could not get around it, and then nothing. Just a small thump and bump that would have been a jaw rattler in my Civic. My wife just looked at me and smiled. That was when I knew she may not like the way the car looks but she likes the way it rides. The other thing I like is that the seating in the car is up higher. You do not "drop" into the seat like you do in a Honda.
Do what I did if you want to be sure. I took the Altima out a number of times on back roads near the dealer that had plenty of filled potholes and pavement heaves. The cars suspension just sucks the bumps up and does not transmit them to the cabin. There is also no wind noise to be heard. It is amazing that I can now keep the radio on very low volume and hear it fine. In my Honda's when I would get back in the radio always seemed to be blaring. The car also handles very well, no problem coming off a hard exit ramp curve at 50+.
As an aside I could just never get comfortable in the seat of the new Accord. That was the deal breaker for me.
If you have to stop quickly on a slick road, you may reconsider that choice.
The fact that I could get a power drivers seat, something you can not get in an Accord at any price, made a big difference in comfort to me.
You did not look very hard. I have 8-way adjustable power seat in my Accord (passenger seat is power too).
As a side note, I had a 2006 Nissan Sentra for a rental while my '06 Honda Odyssey was being repaired (numerous times). The Sentra had a lot of road noise but it was a small econo car. The road shock was excellent - way better than any of my Hondas. I found myself not avoiding potholes like I do in our Hondas.
I guess this is one of those personal preference issues. I drive in snow/ice/slick roads all the time and have never had an issue. Have driven rentals with ABS and do not like it. I could have gotten it, just did not want it. I saw a very good show on this on Discovery with BMW turning ABS on and off and with an experienced driver the ABS off was better.
You did not look very hard. I have 8-way adjustable power seat in my Accord (passenger seat is power too).
I forgot on thing. I am tall and the sunroof was to close. They only offer the power seat in the EX not LX or Special Edition.
The Accord is a very nice car, the Altima was a better fit for me. I still am upset with Honda and their packages. The sunroof has been a deal breaker for me in many cars. The Camry is probably the worst for me with headroom. I just do not like to have to lean the seat back when I am driving, plus it is not safe.
I found out just how valuable ABS is, when a car pulled out on me one night (on a wet road). If and when it happens to you, I hope you're ready for it.
Someone should tell Honda that some power seats are slipping out... my Accord has a power seat! They have been available since the mid-1990s in the Accord, and can be seen here
Seriously though, I am surprised that Nissan would equip a car WITH a power seat and WITHOUT Anti-Lock Brakes... ABS is standard on the cheapest cars now, but not on the $20k Altima? That's one of the things that irks me about that car.
sounds good, i just went over a thousand on mine. but i doubut it has anything to do with break-in. There isn't realy a break-in period on new cars anymore.
I would give up my power seats (and probably a few other things) before I would give up my ABS. I know from experience ABS works, and I don't want a car without it.
Got her fixed though, and am up to 172,000 miles and running like a top (no oil burning, no exhaust repairs, original rear brake shoes!)
All you guys here who have had their vehicles and themselves saved so many times by abs, with all due respect, please stay out of VA. I kind of question your driving skills. (joke)
I think the driver who looks one way, then just pulls out right in front of me, should be the one who's driving skills are in question. You have been lucky so far. You haven't met up with one of these drivers yet. I'm sure there are some in VA too. Will you be ready?
While it certainly isn't what it used to be, I'd disagree with this statement.... at least as far as Honda is concerned. The owner's manual spells it out.