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 am still waiting to see on in Tuscan Sun with Cafe Latte interior, around here dealer lots are full of grey with black seats, no variety at all. Mystic Jade is a nice color too.
VOB was the only Nissan dealer at the time that was professional and had integrity. And they were generally great for service, as well. I'm not sure what they are like today, but it's a good bet that the others didn't find any religion in the intervening 14 years.
Also, consider Baltimore. Back when I bought my 911 in 2005, HBL, Arlington, Rockville and Tischer all said $1,000 off was the best they could do on the new 997 Cabriolet S model. And that I should be happy that they would even take $1k off. I went to Hunt Valley Porsche and got $10k off.
I just skimmed the last few pages and see that you are in NC. I am in SC. What were your impressions of the NC dealers you visited? Any dealer along the SC border from the NC mountains to the coast is in driving range from either my home, the inlaws home, or their beach condo.
Over the years, I found that smaller mom & pop stores are easier and better in every way. Big corporate owned stores = sleazy, old school, high pressure.
Just out of curiosity, since I have never leased and have always paid cash, what do the lease payments on a Maxima / Altima look like compared to, say, a BMW 3 series? I was under the impression that, if you are inclined to lease, BMW's look relatively more affordable because they have both higher resale (residual) and more leasing incentives. A couple of years ago, a friend leased a 530i for only about $100 a month than his wife's Maxima, even though the MSRP's were nearly $20k apart.
As far as payments vs BMWs, I agree that the higher residual on a BMW can sometimes make the payment difference even less than $100.00 a month. Add to that the free maintenance the BMW throws in these days and the customer certainly has options. In seeing the incentive plans on leases by BMW and Benz, the initial cash payment is way out of control. It used to be that leasing was attractive because of no down-payments, not that way anymore. I have seen Benz deals with 5K initial payments, and BMW with about 4K. Between the fees, capitalized cost reduction (Fancy term for down payment), acquisition fees and all that nonsense, the incentive of leasing goes away for someone without that much cash to lay out. I always tell my salesman that all I have is enough for first month's payment and he even works the tax into the lease, at end of year the incentives to the dealer must be enough to be able to work some magic.
Example:
07 SE 33, 830 sticker/ 429.00 1st month and 38 more payments of the same amount, right out the door.
04 SL 32,700 sticker/ 800.00 including 1st month and 41 more payments of the same amount, right out the door. (the incentives on the SL did not match the SE in 04, don't know why). My 04 by the way had the elite package with 4 bucket seats which was very nice.
02 Altima for my wife, 21k Sticker, paid 1000K including 1st monthly payment and deposit with another 35 payments of $289.00.
06 Altima for my wife, 23K sticker (special edition with more equipment than the 02) paid 289.00 first month payment and right out the door with 38 more payments due. (4 weeks later I got a check from Nissan for $600.00 because the salesman took the 02 in as a trade instead of a lease return vehicle and it was worth $600.00 more than the pay-off). This refund made up for the extra money I paid at the beginning of the lease. I am mostly loyal to my salesman than Nissan, so far so good. Since 99, I have taken delivery of 7 cars from him, including some Sentras for my older son.
Now here is the kicker, by contrast an American car, my daughter's 07 Pontiac G6, 18K sticker, that one is 240.00 a month, no deposit but it is for 48 months, totally different depreciation schedule. She is in College and the town she lives in (Farmville Va.) does not have a Nissan dealer for service so I had to go with GM.
I still follow the advise that a Honda salesman once gave me, buy appreciating assets and lease depreciating assets. Since my cars are selected for transportation and out of being in love with the darn thing, I can follow that advice. If I were to suddenly be looking for a 911, SL550, Audi A5/S5, BMW 6 series, then I would be selecting out of loving the darn thing and would want to own it regardless of the depreciating asset advice. Oh I also love the new Maserati Quattroporte....
I ended up getting my car out of Crown in Greensboro. Apex also had very similar internet pricing. The bigger cities like Charlotte and a few of the dealers in Raleigh had the poorest prices. I also even shopped my Maxima in Atlanta, and they were also way too high.
BTW - I like your userid as I have a big HO Train collection...
BTW - I like your userid as I have a big HO Train collection...
Honestly, I can't say I am much of a fan or collector. My user id comes from the fact that it's my occupation....(locomotive engineer)
What is the sticker price of the Maxima you are leasing? How many monthly payments of 563.00 (that seems way high). What is the 2,000 down for (You need to know where your money is going because they will pocket it in fees and you will just lose your hard earned money). Ask for the residual for your Maxima and work your deal backwards from there. If you want a simple way to calculate, take the sticker price multiply it by .0125 and by .015, your monthly payment should fall within that range with only 1st month and tags out the door.
There is an emotional aspect to owning the car. If you are dealing with GOTTA HAVE MAX and get rid of Pathfinder..then I would do the following:
Negotiate better price on Max
Try to negotiate 3900 for lease termination
if everything fails and the numbers are written in stone and YOU GOTTA HAVE MAX then terminating pathfinder lease and getting a max seems like a simpler and cleaner option.
I generally dont lease cars...but if I was bitten and HAVE to lease I would only lease it in multiple of 12 months (So I dont pay taxes/use fee for 48 months & use the car for 39 months) and NOT more then 36 month (at which the warrenty expires..you spend $500 to reset the chk engine light in 39th month just before returning the car)
Strengths
- The ride and drive is a perfect blend of luxury and performance. 0 to 60mph in 6.3 secs, yet a nice comfortable ride on the highway.
- Very little road noise at highway speeds. Check out the sound insulation in the wheel wells!
- Highly recommend the Premium Package (dual moon roofs, air conditioned seat, rearview camera, rear seat ac/radio controls, power sunscreen). This option package sets it apart from its competitors such as Accord, TL and G35.
- Air conditioning is extremely strong – this has always been a strong suit of Nissan’s. Lexus/Acura “low flow” air conditioning are a step back in my opinion
- iPod integration is the “best in the business” according to most car reviews.
- HID lights offer perfect light projection on the horizontal and vertical .
- Maxima does an excellent job on the “little touches”:
- Door lights are curved 90 degrees at the bottom doubling as puddle lamps.
- Sun visor extensions are provided.
- Video cable outputs allow you to watch movies on the NAV screen.
- Extremely large glove box.
- Extra large cup/map holders on the front side doors.
- 2009 Quick Reference Guide is great! 30 page manual - short and sweet.
Weaknesses
- Bose Radio has two subwoofers in the rear which gives an extremely strong base sound – especially for those who sit in the back seats! I’m surprised there is not complaints about this.
- Braking power is not as strong as the competitors.
- While the trunk is fairly large (14.2 cu ft.), the trunk opening is small!
- Navigation software is nearly a year old (software version says 07-08 model yr)
- Zig-zag oil dipstick from the Gen 4 Maxima is still there!
- Tire Pressure Monitors should show air pressure for each tire – like on the Infiniti
Gas Mileage
- I’ve been getting 21 mpg mostly city and 28 mpg pure highway. Overall, I’d say the gas mileage is very close to the EPA ratings.
Defects
- None so far.
If I was on a market for a new car, i will follow your opinions.
I'd agree with go_mdx1 that the Maxima is 60% "luxury". Lot's of nice amentities and creature comforts that were enjoyable, especially from the passenger seat. And the car was nice and quiet on the highway, happy to cruise all day at 75+ mph. However, I'd disagree that the Maxima is 40% "sport". Maybe 5-10%. I'd give it credit for being reasonably quick, but only when "pushed". Handling and steering were average at best and no better than my friend's previous ES330. Braking was below average. The CVT transmission eviscerated most of the fun driving winding mountain roads and, I believe, is the main culpret in why you have to stomp on the gas to extricate any real acceleration. I was quite surprised when I found out the car was rated at 290 horsepower. It feels more like 230 (e.g similar to 528i, but no where near a 300hp 535i). A lot of those Maxima horses must be getting stuck between the crankshaft and the wheels. It would be interesting to see how the Maxima felt with a manual, SMG or DSG transmission, but alas, this "4 door sports car" doesn't offer anything so sporty. :confuse:
I'd give the remaining 30%+ to the Maxima as a credit for solid, basic transportation. That's not a bad thing, as it sells a lot of Camrys and Accords. In conclusion, I thought the 2009 Maxima was at least as good if not better than my friend's prior Lexus in the "luxury" department. But it's not a mile within a BMW 3/5 or G35S in "sport". I guess "4 door entry level luxury car" doesn't sound as sexy, but that's calling a spade a spade, IMO.
P.S. We kept all of our gas receipts and, at the end of the trip, averaged 24.3 mpg, for 90% highway 10% "in-town" driving. Last year, on the identical trip in my 2007 911 C2S, we averaged just under 26 mpg (at a slightly higher average speed).
1 thing I did was switch the transmission over to manual mode, which automatically drops the CVT to 5th gear, then I shifted up to 6 and pressed on the gas. Doing that did indicate a down shift to 4th gear and even to 3rd gear on one occasion. Once in the lower gear, the car will hold it until the red line or until the driver manually up shifts, either way the experience was thrill-less. My 04 with the non-CVT had sharp, quick up shifts and down shifts in auto and in manual mode and it was the SL (NON-sport).
I find it interesting that we both have the same experience with the CVT when pushing it for that rush of power we all love in a "Sport" equipped car. Back to the drawing board for Nissan.
With the stock market in a tailspin I would expect much better prices down the road. So I would wait until 2009 before seriously considering purchasing a Maxima or any car for that matter.
Here is the website with the turning radius information on the new Maxima
2009 max Turning RADIUS is 37.4/2 = 18.7 ft
link title
link title
2008 Max Diameter = 40ft
2008 radius = 20 ft
Not as drastic dufference...only 1.3 ft in radius
link title
But to put things in perspective 2008 Acura MDX an SUV has a turn radius of 18.8 ft...ONLY 0.1 ft more then 4D sports sedan Maxima.
If you value sport driving & Luxury more then G35 (Rear Wheel Drive)
If you value space & Luxury then Max is the way to go.(Front Wheel Drive)
Keep in mind that Max is in its first year and like all first model year cars it has its bugs. G has been around for a while.
If you are in snow belt area the real wheel would be a mistake...you might have to go to G35x...a much better choice.
If you like FWD cars check out 2008 TL too...some great deals to be had there...not as well equipped as Max though.
Infiniti service is great...
FWD does not necessarily equate to better handling in the snow when it comes with 18+ inch low profile tires. My old 1995 Maxima SE with 15" 60 series tires was great in the snow (northwest PA = 100+ inches annually). But my 2004 TL 6-speed, with 17" wheels and high performance 45 series summer tires was a disaster in the snow. Much worse than a friends 328i that had all season tires. So tires are at least as important as FWD, RWD, AWD.
Second, don't compare horsepower differences and conclude anything. Adding horsepower to a FWD setup has rapidly diminishing returns. The 2009 Maxima feels like it has about 220 hp after you drive it back to back with a 300hp RWD 335i. I suspect the G35 will also feel more powerful.
Third, test drive both cars extensively. The CVT transmission appears to be a love or hate thing with the Max. And it contributes to the feeling of less power compared to a manual or even a decent 5/6 speed automatic. From the sounds of your preferences, that may not be an issue, but I still recommend a lengthy test drive.
If you like the ride of Infiniti's then I would strongly suggest that you test drive Infiniti M35..I know its not in the same percieved price range BUT the car is not selling well. It has $6000 factory to dealer incentive plus $1500 cash incentive.
link title
When I went through the buying process a month ago the dealer in San Diego had three 2007 (yes its 2007) infiniti M's with less then 100 miles on them and he was very motivated to get rid of them.
Something worth checking.
With the exception of the S, which has cloth seats, the SV models all have interior trims that equal the G, including the same identical dashboard. Standing side by side, the two vehicles, although different in appearance, cannot be distinguished as one luxurious and the other not.
I agree with the caveat about the CVT, this blog has plenty of comments on it. I agree with FWD vs RWD and HP associated with it. I agree with the caveat about 1st year production Nissan cars.
On the other hand STREHLOW, if you love the car and feel like you must have it, then that is a great reason to get the car, go for it and enjoy it even with its quirks if any. I think there are some deals available out there that should give you more than a 2k difference between the G and Max. My bottom line however is this, regardless of what anyone says, a Nissan by any name is a Nissan. FWD, RWD, longer wheelbase, more HP or whatever, an Infinity is a Nissan. So either way have fun with the new car, whatever it is and enjoy it in good health.
As for luxury, if you get the Premium Package on the 09 Maxima, you get luxury features you simply can't get in the G35 such as air conditioned driver seat, dual moon roofs, rear AC/Radio controls, power sunshade, rear backup camera (don't even need to purchase the NAV package to get this), and a great IPOD hookup.
As for sport, the G35 (soon to be G37) is a much more sportier vehicle. If you go with the G35x, gas mileage will be a bit lower. I do agree that Infiniti service is far superior to the Nissan service. At least its not as bad as the poor Genesis folks who have traded in Lexus vehicles to get the Genesis and learned the difference between Lexus vs. Hyundai service departments! Then again, in these economic times, getting a Hyundai could be perceived to be far more politically correct than getting a Lexus.
The 2000's came out in US after they have been around for two years in Japan as Nissan Cifiaro (Spelling??). Hence it was not a TRUE first model year. I too bought first model year 2000 I30 and have been happy...but it was essentially third model year
This MAX is totally new.
Sanjay
On the other hand someone who does not appreciate driving dynamics of G should not get one
Interesting observation. My 1995 Maxima was the last generation (4th) to be built in Japan. And, according to my Nissan service manager, was the best Maxima ever in terms of solid reliability and durability. Brake pads lasted 90k+ miles, rotors were not replaced until 150k, original clutch, driving chain never needs replacement, etc. And, the quality of the paint and finish is HIGHER than on my 2004 Acura TL, built in Ohio.
I hate to say it, but in my own personal experience U.S. quality is simply not up to Japanese or German quality. Neither of my Acura's, both US built, have the precise fit and finish quality of my former Honda S2000. Proving there is a big difference between do-dads and craftsmanship.
Recently I replaced my 1995 G20 (Japan Built) with 2008 MDX (I believe built in Ontario Canada)
The quality & craftmanship of G20 is/was far superiot them MDX. Just the type/quality/fit and finish of the headliner was enough to make the distinction...
Love the MDX for power and drive...The paint, the cloth seats, etc were great...no fading, no sagging....