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I will be in the market to purchase (not lease) a new car in about 5 months. I am currently driving an '03 Honda Accord EX (4-cyl) with nav/leather, and I am seriously considering the Altima or Maxima. I've never owned a Nissan.
So, here's the kicker...my family qualifies for the VPP discount, and based on the current Maxima incentive ($2,500), the Maxima 3.5SL (Nav/Platinum Package) ends up being $400 less than the Altima 3.5SL (Tech Package). I do not care about the $400, but rather the fact that I could get the Maxima or Altima for basically the same price.
I am 29. I have a wife, and a 1 year old son. I am a Realtor, so I have clients in my car (front and back seat) A LOT. I drive approximately 17,500 miles per year (70% city/30% highway).
I have not driven either vehicle, because I know if I do, I will probably end up buying one of them on the spot. Then my wife (and I) will be pissed because we have 2 car payments. I did sit in both cars last weekend at a car show.
Here are some initial thoughts/concerns from me:
The Altima gets slightly better fuel economy (a difference of only about $120/year)
The Maxima has more rear legroom, but I am only 5' 9" (and the difference ends up equaling about .5 inches)
The rear visibility in the Maxima seems like it sucks (damn, that back window is small)
The Altima has more horsepower
The overall cost of ownership will be higher for the Maxima (tires, insurance, etc)
The Altima has push button, versus a faux-key in the Maxima
The Maxima does not have touchscreen nav, but you can't use the touchscreen in the Altima while driving (by the way, can you use all features in the Maxima nav while driving?)
The Maxima has rear sonar, while the Altima has a rear camera.
I've heard about torque steer issues in the Maxima, but haven't heard any complaints about the Altima. Again, I haven't driven either yet.
Thanks in advance for your opinions. It would definitely help to hear what current owners think before making my purchase.
just by looks i would go for the maxima. i dont know about you but i HATE the new altima, everything about it is cheap and not finished. maximas arent so great either, i liked the 05 models more, but its far better looking than the altima and has WAY more features, one which is a heating steering wheel, which is great in the winter.
all up to you, if you dont plan to modd it, then get whatever since it wouldnt matter
just by looks i would go for the maxima. i dont know about you but i HATE the new altima, everything about it is cheap and not finished. maximas arent so great either, i liked the 05 models more, but its far better looking than the altima and has WAY more features, one which is a heating steering wheel, which is great in the winter.
Well, I definitely don't hate the look of the Altima, in fact, I think it looks more sporty than the Maxima. That's one of the tough aspects of my decision, I want a good balance between sportiness (29 year old male) and luxury (take clients out).
I'd be curious about the "WAY more features" in the Maxima, because as far as I'm concerned, memory seats and heated steering wheel are really the only ones.
PS - I moved from PA to SC to escape winter, so I could care less about the heated steering wheel, other than to tell people, "hey, my car's got a heated steering wheel."
I say..I love the altimas always have and as long as they keep it up maybe i always will. I have never been a fan of the maxima. The new altima is far far nicer than my 3rd gen was IMO. I think everything is actually the opposite of what iGroock said. I think they improved the interior. made things nice and neat and clean. Its a comfortable car and everything is very intuitive on it. It turns on a dime and it has good fuel economy. I just love the car overall. I loved my 3rd gen and still love the 3rd gens but this one is winning me over more and more. It has the classy luxury appeal that I always thought was missing from the 3rd gen. But also, in general nissans leather isnt all that impressive. I have always been an advocate of saving the 3,000 at the dealer and having the 3,000 put into a custom leather upgrade with far better quality leather. Otherwise, the altima is a great reliable car. My 3rd gen NEVER had one single problem with it and the master tech said there was absolutely no worries with it mechanically because the service writer bought it the day i traded it in. Theyre overall good solid cars. I cant speak directly for the maximas though. Just my .02
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I guess whoever voted for the 2.5SL didn't post because they were too worried about getting flamed. At one point, I was seriously considering the 2.5SL over the 3.5SL due to fuel economy. A bunch of people at NICO told me that this would not be a smart decision because of the VQ.
What do you guys think, and I know that there may be some overlap between users that come to this forum and NICO?
Since you're a realtor it would be better to LEASE rather than buy. If you're worried about the miles, you can purchase extra miles up front or bargain for 15,000/year instead of 12,000/year. The lease would be a tax write-off for you because of your occupation and turn the car in for a new one every 2 or 3 years. Don't forget, VPP has discounts on leasing too.
I didnt vote but I wouldnt argue with whoever did vote that the VQ is overrated. Its a solid and nice motor but my QR in the 3rd gen never gave me one single problem and unless youre racing, it has plenty of giddyup anyway. So why spend the extra cash on a VQ up front and in the long run with gas and with insurance if you get basically the same car with a QR? The engine itself is great but having to have one just to say I have a VQ is overrated..unless you race it.
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Maxima has two main faults:
-Turning radius. It's the same between my 03 and the 08, a full circle is about 40 ft. The Altima's radius is about 18.7 feet and the Maxima is 20. I've heard a few different people say the Maxima feels like a boat driving. You may have to make a 5 point turn to fit into a tight spot. Very annoying..
-Torque steer. The v6 is a very torquey engine. Even my 5.5 gen putting down 255hp had lots of it. I don't think nissan properly addressed it in the 6th gen models. Remember the Maxima and the 02-06 Altimas were built in the same platform. This means less stiffness in the chassis and measures were not put in place to virtually eliminate the loss of control feeling you get when you gun it.
The VQ35DE is a very reliable fast motor. At the same time, ask yourself if you mind paying an extra $10-20 each week at the pump between the fuel economy difference and requirement of premium gas for ideal performance.
I have a 2.5SL and while it doesn't encourage me to speed like the 3.5SE did, it does move pretty quick when I need it to. I love the heated seats, leather, sunroof and CVT. I also love spending less in gas each week. Not enough to buy the hybrid, but it still feels good.
Last edited by realmac : 01-25-2008 at 12:04 PM.
Reason: don't post while you're tired... lol
Maxima has two main faults:
-Turning radius. It's the same between my 03 and the 08, which is about 40 ft. The Altima is about 18.7 feet and the Maxima is 20. and 20 feet. I've heard a few different people say the Maxima feels like a boat driving.
-Torque steer. The v6 is a very torquey engine. Even my 5.5 gen putting down 255hp had lots of it. I don't think nissan properly addressed it in the 6th gen models. Remember the Maxima and the 02-06 Altimas were built in the same platform. This means less stiffness in the chassis and measures were not put in place to virtually eliminate the loss of control feeling you get when you gun it.
The VQ35DE is a very reliable fast motor. At the same time, ask yourself if you mind paying an extra $10-20 each week at the pump between the fuel economy difference and requirement of premium gas for ideal performance.
I have a 2.5SL and while it doesn't encourage me to speed like the 3.5SE did, it does move pretty quick when I need it to. I love the heated seats, leather, sunroof and CVT. I also love spending less in gas each week. Not enough to buy the hybrid, but it still feels good.
Finaly, someone with a VQ and a QR that doesnt have the VQ or nothing mentality...finaly. What you say there is what Ive been trying to get across to a lot of people too often. I dont race and I sure dont need any more tickets so the QR is plenty quick and plenty fun. So what if I dont have a VQ.
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I work at Nissan Dealership, so i drove every nissan other than the new GT-R cause its not out yet lol, anyway the thing i dont like about the new altima is it feels really light when u drive it, even the steering wheel is so light, the maxima is a bit stiffer when it comes to driving it. Also ur right about the rear windshield it is small for a big car like that. and since ur a realtor i would say get a more luxuries car like a Maxima, but the Altima I like the interior more with the Navi, or tech package, so its up 2 you, but since ur not into speed might as well just go with a 2.5SL with teck package, u get everhing the 3.5SL gets other than the motor
I work at Nissan Dealership, so i drove every nissan other than the new GT-R cause its not out yet lol, anyway the thing i dont like about the new altima is it feels really light when u drive it, even the steering wheel is so light, the maxima is a bit stiffer when it comes to driving it. Also ur right about the rear windshield it is small for a big car like that. and since ur a realtor i would say get a more luxuries car like a Maxima, but the Altima I like the interior more with the Navi, or tech package, so its up 2 you, but since ur not into speed might as well just go with a 2.5SL with teck package, u get everhing the 3.5SL gets other than the motor. As far as leg room goes they are almost the same u almost can't tell the difference.
Since you're a realtor it would be better to LEASE rather than buy. If you're worried about the miles, you can purchase extra miles up front or bargain for 15,000/year instead of 12,000/year. The lease would be a tax write-off for you because of your occupation and turn the car in for a new one every 2 or 3 years. Don't forget, VPP has discounts on leasing too.
I would never lease since I see it being as pointless as renting. In terms of montly payments, if I lease 2 Altimas over the course of 60 months, it would only save me $5,250 versus financing 1 Altima over the same time period. OK, so I would save just over $5,000, but at the end of the second lease, what do I have to show for it. By the way, that figure is assuming a lease at 15,000 miles/year, and I typically drive 2,500 more miles than that per year.
Leasing is nice if you want to drive a vehicle that you can't really afford to buy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by realmac
The VQ35DE is a very reliable fast motor. At the same time, ask yourself if you mind paying an extra $10-20 each week at the pump between the fuel economy difference and requirement of premium gas for ideal performance.
I have a 2.5SL and while it doesn't encourage me to speed like the 3.5SE did, it does move pretty quick when I need it to. I love the heated seats, leather, sunroof and CVT. I also love spending less in gas each week. Not enough to buy the hybrid, but it still feels good.
Fortunately I live in a red state where regular is still only $2.74/gal, and premium is only $2.97/gal, but you're right, based on my driving, it would cost me $10.71 more per week for the 3.5 versus the 2.5. Not to mention the $25.90 more in monthly insurance premiums for the 3.5, and the 3.5 costs about $3,300 more up front.
Once you take into account approximate resale value, then the 3.5 would cost me $112.80 more per month than the 2.5 over the course of 60 months.
Quote:
Originally Posted by asani06ser
since ur a realtor i would say get a more luxuries car like a Maxima, but the Altima I like the interior more with the Navi, or tech package, so its up 2 you, but since ur not into speed might as well just go with a 2.5SL with teck package, u get everhing the 3.5SL gets other than the motor
I like the nav much better in the Altima (touchscreen over touchy joystick thing in the Maxima).
After a few weeks of people (in other boards) telling me that the 2.5 engine is the worst engine ever built by Nissan, it's interesting to hear this side of things.
If I were to find out that the reliability of the 2.5 was far lower than the reliability of the 3.5, then I would be willing to take a hit of $112.80 per month, assuming that it would save me in maintenance costs in the longrun.
What about resale value? Will you take that into account as well?
I did in that figure. If you take a 2003 Altima 2.5SL with the same options as the 2003 3.5SE, and the number of miles I usually drive in 5 years (87,500), then the 3.5SE would be worth $1,000 more than the 2.5SL right now.
I would never lease since I see it being as pointless as renting. In terms of montly payments, if I lease 2 Altimas over the course of 60 months, it would only save me $5,250 versus financing 1 Altima over the same time period. OK, so I would save just over $5,000, but at the end of the second lease, what do I have to show for it. By the way, that figure is assuming a lease at 15,000 miles/year, and I typically drive 2,500 more miles than that per year.
Leasing is nice if you want to drive a vehicle that you can't really afford to buy.
Fortunately I live in a red state where regular is still only $2.74/gal, and premium is only $2.97/gal, but you're right, based on my driving, it would cost me $10.71 more per week for the 3.5 versus the 2.5. Not to mention the $25.90 more in monthly insurance premiums for the 3.5, and the 3.5 costs about $3,300 more up front.
Once you take into account approximate resale value, then the 3.5 would cost me $112.80 more per month than the 2.5 over the course of 60 months.
I like the nav much better in the Altima (touchscreen over touchy joystick thing in the Maxima).
After a few weeks of people (in other boards) telling me that the 2.5 engine is the worst engine ever built by Nissan, it's interesting to hear this side of things.
If I were to find out that the reliability of the 2.5 was far lower than the reliability of the 3.5, then I would be willing to take a hit of $112.80 per month, assuming that it would save me in maintenance costs in the longrun.
Leasing doesnt mean you cant afford your car. I am leasing my new car but I will buy my next one for these reasons...
I had a 2005 which I owed more than it was worth on trade in so I could have kept it until I owned it but by then, I would have a car 7 years old with 75ish thousand miles on it thats worth a few thousand...by leasing now, Nissan is eating that value of the car that I was upside down on so I get into a brand new car which if I buy out at the end of the lease I will own quicker and for less overall money than I would have my 05.
But also, at the end of the lease, I will not owe one cent and I can get into yet another brand new car and start fresh. My mistake was buying my 05 used and taking the hit on that resale loss as well as the higher interest rate.
So, for me, leasing was a way to come out owning a newer and better car in the same amount of time it would have taken me to own my 05. I leased for 39 months and I had 48 left on my 05. Overall, I will come out ahead especially if I buy out and keep the 08. but, if I get a new one it would put me ahead as opposed to keeping the 05 and trading it in after I owned it. So, no it doesnt mean I cannot afford my car because I lease. Leasing only makes sense IMO to get rightside up with your car but if you strictly lease then yes the benefits are much much less IMO.
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2006 Nissan Altima SE-R 6 Speed Super Black
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