Maxima SE vs. Altima 3.5 SE

The basics...

Maxima Pros/Altima Cons:
Max had years to develop chassis and work out the bugs; Max currently has massive aftermarket support (well, for a Nissan); Max is relatively elite for a mid-size sedan.

Altima Pros/Maxima Cons:
Altima has lower pricetag; Altima has fresh aesthetics and engineering.

Anything else to add?

I went with the Altima--nearly the same stuff for a more affordable price (but I know how the Maxima feels to be of a higher quality).

hmmm yes i'm in the exact shoes your in. but i've chosen to get the altima 3.5 se full package. i just can't wait to feel that engine roar..... thats afer i've broken it in for about 1000 miles that is~ oh hells no i'm not dumb!!:smoka:

Hahaha...

Have fun. Did you get the stick?

nope, its an auto sadly, cause i'm not rich enough to get that, sooo its goin to be shared. my dad was considerin gettin it in stick too, but my mom is too lazy to learn and half of the money thats goin in to it is hers sooo you know? ehhhhhh i guess i'm goin to have to push it really really hard to actually push the 240hp out of a stupid auto then have it dip down again~!! oh wellz why am i complaining? its still a bad ass ride~ hahaha:smoka:

I think the Maxima is just a beautiful car....but I test drove that 3.5 se 5spd altima.....made me get happy in my pants :p

im sure you guys will both love the hell out of them

Id go with the Maxima with a nice 6-speed (as apposed to the 5speed with the Altima). Sure its a lil' more money, but you get a much nicer interior. And the to me the Altima is just TOO big, id much rather have the tighter feeling (and better looking)packge of the Maxima. Also the Max has the option of a Helical limited-slip differential....and these two cars have almost identical curb weights with the Max pullin out 15 more hp. Yea, i know its the same engine, Nissan is putting the VQ in everything.....but still we're comparing stock VS. Stock...

actually since nissan is having a sale right now on teh Max sooo its odd but i can get a fully optioned SE for 26,500. it has basically the same interior as the GLE and then some~ like includin a sunroof. and damn the hand fittin and eveyrthing in that car is sooo nice!!! you sit in it you feel like your in the Infinit I35 which happens to be the same car with different badge. as oppose to the new Altima. the interior feels cheap as hell, even thought it was fully optioned, like with leather and sunroof and everything. pretty much these cars are dead even in features and eveyrhing. but hte bad seat is too short on the Max. my head hits the ceiling were as the Altima my head has like 2 more inches before it hits. but check this out. the new fully optioned 3.5 SE cost 27,150~!! now what da hell is a Altima doing costing more then the MAX? plus i don't think the MAX handles better. your comparin a fully indepent multi link suspension to a multi link beam suspension. if you compare the turning circle radius from curb to curb. its 37.4 ft i think on the altima compared to the 58.5 ft on the max. with the SE package, the radius goes down by only .4 inches. not much help. plus i think the Altima is hte looker of the two. cauase it has went from boring to nice. meanwhile the 99 maxima's will still be my favorite. sooooo its actually really hard for me to chose now. this is basicaly how it goes in a nut shell.

Altima: pros: exterior styling, more interior room, better handling.
cons: cheap interior, when you sit in it you feel llike your in a 20 thousand dollar car. more expensive. much much crappier build, and paint job. price.

Maxima: pros: better milage, better name, awesome interior, better resale value years later. had 2 years to work out all the bugs. price.
con: ugly (IMO) small back seat, worser handling. and it doesn';t have that dual tail pipe ( i know its just a gimmick )

and by the way, the Max does not have the helical slip LSD option yet. its coming later in 02. but i'm gettin one before jan 2nd sooo that the sale would still be on. damn its sooo hard to chose~~!! what do you guys think?

Maxima all the way, you will be a lot happier with the Class of the car and the 6 speed transmission =)

the altima looks nice and all, but i agree with what others mentioned, the maxima just feels like a better car inside and out, from the engine to the sound of the doors as you close them. i don't know, that's just me. the altima is yearss ahead of its predecessor, but i would take a maxima se over it anytime. it doesn't look like anything on the road. but at glances, the altima looks kind of like a passat and sometimes like a taurus from the front.

well i have made up my mind on the SE with full option. damn that second dealer~!! he up all these hidden charges in!!! like destination and finance charges!!! well lucky i also had a back up dealer who worked up a good deal with me. its goin to cost me a good 28,700. not bad~!

How do you guys like the Max's facelift (clear lens on colored lens taillights, separated low/high headlight lens with HID, new grille)?

The Altima's quality does lack somewhat, but that reflects in the lower price (base 3.5 SE starts at $21K). Well, it is still brand spanking new, and hopefully following years will work out the kinks, deliver better quality, and make it worth even more for your money.

By the way, for those of you who live in Southern California, have you driven by the main corporate Nissan office building in Torrance? Damn, they've got this HUGE Altima ad pasted to the front of the building, right on the glass from top to bottom. Sort of reminds me of the "farewell Z-car" banner they hung from the building back in '96. I guess they really want to push the new Altima.

I would only take a max over an altima cuz i love the maxima like crazy, but the Altima does not feeel cheap inside at all, I dont know what the hell you guys are talking about when you say cheap, i got in that thing and thought I would buy this thing right now if I could....i mean its not like an american car at all inside to be called cheap

hahahha damn jbl85. you must really hate american cars~~ well i got nothing against them. but what i mean by cheap is that i didn't think it felt cheap until i was in the max. the altima fells cheaper in every possible way compared to the max. if i never sat the max, it would've been altima hands down for me. and what do i think of the new face lift? i like the old grill better, the old taillights better. but the new zenon lights are awesome. it really gives the front new life.

What's cheap about it? You can feel some cost cutting in the quality of the plastics used in cabin. Drive the car. Note the gummy shifting feel. Does it seem as reassuring as the Maxima?

The Altima is in no way a cheap car, either in feel or price, but it's cheaper in both ways when compared to the Maxima.

OHHH i see comparing the 2 of them..... I LOVE THE SHIFTING OF BOTH THOSE CARS, but I guess thats cuz my only manual car is my 86 300zx which grinds into second gear after a nasty mis shift the other night, but that thing has an awful tranny to begin with and I shouldnt be racing it with 150k either :eek:

that's funny, i don't like the feel of the 01 maxima se 5 speed. i don't know that the new 6 speed is much different but it feels too loose and rubbery. i'll tell you what car has the best manual i've ever driven, above all else including bmw. the s2000. short, precise and direct. almost like a video game. that was the 01 model, and they somehow improved it for 02. i've also heard that nissan transmissions aren't very strong. is that true?

nissan trannys suck, I have 150k on my 300zx tranny and it just now started Grinding into second gear after a reallllllllllllllllllly bad mis shift. I guess racing it every time I drive it will do that eventually =)

You could say the transmission is the achilles heel in most Nissans. I went through two of them in my 200SX. The SR20 mated transmissions in the SE-R cars are known to be especially fragile.

ok, comparing them stock...yeah the maxima may be a little better (i still think the exterior is much better on the altima, but thats just my opinion).


but when you factor in the price difference and what you could do to an altima for all the extra $$$ you'd be saving (ie new wheels, exhaust, intake) the altima is the clear winner.

IMO i love the maxima, way more than myaltima even :D

I love the Altima and plan on getting one real soon.

yes the tranny's in nissan's aren't too strong. the tranny in my 240 had a leak and it burned my entire tranny. now its goin to cost me 2700 for a entire rebuild. argh!!!

I have 5500 Miles on my Altima, had tranny changed once under warranty, and I broke it again. On June18 they are having a technician from Nissan look at it again, since I broke it again. But oh well its free.

I broke it mis shifting, so they should be strong for daily driving.