Back in 2002 and 2003 nissan had a bit of overlap between their bread and butter family sedan and thier top spec four door. I never realized how close the specs were until I saw them today. (Spec Sheets) Within 1lb of each other, 0-60 and 1/4 mile times nearly the same. The biggest difference on paper is a 5spd and IRS in altima vs the 6spd in the maxima with a beam axle out back.
Which one of these Datsun's is a better fun driver's car if you need four doors?
Maxima
(disclaimer: former moderator of Maxima.org forums).
Also depends on the question of whether you're going to leave it stock, or mod it........
The maxima's beam axle is really not an issue unless you primarily drive on twisty, bumpy roads. For regular cruising it's actually more comfortable, IMO.
Overall it's a tough quesiton to answer. I'm partial to the maxima (even if we're talking what I had, the 00 3.0L w/5spd).......
plus the maxima is much more stylish, especially with some G35 18" wheels on it (can be found for cheap!), which are an almost-flush fitament.
That sapphire blue metallic color is dead sexy too.....
btw, not sure if the Altima has an LSD, but all 6MT Maximas do........
and, if you are into modding, there is a guy doing panhard conversions for 4th and 5th gen maximas. I've driven one with it and it really livens up the car...
That's good info to have. I am in the market for a newish car.
Maxima by a mile.
<--Nissan tech for the past 4 years.
Thanks alot, now I am searching CL for a manual Maxima again.
I'd say Maxima too. My wife and I were just talking about the Maxima when we were at the Philly Auto Show. The Maxima has really become a "lost" car, I'm surprised it's still around. The Altima is close to it in the Nissan line up. Also, for the same money you'd pay for a Maxima, you can get yourself into an Infiniti G25 or maybe even G37. Almost seems like it has too much competition from within.
From a relatively uninformed position, I too am amazed that the Maxima still exists. Nissan has put the 3.5-liter in a car the same size as the Maxima, and called it the Altima 3.5SR. Who in their right mind is going to spend another 10 grand to get into a Maxima?
Oh, yeah. The Maxima is a little prettier. I guess that's worth $10,000. To somebody.
In reply to 1988RedT2:
Yeah, additionally you have top down pressure from the Infiniti G35. You get better quality, better materials, luxury branding, RWD, etc. for about the same price as a Maxima.
sticking strictly within the parameters of the original post, i'd say " the one that's in nicer condition".
i love my '03 Maxima a lot. like really a lot. really.
How about I bump it up a notch with the Altima SE-R from 05-06? Found one or two of those with prices not much higher than a regular v6/5spd altima.
I test drove a 02 GLE auto awhile back and liked that car, but really wanted a SE 6spd.
i don't know why not
This is pretty much an open and shut case already but ill throw my .02 in with the maxima as well.
Although, having driven a 3.5 2003 maxima and driven (and put 2 clutches in...) an altima se-r 6spd, i would DEFINITELY take the Altima over the maxima. Its more about trim level than power or handling, though. In any other spec, i prefer the maxima over the altima.
Honestly.. to me, the 2003 3.5 maxima is one of the best FWD sleepers there is.
Although, me being weird, i actually prefer the same-year i35. 
Klayfish wrote: I'd say Maxima too. My wife and I were just talking about the Maxima when we were at the Philly Auto Show. The Maxima has really become a "lost" car, I'm surprised it's still around. The Altima is close to it in the Nissan line up. Also, for the same money you'd pay for a Maxima, you can get yourself into an Infiniti G25 or maybe even G37. Almost seems like it has too much competition from within.
The maxima went away from its roots in 2004 when it turned really ugly (along with most other NIssans) and extremely heavy.
Then in 2009 the "sportied" up the look, but sold it only with CVT. How do you market it as "4DSC" without a stick shift?
Of the guys who I know who for years in the 90s and early 2000s were "Maxima enthusiasts," almost none of them drive a maxima anymore, as they've moved on to other car brands when they looked for new cars. From 2004 on the Maxima stopped being sporty and (aside from a great engine), otherwise pretty much sucked.
And yeah, the G killed it. in the early 2000s most of the 4th and 5th gen maxima guys passed on the 6th gen maxima and went right ot the G35.
Maxima needs to die before they kill its legacy as a sporty FWD sedan even more.....
Vigo wrote: Although, me being weird, i actually prefer the same-year i35.
Cosmetically, so do I actually. That said, they're virtually identical in every mechanical sense. Maximas were sold as I30s and I35 badging in other markets, and vice versa. For all intents and purposes they're the same car, except the I comes with a bit more ego ;)
the '09 and up maxima will leave it's predecessors for dead in any contest of speed.
could be worse.
belteshazzar wrote: the '09 and up maxima will leave it's predecessors for dead in any contest of speed. could be worse.
That information is not accurate......
The 09+ Maxima does the 1/4 mile in 14.6 - 14.9 seconds, depending on where you look.
The 02 Maxima did the 1/4 in 14.5-14.7 seconds, depending on where you look.
These figures are widely known in the community....and most real-life dragstrip times I've seen at multiple MAXUS events (the national Maxima get-together) show the 02-03 6MT cars running into the lowish 14s. The few runs from 09-12 Maximas are typically in the mid to high 14s.
so the 09+ is maybe as fast as a model 6 years older, but with the snore-inducing CVT instead of the excellent 6MT. Also the 02-03 has a stock LSD, and I don't believe the 09+ is available with LSD at all....
09 maybe wins a highway race, but that's about it.
From the Maxima.org sticky 1/4 forum
2002-2003 VQ35 Manual Typical Stock: mid-14's Best Stock: 14.1-14.3 (a bunch)
Auto Typical Stock: high-14's Best Stock: 14.6-14.7, one 14.4
7th gen numbers are pretty few and far between, since most track guys don't buy lame CVT cars, but the few real-life ones I've seen on the forums seem to be around 14.8.....
Vigo wrote: This is pretty much an open and shut case already but ill throw my .02 in with the maxima as well. Although, having driven a 3.5 2003 maxima and driven (and put 2 clutches in...) an altima se-r 6spd, i would DEFINITELY take the Altima over the maxima. Its more about trim level than power or handling, though. In any other spec, i prefer the maxima over the altima. Honestly.. to me, the 2003 3.5 maxima is one of the best FWD sleepers there is. Although, me being weird, i actually prefer the same-year i35.
That's not weird. The i35 always looked better than the Max. I was very strongly considering an '03 Maxima for a while. In the end I think I would rather spend about the same or a little more on an E46 330i.
That's not weird. The i35 always looked better than the Max. I was very strongly considering an '03 Maxima for a while. In the end I think I would rather spend about the same or a little more on an E46 330i.
Cant fault you there, perfectly reasonable even if i wouldnt make the same choice.
Also, totally agree with Irish on 6th and 7th gen maximas.
The current gen with a stick would be pretty neat. I really like the styling and interior but i am totally anti-cvt.
Anecdote: The Altima se-r i drove and put clutches in, the guy ran 14.2 stock, and afaik he wasnt any kind of fwd/opendiff/street tires drag racing pro. While i was doing one of his clutches, he had a new (at that time) 6th gen maxima CVT rental. I drove it and HOLY HELL that thing gave DOWNGRADE a whole new meaning. It SUCKED. And it was basically the same car as the se-r with a little extra weight and a cvt. Cvt TOTALLY killed it.
I was on maxima.org for a while there. Guy i used to be good friends with built a really clean/unique 4th gen and got me interested.. overall, i still think 4th gen is the enthusiast choice for mods, but for DD duty.. 02-03 3.5 cars.
Vigo wrote:That's not weird. The i35 always looked better than the Max. I was very strongly considering an '03 Maxima for a while. In the end I think I would rather spend about the same or a little more on an E46 330i.Cant fault you there, perfectly reasonable even if i wouldnt make the same choice. Also, totally agree with Irish on 6th and 7th gen maximas. The current gen with a stick would be pretty neat. I really like the styling and interior but i am totally anti-cvt. Anecdote: The Altima se-r i drove and put clutches in, the guy ran 14.2 stock, and afaik he wasnt any kind of fwd/opendiff/street tires drag racing pro. While i was doing one of his clutches, he had a new (at that time) 6th gen maxima CVT rental. I drove it and HOLY HELL that thing gave DOWNGRADE a whole new meaning. It SUCKED. And it was basically the same car as the se-r with a little extra weight and a cvt. Cvt TOTALLY killed it. I was on maxima.org for a while there. Guy i used to be good friends with built a really clean/unique 4th gen and got me interested.. overall, i still think 4th gen is the enthusiast choice for mods, but for DD duty.. 02-03 3.5 cars.
The real problem for the Maxima is that there's only so much useful power you can use in a FWD car, particularly one with no LSD. 290hp is swell, but it's obviously no faster than the 255hp models from almost 10 years ago.
If Nissan really wants to keep the Maxima marque around, they're going to have to go to AWD, where it can compete with Acura TLs and low-end BMWs and such. And, the G37x too....again, the killer. The original Maxima was a RWD car, so it's not heretic to go back to it.
For enthusiasts, I'd say a 3rd gen with a VQ35 swap is the way to go. It's not a hard swap, and the chassis and suspension are really better than the 4th gen. 4th gen is basically the same as the 5th gen, but with less power. Same suspension, brakes, etc (more or less).
sadly, CVT is here to stay because enthusiasts are only a tiny part of the market.....
My 4th gen is closing in on 197k, and it still will pin you in the seat. Definitely one of the greatest FWD sleepers, and finding a 5 spd isn't too difficult. I would love to one day be the first person to bring a Maxima to the Challenge!
I didn't like my I30t all that much but I still say Maxima.
sethmeister4 wrote: My 4th gen is closing in on 197k, and it still will pin you in the seat. Definitely one of the greatest FWD sleepers, and finding a 5 spd isn't too difficult. I would love to one day be the first person to bring a Maxima to the Challenge!
Have you done a MEVI/00VI swap? 30 extra horses up top just by changing to the variable intake manifold, basically. And dirt cheap, with all the 2000-2001 maximas in the junkyards these days.
I'm trying to convince a buddy with a DSP 1995 maxima to sell it to me for challenge price, which is more than its blue-book. Car already has Hoosiers on some steelies, and is a fast autocrosser. $500 engine swap and it'll run in the high 13s too :)
Alternately, I'v thought an older maxima would be a great LeMons choice.....fast, can handle, bulletproof engine and tranny, and big enough to take a few hits..
irish44j wrote:belteshazzar wrote: the '09 and up maxima will leave it's predecessors for dead in any contest of speed. could be worse.That information is not accurate...... The 09+ Maxima does the 1/4 mile in 14.6 - 14.9 seconds, depending on where you look. The 02 Maxima did the 1/4 in 14.5-14.7 seconds, depending on where you look. These figures are widely known in the community....and most real-life dragstrip times I've seen at multiple MAXUS events (the national Maxima get-together) show the 02-03 6MT cars running into the lowish 14s. The few runs from 09-12 Maximas are typically in the mid to high 14s. so the 09+ is maybe as fast as a model 6 years older, but with the snore-inducing CVT instead of the excellent 6MT. Also the 02-03 has a stock LSD, and I don't believe the 09+ is available with LSD at all.... 09 maybe wins a highway race, but that's about it.
i guess i didn't look at multiple sources. i know my automatic '03 is around 14.7, and i thought i remembered reading the latest generation was in the low 14's.
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