scubat

iTrader: (1)

Contemplating selling my 02-SE and getting an 05-07 SE. Is there a big difference in how they drive/perform compared to my 02? My 02 still drives like the day I bought it at 82k and I could probably drive it for another 100k without a problem but I love the looks of the 6th gen. Before I drop the coin I wanted some input from those who have made the transition. Thanks.

scubat

iTrader: (1)

Sorry guys. Stupid me should have posted this in the 6th gen forum.

zenjia 03merlot

scubat,

glad you posted, really interested to see if your posting will flush out any 5th to 6th gen then back to 5th. im betting there will be at least a few.

97SE_TN

I recently drove an '07 and I was amazed at how much torque it had even with the new CV tranny.

lowincash

iTrader: (2)

if i were to get a 6th gen i would only get the 07+ they look nicer but i like the way the 5.5 gen look a lot =/

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

6th gens = one of the ugliest cars ever made by Nissan, apart from the new Sentra.

chris in va

I agree, the 6 gens just don't do a thing for me. I was lucky enough to find a 5th at a reasonable price, especially since I consider it one of the best looking Maximas.

absoundlab

you hit the nail on the. nissan ruined the maxima. 4th and 5th gen's look awesome the 6th gen went down the crap hole

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

I think the 6.5 (07) Maxima is a vast improvement in all areas over the 6th gen. even the CVT imho is better than the 5-sp auto. still not a stir stick though. I drove an 06 and 07, and you can tell they upped the quality on the materials between 6 and 6.5, HOWEVER, you will notice a slight decrease from say... a 5.5 to a 6.5 in the interior quality. (reg 6th gens are noticably worse) these are just my tactile observations, but my biggest peeve is the tail of the 6+gen maxes. they friggen look like a saturn ion!!!! the 4th gen, and the 5.5gen are still my absolute fave rear, with an obvious bias towards the 5.5

Seriously though, put at LEAST another 50k on your car before reconsidering this quandry. If you drive normally, you'll either be able to get a spanking good deal on a 6.5gen, or the 7th gens will be out(hopefully a decent 7th gen exsists on the drawing board some place) and, even another option, the 07+ Altimas are damn sexy to behold, and best features are a revised VQ (VVT on the intake AND exhaust cams) with... gasp! a 6-speed!!

Derrick2k2SE

iTrader: (3)

I would hold onto the Max for a few more years and snap up a slightly used G35.

I don't think that owning a 6th gen would be much different than owning a 5.5 gen. Still a front drive with basicaly the same motor.

The G gives you great styling and rear drive. If you wait for an 07 you're looking at 306 HP and you can still get the 6-speed in all years if you like that. The rear drive Nissan trannys shift waaaay better than the front drive applications.

I've driven several 6th gens in auto and stick and still prefer my 5.5 to those cars. They drive really nice and I'm not downing them but I wouldn't trade a perfectly good 5.5 for one. I haven't driven the 6.5 yet though.

The G would be a great car to mod also. Lots of options and you're not limited by the front drive platform.

Jess

iTrader: (33)

I have a 5.5th gen. while at the Nissan dealership to get an oil change they asked if I wanted to look at one of the '07s on the lot. I'm guessing they wanted me to trade in?

So I said sure, just to test drive it. Wanted to drive the LE and instead they grabbed an SE. No problem...they're basically the same.

Drove nice and the auto shifts smoothly. Even when at WOT. I don't mind the little jerking I get from the 5th gen auto when shifting. Has much better turning radius. Very cool features. Only thing is the car sat up higher than what I was used to and it felt smaller for some reason.

I'm sticking to my 5.5 gen. it's only got 31,000mi at the moment.

Like others have said...save up and wait for something better. Or get the G35! I would if I could!

Orgullo

iTrader: (47)

One of the main reasons I wouldn't pick up a 6 / 6.5 gen is that it looks a lot like the new Altima. The only difference is the tails on the Alt. Not to mention there hasn't been a raise in the horsies to compete with other cars in it's class. For whatever reason.

I would stick with the 5th / 5.5 gen, it is by far the best overall body style of the Max and people definitely don't get it confused with any other car.

Rydicule

Agreed. Not to bash 6th gen owners, I just think those that own a 6th gen are looking for something different than those that own earlier generations.


Interesting, the 07s don't have an auto, they are only available with CVT, and after reading about how the CVT worked, I was under the impression that it didn't really "shift" but was simply continually changing gear ratios through a pulley system with two adjustable gears. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cvt.htm

I have to humbly disagree. I think the new Altimas (length, width, height, transmission, increased hp to 270 (280 on the same rating system that 5th gens used?), and the exterior design are all things that we identify with Maximas. While we are all driving midsize sedans, the Maxima is heading to a large car class with it's ever-widening turning radius, increased weight and size, and luxury tendencies over sport sedans. The newer (SE-R, 07) Altimas seem to be picking up where the 5.5 gen left off with increased power, better handling, and similar midsize sport sedan style, while Maxima is going in an entirely different direction. When my 5.5 gen quits on me, if I don't have the $ to upgrade to infiniti, I'd probably go for an Altima before another Maxima. It just fits more MY style than the newer Maximas do.

nismology

iTrader: (8)

To me the V6 altima is the continuation of the maxima after the 5.5 gen.

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

I could be incorrect, but I have to throw it out there:

An earlier post mentioned 07 Le's? I understood that the new models of Maxes are SE and SL?!? Have I overlooked something?

Also, Someone mentioned an 07 Altima SE-R? I asked about these, and unless my dealership is short of knowledgeable staff (which is a frequent occurence), there hasn't been an offer for an 07 SE-R?!

I know it's beating a dead horse, but it has to be said:
Never buy the first model year of a car. (2007 Altimas) For example the 6thgen max came out in end of '03'. It had some good sized bugs to work out...i.e......shimmying, skyview temperment, 4 speed auto trannies, Goodyear Eagle RSA's (Still an issue here, but now that we're aware of it, we can purchase SE's with bargaining tools).

For those bashing the 6th gen Maximas, they are a type of car you either like or don't. They are still Maximas, and they are still a great car. IMO, I prefer the 6thgen vs. the 6.5 gen (07 and newer).

If I were considering a 6thgen Maxima as is the original posters question, I would buy an 05-06. You can get a screaming deal on one. Especially with the introduction of the '07'. Watch for the SE tires though!

My .02 cents

nismology

iTrader: (8)

Yes, technically.

No one's disputing that. But the altima seems to be more in tune with what the previous generation maximas were about, IMO. The A34 seems to have deviated alot.

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

yeah, I just like how the altima's size stayed closer to the midsize category (they actually got smaller with the release of the '07s) and of course they kept the 6-speed. Looks-wise, I would much rather a 6.5 gen over a 6th gen (kind of like the 5th gen vs. 5.5 gen) but the rear end was what I disliked the most about the 6th gen and that went relatively unchanged

Maxim(a)SerjVQ

correct.

Try reading that again. the other poster said (07, [comma]SE-R)

while in general I don't disagree, the finer points of this matter is that I don't necessarily feel that the Altima is "all new" as we would be led to believe. the VQ35DE"HR" variant of the engine only seems to be revised on the upper-most components. Fine tuning if you will. I haven't HEARD of a new platform variant that is replacing the FF-L platform(maxima, altima, murano, quest) I think it is more likely that we're seeing the platform with 5 years of refinement added to it, with better interior materials(picking up where the 5.5gen left off imho, like earlier posted)which leaves the only REAL change to the Altima being styling, and the lower drivetrain (transmission,output shafts, etc.) They supposedly revised it in a fashion to help neutralize torque steer, and initial reviews agree that it has helped alot. however, it seems that according to some reviews, the new MT on the revised VQ is...sloppy? I don't remember what terminology they used, but it could just be a judgement passed because of the reviewer's unrevealed bias towards Honda's shift action, which is typical of critics in that position imho.

the 6.5 is really no different than a 6th gen. the front end looks sharper and more characteristic, which is LOADS better, and the interior has improved over the 04-06. the CVT vs. the 5sp-auto; i'd take the CVT. It's wierd, but apparently great care was taken to program it to not act like a motor-boat in the maxima application, and i think it paid off personally.

All this being said, you're still better off doing some light modding to the 5/5.5 and saving your big coin for the 07 G35(i mean, build an 07 Max, and build an 07 Infiniti sedan; i think its like... $1600 difference with reasonable equipment on the G.)

oldmanshirt

Don't the 6.5s have a feature that lets you manually select 5 or 6 "gears" (iow, preprogramed ratios), so that you can get that "shifting" sensation? It may only be on the SE model, I'm not entirely sure.

Although the 6.5 looks cleaner compared to the 6th gen, it also looks exactly like the '07 Altima from the front (especially in dark colors). When you consider that the Sentra has the same basic styling elements and proportions, Nissan seems to be taking the '90s BMW approach and making its compact, mid-size, and large sedans visual clones of each other. I still feel that the 3rd-5th gen Maximas are the best in terms of styling and bang for the buck, and like some others have said, I'd probably go looking for a G35 before considering the 6th gen. Then again, I've driven a G35 and haven't driven a 6th gen, so I may be slightly biased.

Of course, if the 7th gen Max were to be built on the G35's rwd platform, that changes everything, don't it?

DAP

Unless you can truely afford it, making an impulse buy based on looks isn't a good financial decision.

Rydicule

Yes, they do, however it is a "manual shift action". The poster referred to the tranny as an automatic, which lead me to believe she wasn't manually shifting anything.

As far as the Max going back to RWDfor 7th gen, I think you can forget it. By the time it comes around, you'd more likely see an AWD before a revert to RWD, and judging from this discussion, it may even be teetering on the Large Car class.

I'm not bashing anything. I'll gladly stand up and say that the 6th and 6.5 gen Maximas are GREAT cars. Hey, they're made by Nissan, how could they not be? I admire them. I'm just saying that I wouldn't buy one, it's not the kind of car I like to drive. It looks more luxury than sport, which isn't to say it's not fast and agile (I don't know, I've never driven one), it's just to say I wouldn't feel like myself inside of it. When my 99 Max was rear-ended and in the shop, I drove around in a Ford Five Hundred rental, and I just didn't like the way I felt driving it (not to say that the 6th gen is similar to a Ford, but the size and style of it). But hey, if the 6th gen fits your style, to each their own. It's a great car.

Trurida18

iTrader: (4)

yea i agree....i hope nissan redesigns it again for 2009 or SOMETHING SOON. Because that 6th Gen design is hidious

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

Ok, since we are playing symantics, Maxim(a)SerjVQ,

If we are discussing '07' models and the 'SE-R' is mentioned as a possibility, one could reasonably rationalize that the original poster was grouping them as an option to the 07 Altima. They went from dicussing 07 optional choices, to an SE-R....

No need to be condescending to me. Maybe you ought to reread before you get cynical with someone else!


There are enough changes to the Altima, I personally would heistate to purchase it. Again, it's my opinion.

I am not a huge fan of the CVT. I personally love the sound and feel of 'shift shock'. (Thus the reason, this will be my last new Maxima, unless something gives).

As far 'better materials', I am not a big fan of the '07' nylon-y feel for a headliner and door choice. I actually prefer the 05 to that.

I do, however think they made vast improvements for the rear end and the headlamp assembly. I like the fog lights below the headlights where they belong and the cornering lights in the headlamp unit. Too much plastic look though around the fogs.

I like how the rear appears to be smaller. We do seem to have bulbous rears here (the car, not the drivers).

I also like the 'G', but only in coupe form. I'm a little too 'G-ed out'.

My .02 cents....

Orgullo

iTrader: (47)

Now it may not look exactly like one another but it is definitely too close. I saw one and got it confused with the new Max until I saw the rear tails.

As far as the Max leaving and the Altima taking it place that is whatever. I will keep my 5.5 until the wheels fall off.

lowincash

iTrader: (2)

ya those look too much a like haha actually a week or so ago an 07 max was following behind me and i really thought it was an altima lol i thought to myself why it has projectors? also, the 4th gen i would sometimes get mix up with those older toyota camry's =/ i think the 5th and 5.5th gen max are easiest to tell apart from the other gens.

footballplyrdan

The 6th gen max wins in the comfort/luxury category with an amazingly smooth ride and nice interior. But for sheer performance, the 5th gen wins. My dad has a 06' and I have an 01' and I definitely think that the 5th gen picks up better and is overall faster. Hope this helps.

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

crack, much?

I've driven a 6th gen and I noticed no noticable ride improvement over my car. That and a 6th gen is a lot faster than your 3.0 auto...

Orgullo

iTrader: (47)

I am making the sound that homer makes. I can't even begin to spell it.

That is too funny. Perhaps he is driving the 6th with the ebrake on and five other cats in the car with em. That has to be why his 5th has more "getty up!"

5thgenmaxima

iTrader: (1)

I don't know of any manufacturer that can make a cvt to last behind 300+ HP. If I'm reading the previous posts correctly it looks like Nissan has just bolted up a cvt to the back of a 300 HP motor. Not a wise decision IMO, unless they have done some major enginering to help it last longer. I work locally for one of the GM vehicles (Brand unnamed) and I have seen 4 cvt replacements under warranty in the last month alone. One guy who has been there for 3 years says he's done over 50 of them. Personally, I wouldn't trust a cvt to last over 100K miles, no matter who makes it if you have a spirited driving style. (CVT=two pulleys that change size depending on the pressure sent to the pulley via valve body. There is some sort of band (Or in gms case several bands) that go around both pulleys, sort of like a chain on a bike. (A better comparision would be a snow mobile.)
Not to say Nissan Quality = GM Quality. (Please no Foreign vs. Import debates) If cvt's held up very well esp behind 300 hp or more you would think drag cars would start installing them. They could theoratically stay at their peak rpm range all the way down the track....
My point is not to buy an 07 whatever you do. (Assuming cvt is standard and not an option) Honestly, I would stay away from cvt's for another 5-10 years until they have become as reliable as autos.

oldmanshirt

Where'd you get 300hp from? If you're talking about the '07 Maxima, Nissan is claiming 255hp at the crank, just like the 5.5 gen. I think the Lexus GS hybrid might put out about 300hp through a CVT, but I can't think of any others off the top of my head. Good point though about the long-term reliability of CVTs. It's like any other technology and needs a shakedown period during which we'll see if its a viable technology, a relative oddity like the rotary engine, or a complete bust. Time will tell, I guess.

5thgenmaxima

iTrader: (1)

I was referencing post 10. I saw 07 and 300 hp in the same thread, but was just skimming thru. That's why I wrote "If I'm reading the previous posts correctly." Thanks for the correction, I don't keep up on actual numbers.

Trurida18

iTrader: (4)

i drove a 6th gen and compared to the 5th gen, i think the suspension and steering are the same, as far as power.....naturally the 6th gen has a little more power, bu thats because i own a 5th gen and not a 5.5 gen

clborden

iTrader: (2)

I couldn't agree more. Actually, I'm suppossed to go today to inquire about trading my 2000 auto in for one. I am told that there is quite the deal on the 2006's. If the options are there (the power sunroof is important to me) and the numbers are good, I might do this.

bigmike8771

they need to bring the maxima wagon back to life.....

Maxima570

iTrader: (1)

I love my car, but the bose cuts out and the rear shelf rattles, the paint on the hood is poor quality, the back windows make a lot of noise, the 6 speed manual is very jerky/hard to control at low speeds, the heated seat button light just stopped working, and my dad's envoy has a tighter turning radius. All of these little things add up, and before I buy a new Maxima, I would check for all of these little quirks/issues, otherwise I might look to the Acura TL, BMW 330ci coupe, or the lexus gs

My mom's 97 has none of these probs, except the heated seat button light, and I wonder if the quality continues to decline

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

I would think as well that, you can run into a variety of these things in other vehicles as well. Every vehicle has it's hiccups.

I wished you the best luck with your next purchase!

oldmanshirt

As much as it might be blasphemy to say it on this site, a 2000-2003 Acura TL isn't that much more expensive than a 5 or 5.5 gen Maxima, has comparable power, HIDs, nicer build quality, and a higher-end nameplate. On the other hand, I'm not really an Acura/Lexus/BMW sort of guy. That is, I'm an average dude and the Maxima is a car for the average dude...so long as he appreciates having the best-performing and most distinctive-looking car for the money

(That said, I also found my 2k1 5-speed to be very difficult to shift, which is why I traded it in for a 2k2 with a slushbox, which itself shifts a little...uncomfortably at times.)

Rydicule