Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

I can't believe I am even thinking of this to be honest. I always wanted the 6th gen Max. She has everything but NAV and the TCS....basically everything else. With all these companies doing the employee discount though, has got me thinking long term etc. I'm thinking truck wise, something 4wd. I'm actually looking at a quad cab Dodge Ram 1500, 20" rims etc. I can pick one up for about 27k (sticker is 36k). I can trade in the max and with no money down except for the difference in trade. They can get me in one for a 6 yr note with the same payment

I either keep the 6th gen and get a work truck beater. Or get a nice truck and a play toy later down the road.....decisions....give me some input. The thought of it makes me sick but trying to think long term. By the way in the next year I will be moving from NJ to PA....so remember the NE winters too. thanks

darrinps

Err...ummm...have you checked out the price of gas lately? That Dodge is going to cost you more than you think.

joemax1

I agree.

clayman88

iTrader: (1)

Are you wanting a truck because you need the utility of it or because you like trucks in general? If you just like trucks, do you like them better than the Max? If so, more power to you, man. You could always go with one of those SRT10 and you could blow the doors off any Maxima in the country.

ghostdog4

Question (apparently I can't create a new thread): When should you first change your oil on an 05 max? 3k miles?

darrinps

I PM'ed you the answer...also, you might want to read the forum rules as to why you cannot post, and about asking non-related thread questions (info in the PM as well).

Also note that there is a group dedicated to lubricants/fluids here on this site.

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

hehe where'd that come from? j/k man...I changed mine at 1500 on my '04. I change it now every 3k and since I am at 23k I am most likely going to change to syn.

Thanks for the comments on the truck guys. I was thinking a truck for lugging crap around, 4wd for winter etc. The gas will kill me and that is a big negative as well. I love my maxima hence why I am trying to get some opinions...keep 'em coming and thanks

MAXNIX

I just went through the same thing. I had an 04 Max, was looking at a Murano, then all the GM employee stuff came down. There are good deals out there, on every product line. I ended up walking away from a few deals and deciding to keep the Max. Then Nissan came out with a 4th of July rebate, including $1250 on the Maxima. I already had an internet price of $25,405 on a base 05 with spoiler, flaps, and mats, and an SE with the DPP at $28,610. Subtract that rebate and that's a great deal on the car i really wanted. I ended up with a new 05 SE. There is huge difference between a Max and Truck, good luck with your decision. The Max is such a great car I can't imagine not having one.

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

if you need a beater truck "to haul stuff", you can get a used pickup for a few grand and call it day. It is much better than having a 6-yr car note...

RHMax

If you have the option of getting another work truck and keep the Max, I would choose this option. If you can only have one or the other, I'd choose a work truck, but not a Dodge though.

JiuJitsuThug

iTrader: (1)

As stated earlier - GAS will KILL you...

Davidx34

I thought about purchasing a truck as well, test drove a few and decided on the Max...If you already have the a max keep it and get a work truck on the side.. At least this way you can baby the Max...If purchase a new work truck, it will have to pull double duty, work and play....And if you have hauling things around it will more than likly be use for work and work only....Get the work truck on the side for 2500/3500.00 and keep the max for play;-)

brewboy13

As stated many times earlier the freaking cost of gassing that big boy will suck no pun intended. I got rid of a Z-71 (loved the truck) years ago because I was sick of 12.5 mpg and went with a MAX. I have not looked back since then.

Jeffs04SE

i feel ya on trading in the max. thats what i did and picked up a 2005 titan SE king cab. i did test drive the f-150 and dodge 1500 hemi's and all i can say is deffiently take a look at the titan. performance wise yeah it the hemi has 345 to the titans 305 but the truck is just built so much better and actually will out perform the hemi. and all you people playing the gas price card, i put less gas in the titan than i did in the max over the course of a week. also the truck's dont call for premium like the max did, granted thats what i use but it cost me just as much now to fill as it used to fill the max, just my tanks last 2 weeks vs 1. im getting about 16mpg right now in the titan. and thats pretty much all city.

good luck on what you decide though

maxzma

We have a 05 F150 Lariat Supercrew. It gets roughly around 14 mpg and costs around $50 to fill up. It's my husband's and I drive the Max. We love our truck, but everyone is right, the gas is a real killer. I would stay away from a 6 year loan. Typically, a six-year borrower would owe more than the vehicle's worth as a trade-in for about four years, making it tough to buy something new until then.

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

I do love the Titans but they are a little out of my range at the moment. I wanted to jump on the Ram discount you know....35k truck for 27k? Not goin to find a Titan for that price.

Jeffs04SE

i paid 26K for my titan in the begining of july. i got $2000 rebate and 28,100 for my maxima. it has se popular, utility bed, and big tow package. stickered for 34K

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

that's not bad at all. what did you owe on the maxima? You got a great deal on the trade in. I've been offered around 23k for mine. Major hit in the trade in value.

jinsatx

Jeffs04se,

You traded your 04 Max just a couple of weeks ago and got 28,100 in trade? How many miles did you have on it and what was in it? Just want to visit your dealer and bring him a truckload of used 04's for him to buy.....

Jayzmax04

]

Youve been offered $23k for yours?? From a dealer??

The KBB on mine is $17,300. Trade in Value. 04 se with 37k miles.

BTW, even if your car is in "Excellent" condition, the most a dealer will give you is a "Good" rating if its used. BS in my opinion....

Jeffs04SE

i got $28,100 for a 04 base SE with 7900 miles on it. i owed $25,741

i got my max for 23,700+ the extra i owed on my car before it. so in the end it came out to be around 27K financed for the maxima. they gave me 28K so yeah i was happy and now i even have less of a payment on my titan than i had on my max. you just have to play there game better then they can. smoken04 the best thing to do if you wanna get a new truck is wait till the end of the month, they'll be more willing to get rid of the vehicle and take more a hit just to get updated inventory.

jinsatx

Jeffs04SE,

Let's see, you got more for a used 04 base SE in July/05 than the dealer pays Nissan for a brand new 05/06 fresh from the factory.

No offense, either the dealer hoodwinked you into thinking that, they are good at that you know especially if you are young and impressionable, or, you are feeding us a line of BS.

Please note, I'm not attacking anybody, but I just get tired of listening to what you and I know is total BS and having it passed off as advice to people looking for help.

Let's just get REAL here!!! PLEASE

AllBlackMax

Screw the GM, Ford, Dodge and any other American car discounts! I've been with EDS for 5 years and have been elegible for the discount ever since but I won't buy an american car. There's a reason why they discounting all of their cars.

A few exceptions are: Corvette Z06, Cadillac CTS-V, STS-V(coming soon), Escalade, Denali, maybe 1 or 2 more.

Not sure how a person can go from a Maxima to a pickup but to each his own.

Jeffs04SE

well when you do a lot of business with certian dealers they tend to give you better deals then say people like you. if you really want i can send you a copy of my paperwork so you can shove it up your a$$

jinsatx

No offense Jeff, but you've been hoodwinked by the oldest dealer trick in the book. They inflate the price of the new vehicle, then they give you a great amount for your trade so the bank can see a "faux" down payment. That's the only way they can get you out of a 27k note that is approx 7k upside down and still get the bank to take the note. You hear these ads all the time, "just bring your payment book, we will buy you car on the spot regardless of what you owe", etc etc. It's a gimmick Jeff, a gimmick. As for the payment being less, hmmm, better check the length of the loan or see if they didn't trick you into a "smart buy" kind of deal.

Again, no offense, but if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. I'm 57 and I've seen just about every trick in the book and have gotten some downright righteous deals. However, no dealer just gives them away at a huge loss, doesn't happen period, not for new inventory, not to give you a special deal, not to make a special factory incentive, but period... end of story..... doesn't happen. Believe me, at 21 with a desire for a new truck and upside down as hell in a year old car, they saw you coming and nothing you can say will make it any different. Sorry, but that's the truth young man. Live and learn as my Dad used to say.

Jeffs04SE

oh PM has been sent to you. its not longer its the same length of time loan, with a lower monthly payment. PLUS i put ZERO!!!!!! down and it was still cheaper than most get it for. if you wanna compare the price i paid to other titan owners go over to titantalk.com and see what they have to say. sorry but your wrong on this one old man

and if you still wanna talk about this PM me, no sense of whoring up smoken04's thread anymore

jinsatx

Okay Jeff, whatever..............

It's your deal and I won't lose any sleep over it. But you really don't get it do you??

As for people on these type of boards including titantalk, many people lie or stretch the truth on "how good a deal they drove" and how they had the dealership "eating out of their hand". Please, dealers love people like you and they eat you for breakfast and you don't even know it. SAD. YOU REALLY DON'T GET IT DO YOU. Alas, one day you will...............

P.S. Jeff - check your PM's

tubells

smoken'04..... only thing I can say what has not been said here already

My max is almost 2 yrs. old (aug 13 - 03) BUT i STILL LOOK back at it ADMIRINGLY everytime I lock the doors.... picture doing that with a truck!

lightonthehill

More details for thought -

Consumer Reports Maxima mechanical reliability rating (based on thousands of customer survey responses) -


For the Maxima - Well above average for the quarter century the Maxima has been in production. The current auto issue of CU rates the last eight years of every vehicle, and the Maxima is well above average in mechanical reliability all the way back through those eight years.

For the Dodge 1500 4WD Ram pickup - very good so far for the '04, OK so far for the '03, but worse than average for any 1500 4WD more than two years old.

----------------------------------------------------------------

CU mpg test ratings based on mostly local driving and track testing -

For the Maxima - 21

For the Ram 1500 2WD 11; for the 4WD 10.

----------------------------------------------------------------

CU 'recommends' the Maxima, but not the Dodge 1500 in any configuration. Why? Brief excerpts: 'the Ram falls short of competing trucks, with a jittery ride, cumbersome handling . . . . The braking performance was only adequate, with long stops . . . towering hood impeded visibility for short drivers'.

-----------------------------------------------

The Ram is not a bad truck, especially if excessive power, no matter the mpg, turns you on. Some folks feel it is a very masculine and imposing vehicle. Others feel someone is trying too hard to compensate for inadequacies in other areas. All in the eye of the viewer.

If you can answer this question, you have the best answer to your thread-starting question:

Will I still love my 10 mpg truck when gas is $4.99 a gallon?

If 'no', stick with the Maxima; if 'yes', grab the Dodge.

gurlie_J_gurl

iTrader: (4)

oh man this has turned into a redundant argument.

The titans are nice,... financee got his 04 in july of 04 close to the list price... and i got my 05 max in june of 05 close to list. He went from a acura rsx-s and loves it... and if anything it has given him a the ability for a bike since in the Titan bed you can fit a bike without having to trailer it.... check out the bed sizes -- if you want a toy for later. Also, with a Titan you know the Nissan quality will be there and the relationship with the dealership that you have won't change...and you know you won't get screwed with.

Right now ALL car Dealerships are hurting that is why they are all laying down such good intrest rates and special discounts. See what sorta deal can be made for a Titan and what sorta deal you can get for the dodge.

Either way car, truck, croch rocket.... Gas will kill you --- given that in some the type of gas will, or the size of the tank will. Gas Sucks... so there is not getting around it.

RHMax

What interest rate are you paying now/ before? What is your term now/ before? Considering you got $8k more on your trade than anyone else in your situation normally would and got the Titan for about $3k below invoice with $2k incentive. For this kind of saving, I'd fly you to LA for my next purchase.

Jeffs04SE

interest rate was 6.99 for the max, i got 6.09 now for the titan both were at 72 months.

belal242

Before i even purchased my 05 maxima in late May i was thinking of getting a truck. Its great to have hauling room and a big massive gas guzzler, but thats it. You have to be more practical. Do you have kid? do your buddys drive with you alot? how much do you really haul in a month? Thats one aspect, the other thought that comes to mind are the repairs down the road on a Dodge truck. I grew up in the used car industry and Dodge at about 50k is just about DONE! I also noticed that the employee deal is not that great either its about $1000 over invoice. I was looking at Fords in Late May and they where going to give 12k off sticker of an Expedition, I called the other day to compare with there so called employee discount and its about 10k off sticker now. But if you really want a truck. Go for a Nissan Titan. You get looks, hauling, hell of an engine, and great resale. Dodge has no resale value even in trucks.

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

Think I decided this morning.....yea a truck would be nice to haul stuff around but I do not want to get into another 5 years in pyts. I just got through one. I'm not sure how Jeff got that deal but if he did that's great. I decided to keep the max just because I can look back at it everyday and think how sexy the thing is. I'll look into a beater. Thanks for the comments, opinions etc.....oh and the entertainment

RHMax

I'm glad you think you got a good deal.

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

I did the same thing he did though. I have a 6 year note on the maxima and my rate is like 7 something %. I still got like an extra 5k out of them between the trade and the maxima itself though. I just wanted the car and didn't care about the price.

RHMax

Here is the deal, never buy a car base on the payment. I know it's easier to see if you can pay for it every month and get a nice car, but not the smartest. 7% rate for 6 years equals 42% of financed amount. A $30k car multiple by 42% is $42,600, you're paying for a Maxima and a Sentra at the same time. This is where the dealers get you. They get a portion of finance charge, plus all the bs they sell you in the finance office. My first car, I paid 13% interest because I could afford the $180/ month for 60 months. The financed amount was $8k back in 1990 when the prime rate was high and I had no credit, $13,200 I paid for $8,000. Losson learned, never again. Keep good credit and get the lowest rate offered on a car.

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

Interesting rant but....I know the smartest way of buying a car. I have a family member who has worked for a dealership for 20+ years and have had other members who worked in them as well. Yes no matter what they will haggle you anyway they can and still make their money. Yes maybe I should have done some more questioning about my car but I just wanted it. Being it's the 3rd car I have bought from a dealer, I can't say one of three bad deals is all that bad. I had an '02 alero that I traded for this car. They offered me $6200 for it when my pay off was $9600. In the end, they paiud $9600 for my car. So that is a $3400 loss in their pocket in my book. My car stickered just under 34k and I put 6k down which brought it to 28k. I wanted my payment at $370 a mth and they got it there. Given it was a 6 year note with a higher interest but the dealer only gets a small portion of that interest.....so in turn, I got the better deal over the dealer in my eye since they took a hit on the maxima and also took a hit on the trade in. I know for a fact that they sold the alero for about 10,500.....what'd they make....2k? My credit is good enough for a low rate but a 5 year note on a 28k car does not add up to what I wanted to pay......final word, I got the car I wanted for the mthly cost I wanted, in the long run if I pay more then eh...whatever.

and all this because I wanted to trade it in

RHMax

Okay, you's smart. Dealers don't know any better and like to lose money.

jinsatx

rhmax,

Sorry but you are wrong about the way interest is calculated on todays car notes. All car notes are "simple interest" notes where you only pay interest on the remaining balance as you pay off your note. This is where the APY or annual percentage rate figure comes from as it is based on the declining balance. Simply put, most car notes and mortages break the interest charges down to a daily rate and apply that rate each day to the balance of the note on each day. Therefore, if you pay your car payment a few days early each month, you will actually pay it off early as more of the payment goes to principle rather than interest and if you pay a few days after each month, you will be paying longer as there is more "'daily" interest. For those of you with 6 year notes paying a little more a few months a year could reduce your note to a 66 month note with very little "pian" on your part. Just skip the extra six pack every so often and own your car faster.

Rhmax, what you may be thinking about in 1990 and had as your loan, was the old "rule of 78" car loan. This is where you pay a huge amount of interest up front before any of your payment went to principle. Fortunately these type of loans were outlawed by all states as part of the usary laws. Not sure when, but I know that these have been outlawed since at least 1994. You can still get one, but you will have to go to "Louie the loan shark" to get one.

Rhmax is right. Keep your credit clean. It can really affect your finances on credit cards, car loans, mortages, etc. Good credit can save you 1000's a year. As an example, both of my Max's have 60 month loans at 4% through my local bank so I was better off taking the 1250 rebate instead of the 60 mths 3.9 from Nissan. Good credit got me the best of both worlds.