-Sin-

I am tossing the idea of trading in my 05 for a 09 Maxima. Never really thought of looking at anything else but for some reason (which I know not) I looked at the Acura web site today and took notice of the 09 TL. So I was wondering why you picked the 09 Maxima. Did you look at other cars and if so what and what deterred you from those?

The TL looks inline with the Maxima as far as pricing goes and the warranty seems better. I do admit, I don’t know much about Acura’s but from the web site they do looking more appealing than the Maxima or am I missing something?

Mick7

Appearance is a matter of taste. The TL appears to be tasting an apple. The Max performs slightly better in most tests and can be bought for thousands less than a TL which is a fine car but overpriced and underpowered and rather grotesque looking from the front. Just an opinion.

liypfhe1

i always loved the 6th gen maxima and was about to purchase it back in march when i came across the images of the 7th gen. I had to pick my bottom jaw up off the floor.. i immediately took them into photoshop, changed the car color to black and added the tint.... man was i in love. ...

i knew most people would go for the g35 or the TL because most people here in California have to follow the masses and don't have a sense of individuality ...

but there is something sexy about the maxima that i like over the German designed cars.. honestly i don't like American cars and im not a big fan of the the benzes and BMWs( fine cars) but once again its a thing about following the masses i just cant get into.

-Sin-

I think I need to get my head out of the sand and start doing some research on cars in general before making any type of purchase. I been so stuck on Nissan (2 cars and 11 years) that I have not even considered anything else. Hell, even Hyundai seems to have a nice car now, at least on there web site (Genesis). I always thought of Hyundai as a fly by night low end cars. Wonder what else is out there that may be of consideration.

whit

i agree, the NEW Acura Tl is way overpriced and Acura seems to think the market is great for buying car and not willing to negotiate much. I looked at Acura's and did all my research and emailed many many dealers, not of them willing to move too much. With these economic times Acura better wake up..

So i decided to look at Maxima's and emailed several dealers. They are willing to negotioate to whatever it takes it seems, taking $5k off sticker and more. all nissan dealers thru email were very nice in my area Where as the Acura internet managers were just plain rude and trying to screw me(trying to keep all the incentives given and not negotiate)..

In my opinion the maxima has better leather, better stereo-bose than the tl's els system. bigger rims on the sport pkg..the acura leather people are saying it is garbage in the new tl's, and not to mention the front of the new acura is just not attractive at all...

if anyone is looking for good info on the tl go to. http://tl.acurazine.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=123

98maxse5spd

iTrader: (5)

I'm curious why people are choosing an 09 Max over a G8 GT. The G8 looks good and has more power.

Mick7

Realizing there are other perspectives, I had the G8 on my next car wish list until I was blown away by the styling of the Maxima. It's different. It's striking. The G8 now looks like an 80's muscle car from the front and I do not care for the sharp lined styling anymore after seeing the Maxima. The Maxima has an excess of power for my uses and the extra horsepower of the G8 would be wasted. I'm not young anymore! If I were 30 years younger, I might well have made a different choice.

I used Ds mode yesterday and by 3rd gear was exceeding the speed limit by 15 mph using about half the gas pedal.

-Sin-

One of the main concerns with my 05 is reliability. Having a 98 max in the past, I never had ANY and I mean ANY problems with the car. Although I have been lucky up to now with 05, I have been reading about failures regarding tranny, motor mounts, ABS (which I did have an fixed with the TSB), A/C, cat and some other things and makes me wonder if the Nissan quality still exsists. Not sure if I would go with another Nissan at this point.

bk2k3max

Well, it appears that the crowd for the 09 Max isn't solely concerned with going fast or all out power as it appears in the other Max Gen Forums.

There's also a reliability factor here as well as Maximas are well known to hold their value and reliability much longer than Pontiacs, for some there is the fact that the car is FWD and can handle well in any weather conditions unlike the RWD G8.

I'm not sure why the G8 is continually being compared to the Maxima, they are 2 totally different cars with different missions. The G8 is a RWD car and can be compared to the G37 for that matter not the Maxima, it also has a V8 and the Max a V6, when was the last time you seen a V8 family sedan compared to a V6.

If you want to make a fair comparison then why not a Hyundai Genesis V6 model to the Maxima, that's fair IMO.

98maxse5spd

iTrader: (5)

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/..._g8/index.html

liypfhe1

honestly i don't like American cars...but once again its a thing about following the masses i just cant get into.

Eww pontiac!!<<<( thats coming from a former owner of a 93 Sunbird Coupe mouth)

after that i got an 98 MAXIMA...

-Sin-

Got a web quote for an TL with tech for $34,182 looks like they may be comparable in price to the Max based on what people are getting them here on the forum. Seems pretty good since NADA shows invoice for this model as $35,556

bk2k3max

Yes, I know about that article and I've read it but what I should've said is what other car in the Maxima's class have you seen compared to a V8?

IMO the way MotorTrend is, is that they are really about going fast basically, the rest of the car can be crap but they will forgive it as long as it is mad fast.

It seems that they are unfairly comparing the Maxima which is clearly a V6 to a V8, that same V8 that is supposedly so fast can end up looking so slow on snow and ice so the advantages aren't always in the power of a car.

Sure if you are going for performance and power then you'd go with a RWD vehicle no matter what brand, especially in comparison to a V6.

The fact of the matter is that I've never seen a Pontiac with the reliability of a Maxima, ever and IMO the Maxima doesn't look like anything on the road today.

The TL is fugly IMO, I don't like the front of it or the back, the sides of it looks good but that's about it, it is still slower than the Max and is cheaper in price plus from what I've been reading the leather is better in the Max.

To each its' own though, if someone wants a TL or a G8 for whatever their reason then that is on them, I hope they get what they like but for me there was no other car I wanted which is exactly why I bought a Maxima 09 (my third Max I own).

mls277

Maxima is a smooth reliable well rated car... I looked at a bunch of the GM models with the big V8s and I still miss the power but the Maxima is one smooth riding car.

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Honestly you can't beat owning a car and never doing anything but basic maintenance, but I have been keeping my eyes open for whats out there and, the 08 TL especially the TL-Type S was a phenomenal car to upgrade to, the current TL I'm still undecided about but the TSX is getting a 280hp V6, not bad but I've read it's front heavy, maybe it will do excellent in the snow.

Now Im also keeping my eye on the 2010 Ford Taurus SHO, http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ook/index.html

choice89

When it all comes down to it, it depends on your particular taste. I used to love the older Acura's but the way the new 09 looks horrible with the front end....I am not sure what look they were going for???

But I love the way the MAX looks, feels, drives, sounds (stillen exhaust) I find excuses just to go out and drive my baby.....!

liypfhe1

yeah i love to find reasond to get in my car and drive, i just hate putting miles on it.. already at 6k.

lightonthehill

With some work, it is possible to find decent prices for the TL, but not at the Acura dealers around me. But price was fairly low on my list of important things. I felt cramped in the TL I sat in.

A neighbor who was riding in my '09 said my Maxima rode much more comfortably than his TL.

I have never found the folks at my Acura dealer to be very friendly.

I liked the TL styling of past generations, but I think the latest TL has the ugliest grille I have ever seen on a car.

My son has fought tooth and nail with Honda national headquarters, has had to have three trannies in his TL (and he is age 45 and drives conservatively), and swears he will never buy another Honda /Acura product.

I find the styling of the '09 Maxima to be aggressive, muscular, lean, love the sculpted hood, double-panel roof, and the side rear haunches. Vastly more appealing than the TL.

There are so many TLs on the road, but unless I am paying attention, I never see them. They are sort of like eggs in a crate - they are there, but who notices them? By contrast, I notice all Maximas. Even old generations. I still love the styling of the second gen (I had two of those, and put 206,000 miles on one). And the third gen styling was great. I even find the much-maligned 6th gen styling to be very attention-getting and rather attractive, and it really hurt to let my absolutely perfect '04 SL go.

My '09 has every bell and whistle I could get, and I am loving them all. So far not a whisper of a problem anywhere.

It doesn't hurt that I know all the folks at my Nissan dealer, get superior service from them, and have a saleswoman there I love to deal with.

An Acura TL is a fine car, but it certainly is no Maxima. Give me the Maxima any day.

stylomax

I just picked up my 09 Maxima (Prem + Tech) yesterday from a dealership 300 miles away. During the long drive home, I had the chance to really discover the many gadgets and enjoy the ride and comfort this car offers. Along the way, I had many cars pulled up along side me to look at the Max.

Bear in mind I am a guy whose previous 2 cars were Acuras (2000 TL and 2005 TSX). All I can say is that the 09 Max is an awesome vehicle for the price you pay.

Although I did not buy my previous Acuras from them, the Acura dealership nearest to me is the worst I have ever seen - the showroom and service lounge is dirty and messy and I would never ever touch that coffee they serve in there. All the while , they want to charge you Lexus-type service fees. I have complained to Acura head office a few times whenever they called me for survey. In fact, the Honda dealership down the road (where I bought my wife's CR-V) looks 10x cleaner and brighter.

So why I did I choose the Max over the other 09 full-size cars? I am a road warrior (aka travelling salesman) and my reasons are as follow:
(1) I want a car with remote entry and push-botton start (Max, TL and Avalon meet this criteria)
(2) I want a good navigation system (IMO, only TL and Max meet this criteria)
(3) I want to have good IPOD integration for the long distance trips (IMO only Max meet this)
(4) If possible, I want to avoid paying for premium brands and their exorbitant service charge

Of course, there are other intangibles that only you know and appeal to you. For now, I will enjoy my new ride this Valentine's weekend.

maxed

First off, we're in our mid 40's, 2 kids with sports equipment and are used to sporty vehicles. We owned 2 Maximas and a G35, but wanted to trade the 2k2 Maxima in for something newer. We want performance, but not at the expense of comfort. We put on about 30K kms/yr on the 2k2 so we need a well balanced 4 door family sedan to replace it.

We test drove the new Mazda, Acura TL (not AWD), '08 BMW 335i & '08 Audi A4. Only the BMW felt like it had more punch (quite a bit in fact). The Mazda was the cheapest but really disappointed, especially the engine/tranny that seldom reacted the way my foot wanted. The Audi is a nice car, but like the BMW was too cramped inside (which also ruled out the A5/S5 - VNice but a coupe). That left us deciding between the TL and the Maxima. The base TL seemed sluggish compared to the Maxima, the AWD version with the larger engine supposedly feels more sporty, but the price in Canada was $8000 more. Not worth it. We were tempted to try to find an '08 TL, but it just bugs me to buy something already out of date, but I prefer it's style over the '09.

In the end, we went with the Maxima because we've owned a '98, '02 and a '07 G35 and get great service (which was seldom needed) at the nearest dealer. Two doors up, out neighbors have an '08 TL which has been in the shop for wheel vibration, rattles in the back deck and a TPMS problem. Having said that, the new Max has a couple of rough edges too that hint to it's N.American manufacturing (leather not perfect, paint flaking off exhaust finishers, finger prints on projector lens (inside headlight)). They just don't make them like our '98 that our son still drives. 287,000 kms & no probs ever.

98maxse5spd

iTrader: (5)

What color leather did you get and what is wrong with it?

dauntlessmax

These days its just a matter of fuel economy and getting the best bang-for-the-buck.

dauntlessmax

[quote=maxed;6872008] leather not perfect

did you get the the premium leather?

po8pimp

did I miss something. Isn't the Hyundai Genesis a RWD car too? Not to mention a 3.8 liter V6. People keep trying to compare those two cars and well that's not fair either. Might as well compare the G8 to the Max. Best FWD car out there IMO is the Max. Reliability doesn't compare to my last Honda though. Which may be my next choice for that reason alone. I own a 6th gen and there just seems to be more and more reliability issues with this thing. Transmission, Camshaft Position Sensors, ABS, etc. Those are major things on a car and very expensive to repair. Interior problems like Leather and plastic molding and stuff like that are minor problems IMO. Brakes, Transmission, and Engine are the most important things to have working in a car. I wouldn't give a $hit if all my gauges stopped working. As long as the car runs and is safe that's what matters most. For $30k, these cars should last a hell of a lot longer. I want an 09 Max but my wife said if I even thought about it she would divorce me. Only way to stop me from getting this sexy a$$ car. But that is what she is afraid of, it just being sexy and unreliable. Don't know about you but I don't want to worry about my car going from 65mph to 0mph on the highway with my 2year old in the car and a Semi behind me. I don't care how good the Crash ratings are in this damn thing. That's what happens when the Camshaft Position Sensor fails. Ask me how I know. If the 09 holds up to Nissan's Reputation then it will be the best bang for the buck. But time will tell. It took till 2006/7 before everyone started seeing these horrid trends with the 6th gen.

-Sin-

I sold my 98 to a friend who had the trans replaced (the trans issue was purely my fault) and it still runs today! Again with absolutely no issues I think he's closing in on 180K miles. My 05 has had it's issues (nothing major yet) but I was lucky enough to do the repairs myself but as po8pimp mentioned Nissan drop the ball on the 6th gens and it seems to have some major problems. Reliablity is major factor for me and Hyundai has a much better stock warrenty than Nissan as does Acura. If I were to choose a the Genesis it would have to be 4.6 with the tech package. My overall concern with any car purchase is relaibilty.

po8pimp - That camshaft sensor story sounds hairy, glade to see your still here to write about it! Another thing to worry about. Sometime I think ignorance is bliss....

lightonthehill

po8pimp - Sorry you had bad luck with your 6th gen. You got a lemon. When I traded in my 6th gen last month, it had needed nothing but scheduled maintenance (mostly oil/filter changes) for the last four and a half years I drove it, and it was absolutely perfect when I let it go.

In fact, it was the tremendous reliability of my first Maxima (a 1985) that brought me solidly into the Maxima family. I let that '85 go back in the 1990s with 206K on the odo, and still sometimes see that beautiful thing tooling around town. My heart misses a beat every time I see it.

I am trying to check out what seems like hundreds of details and options on my loaded '09, and so far, have found not even a fly speck of anything less than perfect.

I am sorry you got hold of a bad copy of the 6th gen.

maxed

The first '09 we bought had black premium leather - no problems, other than no fold down back seats. Traded it in for a SV with frost leather that has a dimple in the edge of the driver side seat and two ripples in the center of the back seat. Not big issues at all, but not the Maxima quality that we were used to.

p.s. We had the dealer bring in the SV sight unseen ($350 transportation costs) so we just accepted it.

maximusprime

i would definitely buy a g37x if I ever wanted to sell/trade my 04 maxima...ideally an M35x if you could find a cheaper used one...Infiniti's AWD is sensational!! The 09 Maxima looks AMAZING but the CVT...

execstyle

the new max is a beast and very very nice, But I love the 6th gen, something about its body style is attractive, and the interior is very similiar to the 7th gen

mls277

G37X is boring looking...I go for the g37S coupe if I was gonna go Infiniti.

If I could have a car OTHER than the Maxima I own...it would be this order (keeping it within cars I can afford)

09 C6 Vette (obviously a base coupe 2LT, nothing crazy)
09 Jeep SRT8
BMW 335XI (a stretch once you option it out)

The Maxima for 32K with SV and Sport was financially the most reasonable for me. I considered Accord V6 with Nav also....that's a great priced car. I got offers to buy for 26,900 LOADED....+tax title...

lightonthehill

After driving my '09 Maxima for only six weeks, I find the CVT is the strongest part of this car. It is exactly where I want it RPM-wise at every second of every maneuver. This redesigned CVT is so much better than the CVT I test-drove when the '07s came out. There isn't the slightest hint of slippage, not a whisper of slushiness, no grabbing . . . it is seamless, and, with no shifts involved, more efficient than either an automatic or a manual.

Those that are into play-things like a manual can throw this '09 Maxima tranny into manual mode and have at it. If they want a little pizzazz with their play-thing, then they can play games with the paddle-shifters which are perfectly located just under the wheel on the steering column. Those tho like a higher range of RPMs can put this baby into 'drive sport' and buckle up for the ride.

Those looking for a manual in this luxury top-of-the-line sedan do not understand where the automotive world is headed, much less where the Maxima fits into today's scene.

LtLeary

Well I bought mine for 4 primary reasons...

1. Cost/Style/Performance: I couldn't find a better "value" when I looked at the BMWs, Acuras, Lexus, Caddys or Lincolns. They were either lacking in head/leg room (I'm a big guy...6'4 and 250), too expensive (for the same features), form/fit/finish lacking, underpowered, or dealer wasn't interested.

2. Nissan Reliability. I haven't had a Nissan/Datsun since my bride had her new 210 back in the early 80s. We drove that to death. From the transcontinental drives we took in the states, to the autobahns and back roads of Germany. It took a beating and kept on coming back for more. More recently, my "brother-in-law" has had Max's since the late 80s and has had relatively few problems (eventhough he is rough on cars and skips a lot of maintenance items I perform as a matter of course.)

3. The "Climate Controlled" drivers seat. I live in Florida and drive a little over 1000 miles/week. The Air conditioned seat has allowed me to arrive without a "sweaty back" at work.

4. I hate to admit it, but I had to bury my old 99 300m because I didn't change the timing belt when I should have. 250K miles and I loved that old car. The new 300s look like a Peterbuilt from the front so I didn't go back to Chrysler and the Max has a timing CHAIN that doesn't show up on the maintenance schedule!!!! So, I would say the maintenance plan is much simpler on the 09 Max than that I saw in some of the others I looked at as well.

Lt

maxed

Don't get me wrong - I like the CVT, but even in manual mode, it's still not the same as a manual/clutch setup. Having driven standards my whole life, it's been "interesting" getting used to the CVT. The CVT is deliberately smooth, whereas a clutch can be abrupt (which you may want at times to swing the rear around or spin the front wheels). You can't "drop the clutch" with the CVT so fast launches and torque steer are something I'll soon forget about. Of course, I can add calf cramps and grinding 3rd gear to that list as well

The CVT will save me big $$$ in rubber and fuel and does a better job of practical driving than I could with a clutch. I agree that it suits this Maxima way more than a manual.

mls277

Funny enough I have to agree with the "dealer wasn't interested' part. I experienced that more than I ever thought I would at the high end dealerships. My friend had the same experience a few weeks ago at another luxury dealer...they seem to not really care that you want the car. One bad experience for me and I was back at Chevy and Nissan. If I'm gonna pay 50-60 for a car, I wanna be treated like I just spent 50-60k on a car and I wasn't sure I was gonna get that. Believe it or not two Chevy dealers and Nissan were the best I visited...not acura, not BWM, not pontiac, not lexus, not jeep...

BlueMax

I traded a V6 Accord and the Acura TL reminded me too much of the Honda. The Accord was a good car, but we wanted something a little nicer. The interior leather, plastics, and overall feel in the TL just seem lower quality than the Maxima. (I agree with others about the grill on the TL; I think it’s one of the ugliest I’ve seen since the ’59 Edsel.)

One other intangible that I like is having a premium car without a premium nameplate. It’s got all the luxury I want but doesn’t scream money. Nissan impressed me with their quality years ago when I beat a few to death, so I’m hoping this one is as reliable.

I didn’t think I’d be a fan of the CVT, but I like it more every time I drive it. If you need a little more acceleration, a normal automatic has to kick down one or two gears, and it may be too little or too much. With the CVT, just a little more pedal gives more punch without the jerk of a downshift. It’s quick, smooth and does what you expect. If the CVT and the rest of the car hold up like past Nissans, I'll be very happy with this choice.

mls277

Its one heck of a car...there is no doubt about it. Solid all the way around. Is it a huge RWD V8 powerhouse? No...but its sure a sweet car.

Mastermind1

My previous car was a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. I happened to check out a 2006 BMW 750i. That car was ****. I decided if I got rid of my STi it would have to be for something that screamed luxury, and had plenty of room- like my Maxima.

The 7 had heated/cooled front seats and heated rear seats. It had sonar (while backing up), sunroof, power rear sunshade, a super quiet ride, and an overall presence of luxury. That was what I wanted in my next car- whatever it was.

Then I happened to see a 7th Gen Maxima S at Sam's, the wife and I took notice and said we would check them out. When we went to see them, I was drawn to the Premiums with dual panel moonroofs. I bought this car because of the dual panel moonroof, heated steering wheel, cooled seat, ipod connectivity, rear sunshade, paddle shifters, and the somewhat fuel efficient CVT only made me feel better about my decision.

I also bought this car because I knew it would get plenty of looks, and my douchebag brother in law was raving about this Maxima last summer. At the time I wasn't the least bit interested. I loved my STi. This car was bought on a whim, he's never said anything about it to me- but that's how he is...

-Sin-

How is the interior noise on the 09? My 05 is little noisy in regards to squeaks, wind and road noise. One of my aspects in looking at the higher end cars was a quiet interior.

CT Maxima

I got a Maxima for its combination of style, function, luxury, and presence.

In a few days I am going to dismiss the break-in chaperon. Let's see what it can do!

maximusprime

Good to hear the CVT performs well! Doesnt sound like any of the other CVT's out there..