Contest: 2002 Nissan Maxima Vs. 2002 Acura TL Type S

Mister T

Diamond Member
Feb 25, 2000
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Both have 260HP and around 30K.
Which one to get? Will the Acura have the stick as an option?
 

JACKHAMMER

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Get the Impreza WRX, should be one sweet car :) I would go w/ the Nissan but it's all about what u like.
 

dcdomain

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2000
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Sorry, Acura won't be releasing any of their cars in stick except for the NSX and RSX.

If you want a stick, and a car to supe/hop up, go with the Nissan or better yet, go with the Impreza WRX. It's a lot cheaper and you'll find more parts for it. Not to mention that AWD. You can cover parts of the lights up to get rid of the bug eyes.

If you want a refined car, great value, go with the TL Type-S!
Here's some more info on the TL-S if you want: http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&threadid=314654
 

tkim

Platinum Member
Dec 23, 2000
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not many after market parts for the nissan...and if there are, they will be expensive. broad range of products fot acura however. if not now very (very) soon they will amke parts for the type s. anyways, acura all the way!!!!!
 

dcdomain

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2000
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I'm really not sure about the aftermarket parts for the Acura being more than the parts available for the Maxima. Then again, you could be right, I haven't seen many suped up Maximas.

Acura-TL.com is the place to go for any TL mods.

edit: oh right... forgot about Stillen =)
Anyway, KingHam, you actually think the TL looks good? I happen to think it's butt ugly... even though I'll be in the seats of one soon. The Maxima is a beast, and you gotta love those cool commercials of it sliding through the water.

How do they keep the back wheels locked and the front wheels spinning and vice-versa? I thought when you hit the brakes, all four wheels brake, not just the front two or the back two. And I've read that if you brake by pulling the handbrake, you won't get the forward lurch you get by braking normally...
 

KingHam

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 1999
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<< not many after market parts for the nissan >>



Ummm... I think that you are forgetting about Stillen Motorsports. They take a nice Maxima and add this to it:
  • Supercharger Kit
    Rear Exhaust
    AP Racing 4-Piston Calipers, AP Racing Rotors
    Cross Drilled Rear Rotors
    Metal Matrix Brake Pads
    Stainless Street Lines
    Rear Sway Bar
    Front Strut Bar
    Front Camber Adjusters
    Maxima AeroKit
    Short Throw Shifter
    Rear Strut Bar
    Eibach Lowering Springs

    Wheels: 17-inch Momo
    Tires: Yokohama AVS Sport 235/ 45ZR17

Performance wise the Maxima SE kicks the TL up and down the street. The TL, even the Type S, is not made for anything other than looking good.

KingHam
 

Imported

Lifer
Sep 2, 2000
14,679
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Maxima please.. May notbe as &quot;luxurious&quot; but it's probably a bit faster and there is a pretty good aftermarket. :)

Of course, I'd take any of them if I didn't have to pay for one.. big improvement over a Civic HB.
 
Feb 10, 2000
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After my horrific experience with my last Accord, I have real misgivings about the American-made Hondas (and yes, the TLs are made in the US). I LOVE my 2001 Maxima SE, on the other hand. Assuming the 2002 SE has 260 bhp and is still available with a stick, it should be significantly quicker than the TL-S. Personally I am OK with my 222 bhp, given the cost of gas nowadays.
 

dcdomain

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2000
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Tee_Edwards, what bad experiences did you have with your U.S. built Accord? And I do agree, there is a noticeable difference between craftsmanship in the U.S. and other countries...
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
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The 2002 Maxima has 260 horsepower....?

Anyway, get the maxima. Similar horsepower in each car and similar weight means that the acura's auto is gonna rape it's power from it. Who wants an auto anyway? :)
 
Feb 10, 2000
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DCDomain:

I bought a secondhand '98 Accord V-6 EX last spring after my '99 Integra GS-R was stolen. I had wanted a Maxima (the Integra was far too buzzy and torqueless for my long commute), but I really wanted a used car (at the time I thought I might be stationed overseas and did not want to take a huge resale hit if I had to unload it on short notice), and a friend was selling the Accord, so I got a good price from a known source.

From the beginning, the Accord exhibited what I felt to be sub-par build quality for a Honda: the body panel fit was imperfect, and the interior panel of the driver's door moved in and out quite a bit when the window was opening and closing, which was weird. The stereo, the in-tank sending unit for the gas gauge, and one window motor had to be replaced under warranty. The car always exhibited a weird whistling/ringing sound from under the hood in cold weather (it sounded like a too-dry belt, but the dealer said the belts were fine). The leather was very hard and vinyl-ly, and one headrest kinda of fell apart on its own one day.

The straw that broke the camel's back was that the driver's seat began to self-destruct on me once the car was out of warranty (I weigh ~200, and the previous driver was a 110-pound woman). It started tilting to one side, creaking and clicking, and finally it would literally move laterally a tiny bit when the car was turned (VERY disconcerting). When I took it into the dealer (who was always very reasonable and honest as far as I could tell), he related that a riveted part of the seat base was coming apart, and it could not be repaired, as the rivets were inaccessible. It required replacing a major component of the seat (I think it was the entire base), with a total parts/labor cost of $700! I said no thanks and immediately did the Autobytel thing and got a great deal and a fair trade-in for my Accord (the seat thing was not obvious on a short test drive).

Frankly I think I would have been disappointed with the Accord even if it displayed typically perfect Honda quality. IMO the new Accords have far too much body roll and nose dive, have laughably slow, overboosted steering, and yet manage to ride rather roughly given the otherwise-wallowy suspension. The seats are way too flat and provide no support. I have always been a Honda loyalist, but to me the current Accord is like a slightly nicer Buick; my '84 Accord with 206,000 miles was far more fun to drive than my top-of-the-line '98.

The upshot: I LOVE my 2001 Maxima SE (5-speed, silver with gray leather, Bose stereo - the Maxima has 7 speakers in contrast to the 5-speaker setup on the TL, auto climate control, 17&quot; wheels . . .), which is thousands cheaper than a TL and feels 100% more solidly-built and handles worlds better than the Accord.
 

Mister T

Diamond Member
Feb 25, 2000
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Does anyone know what kind of increase in power will adding a supercharger to a maxima give you?
Assuming you do it on a 222 HP one... Will you break 300?
 

Mister T

Diamond Member
Feb 25, 2000
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My only complaint about the maxima is the styling.
Its getting kind of old... I hope they do something to it for 2002.

So, does anyone know when they are unvieling the 2002 Maxima?
 

KingHam

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 1999
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<< Anyway, KingHam, you actually think the TL looks good? >>



No, I said it was made for looking good. I suppose whether you like the stlying or not is subjective although; I agree with you: it looks like ass. ;)

MisterT,

If you combine a supercharger and exhaust upgrade then I would guess that 300HP would not be out of reach. Also, the Maxima was redesigned in 2000 so it will be awhile before there will be any styling changes.

KingHam
 

maziwanka

Lifer
Jul 4, 2000
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i test drove the tl-s and it was a great ride. but the thing is its got avg performance when u consider that it has 260 hp (its 60 time is slow). check out the is300. bmw is too expensive for what u get now, unless u have the money.
 

RKS

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,824
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Boogak:

Those S4s are the ultimate sleeper. Not much to distinguish them from a N/A A4...




maziwanka:

I believe the Lexus IS300 is currently only offered in an Auto. It seems like an auto was not really desired but I may be wrong.



I currently have a 95 Max SE and am awaiting the 260-275 HP 2002 Maxima. It is rumored that this 3.5L will be coupled with RWD and 6-Speed. It may not be able to compete with a new M5 but for the money it may just good enough.
 

UN1Xnut

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
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The current IS300 is auto only. It will be getting a stick (already in Japan) for the 2002 model year. They should be hitting the dealers in the next couple of months, if not already.

Another vote for the Audi A4/S4/A6. A fully loaded Jetta (VR6, 4motion, etc...) would also be cool.


-nut
 

dcdomain

Diamond Member
Jan 30, 2000
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Tee_Edwards, very well written. I guess I would have to say... that you got a 'half-lemon?' Sucks to have had to go through all those troubles. Maxima's a great car too, Nissan is really making a great comeback.

The reason the Maxima and the Acura was being compared was because of the similar prices. The Infiniti I30t is around $35k, so it's out of the question. I was grocery shopping today, and picked up Autoweek or whatever it's called, the X-Type is going to be around $32k!!! Makes me think really hard about whether I should wait or not.

The S4, is WAAAAY out of the price range, and so is the IS300, to have it come out decently equipped like the Maxima or TL, it would break the $35k barrier, might as well pay the extra money and get the S4 then.

Dannylove, great remark... jeez...