Nissan Altima/Maxima Questions

[aeroguy]

I'm trying to talk my parents into getting a Nissan Altima or Maxima. They're Chevy people through and through and currently drive a '97 Lumina.

Does anyone have any suggestions among an Altima, Maxima or otherwise? They usually buy a car that's about 2 years old with 20k-30k miles.

Also, what year did the Altima start offering the 3.5 6 cylinder version? What is the difference between a Maxima and a 3.5 Altima? Is the Maxima any bigger? Does the 2.5 Altima have enough power (compared to their current car)? How is space in these cars compared to a Lumina?

So many questions, but I think they'd be happy with a 'foreign' car if they tried it. But they can be old fashioned and stubborn, I just need to talk them into it.

 

[sohcrates]

nissan re-designed the altima for 2002, so that's when the 3.5 showed up

maxima is a little better fit and finish IMHO. altima, while quick, is pretty cheap inside

 

[phatcow]

for 2002 the maxima got the 3.5l for the current generation, and the 2002 altima got the redesign.


the maxima is better tho.... if not for anything, its for the interior

 

[vegetation]

The 2.5 Altima is a better deal for them probably. Unless the Lumina has the 3.8 engine, the 2.5 Nissan will actually have more power.

 

[aeroguy]

No, I think their Lumina has a 3.4

 

[Rallispec]

If your going to go with an Altima, get a new one. Other than that, the current Maxima body style has been around for a few years now, and is quite nice, so a used one shouldnt be hard to find.

 

[prontospyder]

<<altima, while quick, is pretty cheap inside>>

Nissan has addressed that issue for the 2003 model year.

 

[brtspears2]

2002 Altima interior is pretty tacky, though, leather seats solve that problem.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

If they wanna buy used, the '99 Maxima would be the best buy. Although I'm sure you can get good deals on the 2000-2001 models.

They all featured the same 3.0 V6 with the '99 only have 190hp while the 2000/01 had 222hp. If they want a 4-cyl, the 2000 Altima 2.4 4-cyl is a great deal! Its cheap to buy used, has a great interior (fi you care for that) and has a nice torquey engine which is more than enough for city use and highway passing.

If you want brand-new, the 2002 Maxima and Altima are both good choices, with the 2002 Altima being physically bigger than the Maxima.