Which car would you buy out of these two?

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M

mulder

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
684
0
76
I need some advice. I'm looking at getting one if these cars. My local dealer has them for pretty good prices. My whole life I've liked driving manual transmissions. If I had a choice I would prefer it over an automatic. In this case the Lexus is an auto and the Maxima is a 6-spd. The Lexus has about 46,000 miles whereas the Maxmia has 22,000. The Lexus is RWD and the Maxima is FWD. Stock the Lexus is 215HP and the Maxima is 255HP.

One thing I like about the Lexus is the ability to add a supercharger or turbo down the road. There seems to be a good aftermarket following when it comes to engine upgrades. I can't say the same for the Maxima, although I have not searched as much. This is somewhat important to me as I would like to do some engine upgrades.

What would you guys choose and why? Am I putting too much emphasis on getting a manual? I'm not sure I'll be happy driving an auto all the time.

The IS300 is about $19k and the Maxima is about $23k.

Thanks for the help.
 
Tremulant

Tremulant

Diamond Member
Jul 2, 2004
4,890
1
0
I'd go with the Maxima. My dad used to have a I30 (ie: maxima) and it was fun to drive. He actually had two, one with a 4 cyl-190hp engine, and then one with a V6-230hp engine.. I actually liked the 4cyl better, it was more peppy.

Plus, I'm not a fan of the IS300.
 
geno

geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
25,074
4
0
I like the IS as long as you're not concerned about insurance costs, that is, if you can handle driving an auto all the time
 
B

BoyFreak

Member
May 16, 2001
27
0
0
Go with the IS300 its a good car and its good really low miles considering that its a 2001, so it should have been babied by the previous owner.

Sorrie to say this but as a personal preference I just would pick the IS300 over the maxima anyday.
 
K

Kelvrick

Lifer
Feb 14, 2001
18,422
5
81
I really like the IS300, except for the headlights. From the side, 3/4 view is good, but when I look at it from the front, it just seems to low on the ground. Like the hood dips too much before it hits the front bumper. I'd get the maxima.
 
A

andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,183
3
81
without factoring in the cost, I would definitely go for the Maxima, much roomier and elegant (except for the dashboard, IS dashboard is magnificant, same doesn't hold true for the real of the car though when compare to Maxima).

however, 19000 for IS300 is very attractive even with such slight higher mileage.
 
A

andylawcc

Lifer
Mar 9, 2000
18,183
3
81
IS300 Supercharged? that's a new idea, but I don't see you will get a lot of vendor support compare to the twin-turbo or even a IS430 conversion.

and if you are all into engine upgrades, I suppose the IS is the better option
 
M

mulder

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
684
0
76
nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
63,130
19,451
136
Hm... that's not an easy choice (which I guess is why you posted a thread about it). Will a RWD auto keep you as happy behind the wheel as a FWD manual?
 
T

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
76
To[o] little information. I'd have to see both cars and know what you look for in a car. Are the cars under warranty still? What will you be doing with the car?

The maxima has pretty mediocre interior. I don't think the added power make up for it, so until we know a bit more about your taste i'd say the lexus... but that's because it's what I would probably choose (again, depending on how it looked in person).
 
M

mulder

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
684
0
76
Yes, I agree the Maxima seems expensive. I have not been back to the dealer since Saturday, but belive me I was going to bring that up. I was thinking it should have been priced more around $20-$21k if that high. Here are the links to the cars for you to view if that helps.

2003 Nissan Maxima

2001 Lexus IS300
 
T

Tank

Member
Oct 11, 1999
82
0
0
those maximas were selling for $23K or $24k NEW, no reason they should sell for that much USED.

Originally posted by: Tremulant
I'd go with the Maxima. My dad used to have a I30 (ie: maxima) and it was fun to drive. He actually had two, one with a 4 cyl-190hp engine, and then one with a V6-230hp engine.. I actually liked the 4cyl better, it was more peppy.

Plus, I'm not a fan of the IS300.
Click to expand...

that was a 190 HP VQ30 V6. it felt peppier because that model weighed much less than the one that replaced it, and the next model probably didn't have much more torque.
 
M

mulder

Senior member
Oct 9, 1999
684
0
76
I just double-checked the Kelley Blue Book value for retail pricing from a dealer and they report the car should be $20,810. So either the dealer is smoking crack or they mispriced the car. Either way I will find out. I am going to talk with the salesman I met Saturday.

That was a good point saying if I am considering $23k for the Maxima I should look around for a 2002+ IS300 5-spd that is similar in price. The thing is I cannot find a 5-spd IS300 for sale anywhere in my area. I have looked. I kind of need a car in the next two weeks, although within the next week is more like it.
 
JulesMaximus

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,586
986
126
I'd go with the Maxima but $23k is waaaay too much for that car. It's not worth that. If you could get it for around $18k that would be a decent deal.

BTW-The IS300 is quite a bit smaller than the Maxima. I don't know if you regularly drive with more than 2 people in your car but if you do the Maxima would be an even better choice.

Edit-I have a 2003 Maxima SE with 21k miles on it. It's an auto though. I paid $22.4k for it brand new!
 
T

Tank

Member
Oct 11, 1999
82
0
0
Originally posted by: mulder
I just double-checked the Kelley Blue Book value for retail pricing from a dealer and they report the car should be $20,810. So either the dealer is smoking crack or they mispriced the car. Either way I will find out. I am going to talk with the salesman I met Saturday.

That was a good point saying if I am considering $23k for the Maxima I should look around for a 2002+ IS300 5-spd that is similar in price. The thing is I cannot find a 5-spd IS300 for sale anywhere in my area. I have looked. I kind of need a car in the next two weeks, although within the next week is more like it.
Click to expand...

KBB prices are pretty inflated too. $1500 under that is probably reasonable. the dealer will tell you that KBB is a good price, but it is just a price that dealers decide they will sticker a car at and see how many suckers they can pull in with it.
 
M

mchammer187

Diamond Member
Nov 26, 2000
9,114
0
76
out of those two, IS300 because i dont need the extra space

rwd and better handling smaller and probably about as quick

the maxima is too big for my tastes but the 2003s did look pretty good so either one would be good choice

also as other have noted 23K is a total ripoff ofr a 2K3 maxima

but on that same budget

i would look into a mazda 6s
 
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