96 maxima vs 03 altima 3.5L

I dig the Altima photos. If you drop the cash into serious body mods, you should go out of your way to take a good photo. That building makes a great backdrop. Looks like the kind of stuff you see in the brochure.

What up Maximus?

Hey Nick, I like the look of the kit, it needs two holes for the fogs though, I think that would help it look even tighter. It does favor a civic from the front (somewhat) but it looks good to me and I will take it. HEHE.

Look up more the top photos have the fog lights in, most people like the look without the fog light holders in.

I dig the Altima photos. If you drop the cash into serious body mods, you should go out of your way to take a good photo. That building makes a great backdrop. Looks like the kind of stuff you see in the brochure.

Thanks :) Next I plan to get some volk rims, something with a lip and gunmetal or bronze

Look up more the top photos have the fog lights in, most people like the look without the fog light holders in.



Thanks :) Next I plan to get some volk rims, something with a lip and gunmetal or bronze
how bout a 3.5?

No I wont buy another Nissan after this cars troubles. Ill get a G35 in a few years when I dont have to drive the car to a college with a lot full of shit cars and people who are careless and will leave door dings. For now a 2.5 is good enough.

What kind of troubles have you had?

shift boot broke twice, all the windows rattle from missing foam pieces in the doors, windows have oil streaks on them, glove department rattles, rear shocks clank, pieces on roof i dont know what they are called but they keep comming up, car has had several recalls, all the compartments are junky, and the springs on my clutch pedal broke and engine idles like shit on startup when its cold, goes up and down until the gas pedal is touched then it settles. These are minor but its hassle to always have to take your car into the dealership especially when it is brand new and its taken care of.

shift boot broke twice, all the windows rattle from missing foam pieces in the doors, windows have oil streaks on them, glove department rattles, rear shocks clank, pieces on roof i dont know what they are called but they keep comming up, car has had several recalls, all the compartments are junky, and the springs on my clutch pedal broke and engine idles like shit on startup when its cold, goes up and down until the gas pedal is touched then it settles. These are minor but its hassle to always have to take your car into the dealership especially when it is brand new and its taken care of.

Sorry dude. The interior of the car is what motor trend gave the worst marks for the Altima. That's also the problem with getting a new model the first year. Still working the bugs out. Pain though it may be, the warrenty covers all...for awhile. Hopefully all the shit gets straight before 36k.

lol, I am at 35600 as of today, so I am getting the clutch fixed on my 86 300zx so I can drive that for now. Mainly the miles going on my Altima will be to the dealership and back for the next 4 hundred miles, literally by the time they fix it.

I am just dissapointed I had luck with my Maxima and my 300zx is still running strong. My dad got a Tundra the first year it came out and my sister got the new civic when it came out and both their cars are much better than my altima although I love driving it more than both those.

But infiniti is the next best thing to buying a nissan so I am sure ill be getting that in a few years :)

You buy Nissan, you get a car full of rattles. When I first got my 2000 Max, I tried my damnest to get rid of the rattles, I put foam here and there, dynomate some other places, but never fixed the problem. I think it is just Nissan engineering. I've since learned to live with all the noises, in fact, I have not done anything to try to fix the rattles in my wife's 03' Max.

shift boot broke twice, all the windows rattle from missing foam pieces in the doors, windows have oil streaks on them, glove department rattles, rear shocks clank, pieces on roof i dont know what they are called but they keep comming up, car has had several recalls, all the compartments are junky, and the springs on my clutch pedal broke and engine idles like shit on startup when its cold, goes up and down until the gas pedal is touched then it settles. These are minor but its hassle to always have to take your car into the dealership especially when it is brand new and its taken care of.

It doesn't matter what car you buy, Nissan included. ANY car can give you problems, no matter what the year, make or model. It's just the luck of the draw. You just happened to purchase one that wasn't put together well. Think about the people on the assembly line putting these things together. They could have had a bad day, other things on there mind, or someone just slacking on the job. They don't tighten some bolts down or the inspector misses something, it could happen to any car on any given day, you just so happened to purchase one of the f'd up ones. Back in '85, I bought a 300ZX turbo. One of the best cars I've ever owned. Had it for four years and never had a problem with it, aside from general maintanence. Last month I bought a pre-owned '03 Maxima and am extremely happy with it. No problems whatsoever, no rattles, nothing. It's just the luck of the draw. That's why when you purchase a new or used car, go over it thoughouly before you buy it. If it's new and still under warranty take it back to the dealer until the problem is fixed. But to criticize Nissan as a whole just because you happened upon a lemon is just wrong. If your so unhappy with your car, buy a different make & model and go complain in another forum. Try buying an American made car and see if you get the quality, value and performance of a Nissan. Not gonna happen!

my .2 cents on the matter
:cool:

Thats to bad your Altima is like that JBL. Ive read about complaints
with 4 cyl. Altimas. I agree with Chris though, any car can give you
problems. Every Maxima we have had has been flawless, and never
had any problems with them. I think the 03 Altimas interior is much
better than the 02's, everything seems to be put together nice, and
its really quiet too. If I dont have my stereo on or drive fast, I feel
like Im going to fall asleep sometimes because they are so quiet, that
was the same with every Maxima we have had. I want to get a
G35 also, sedan or coupe, but I really want a black 6 speed coupe.
The only thing about that is the nearest Infiniti dealer is 70 miles
from where Iam. :grinno:

I want to get a
G35 also, sedan or coupe, but I really want a black 6 speed coupe.
The only thing about that is the nearest Infiniti dealer is 70 miles
from where Iam. :grinno:
me too dude. i think anyone who's had a taste of the VQ35, wants the car that has it in its best form, be it a 350 or G35. i wish they made AWD 6 speed coupes though. that's my dream car. I'd prolly get it in red though w/ black leather.

tired to make it the whole way through ...just couldnt do it 93 pages is insanity ..this is a dang book !

tired to make it the whole way through ...just couldnt do it 93 pages is insanity ..this is a dang book !
yeah i was reading through it again too. whatever happened to that Paonessa guy? i liked him.

Red looks very nice too. Id take a Z, too. I cant make out
which one looks better though. :smile:

yeah i was reading through it again too. whatever happened to that Paonessa guy? i liked him.

:rofl:, yeah I liked that guy too.

I'd definitely take a G35 and to Pao, oops, I mean BP2k2Max I believe that the new G coupe offers and AWD option, not sure if it is a 6 speed though.

To Nick, I'd definitely take a G over anything that Nissan has to offer and even though this car isn't the sexiest looking car>I'd definitely roll an M45, I seen one with a kit and it looked hella sweet.

Plus the only thing better than the Infiniti V8 is the VQ engine.

yeah i was reading through it again too. whatever happened to that Paonessa guy? i liked him.
I heard he got arrested. Something about mailorder seafood fraud. :iceslolan

make a new thread! numbers scare me

:rofl:, yeah I liked that guy too.

I'd definitely take a G35 and to Pao, oops, I mean BP2k2Max I believe that the new G coupe offers and AWD option, not sure if it is a 6 speed though.

To Nick, I'd definitely take a G over anything that Nissan has to offer and even though this car isn't the sexiest looking car>I'd definitely roll an M45, I seen one with a kit and it looked hella sweet.

Plus the only thing better than the Infiniti V8 is the VQ engine.
an AWD 6 speed G coupe with greddy TT would be so awesome.

and that new 5.6 liter V8 in the nissan titan,pathfinder armada and infiniti qx56 looks to be a real strong contender in the full size truck/suv market. i wonder how the armada would stand against a Hemi durango.

It would beat a durango in every way. The Armada is huge.
Ive read they are very good off road, and 0 to 60 is around
7.0. I kinda like how the new Durango looks though. :smile:

I agree with "carabuser"....this thread is outta control! It's a free for all! :cool:

I sat in the Armada and like Joe B said that thing is huge and it is f*ckin sweeet. I almost thought about trading the Max for one, except it has a stupid Nissan badge on the front of it. Now if Infiniti follows suit and rename theirs but keep the package basically the same then I'm sold.


an AWD 6 speed G coupe with greddy TT would be so awesome.

and that new 5.6 liter V8 in the nissan titan,pathfinder armada and qx56 looks to be a real strong contender in the full size truck/suv market. i wonder how the armada would stand against a Hemi durango.

I agree with "carabuser"....this thread is outta control! It's a free for all! :cool:
that's cuz you guys weren't here for the 40 page argument. all the rest we kinda turned into our own off-topic area. this area of AF is nice, no mods means no locked threads

that's cuz you guys weren't here for the 40 page argument. all the rest we kinda turned into our own off-topic area. this area of AF is nice, no mods means no locked threads

no mods means no locked threads<what you mean NO MODS, haha

You of all people should know that there is a Mod that exist in this forum:rofl:

Yeah, this thread is our "Off Topic" thread, it is also the "New Thread Starting Page when you don't want to start a New Thread page."

If that makes any sense.

no mods means no locked threads<what you mean NO MODS, haha

You of all people should know that there is a Mod that exist in this forum:rofl:


:lol: true,
it must have been the one day a year that igor actually rolls through these parts. i still think that little weiner ratted (you know who you are)

compared to the real off-topic section or the civic forums, there is almost zero moderation goin' on in this part of AF.

I sat in the Armada and like Joe B said that thing is huge and it is f*ckin sweeet. I almost thought about trading the Max for one, except it has a stupid Nissan badge on the front of it. Now if Infiniti follows suit and rename theirs but keep the package basically the same then I'm sold.



They do, its called the QX56, comming out this spring.
It on the Infiniti webpage. The thing looks sweet. :grinno:

They do, its called the QX56, comming out this spring.
It on the Infiniti webpage. The thing looks sweet. :grinno:
dude sweet isn't the word. that thing gives me a woody :iceslolan

It doesn't matter what car you buy, Nissan included. ANY car can give you problems, no matter what the year, make or model. It's just the luck of the draw. You just happened to purchase one that wasn't put together well. Think about the people on the assembly line putting these things together. They could have had a bad day, other things on there mind, or someone just slacking on the job. They don't tighten some bolts down or the inspector misses something, it could happen to any car on any given day, you just so happened to purchase one of the f'd up ones. Back in '85, I bought a 300ZX turbo. One of the best cars I've ever owned. Had it for four years and never had a problem with it, aside from general maintanence. Last month I bought a pre-owned '03 Maxima and am extremely happy with it. No problems whatsoever, no rattles, nothing. It's just the luck of the draw. That's why when you purchase a new or used car, go over it thoughouly before you buy it. If it's new and still under warranty take it back to the dealer until the problem is fixed. But to criticize Nissan as a whole just because you happened upon a lemon is just wrong. If your so unhappy with your car, buy a different make & model and go complain in another forum. Try buying an American made car and see if you get the quality, value and performance of a Nissan. Not gonna happen!

my .2 cents on the matter
:cool:

I am like the last person to hate nissan, i absolutley love the cars they make, its just after going through a certain amount of trouble with one you get frustrated. My next car will just most likely be infiniti because its a nissan built with better quality.

I am like the last person to hate nissan, i absolutley love the cars they make, its just after going through a certain amount of trouble with one you get frustrated. My next car will just most likely be infiniti because its a nissan built with better quality.


I understand where your coming from. It certainly must be frustrating to get a new car, only to have it give you all those problems!
I feel for ya man!

dude sweet isn't the word. that thing gives me a woody :iceslolan



No kiddin, It would be nice to have the QX56 and a G35
coupe in my garage .. Could you imagine ? :grinno:

They do, its called the QX56, comming out this spring.
It on the Infiniti webpage. The thing looks sweet. :grinno:

Thanks, I'm going to check it out.

one of these:
http://www.infiniti.com/m/static/i/iwzw/build_qx56.jpg


and

one of these:
http://www.config.infiniti.com/img/m/config/i/csx_g35coupe_6mt_04_ax6.jpg

c'mon santa, c'mon santa, c'mon santa

Thanks, I'm going to check it out.



No problemo, BK2k, have you looked at the 04 Maxima forums on
freshalloy, how those guys think how much better a 04 Maxima
is than the G35's? Maybe some people like the 04 Maxima, but
its not a Maxima, like they used to be IMO anyway.. :grinno:

Yep, a Black QX56 and a red or black or G35 coupe with black
leather and 6 speed. I want the coupe bad ....
I figure Ill have my Altima paid off my next December ,
and look around for a used 6 speed coupe if prices arent to much.
Prices used on some G35 4 door sedans seem reasonable.
:)

:drool: new infiniti's, a few years ago these cars were barely competing with acura or lexus...now they are scaring the competition.

No problemo, BK2k, have you looked at the 04 Maxima forums on
freshalloy, how those guys think how much better a 04 Maxima
is than the G35's? Maybe some people like the 04 Maxima, but
its not a Maxima, like they used to be IMO anyway.. :grinno:

if they're real Maxima enthusiasts, Maximas came to finish in 2k3, if they want a really hyper Altima, the new Maxima is the best. The only advantage it has over G35 is the space. Hell, there's plenty of space for me in my 2k and 2k4 didn't seem much bigger to me. So if they think the new Max is better then G35 it's probably due to lack of knowledge or something.

G35 shouda had the Maxima badge...

No problemo, BK2k, have you looked at the 04 Maxima forums on
freshalloy, how those guys think how much better a 04 Maxima
is than the G35's? Maybe some people like the 04 Maxima, but
its not a Maxima, like they used to be IMO anyway.. :grinno:

Yeah I checked out the 04 forum there and other than the size of the Max there is no way in hell it is better than the G, first off the G looks better, carries the Infiniti Badge=luxury and outstanding service, not to mention it is RWD and now has an AWD option (Max doesn't offer either of the two) and the G is faster.

Maybe the 04'ers wasn't thinking in this perspective but they should've been.

As far as the 04 being a "Real Maxima" I say that it carries the name but not necessarily the theme that had been carried over in previous Maximas.

I believe that I read on one of the reviews that the 04 Max is nothing more than a bigger more refined 02/03/04 Altima. That's not saying that the Altima or the Max are bad cars, that's saying that simply the Max isn't what it used to be.

Those of us who own 3rd, 4th and 5th Gens definitely feel the same way about the 04 6th Gen, it just isn't the Maxima of old.

Thats what Im getting at, Maximas arent what they used to be.
The Maxima was always called a sport sedan, and top of the line.
I was nothing but Maxima, until the 04 came out. Looks not only
dissapoint but it was slower than 02 and 03's? :smile:

i think the 02-03 is kinda stretching the term 4 door sports car, but the 04's are just a luxury sedan.
4th gen is the epitomy of a 4 door sports car.

I have an intermitten problem starting my 2001 Altima. Seems to be tied into ignition. Any known problems with this model ?

i think the 02-03 is kinda stretching the term 4 door sports car, but the 04's are just a luxury sedan.
4th gen is the epitomy of a 4 door sports car.

I agree with that....although it wasnt the fastest year compared to the 03's, it was still the best damn max all around. If I could find a 97-99 5 speed with like 50-70k miles on it, I'd give my altima up with out a second thought.

yeah i shoulda never given up my 95, especially since it's only worth as much as my 4 wheeler according to bluebook and i can get much more usage out of a car.
i took a shot in the balls on that trade in.

Yeah and you know it will go for a long time with very little problems.

my ideal maxima would be the 5th gen se 6 speed...yep definitely my ideal car...

my ideal maxima would be the 5th gen se 6 speed...yep definitely my ideal car...
mine would be a 4th gen with a VQ 3.5 mated to a 6 speed.

my ideal maxima would be the 5th gen se 6 speed...yep definitely my ideal car...

Same here...with a MaxxTuning AE style lip that will be going on in the spring. Hopefully anyways. And I/E

Count me in on one of those Vq35 4th gens :D

the immortal thread

Count me in on one of those Vq35 4th gens :D

with independent rear suspension.

with independent rear suspension.
and AWD

speaking of which...
did anyone see the AF project car??? a 350z with RB26DEtt swap and AWD attessa tranny. shit is gonna be sick.

Who actualy owns that 350z?

Whats up Nick? How is the Altima? Been in any races? :smile:

Hey...its for sale, piece of shit is falling apart...got a new engine about a month ago and I dont really drive the car anymore. The rear bumper is getting painted right now then off to CarMax it goes (hopefully by next week). Wont be getting a new car until I get back from vacation in late June...waiting to see how much the 05 STi will cost. :D

for sale (http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=159691562&dealer_id=&car_year=2002&make=NISSAN&distance=10&max_price=&model=ALTIMA&advcd_on=n&end_year=2002&min_price=&certified=n&address=92692&search_type=used&advanced=n&start_year=2002&color=&cardist=0)

Funny you mention racing, I raced my cousin again (96 Max SE, idiot traded it in for 3600, but he got a nice G35C) before they put the new engine in and lost pretty nice. I had half a car length on him until 3rd gear when he pulled me by about a car length. Although its right I lost because my engine was shot and I have a larger profile tire (245/45/18) compared to the (235/50/17) I had on when I beat him.

How is your Altima doing...I imagine its great considering you have a VQ and those are good engines.

Right now I get to drive something American and more reliable than my nissan :naughty:
http://www.definitivemotorsports.com/4sale/h2pier.jpg

Thats to bad about your car. The Hummer is cool, but they are to
big and use to much gas. My car has been nice, solid and no problems
yet. I raced a new Monte Carlo ss over the weekend, but it wasnt
much of a race. Its a cool car. So your looking into a STi? How about
the Evos? I drove a Neon SRT-4 the other day, it was fast, but way
to small inside. How are you getting to use that Hummer? :)

When I read on the net about Altimas, the V6 always seem to have way less problesm then the 4 bangers.

I dont like Mitsubishi too much, nor do I like a 2.0 liter boosting 19lbs. Also I like how the STi looks way more than the Evo. SRT-4 was a consideration until I thought about it and didn't want to drive around in a neon.

My dad bought the H2, but he drives his truck for some reason, so I get to drive it, works out nice for me. Gas isn't too bad...been averaging between 8-9.7 mpg :p

i'm pretty sure it's igors Z.

i just spent the last hour and a half reading this thread and i only got to page 43. i was pissed that it had gotten resurrected again but after looking through it i realized this thread was fun.

i wish i could still have the name "Paonessa" i tried logging in the other day with it and it's STILL on ban. i must have really pissed off somoene.

Igor had like a 1990 honda accord, now he is dropping an RB26 isnt a 350z...damn.

You are Paonessa? lol whats up, how you been....had no idea you changed your name.

yeah, it wasn't my decision. funny, i think it was actually the result of another altima vs. maxima thread turning into a flame fest. musta been one odd day when a mod poked his head in, seen a flame fest, and pulled out his ban stick. i tried to keep it hush hush for a while cuz i didn't wanna get rebanned, but i figure it's ok to spill the beans, now that i've "learned my lesson".

i'm doing alright though i got a 2k2 6 speed max now with a Weapon-r intake. i'm workin my way towards a cat-back, y pipe, rims and a drop. other than that it's the same ol' same. how the hell have you been? what's new with you other than the hummer and possible STI?

everytime nissan upgrades their performance specs they have to make the car safer therefore heavier as we all know from the recent versions of the max. since the car has more power then the safety features of the car has to be altered also... the new max rated the best in safety compared to others in it's class. the altima is strong as well but it's too heavy, which is a shame.

Arguing about what another Nissan is better than another is Nissan
is nonsense. Im not doing that anymore, just makes people look very
imature. We can agree that Nissan/Infiniti makes some cool vehicles,
even if the Maxima isnt the car it used to be.

Nick, that hummer is very cool, what made your Dad buy one?
I would like to have one or a Armada / QX56, if they didnt take
so much gas, especially with these high gas prices. :)