Maxima Vs. J30 Vs. other lux/sport sedans

[Rob]

it basically is an altima isnt it?

[Brew]

Well its rear-wheel drive, as opposed to front-wheel and it has a six instead of a four.

[rwh11385]

it basically is an altima isnt it?

iin the looks department almost..... look at the mirrors back, the mirrors are different, but the doors are almost the same as the Altima as is the trunk...... the comparisons end there.

The J30 is a more like the Maxima..... i'm pretty sure they have the same engine. Edmunds say they both have the 3.0, with Horsepower: 210 hp/Torque: 193 ft-lbs. J30, and Horsepower: 190 hp/Torque: 205 ft-lbs. Maxima.

The 1995 Maxima is FWD! J30 is RWD...... 1997 I30 is FWD......

From Edmunds:

.....the J30 has unusually rounded flanks front and rear that conspire to produce a different, though bland, shape in the near-luxury class. The look was unique on introduction day, and inspired people to either love it or hate it, with little middle ground to stand on.

Then Nissan released the Altima sedan; ..... borrowing heavily from the Infiniti's basic shape, the Altima was a much better-looking car.

No doubt, the J30 is a solid, substantial luxury automobile that can hold its own in the stoplight drag race, not that you'd ever see one of these things smoking away from the corner of 3rd and Main.

.......

We're lukewarm about the styling, but the rest of the J30 is sure to please the most discerning drivers.

[Fred]

Maxima repair and maintenance costs run about as high as an E36, just FYI.

Fred

[Inspar8r]

As someone completely out of the know, i'm not really concerned about what the guy drives.

We as BMW drivers are looked upon differently all the time.
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Ooooooh, our realtor drives an expensive car, that must mean:

He does well, satisfies his people, or
He is not up front about his prices and can only afford that car because he's ripping me off.

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Ooooooh, our realtor drives a, uh, what is that thing, the badges are rusted off, that must mean:

His prices are right, he doesn't try to rip people off, and cares more about how we look in our new house than how he looks in his new car, or
How can he take care of us if he can't take care of himself

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The realtor is going to sell himself, his car is not. There are too many variables to try to solve for basing a person on their car alone. I was going to set more examples, but i think the one above will suffice.

Now, to my advice:
Buy a car that is low mainentance, low cost when you do need mainenance. If you can't make it to a showing or something because your car broke down, that can be a problem. If you're going to be driving them around, make sure your car is clutter free, and clean. Sit in the back seats to see if they are comfortable, since you're clients will be sitting there.

While it may not be a Mercedes, if they are comfortable, who cares. You may even get a reaction like "what kind of car is this, it's comfy!"

Keep them feeling good, and you'll have no problems.

[e9nine]

I have a 97 Maxima as the beater car, you can't go wrong with these cars...if you want an SE with a 5 speed you will hunt for a while. An auto can be had for cheap though. Lots of Maxima's have high mileage bcos people use them to drive from pt A to point B and C. I have had mine for a year now and all I have had to do is change oil to date. Granted I need tires and a tune up; its been the perfect other car to me when I work on the e30.

Just be warned that it can get boring but aftermarket stuff can be had for pretty cheap and the $$ to hp gain is very tempting. Mine is bone stock save an amp and subwoofer.

I am a little tired of it though, I might sell it for an e34 due to the fact that the Interest rate on the loan I got is a killer rate and despite me almost having paid it off earlier than planned the depreciation is not that good.

Its not as solid as a German car but due to cost of maint. and purchase price vs an e36 its a good deal to me. Test drive all the cars in question and go with the one that will be cheapest on insurance and be a good effeciency car in the parts and gas dept.