Maxima vs. IS300
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I agree. It's a good car. Tell me one $25K plus that isn't in its own way. Well, It's time for me to hit the bed. Peace out!
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Originally posted by mrclam:
well if they're not in the same league why bother comparing? =) i thought we were seriously considering the comparo here..but i guess nothe he....honestly i don't think the maxima is that bad, its just nota sport sedan.
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This is an interesting topic because I considered both cars prior to purchasing the IS 300. My opinion was based on large amounts of research and being a previous Maxima owner ('91 SE w/5 speed).
Service/support: Both cars offer excellent performance and value, but our purchasing decision was based not only on the car, but the entire purchasing experience. The Lexus approach to car sales and after-purchase support is excellent in comparison to the local Nissan dealer. At the Nissan dealer, you can expect long lines to get service along w/no loaner cars. At Lexus, loaners are always available and lines are non-existent.
Engine: The Maxima has an excellent V6 with power to spare. The power is a little "peakier" than the IS. The IS has a smooth engine that does not "feel" as powerful as the Maxima, but gets you to speed just the same. The Maxima for ooomph and the Lexus for smoooooth. We put over 100,000 miles on the Maxima engine, so we know it is a quality engine made to go the long haul. The longevity of the IS has yet to be determined. The engine on the Maxima is perhaps its strongest point. What a great V6.
Suspension: This is not close. The Lexus is well balanced and far above the Maxima for both ride comfort and handling. The ride is firm, but still maintains that comfortable Lexus ride. The relative softness of the ride belies its ability to navigate the twisties. The Maxima is not as refined in its approach to suspension design.
Gearbox: This one can be debated to no end, but the wife just got tired of driving stick so we chose the IS. Even if the IS had a manual transmission, we still would have chosen the auto w/e-shift. Plus, the e-shift is fun.
Exterior sytling: This are is very subjective. The IS is the sexiest car I've seen in a long time. My reaction to it occurred on a visceral level. The styling of the Maxima appears to be more practical. It's not ugly, just plain. My brother on the other hand felt the IS was to "plain" and that the car that did it for him was the M3. To each his own.
Interior styling: Hands down, the Maxima has the best guage cluster I've seen. Easy to read, practical and only the necessary guages appear. The IS guages are too busy.
Overall: The IS just fit our CURRENT needs better. We wanted a sporty 4 door sedan that was automatic. It is a safe car w/many safety features that are not present in our old 91 Maxima SE. It also was RWD to allow me to return to my driving roots (I used to drive a 85 Corolla GTS that had RWD). The IS is not perfect. To find that, look no further than the current M5. In the future, I intend to modify the IS to allow the engine to put out between 250-300 hp. Just my opinion.
P.S. Excellent site, informative.
Service/support: Both cars offer excellent performance and value, but our purchasing decision was based not only on the car, but the entire purchasing experience. The Lexus approach to car sales and after-purchase support is excellent in comparison to the local Nissan dealer. At the Nissan dealer, you can expect long lines to get service along w/no loaner cars. At Lexus, loaners are always available and lines are non-existent.
Engine: The Maxima has an excellent V6 with power to spare. The power is a little "peakier" than the IS. The IS has a smooth engine that does not "feel" as powerful as the Maxima, but gets you to speed just the same. The Maxima for ooomph and the Lexus for smoooooth. We put over 100,000 miles on the Maxima engine, so we know it is a quality engine made to go the long haul. The longevity of the IS has yet to be determined. The engine on the Maxima is perhaps its strongest point. What a great V6.
Suspension: This is not close. The Lexus is well balanced and far above the Maxima for both ride comfort and handling. The ride is firm, but still maintains that comfortable Lexus ride. The relative softness of the ride belies its ability to navigate the twisties. The Maxima is not as refined in its approach to suspension design.
Gearbox: This one can be debated to no end, but the wife just got tired of driving stick so we chose the IS. Even if the IS had a manual transmission, we still would have chosen the auto w/e-shift. Plus, the e-shift is fun.
Exterior sytling: This are is very subjective. The IS is the sexiest car I've seen in a long time. My reaction to it occurred on a visceral level. The styling of the Maxima appears to be more practical. It's not ugly, just plain. My brother on the other hand felt the IS was to "plain" and that the car that did it for him was the M3. To each his own.
Interior styling: Hands down, the Maxima has the best guage cluster I've seen. Easy to read, practical and only the necessary guages appear. The IS guages are too busy.
Overall: The IS just fit our CURRENT needs better. We wanted a sporty 4 door sedan that was automatic. It is a safe car w/many safety features that are not present in our old 91 Maxima SE. It also was RWD to allow me to return to my driving roots (I used to drive a 85 Corolla GTS that had RWD). The IS is not perfect. To find that, look no further than the current M5. In the future, I intend to modify the IS to allow the engine to put out between 250-300 hp. Just my opinion.
P.S. Excellent site, informative.
Joined
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6,544 Posts
no i stand corrected, final speed of the maxima is faster than the IS on the 1/4.
and dont sit there and tell me the quality of the car is bad and ****. maxima has been rated 6 years as it carries one of the best v6 engines in the world.
and dont sit there and tell me the quality of the car is bad and ****. maxima has been rated 6 years as it carries one of the best v6 engines in the world.
u cant find a car for 22k that will out perform the maxima, besides cheap american sports car
You need "attention" and you need a car to get it? How pathetic is that?
I've got a news flash for you: You are not your car. A Jacka$$ driving a 911 Turbo is still a Jacka$$. And a sorry, insecure pitiful little person devoid of self esteem is, well, I think you get my drift. If you don't find some way to internalize your concept of self-worth, you'll never get off the bottom rung.
And yes, you have a very nice car.
Jaeger
3wheelin2kse
You are WRONG
The Maxima DOES NOT handle as well as the IS300.
And believe me, I KNOW. I have BOTH CARS.
And also, I've pushed both cars to the Limit many times....
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Taking on the HairPen Curves the IS300 will go out of site of the Maxima.
The Maxima has very little Torque Steer but Pushes Pretty bad entering and leaving corners.
Now the IS300 pushes Only Under Heavy Trottle out of the corners. (Trottle Induced Understeer)
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JUSTIN & DENISE C. OWNERS OF THE ONE-OF-A-KIND IS300
You are WRONG
The Maxima DOES NOT handle as well as the IS300.
And believe me, I KNOW. I have BOTH CARS.
And also, I've pushed both cars to the Limit many times....
Taking on the HairPen Curves the IS300 will go out of site of the Maxima.
The Maxima has very little Torque Steer but Pushes Pretty bad entering and leaving corners.
Now the IS300 pushes Only Under Heavy Trottle out of the corners. (Trottle Induced Understeer)
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JUSTIN & DENISE C. OWNERS OF THE ONE-OF-A-KIND IS300
I agree with SMRA. The Maxima has the "typical" front drive characteristics to its ride. Push in the corners and a little torque steer if you put down the power at the exit point. However, driven properly as a front drive, it can be driven at a good clip.
The Lexus handles beautifully because it's suspension is designed better than the Maxima. Also, my driving background allows me to drive a RWD harder than a front drive.
The Lexus handles beautifully because it's suspension is designed better than the Maxima. Also, my driving background allows me to drive a RWD harder than a front drive.
Joined
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13 Posts
i know max personally. he is a rich **** for a 22 year old..
omg who said the maxima handles as well as an IS? you should be shot. my friend was showing off his max to me, and he had suspension mods too and he takes a sharp right, well he had to slow down like MAD. he was pretty fast in teh straights, not as fast as the M but still pretty quick but in the corners he SUCKED. maximas can't handle at high speed for sh(t
Joined
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6,544 Posts
who cares. all these justifications..whats it gonna do? make your car faster? handle better? no, it just gets people more pist off over nothing. u have your car, i have mine, deal with it.
Interesting... I considered buying a 2000 Maxima before I looked at the IS300. I also have a '98 Pathfinder that I very pleased with so I was confident in picking up another Nissan. The Maxima offers a nice performance/luxury package and after adding all the options I wanted, the price came out to over 26k (with dealer "discount"). Not bad considering the performance/luxury package you would get. The price was consistent at different dealers.
I test drove different models, including a stick SE that I put a hold on.
That same day, I visited the Lexus dealership and test drove the IS300. That was it. I canceled the Maxima in favor of the IS. No dealer discount - paid full sticker price.
Quite frankly, I really don't care which car is faster or handles better. I'm extremely happy with the IS300.
By the way, I did consider BMW. Great cars but since I owned one before, I decided to try something different. Never owned a Toyota/Lexus before...until now.
I test drove different models, including a stick SE that I put a hold on.
That same day, I visited the Lexus dealership and test drove the IS300. That was it. I canceled the Maxima in favor of the IS. No dealer discount - paid full sticker price.
Quite frankly, I really don't care which car is faster or handles better. I'm extremely happy with the IS300.
By the way, I did consider BMW. Great cars but since I owned one before, I decided to try something different. Never owned a Toyota/Lexus before...until now.
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