Has anyone driven a 2000Maxima SE before? How was it? Does it handle well? What car is the performance comparable with. Any opinions would be nice.

Thankis in advance, just saw all the controversy on the Racing forum and I figured I qould see what you guys thought.

 

anyone?

 

When i was looking for a new car to buy, last march, i narrowed it down between the 2000 maxima SE and the 99 3.0 CL. The maxima is a GREAT highway car, very smooth and solid. The CL seems less solid and noisy, but i loved VTEC! I decided to go CL because maximas are everywhere and a CL is preatty rare around here, lso it was cheaper. IMO, the newer nissan's have great interiors and drive very nicely, like they are on rails. My friend who had a S2000 just traded it in fr a 350Z and just loves the added torque and how solid the car feels, like its on raisl handling, while the S2000 was a challange to corner at high speeds. Don't know much about hadling, my parents were with me for the test drives, so i couldn't push it that much.

 

thanks for the information, I think that that is what I want to replace my 2.2, this is only because the cls is way out of my budget, plus I dont want to rack up that many miles on a beautiful car like ther CL.

 

so a 97 CL is out of your budget, but a 2000 maxima wouldn't be?

 

2000 Maxima is a torquey monster. If you like to get up & go from a start, this is the car for you. Nissan juice kicks in early & comes in pretty strong for passing, etc. I had a 97 and 2 98's(all SE's)... excellent car & made in Japan(quality is there). Drove a 2000 for a while, but the car is just about the same as the previous model. There aren't many engines that strong on the market, and fewer that are this fun to drive.

 

The Maxima engine is the highest mark on this "average" car. interior is great? last time I checked, nissan relegated itself to the "plastic" look. handling-average comfort-average features-average. I cant believe someone above just said the S2000 feels like it cant go through the curves and feel solid...like a big 4 door sedan is supposed to outhandle a 2 seater roadster?....yes I admit I would take a Maxima SE any day over a V6 accord, but come on guys, take away the powerful engine and the maxima is an overpriced ford

 

I'm talking about the 350Z he traded it for, not a maxima, read more carefully. Come on, be serious, anyone with any knowledge would know an S2000 is better than a maxima. I am bascially talking about NEW nissans, like i said above. The 03 maximas have a very 350Z feel to them, which is not "plasticy", they incorporte aluminum featues and i happen to think it looks clean. And it is a VERY comfortable car. Handling, not that much, agreed. I'd rather take an 01 CL Type S over a maxima anyday though

 

No I mean the a CL-S would be out of my range.

 

thats what i meant....havent got a chance to drive the new maxima yet, its an '04 right? reminds me a bit of the G35 sedan from the back though

 

ahh yes, i see...oh well, have fun in nissan land...no more CL board for you:P

 

Just cause I wont have a CL, that doesnt mean I cant still visit and offer my expertise.

 

You have obviously never owned a Maxima. By the "overpriced Ford" comment it seems you've probably never even ridden in one. A 2000 SE is by no means cheap in any way. Maybe the new 04 is cheap, like the cheap-ass looking/built Altima, but not the previous Max. And as far as handling goes, the aftermarket support for the Maxima is very strong these days, you could tighten that car up real quick.
So, for his budget, the Max is a solid choice, no question.

 

Max is a great car of u like a sedan!!

 

My wife has a 2000 Maxima SE w/ 5 speed. Nice car. Blows my CL away. Driving around city streets it handles average. Driving it on the twisties (up Highway 50 toward Lake Tahoe) is a blast - high speed handling is great. Each year they bump up the hp numbers. Ours has 222 hp. The new ones have 264 hp. Buy a newer one if you can. My brother has a Taurus - there is no comparison.