The new Maxima is a GREAT car. i read on a few sites that the Sport Package adds a little too much noise from the tires when driving...anyone go Touring AT with the Nav but no Sport package? I have the Sport Package on the Maxima and it didnt create a loud ride at all...but that's a different car im sure.

This screams that you want a Infiniti G37, not a Z.. the G's got a lot more plushy feeling when I compare my friends 37 to my Z. Same performance, more plush. The Z's going to outhandle and go faster stock for stock though because of a lot of reasons.

I think you are going to be dissapointed in your trade. Nissan is dealing like crazy on the new Max. My father bought one last month. The sticker was over 39K and he paid 32,500. You should be able to get a touring Z with auto, sport and nav for about 38,500. Basically the only options you would be giving up is the back up camera, memory seats, air conditioned driver's seat, and the sunroof, but I don't know if your max has all of those features.

I was always a huge Maxima fan. The last one I owned was a 2000. It was a great car. After that body style they really went down hill. I recently had an 08 as a rental and it was like driving a boat and it had that insane skinny sunroof that went the length of the car that served no purpose. For 09 Nissan got their act together and the Max is back. I almost bought one when they first came out, but nobody wanted to deal on them, so I bought a Cadillac CTS. They need to bring the manual tranny back to the Max. I wish you luck, but be prepared to bring cash to the deal or roll over at least 4K into the Z.

Well I did make a down payment on the max...personally if I go to this same dealer i have a feeling they will make me a deal and make it work within reason. I'm not upside down on the loan...I just want 30k or I'll feel like it's a waste.

I would go towards the end of the month and be looking at a Z that they have on their lot. If they sold you the car brand new for 32K they are going to be hard pressed to sell it used for 30K, so you are asking them to make nothing on your trade, probably even take a loss. You have to look at the fact that right now Nissan has over 2K in rebates on the Max. Most dealears will come down at least another 3K, so somebody could buy a new one for 30K. I took a bath on my CTS when I traded it in. I got a diminished value claim from an insurance company because it was rear ended right before I got rid of it, so that helped, and I didn't mind forking over some cash because I wanted to get away from a GM car.

In the likely event that they come back with 26 or 27k for your Max, then don't despair. You have a great car. I talked my father into the Max. He was thinking about another Toyota Camry. I went with him to buy it because he doesn't speak so well since he had a stroke a couple years ago. That's when I saw the Z and knew I had to have one. I did drive my dad's Maxima and I love the car. If they still came with a manual I may have considered one for the practicality and the fact that they were taking over 7k off sticker.

Great points. I'd take 29k trade... but thats it. They have to eat the difference or it would be no deal. To move another car I'm sure i could work a deal...how many customers are crazy enough to trade a new car for another one 9 months later...ha!

My 3 options:

A) 2009 370Z Coupe loaded
B) 2008/2009 C6 Corvette (don't like all the attention they get)
C) 2009 Jeep Cherokee SRT-8 (good rebates there, but company is down)
C) Keep the Maxima another year or two then look around

Well out of your options I would go with the Z or keep the Max.

Vettes are a dime a dozen, a notorious mid life crisis mobile, and a GM car. The Jeep wasn't worth much before the company went bankrupt. If you get it be prepared to keep it until the wheels fall off because you will never get value for it.

yeah thats what steered me clear of the vette and jeeps...all the drama going on. i think its not smart to buy a Z either after just buying the max a year ago but sometimes you have to do what you want to do. I dont LOVE the 370Z looks, but the quality is sure there.

You're going to be "upside down" most likely, unless your balance on the Maxima is very small. The sticker on the Maxima is immaterial at this point, the used car manager at the Nissan dealership will use a KBB value or arbitrarily give a trade-in value. You know that cliche, "as soon as you drive a new car off the lot it automatically loses $5,000"? This isn't far from the truth.

For example, say your loan balance on the Maxima is $27,000; and the used car manager says, "this car is only worth $25,000," then you are $2,000 upside-down. So if you put $7,000 down towards a Z, then only $5,000 will apply to it.

I say keep your Maxima and consider a Z or another car when you're done paying it off.

Isn't this the media section?

Yeah I get that, but I'm not a 27k balance (nice down payment) It might be more wise to just add the Z as a second car, pay them off as I go.

not anymore. thanks for pointing it out.

I wish the Z had the Maxima's baller *** heated steering wheel!!!

that heated steering wheel is great in the winter.

I'd take a chilled steering wheel :D