1st accident

[Sust]

Crawled out of the lurker hole to ask for ATG expertise.
My 2002 Maxima GLE was totaled at a stoplight in a rainy rear-ending by a Ford F150 going ~10-15mph(?).
I havent had to make a car payment in 10 years and the Maxima was good to me in terms of few repairs over the last 15 years. I can't turn back time and probably have artificially inflated expectations of my next car, but I want today's equivalent of what the 5th gen Maxima represented back then in terms of reliable (loosely-sporty) near-luxury sedan.

What are the recommended options in today's car selection(new or used)?

 

[XavierMace]

What are you looking to spend? Most modern sedans are going to seem sporty compared to an '02. From what I've seen the Maxima's are still nice. Using that as a price base point ($30k-40k). The Genesis sedans are nice. I'm a bit of a Lexus IS fan. A new IS would run you a bit more than a Maxima or Genesis (although not much for an IS turbo) but lightly used ones are easy to find. If you're happy with used, 2nd gen CTS-V's are very sporty and very nice and in the same price range as the previous new suggestions.

If you looking for cheaper than that, used IS's are still an option, just go a few years back. Mazda 3/6's are nice and sporty but not sure I'd call them near luxury.

 

[SearchMaster]

Yeah and most modern sedans are going to seem very luxurious in comparison as well. I had an '00 Maxima and it was a great car but in retrospect it wasn't that "luxurious". My sister's new Maxima was totaled this week thanks to a drunk driver and she absolutely loved that car.

OP really needs to narrow down price point, how many miles on a used car would be acceptable, size requirements (same general size as the Maxima?), how sporty, etc. Cars really have come a long way in the last 15 years and there are dozens of excellent choices. Any of the cars that XM mentioned will be leaps and bounds ahead of your Maxima especially in terms of performance.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

1st off: Glad you're okay. Sucks to lose a car that way.

2nd: price will inform selection, but a ~2010 Accord would be a nice car that's affordable and still a bit of an upgrade from what you had. There are V6 coupe options available if you want "sporty."

 

[JulesMaximus]

What are you looking to spend? Most modern sedans are going to seem sporty compared to an '02. From what I've seen the Maxima's are still nice. Using that as a price base point ($30k-40k). The Genesis sedans are nice. I'm a bit of a Lexus IS fan. A new IS would run you a bit more than a Maxima or Genesis (although not much for an IS turbo) but lightly used ones are easy to find. If you're happy with used, 2nd gen CTS-V's are very sporty and very nice and in the same price range as the previous new suggestions.

If you looking for cheaper than that, used IS's are still an option, just go a few years back. Mazda 3/6's are nice and sporty but not sure I'd call them near luxury.

That's quite a bit smaller than the Maxima though.

I don't think Nissan builds as good a car today as it did when his Maxima was new. The 5th gen Maximas were all built in Japan. New ones are built in the United States or Mexico.

 

[lsd]

Have you looked at the 2017 Altima? Altima's are not selling so well right now and you can get a great deal on them.
2017 Nissan Altima Price Report:
3.5 SL
22/32 MPG (city/hwy)

• MSRP $33,555
• ESTIMATED
  Savings off MSRP
  $6,327
• TrueCar Average
  $27,228

 

[XavierMace]

That's quite a bit smaller than the Maxima though.

I don't think Nissan builds as good a car today as it did when his Maxima was new. The 5th gen Maximas were all built in Japan. New ones are built in the United States or Mexico.

Smaller than a new Maxima, yes. But I think it's bigger than an '02 Maxima.

 

[Sust]

@XavierMace: Im not as worried about price or used/ vs new, but would probably put the ceiling at $30k with a particular emphasis on reliable like the Maxima. Im not sure whats happened to altima/maxima styling, but it's a little more progressive than what I'm looking for and the same goes for the TLX since I would prefer a stealthy look. Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, the TL and maxima occupied the ~$30k "fast" family sedan market segment, but it seems that TL+maxima rolled into a higher price point since then. Thanks for the hyundai genesis sedan suggestion since I hadnt thought about that!

@SearchMaster: Thanks for your input and please see above regarding price. Def emphasizing reliability and stealthiness of 4dr sedan thus sportiness and/or size becoming a secondary criteria. Let's be real here because I was driving a 5th gen Maxima and thought it was sporty lol.

@dave_the_nerd: Thanks for recommending the accord. I was thinking along those lines too since the accord and camry have similarly evolved over time like the Maxima and TL did.

@JulesMaximus: Wow, you're still here! I think we cross posted about 5th gen maxima's in the past so thanks for your past/present input. That's sad to know that Nissan build quality has taken a hit. Definitely not supportive of the classic reliability that I was hoping for here because I get attached to my car.

@lsd: As above, the current maxima and TL styling dont really sit with the understated look I was going for. Thanks for recommending though because it would be tempting to go for a test drive if it didnt look like it did now. I've never driven a CVT and theyve clearly done some work on the VQ engine series which I've grown to love over the last 15yrs.

 

[jlee]

If you want a fast four door sedan, a gen2 CTS-V is right up your alley.

 

[Sust]

If you want a fast four door sedan, a gen2 CTS-V is right up your alley.

I was also thinking of a used 2013 G37 sedan with ~30k miles and an eventual move towards a supercharger.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Far be it for me to tell other people how to spend their money, but if you're number one requirement is extreme reliability, perhaps an aftermarket turbo charger is not such a great idea.

 

[lsd]

If you don't mind spending $20k+ for a used car how about the m56? They will be harder to find but you should be able to knock off quite a bit from the price.

 

[Sust]

Far be it for me to tell other people how to spend their money, but if you're number one requirement is extreme reliability, perhaps an aftermarket turbo charger is not such a great idea.

I dont know if this happens to you guys, but I occasionally have these flashbacks to my teens when i'd dream of adding things onto my car that I thought would make it go faster, but was counter to any better judgement. As much as I've aged and learned since then, there are still things like this that i'm working on with my therapist. I feel like the Stillen supercharger sits there in back of my mind to remind myself that I could indulge that insanity now that I can afford it.

Thanks for the peripheral superego

 

[Sust]

If you don't mind spending $20k+ for a used car how about the m56? They will be harder to find but you should be able to knock off quite a bit from the price.

Wow interesting idea since I had also cross shopped the Lexus GS series.
Then again there's no M56 available in my area at all.
There's the M45, but not quite so sure about that one.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I dont know if this happens to you guys, but I occasionally have these flashbacks to my teens when i'd dream of adding things onto my car that I thought would make it go faster, but was counter to any better judgement. As much as I've aged and learned since then, there are still things like this that i'm working on with my therapist. I feel like the Stillen supercharger sits there in back of my mind to remind myself that I could indulge that insanity now that I can afford it.

Thanks for the peripheral superego

You're very welcome.

Also, you should totally get a project car and put a turbo on it. (It just probably shouldn't be your daily driver.)