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I decided that I'm going with a Maxima. I just love the looks of the car inside and out. The TL is nice too, but I just can't get over the front end of it. The rear end and interior are nice though.
I'm on the search for a Pearl White one with the options I want. I found one in Gun Metallic, and I may just get it if I can't find white. I love the way pearl white looks in the sun.
I haven't been keeping up with the latest and greatest detailing products in a while. I honestly haven't had as much time to detail as I used to, but when I do it's usually applying BFWD. With the Maxima I want to apply a permanent type of coating on it like Opti Coat. Is OC pretty much the best option out there now, or are there other products out there now that have surpassed it?
I totally agree. I think that newer paints chip easier. The used Maxima I looked at had a few chips on the hood to the bare metal, along with others on the front bumper. I think whoever had this car liked to tailgate others, because the chipping seemed excessive for a low mile car. I just wasn't for sure if certain Nissan colors were not as resilient to chipping when compared to others.Paint chips are subjective, and highly indicative of the owner/driver. My wife's Denali for instance has excellent "red jewel tint coat" GM paint. It has held up extremely well for a 2005, and didn't have a single chip in it. (well maybe 2 or 3 but THAT'S IT). But.... after I did a paint correction last fall she ended up driving down a freshly paved road, and..... being as I am ALWAYS after her not to follow so close, sure enough..... she came home after a week of driving back and forth on that road going to work and WHAM! Checked the paint that Friday night and thought she'd be better off getting a good beating!
There must have been 2 dozen chips on the hood! The good part is it's just to the primer, no bare metal. The bad part is it's "red jewel tint coat" where the CC is actually tinted. Not exactly easy to do touchup on.
Honestly.... I think a lot of it (paint quality) these days goes back purely to the price point of the cheapest vehicle in the lineup. Seems it used to be that a manufacturer had one level of paint, both for the cheap and expensive vehicles where the cheap ones benefited the most. Then again, those were the solvent paint days versus todays waterborne paints. Pre "ultra thin" paint days you could depend on a film build that just stood up to whatever you could throw at it. Now I'm not a painter, (and know enough to be dangerous at best) :laughing: but waterborne has changed in the last few years, higher solvent base, faster drying times, ready to shoot clear MUCH faster. Which means the shop that used to be able to shoot 3 cars a day now shoots 12. But for some reason (from what I've seen from my end at least) it still chips much MUCH easier than paints in the past. :dunno:
One thing that I'd say still holds true however is the color of the paint can be directly correlated to the hardness (of at least the basecoat). Knowing that carbon black is the pigment in black (by far the softest) and titanium oxide being the pigment in white (same thing they use in sandpaper) white, (and by default) lighter metallic should be a bit more durable. Doesn't mean they ARE... but they should be. Metallics are heavier, and knowing the penny pinchers as such, they probably put less material in (what to them) is *more* paint going on..... resulting in as thin of a film build as possible to keep bare metal from showing through.
Of course none of that answers whether or not the Nissan or Acura will have the most durable paint over the long run. Would like to help a bit more with that, but in my experience how the car has been maintained prior to your ownership is the most critical point there. Were it me.... I'd get the one with zero paint chips, and protect that puppy ASAP.
I'm on the search for a Pearl White one with the options I want. I found one in Gun Metallic, and I may just get it if I can't find white. I love the way pearl white looks in the sun.
As others pointed out earlier the Maxima is built in Smyrna, TN, just up the road from where I live. There are also many Nissan suppliers in the area that employ a lot people in the Middle TN area. The Nissan North American headquarters is also located in Franklin, TN. So yes, I am supporting thousands of Americans and my local economy at the same time. GM, Ford, and Dodge are not 100% American, they are global just like every other car maker. BTW, the Chevy Impala and Dodge Charger are built in Canada, and the Ford Fusion is built in Mexico. Not too American if you ask me.
Yep, the dealer here is giving hefty discounts on new Maximas. Once I found that out it made the car choice easier for me, now I can get something brand new. Now I just have to locate the one I want with the right color and options.
I haven't been keeping up with the latest and greatest detailing products in a while. I honestly haven't had as much time to detail as I used to, but when I do it's usually applying BFWD. With the Maxima I want to apply a permanent type of coating on it like Opti Coat. Is OC pretty much the best option out there now, or are there other products out there now that have surpassed it?
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