2000 Maxima vs. 2001 Corolla for daughter

I own a 2000 Nissan Maxima and 2001 Toyota Corolla. My daughter currently drives the Corolla. I’m buying a new car to replace the Maxima. Question: should I give my daughter the Maxima and get rid of the Corolla? Maxima has 118,000 miles, Corolla has 70,000. She’s currently a freshman at Temple Univ in North Philly. Concerns are: Maxima has more miles, will probably cost more to maintain (I already know about a $300 repair that I’ve been holding off on), and insure. Toyota has given me zero problems (had it since 2007), but it’s not in the greatest shape (a few dents, interior is dingy) and Maxima is in great condition. Would obviously be a nicer car for her. Thanks in advance.

I Would Always Go With The Safer Of The Cars For My Kids. The Rest Is Just “Whatever Floats Your Boat”. We’re Talking About Two Old (9-11 year-old) Cars, Here.

You talk about make, model, model year, miles, condition, and maintenance. You can speculate all you want which one will run better / longer / cheaper, etcetera.

I don’t know Japanese cars. Which car has the most safety built into it ? Choose that one. If neither one is very safe, get one that is. That’s what I go with every time for my kids and my family . . . Safety first.

CSA

I vote for the Corolla, newer and less miles would make it an easy choice for me if I had to choose.

Yes, keep the Corolla; it is more user-friendly and cheap to fix and service. A friend of mine had a Maxima with the push button dial door locks. They failed on a hiking trip and it took $2800 to get going again.

Students need uncomplicated, reliable cars and the Corolla is just that type of car! It has at least 5 more years of reliable service left in it.

Vote number 4 for the Corolla…it has too much going for it. We had one go through two kids and 200K miles. It’s barely broken in and more “mild mannered”.

The Corolla is 60/40 weight ratio as compared to 62/38 for the Maxima

Both Of these Little Cars Have Timing Chains ? That’s The Information I’m Receiving.

CSA

Clearly keep the Corolla. The dingy and dented exterior is freedom and liberation for a person parking her car in and around Temple University in North Philadelphia. A nice shiny suburban looking Maxima is a sure target for breakins and the first damage is going to be a real upset for your daughter. Besides, the Corolla is a very durable car. So is the Maxima, but repairs are much more costly, gas mileage is much worse, and it’s a BIG car, hard to park.

It Looks Like Both Cars Have Front Air Bags And The Nissan Maybe Has ABS, But . . .

. . . If I’m reading the Highway Loss Data Institute’s 1999 - 2001 models injury loss results correctly, the Nissan was in the “average” range - 94% ( 6% better than the average 100%) and the little Toyota was “substantially worse than average” - 146% ( 46% worse than average !). They show the Maxima as a “mid-size” car and Corolla as a “small” car.

I look for cars in the “better than average” and “substantially better than average” range for my family members and take a close look at other NHTSA crash data. Insurance companies look at this information, too.

CSA

Both should be pretty relible. The Maxima is the larger and safer vehicle of the two, but it does have higher mileage, but one the other hand you mention that the Corolla isn’t the best shape either. I would just flip a coin, either one will likely serve your daughter fine.

Thank you everyone for your excellent responses! A guy I work with whose opinion I respect also weighed in for the Corolla so I think that’s the majority vote. Thanks so much for helping me with my decision.

Parking at Temple is “urban” parking and she’ll get dings and dents anyway. The Maxima takes premium fuel and the Corolla uses regular. Better mpg, less miles, dependable, and less expensive to fill up make the Corolla the choice.

The zippy sporty quickness of the Maxima isn’t useful for a new driver in a big city anyway.