Smooth, smooth power. Excellent interior feel. Expected reliability. Car for Money

Funny though light noise during hard ecceleration in low gears, supposedly from muffler baffle. Turning Radius

Sweet smooth power. High Quality interior feel, in a a word - "tight". Total Sleeper. I now look forward to driving!

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Owned ''90 Integra Test driven Acura Type S

Everything! This is a wonderful car!!

None!

I bought this car with 40k in September of 98. Today it has 108k miles on it. This is the best car I have ever owned or drove. I have never had anything done to the car except oil changes and brakes! What other car could you put 68K miles on in 3 1/2 years and only have to change the oil and brakes?

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95 Mazda Millennium 94 & 00 Toyota Camry 96 Honda Accord 95 Acura Integra

Overall acceration and braking performance is superb. Quality and Luxury at a reasonable price. The close ratio 6 speed manual transmission is versatile, and all 6 gears are usable. Great highway gas mileage.

Not a whole lot to talk about here. Minor drive line lash at low operating loads. Limited-Slip Differential can get violent if the tires break loose on a 1-2 high RPM up shift.

The car is a small compromise to an all out performance sedan (ie. WRX or BMW 330, Audi A4 or A6), mainly due to its size. However, I choose the Maxima SE because I wanted performance, a roomy cabin, and at a reasonable price. I found no other choose except the ACURA TL type-S, and the Altima 3.5. The ACURA was more expensive for the same relative perfomance and features. The ALTIMA was not readily available, and the interior is inferior to the Maxima SE. The Maxima is pleasure to drive; effortless, quiet and smooth. Easily pulls away from traffic, with shifts at 3000-3500 RPM. You don not feel you have to thrash on it to have fun. However, its hard not to let it wind-up to the redline, just to feel the surge from all 255 ponies. I appreciate the interior space, stereo, steering wheel mounted controls, XENON headlights ilumination, heated seats, and heated steering wheel. Lower than expected city mileage.

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1994 Taurus SHO 5spd

Power..power and more power w/good handeling

Bad brakes. Maybe just a one off.

Car runs great, however got stuck with one with warped rotors! Dealer simply cut the rotors and would refuse to replace them...Otherwise car handles exteremly well.

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Currently also own a ''97 GXE

Power from the 3.5 V6, intoxicating and smooth, and in every rpm range (pay in mind, my third car is a Vette Z06, so I know what power feels like!). Enough space to comfortably accomodate 4 adults and a week''''s worth of luggage. Great seats and ergonomics. Nothing is odd or out of place in this car. Quiet and civil on the highway. Total sleeper factor. Those punk kids never saw it coming... One of a small handful in this price range to offer a 6-speed manual. Great handling for a "family" sedan. Averages 23 mpg.

Clutch takeup is a little abrupt. Don''''t know about the reliability yet. Weird rear styling. A pinch for 5 people. Umm...hmm..lemme think...

This is a black sheep in the midsize family sedan herd (no pun intended 8^). With a ripping 255-bhp V6 and a 6-speed manual the Maxima is a poor man''''s BMW. I owned a ''''96 Accord before this car, and I after driving the Nissan I could never picture myself in the boring Honda again. The Nissan is almost too fun to be called a family sedan. At stoplights I have plastered Civics and Integras, ran door-to-door with 328i''''s, and even humbled a buddy in his Camaro. Take THAT, Mr. "Buy-American!" I''''ll admit, I''''m a little partial to Nissans (I used to own a 300ZX Turbo 2+2 and I also own a restored ''''76 240Z). But hey, if you can find a better-performing midsize sedan for under $30K, buy it. Until then I''''ll take the Maxima anyday.

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Owned: ''''96 Accord-BORING! Very reliable, however. Tested: Toyota Camry-less I say about it the better. Great if you like driving a pillow. Pontiac Grand Prix-Horrid build quality and looks

Sweet power, superb handling, massive braking capability, good clean styling and ergonomics, smooth shifter action and clutch.

You will get to know your local law enforcement better than you had hoped.

I haven''t purchased this vehicle *yet* but I did test drive a Gray Lustre SE and was very impressed. The SE model is the only model that can be had with the 6-spd "close ratio" transmission. For anyone who has driven a 2001 or earlier model Nissan with the 3.0L V6, you know that the 3.5L model will be a beast. It has new for ''02 variable valve timing and and a 2-stage intake manifold that opens up at higher rpms. Driving impressions: This car is a BEAST for a 29k dollar 4 door. And I''ve driven my share of 200+ hp vehicles. You will invariably find yourself approaching triple digit speeds as you savor the sonorous reply of the liquid smooth V6 to every stab of the throttle (becoming more and more frequent). Banging through the 6spd transmission that was designed to keep this wolf in sheeps clothing in its sweet spot, you will definitely opt to take the long way to work more than once! The suspension is also balanced very nicely. I was very surprised b/c this car does not have the top-heavy feel that most FWD cars have. In fact it almost feels like AWD. The wind noise is great and the seats are very comfortable. The power-assist brakes are more than up to the task of stopping this 4 dr missile and are the best I have ever used. It feels like you have 12 inch Brembos on each corner! In my opinion this is the best car in its segment hands down!

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Honda Accord, Acura 2.2TL, Chevrolet Corsica V6

255 hp sports suspension heated leather seats and steering wheel 6 CD Bose system

None, so far.

First, a quick thanks to all that took the time to write a review. It really helped me make my decision. I hope I can return the favor! I have driven this car for over a month and it flat out ROCKS! The 255hp provides incredible acceleration and the handling is superb. I was torn for weeks between the Maxima Se and the Acura TL-S. Since I had driven a Honda product for over 12 years, I was leaning heavily towards the Acura. Then came the test drives... The Acura felt more like a big car than a sports sedan and the interior was not impressive. Although a hot looking vehicle, I simply felt it was an overpriced Accord (it didn''t help that Acura dealers were arrogant and wouldn''t bargain). Once I drove the Max, I knew it was the one for me.I simply felt more connected to the car. I had read for years about the "best V6 engine in its class". I have to admit the car delivers on all cylinders! Warning.. the 255hp will not only leave other cars in the dust, but if you''re not careful you will hit 100 mph pretty quickly. I went with the Sterling Mist with Frost leather and it is a sharp looking combination. The heated seats & heated steering wheel with stereo controls are a nice touch and the 6 CD Bose system provides great sound. Overall a much better interior than the TLS( it took the salesman a half hour to show me all the options). I decided to lease and found Nissan dealers willing to negotiate. I indicated $29k but that includes sales tax and acquisition fees. My lease was based on $27,400 ($300 less than dealer invoice). My suggestion, if you are considering a Maxima, test drive it. Other cars in the $30,000 range simply pale in comparison.

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Acura TLS VW Passat

Comfort and interior ambience Powerful, quiet engine

None yet (unless you prefer the cushy, floaty feel of a Camry to the slightly stiffer, sporty feel of this car)

DRIVING EXPERIENCE The 222 horses give it more than enough acceleration and passing power. The engine is whiper quiet at normal revving, and a satisfying hum when accelerating. Steering is responsive, if a bit heavy; my arm (I usually steer with one hand) does get a little fatigued over long periods of city driving since the power-assistance stops short of the over?-assistance of a car like the Camry or well-balanced assistance of the Passat. Cornering is nothing like a real sports car, or even the Passat, but is, again, tighter and surer feeling than a Camry or Accord. The suspension is not jarring, but it is the stiffness you might expect from a car trying to give you some sporty feeling of the road. Again, not as cushy as the Camry (or other independent rear suspensions), but not unacceptably stiff for a family car where you don''t want to be feeling every bump in the road. I will say, however, that the one comment I almost always get from front seat passangers is how smooth the ride is; so apparently not everyone finds it a little stiff. Wind and road noise is very low, and if you are playing the wonderfull 200 watt Bose stereo, unnoticeable. COMFORT The GLE is without question the more comfortable of the Camry, Accord and Passat''s that I test drove. The main plus is the airy design of the cockpit. The so-called "wave" design (the dash slopes away from you) gives the front passengers a very open, airy feel to their surroundings. Much less clautrophobic than the Passat and Accord. The leather seating is okay: not dissapointing buy nothing to rave about. The Passat leather is nicer. The faux leather of the Accord integrates better (to the touch) with the real than that of the Maxima. But in none of those cars are you getting soft, buttery leather. The ergonomics of the car are what keep my pleased every day I drive this car. Oversized, tell-tale to the touch, buttons. Stereo controls on the steering wheel are a must if you skip CD tracks or radio stations. The ergonomics are noticeably better than the Accord and Camry and leave in the dust the ridiculous Passat arrangement. RELIABILITY Have forgotten since my purchase 15 mos./10K mis. ago to bring this in for any tune ups. So far, absolutely 100% trouble-free.

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1999 Camry 2001 Honda EX

Although SE and GLE have the exact same engine, I feel that SE has more power. You can feel that "kick" only with SE''s accelaration. GLE offers, however, smoother ride. The car is pretty quiet and comfortable inside. It has fairly large trunk capacity as well as the cabin (comfortably sits 5 people). Very very roomy. Breaks are great. They make very smooth stops.

Interior lights. I wish I could have BMW or VW interior light color(light red) as an option in MAXIMA. It looks whole alot luxurious, in my opinion. In addition, I wish I had more interior lights like BMW. Light red colors surrounding the driver seats could look very very romantic also..(you don''t have to have a girl to feel romantic.) It consumes a lot of gas.. It is a big car but I think the gas mileage could improve...

I purchased a vehicle through carsdirect.com''s authorized dealer. The vehicle is fully loaded except the navigation system. Nav. Sys. may come in handy from time to time yet it is not a necessity, I thought. (I test-drove one at the dealership). I wanted to buy SE but the dealership didn''t have the color I wanted. One thing to remember for future maxima owners, GLE, although more luxurier than SE, is cheaper than SE by $500.00 with equally equipped options.

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2002 MAXIMA SE

quiet, smooth, at 255 hp - very powerful. Plenty of room for my family. Great reputation

none yet. OK...I didn''t really want a Japanese car, but I''m very happy.

Started by looking at Volvo''s, then the Audi A6 which led to the VW Passatt. Once in the Passat price range, I looked at other cars in that group. The Maxima stood out based on ride, ameneties and price.

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Audi 90. I traded in a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee LTD for the Maxima. Before the Jeep, I drove a Honda Accord. My wife was the primary driver of the Audi - for eight years.