Engine is smooth, powerful, and very quiet. A lot of fun to drive fast. Handling is very good, and traction in bad weather is good with the right tires. Car is fairly quiet inside (after I replaced the stock Goodyear RSA''s with Bridgestone Potenza 950''s). Interior is classy looking (if a little boring), and very roomy. Built like a ROCK! No squeaks, rattles, vibrations, or other annoyances, even after 30,000 miles!

After the initial satisfaction of the buttery smooth power train and overall solidity wears off, the car is boring. It''s just not exciting to look at. Mine is dark green, and it doesn''t turn anybody''s head. The seats are not as comfortable as some cars I''ve driven. The aerodynamics of the hood and widshield are truly awful. EVERYTHING hits the windshield - and hits it hard! In 20 years of driving, I''ve never had so many rocks hit my windshield hard, as I''ve had in just 3 years of the Maxima. Lastly, there is just no prestige value with this car. That is probably why you can get a car that stickers for $29,000 for about $23,000 after deals and rebates.

I started our looking for a midsize sedan that could be driven hard and provided some fun. I also didn''t want to spend more than $25,000. The Maxima SE is the perfect car to suit that description. You''ve got to get the SE, or you lose much of the performance. I got mine about 3 months before the 2000 body style came out, so I got a GREAT deal. 2% under invoice, minus about $2,500 in rebates. All together, I got about $6,500 off sticker. I got stuck with a crappy color, because it was the only one on the lot with the option packages I wanted. I have leather, sunroof, Bose stereo, homelink, automatic. It was annoying that anti-locks are optional on a $30,000 car? The dealer gave me some weird story about why Nissan breaks perform above average without A-L, but it was an almost laughable excuse. The best thing about this car: I couldn''t touch anything close in power, luxury and performance for the same final price. This car blows Camrys and Accords away, in every measurable way. Also, the reliability is truly remarkable - no unscheduled maintenance in 3 years. Top that Honda! The worst thing about this car: It is boring to look at, and provides no ''cachet''. I always have to TELL everybody how great a car it is. Nobody cares that I drive a Maxima. I know that sounds shallow, but lets be honest - there is really no reason to spend more than $25,000 on a car, other than to get the visceral thrill and prestige of owning a premium car. While the Maxima is pretty hot family car, with good performance, you''ll get little or no prestige or visceral thrill from owning it. I will be trading my Maxima in 2002, probably on a BMW 325i. I know it will cost more (no deals at BMW), and it won''t be nearly as reliable. But,...I''m getting a red one, and every time I get in it, it will probably make me smile

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Tried Altima, Accord, Camry, Grand Prix, Intrigue. Maxima is better than all of those cars, especially in driving dynamics. And, it represents the best performance/luxury for the dollar of all those

Its torque and acceleration are definitely unmatched. Its standard 7 speaker Bose system is unmatched in any other manufactured car. The dash is very attractive, and the white and green illuminated speedometer/odometer looks great at night. Standard 17" wheels make it look great

Premium fuel (not necessary though), we have a grey leather which looks not great on white. The one problem is do not get the pearl paint that nissan offers, cause it costs an arm and a leg to even do a touch up. a tiny bottle cost about $300 (Canadian)

This car is absolutely fantastic. It has great acceleration and maximum speed. I love to see a car that is sporty, but fits well in a family home. It is my moms car, but the whole family loves to use it. We have had three Maxima''s in our family history. First we had an 87 SE, and now we have a 96 GLE, and a 2000 SE. Both of the cars fly. We have had no problems with either car so far, and both of them look great. The GLE should have a spoiler, but no point crying over spilt milk.

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Accord V6 Coupe, Lexus ES300, Mazda Millenia

5 Speed, V6, all power options, good gas milage and it cost $3700.

premium fuel

Awesome car! This car was an upgrade from an MR2 and a Corolla. It''s faster than the 88 MR2 and has four doors like the Corolla. It sounds great with the Stillen intake.

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87 Corolla, 90 Integra, 88 MR2, 93 Legacy but none compare.

Very good passing power which is needed in city traffic. Good bose sound system and love the paint color.

Premium gas can get a little expensive. Paint on bumpers could be better

Overall a great car. With the sunroof, spoiler and mudflaps we even have the Lexus owners envious.

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None

Drivetrain is rock solid. Handling is amazing. Gas mileage is decent. BOSE stereo quite nice. Gauges and instruments easy to read.

Headlights give minimal light. Rear spoiler a pain in the @$$ to keep completely attatched to the car. Wheels are hard to clean.

This car is amazing. My parents bought it 2 years old in ''94 for somewhere around 15 grand, and 63,000 miles. I just inherited it from them when I got my license and have nothing but praise for the car. The first vehicle I ever drove was a 77 ''vette, and judging from the way this car has the ability to perform with 93 octane and clean fuel injectors, it undoubtedly has the ability to destroy some of those "powder puff" muscle cars during the gas crisis. My car has raced a 5.0, trans am, gs300, and most recently a 3000gt and had no problem anhillating any. My friend and I did some unofficial timing last spring, and derived a 6.8 second 0-60 time with 215,000 miles. Now with 227,000 miles, the car is still on its original engine, exhaust and transmission. All that has been replaced are the water pump, fuel pump and struts. With an all original drivetrain, one would expect the car to slack in the performance category, but the car has broken 135mph on many ocassions since passing the 220,000 mile mark. A truly amazing car.

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Toyota Camry V6, Honda Accord V6, Nissan 300ZX, Ford Taurus SHO

everything especially the engine, interior room, suspension***.

ABSOLUTELY NONEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE except that it takes premium fuel.

If anybody wants a car that makes the heart pop out of your chest every time you revvvvv the engine: NiSSAN MaXIMA is the car for you. I have 190hp and the car can get to 100kph in exactly 7.4 secs, the suspension is stiffer so that you can have higher cornering speeds.

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92 Camry le V6 (Sucks)

Powerful, Long list of feautures, quiet, luxurious

Steers to the right whenevr you try to speed up fast

Great car. Speeds up very fast. HAs a long list of features that come standard.

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Hond Accord, Toyota Camry, BMW 540i

Reliability, comfort, speed, looks, after market parts available. Did I mention 5spd!

Too bad its not free.

The best performance, size, looks car you could find. Dont think its your grocery getter. Its a 4 door sports car. Think again if ever racing with one. Never ming the 5spd.

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IS300(5spd), WRX(5spd), RSX type S(6spd),02 Altima(auto), 02 Maxima(auto),Grand AM SE(auto), Elantra GT(5spd).

1. Comes well equipped and has strong value/cost. Max also has good resale history; 2. Attractive, comfortable and quiet interior. Excellent fit and trim in and out; 3. Smooth, sporty ride with very good handling characteristics; 4. History of excellent reliability (even within Consumer Reports mag), industry recognized quality engine; 5. Respectable mileage - I drive 30+ miles one way to work, mostly highway, and am averaging 24 mpg. (Last topped off fill-up was 16 gallons with 400 miles on trip odometer = 25 mpg!) 6. Large pass through trunk w/cargo net; 7. Factory Bose 7 speaker sound sytem is very good (but not outstanding; 8. Rated good to excellent in gov''t and insurance industry crash tests

1. Does not have rear independent suspension, unexpected for a car of this caliber. Nissan''s patented multi-link beam suspension is okay, but the rear-end will hop occassionally on bumpy roads. 2. Ergonomics are good, but could be improved if radio/CD/Tape/Climate Control stack were angled toward the driver; 3. Nice leather seats, but door panel accents are noticeably cheaper looking vinyl. C''mon, how much more would it be to match the seats w/leather door accents? 4. Wiper blades don''t seem to cover as much windshield surface as other cars I''ve driven/owned. Not a major thing per se, but a little odd; 5. Almost forgot, requires premium fuel; 6. Headlights could be a little stronger/brigher. Probably remedied on the ''02 models that come with the more powerful HID lights.

I''m a car enthusiast and a long-standing Honda loyalist (''89 Accord, ''99 Odyssey)who broke ranks by my recent purchase of a loaded 2001 Maxima GLE. It was a tough decision because I do like the ''01 Accord EX V6 and take comfort in my own positive experiences with Honda reliability and driveability. The Maxima GLE also stickers for about $2K more than the comparably equipped Accord EX. So why did I go with the Maxima? In the final self psycho analysis I think it is the sportier look and feel. Nissan has a strong reputation for reliability and the silky smooth Maxima V6 engine is widely acknowledged as one of the best. It has been stated in a couple of publications that the Accord tends to be bought more for family and practicality. While the Maxima provides the same requisites to be a moderate-sized family sedan -- including spacious interior and trunk -- its purchase tends to satisfy the driver. Uhm, that would be me. Summary: After indulging a bit on the higher price of the Max vs. Accord, I had a tinge of buyer''s remorse the first week or two. But the Maxima has grown on me. Its suspension is sporty and a little stiffer, but smooth and confident. The engine is not a high performance racer, yet it is quick and accelerates smoothly and quietly without working up a sweat. When passing, it jumps readily from 60 to 75, and cruises at 70 to 80 without effort. Its interior is very quiet and comfortable having a graceful, somewhat athletic ambiance. This car is not without some faults (as do most cars) but thus far, nothing glaring has cropped up. I think the Maxima''s appeal as a driver''s car with many of the handling and sportier amenities associated with more expensive cars is working for me.

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Honda Accord

Engine (buttery smooth and strong), interior room, large trunk, good stereo, clean dash layout

I didn''t care for the 92''s clutch and I like the 99''s even less, very stiff ride if I have more than 31 #s in the tires, exterior styling is sort of bland (great looking wheels, though), more squeaks and rattles than my 92 had (fit and finish is good otherwise)

I traded a 92 SE 5-sp for my 99 SE 5-sp in February 2000. The 99 has a much quieter interior, a lot less road noise. I recently replaced the original Goodyear Eagle RS-As with Michelin MXV4s and am very happy with the results. The 92''s independent rear suspension provided great handling with a smooth ride. Before replacing the 99''s tires, I was disappointed at how stiff its ride was with handling that didn''t seem as good as the 92''s. The tires took care of this. The Maxima''s V6 has to be among the best engines on the market - it has good power and also delivers great economy. I get 24 mpg around town and 28, or so, on the highway with the A/C on.

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92 Maxima SE