Nissan has some major design problems, but they have always performed miracles with the Maxima. The basic Maxima is a little plain to look at, but add a rear spoiler, fog lights, and mud flaps, you have a family car that has been transformed into a sports sedan. With the leather interior and woodgrain trim, you are competing with the boss who drives the overpriced luxury car. The car is fun to drive and commands the road, handles exceptionally well and quiet. Would I get another one..yep, but only 3-4 years after the body style has been perfected. ONE MORE PERK: This is the only car I know of that allows you to remotely let down the windows..yet, this car is not in the luxury class. Keep it that way, lower taxes!! I love the white faced meters!

ABS wasn't a standard option on this model, and I replaced the brake pads at about 30k miles. A weakness, but it comes no where to outweighing the pros. A little picky, but you are allowed to put the windows down remotely, but you can't put them back up. Oh yeah, I notice the paint chipping on my midnight Maxima also.

25k. At that price, you should get two of them. Lot of car for a little bit of money!!!

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There is not a car on the market that compares to the Maxima.

PRICE! i feel i got a great deal for the car, has everything i meed, cd/tape player, power seat, sunroof, spoiler, alloys. stereo is pretty good, love the ride, quiet, and the car is quick, great engine.

cheap looking interior (too much plastic stuff), tires seem cheap also, never heard of toyo, but the dealer says they last 50,000 miles, we'll see

i paid $23,000 and i got the GXE(base $21000) with the comfort and convenience package($1100), auto tranny($1500) and sunroof($700), so the car had a sticker price of over $25,000, thats why i think i got a good deal. plus they gave me a spoiler($400) and tint windows($100). they dealership is very good, i never had to negociate for an hour for the right price, and when i brought my car back to them to get the spoiler installed and the tint put on, the gave me a GLE to drive around in for a few days(until my car was done). the car is quiet, fast and fun. but, if you're not a fan of cheap plastic, get a GLE with leather, they have a nice interior.

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2000 camry (test drove)

Power, Ride, Handling, Seats, Overall ergonomics, Good AC, Roomy for a smaller vehicle, Good gas milage

Dings easily, Ugly cloth pattern for seats, wish I had gotten leather!

Purchased this car to be comfortable, quick, reliable and stylish. 3 years later and it still meets my expectations! No unsheduled maint. No problems except for early front tire wear (my fault for not rotating enough) Overall a typical, ejoyable Nissan experience. If only Nissan made a full size SUV my life would be perfect. (I had to purchase a Dodge Durango for my wife and I have to admit we love it but I wish it was a Nissan!)

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86 Mazda 626LX, 89 Maxima GXE, 93 Maxima GXE (My favorite styling!)

Has 4 wheels

Standard CD/Tape/FM Stereo buzzes in front speekers on almost all FM stations, reception SUCKS. Engine pings and mis-fires under moderate acceloration with 87 unleaded, requires premium unleaded. Service dep at Brown and Brown and Pinnacle SUCK!

I am very upset with Pinnacle Nissan. I feel that they were not honest in disclosing rebate information and interest rate. The numbers on our writen sales contract negociated with the sales person, were not the same as the numbers on the loan docs when we got to the finance department to close the deal. They gave us the BULL SH*T routine about inflating the price to offset the negative equity in the trade. Then they included a bunch of other BULL SH*T like paint warranty and theft insurance into the loan contract with out disclosing the additional costs (although, now that I read all the complaints about the paint, maby thats a good thing!) They also filled the tank with 87 unleaded which caused hard starting, pinging and mis-fireing. The first week when I started having problems they wouldn't accomidate me in scheduling an apointment to look at the car ASAP. Made me make an apointment for 1 week later. I ended up taking the car to Brown and Brown who took it on the TEST DRIVE of its life, then said "use premium". Later I took the car back to Brown and Brown to have them listen to the crapy stereo. Three people thought it sounded "normal". Apparently its normal for the "flag ship" to have a SH*T box for a stereo. Brown and Brown was very un-helpful. I think its because the car came from Pinnacle, never the less, its a Nissan and they are a Nissan Service Center. They should be helpful to all Nissan Owners. I purchased the Nissan over the Honda because of the 5/60 power train warranty. Now I can't find anyone with the brain power of a box of rocks to service it. Can anyone tell me of a reliable, honest Nissan Serivce Center in Phoenix? SHOULD HAVE PURCHASED THE ACCORD!

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93 Pontiac Bonnivele
96 Pontiac Grand Am I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER GM!

Looks very cool. This car is built for cruising in style. You can just chill and ride. That's what it's all about.

I don't like not knowing that I could have had this car instead of a crappy Pontiac Grand AM.

I haven't had this car for a long time, but I don't need much time to find good and bad points about the car.

First off, I got the GLE version loaded with all the options, including leather seating. It costs about the same as an SE with all the same options, but is cheaper to lease than an SE (there is hardly any difference between the three versions of Maximas).

Performance -- yeah, it really does go 0-60 in 6.7 seconds. That's faster than a lot of the cars on the road, even those riced-up hondas you see everywhere. When gassing this car up, use 93 octane. You'll see that it is only 2-3 dollars more than 87 octane and it is much better for the car. If you fill up before the needle goes below 1/2 tank, you'll get a better MPG rating.

Also, if you buy a new car, there is a break-in period for the engine. It's amusing to see all these people talking about early engine problems when they couldn't even take care of the car properly. For the Maxima, you are supposed to keep the engine below 4000 RPM, avoid fast starts and not drive at any speed for a long time (I'd say not more than 1 hour) until the odometer reads 1000 miles.

Handling -- This car handles VERY WELL! It's a sedan for cruising, not for slalom, so you are an idiot if you expect it to have a stiff suspension to get rid of body roll all together. But for those of us who realize that it is designed for street use, the body roll is very minimal. I always feel in control of the car when I am driving it. It's almost as good as my MR2 with the cornering.

Features -- I like the layout. The instruments are easy to read, and at night it looks very cool if you have a black bg. It's like you are living a video game. This car is definitely great for riding around at night. Tinting the windows is highly recommended.

Tires -- They give you some kinda Toyo tires. They seem like they're gonna be worn out soon. I'd recommend changing them to something better. Seems like a lot of new cars come with crappy tires.

Ride -- This car rides with characteristic smoothness and precise control. The turning radius is a bit too long. The automatic transmissions seems to have shift points tuned for more spirited driving, which is why some people will complain that the engine revs up to 3700-4200 RPM before shifting to second. In normal driving, this is inappropriate. For me, it's fine.

Value -- Well, I am paying about $500 per month, $150 more per month than a Grand AM. It is a lot, but when I recount all I am getting, it's an excellent value. I did not put ANY money down at all. The dealer even paid my first monthy payment and my tag fees. Can't really beat that.

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2000 Pontiac Grand AM SE V6 - It's like comparing a Huffy to a Cannondale.
1988 Toyota MR2 SC - The Maxima is as fast as my MR2. I like that.

Power, Bose System, Interior, Roomy, Luxurious

Back windows don't go all the way down, Bad location for the side mirror adjusters

This car is simply awesome. Rarely do you find a car that's sporty and luxurious. It's like killing two birds with one stone. I paid $28700 o.t.d. which included the comfort and convenience package as well as the leather package. The 200 watt Bose system is dynamite and the interior is definitely stylish. Sure, an Accord or Camry are great cars, but anyone looking for something head and shoulders above the rest should consider the Maxima.

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None

The engine keeps running. No oil usage even after 265,000 miles. Car just seems to be happy with itself. Exhaust system wore well until 140,000 miles. (I traveled the entire state of New Mexico for several years and used this vehicle.) Coolant system has never been changed. Even though the dealers tell you to replace the timing belt every 60,000 miles ($400+ each time) I have yet to replace the current set even after 180,000. (don't recommend you kids at home try this unless you are willing to ante up a complete engine overhaul expense.)

Injectors in the beginning were replaced 3 times before they settled down. Automatic windows each broke two or three times before Nissan fixed with metal at critical points in gear mechanism. It cost me 89.00 each time one of those windows broke. Dealer finally gave me discounts for the last 3 I replaced. I guess he felt I'd suffered enough.
Radio is a goner after the 5th year or so. BOSE speakers now rattle and crack. Really crappy radio anyway.
Paint on door strips (center of the doors) turned really discolored after about the 6th year. That strip seems to be plastic and doesn't clean up at all. Car came with dark tint on all the windows. Back window has bubbled up so bad and won't come off except if you scrape it off. This kills the defogger. If you buy a new one of these, don't opt for tint unless it comes from the factory. Dealers don't do that good a job with tinting.

I have loved these cars from the day I bought them. They were bought as company vehicles that my company gave to me after they had depreciated them (five years). Even though I have no money in them personally, I will buy another one just as soon as this one dies.

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Owned two of these vehicles at the same time. 1989, 1990. Wrecked the 90 and still have the 89. I have driven a camry and felt like I didn't have the room or view that the Maxima gave me.

THE 1996 MAXIMA IS AN VERY RELIABLE CAR.THE INTERIOR IS ROOMY AND THE BOSE SYSTEM IS A PLUS. THE ENGINE IS VERY QUIET,AND THERE IS LITTLE OUTSIDE NOISE YOU NEAR COMING INSIDE. THE BODY OF THE CAR IS EXCELLENT,BECAUSE EVERY TIME I WASH IT PEOPLE CAN'T TELL IT IS AN 1996 NOT AN 1999 MODEL.THE OVERALL SUPPORT FOR THIS VEHICLE IS EXCELLENT.

DISADVANTAGES-NONE WORTH TALKING ABOUT.

THE 1996 MAXIMA LIKE IT EARLIER MODELS HAS TURN HEADS. I BELIEVE THAT THE MAXIMA'S 190/HP IS VERY USABLE ON THE HIGHWAYS AND INTERSTATES. I HAD NO INTENTIONS OF BUYING AN MAXIMA. I WAS LOOKING FOR AN 6 CYCLINDER CAMRY AND CECIDED AFTER AN HARD LOOK TO PURCHASE AN MAXIMA. I WOULD RECOMMEND BUYING AN 1996 OR LATER MODEL MAXIMA,BECAUSE OF THE DEALERSHIPS SUPPORT AND QUANTITY OF THE VECHILE ARE IN MY OPINION EXCELLENT.

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None

Excellent engine - 222hp!!!, quiet and smooth ride, awesome styling, 17" wheels(SE)

Turning radius - definately should've done better job here
Handling - a bit too much body roll for my likes
Stereo - I opted for the generic and I regret it now, should've gone for the BOSE - about $800 extra

I've had mine for about a month, but I am already in love with it. You won't find a better car for under $30,000! Overall it compares to the lower end of the luxury brands. I definately recommend it to anyone looking for the best car in this price range.

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Accord, Mustang, Camry Solara - the Maxima outperforms all of them

This cars potent VQ30DE engine and it's capabilities.

clutch,long shifts.

Before i recomend this car i'd like to tell you the car's i've dusted. First was the suped up honda prelude 98 then it was the gtp [pontiac] then it was the 99 mustang gt that was a suprise. i don't even want to name the rest. Overall i would definetly recomend this this amazing car.

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3.2TL,toyata camry,solara,Accord just in luxury however in performance the max just can't be touched.