engine, ride quality, most BANG for your BUCK,

A/C, ergonomically incorrect seats, quiet noisy at 70+ MPH

*pretty good car for the price, i think its value was the most astonishing
*has a nice engine, rated best selling V6 since '95 in its class (probably because that was the stock engine on all models)
*the Bose stereo is pretty nice for the price of the car (CD and Tape, six speakers)
*very roomy, even though it looks kinda small from the outside
*has somewhat sporty looks (better than your mom's Camry)
*the leather is soft and the seats look nice, but the ergonomics are quite odd, somewhat uncomfortable at times
*instrumentation (tach, speedometer, A/C, radio) are laid out pretty comfortably
*last maxima made in Japan (I love their craftsmanship)
*trunk passthrough is small but is adequate for most applications
*trunk is fairly roomy

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'97 Toyota Camry V6 LE

I had a head-on accident driving 40 MPH where I slammed into the side of another vehicle. Bottom line: I survived with only minor injuries. I was not wearing my seat belt. I think Nissan engineering (and the airbag) are the only things that saved my life! Other than safety; Speed, comfort, price point relative to other cars in its class are all excellent.

Extremely poor with standard issue tires in the rain and almost undrivable in the snow! I have been driving in snow for twenty five years and am from new England and I would definitely recommend buying non-alloy rims and studded snows for winter time driving in this car. Resale value is awful. Nissan discounts their new cars so much that your old car will be seriously devalued at trade-in time.

Overall a great car. Extremely fast. Have had it to 120 MPH with no problem on straight stretches of road. Steering feel is somewhat light. Hard to feel the road in corners at times. Blows away Camry's and Accords in every arena. Comfortable, fun to drive, nice size for a six-footer. Leather interior is nice, instrumentation is informative, steering wheel height and size is very good if the steering is a bit light to touch. Eight way power seats and moonroof along with Bose stereo are all pluses. Very responsive engine and very smooth shifter.

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Audi A4, Subaru WRX, Mazda 323, Pontiac Grand Prix

Acceleration, a real sleeper. Decent radio, comfy seats.

I've heard of various reliability issues. My CHECK ENGINE light comes on intermittently.

I like this car. Although the gas mileage isn't that great (compared to civic HB), it performs very well. It beats most hondas, and handles fairly well-for a family sedan. Interior is built quite well, and I can fit inside it easily (I'm 6'1"). For 13000, you can't really beat it. Forty-five thousand miles, fully loaded.

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civic, mazda pickup. Faster and more comfortable

Acceleration, refinement, quality, semi-luxury, decent Bose stereo, sunroof is a big plus, and it had tons more room than the Camry too. (I'm 6' 2") Feels like you're doing 50 when you're doing 80...

Can't think of any...

A few days ago, my dad and I saw a 1996 Nissan Maxima SE for sale in a parking lot. We made the people an offer of 9300.00. They accepted. The only catch was that it had 102,000 miles on it and probably needed a new timing belt. This car is in immaculate condition and has just about every option except for leather. We drove a few hundred miles and looked at a 1998 Camry LE with only 35,000 miles and extended warranty for around 13,500. I talked him out of it, so we decided to get the Maxima (I hated the Camry, it only had a four banger). I loved it since the first time I got into it, and the worst part was getting out of it.

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1990 Ford F-150 XLT Lariat: Our old truck... hated it... broke down and always had something going on with it from power windows to u joints going out...something every 2 months..
1998 Mercury Sable LS Wagon: Mommy shuttle.. but pretty good handling and acceleration for a car of it's size and a small 145 hp v6. Better than that Camry...

Great Ride Quiet engine Smooth running Roomy

Climate control system can be a bit confusing Paint on bumpers chips easily

(1999 Model) - I have owned Honda accord before, this car has a superior engine and suspension.

Power, road feel, luxury when fully loaded, cornering ability, appearance

None.

(2000 Model) - This is one great car. I've owned 6 Maximas going back to 1992, and this is by far the best. Driving the fully loaded 2000 Maxima SE with its power (222 HP), luxury (leather, heated seats, and 200 Watt Bose)and sport feel (including ABS and traction control)is about as good as it gets this side of $40,000 automobiles!

Handeling, Cornering, Pickup, Reliability.

Few

(1998 Model) - Nice riding car. Extremely dependable in all conditions. The car is extremely roomy yet looks more compact from the outside. Very comfortable drive with good cornering. Only negatives would be that the seats don't fold down for greater trunk space to put in bike. Some say that there is road noise, but I guess compared to an expensive luxury sedan there is.

A lot of car for the money. Performance, luxury, looks, fun to drive, great gas mileage.

Clutch is grabby. Transmission is not silky like a Honda.

(pre 1997 Model) - (1996 model) This is the nicest car I've ever driven. It surrounds me with luxury: leather, heated power seats, climate control, 200 watt 6-speaker Bose CD system, sunroof, etc. It also performs. 190hp (can keep up with a lot of Mustang GTs), 5speed trans, limited-slip (Canada only), and handles well, all while getting great mileage. If it weren't for the inferior clutch, I would give it 5 stars.

Long list of standard equipment.
255hp V-6.
Revised front grill.

Can still hear a little wind noise.
Pulls a little under hard acceleration.
Does not have a 5-speed automatic transmission.

I Love this car! The list of standard options has been greatly expanded and the horse power has been boosted to 255 ponies. If you thought the 2001 model was nice, then this car will really excite you. The ride of the SE is very smooth considering the 17" wheel/tire combo and the revised suspension tuning -- you don't feel the normal ride quality/handling trade off associated with those low profile tires.

The new Maxima is definetly the best Under $40K sport sedan on the market today. You would have to step up to a BMW 330i, which is smaller, to get the same thrills.

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This car blows the doors of the 2001 V-6 Accords, Camrys, Sebrings, and TLs I have driven. Plus, with the 2002 enhancements, I find it a much better choice than the Acura TL Type-S I was ready to purchase.

-Fast and reliable, only had regular oil changes every 3750miles and maintenance every 15K.

-The dealer I went to sucked, so it's a good idea to look around. For my 45K service, I actually found a dealer I liked.
-Bad paint that chips too easily.
-Defroster doesn't have auto shutoff. Is this normal?
-Not enough tilt on the steering wheel
-Cruise control on/off button is separate from controls. They are now together for new models.
-Remote window roll down, but no remote window roll up.
-One touch window roll down, but not back up.
-Limited to 125mph, but then again the tires are only rated to go that fast.
-Oddly placed piece of plastic right under where oil filter is. Makes it really hard to pull out the filter and not get splashed by some hot oil.

It has about 46K on it now. My experience with the Maxima is all positive except for the nitpicks listed in the weakness review. See other reviews for positive experiences, they all apply to my experience except for the tires. Seems like a lot of people got Goodyears or Toyos with their car. Mine came with Yokohamas that used to squeal a lot. Either they're getting close to the end of their useful life, or they're more fully inflated, but they don't squeal as much anymore.

Nothing's broken on it except for a wiring clip in the trunk which I broke by mistake. It would've been better if the wiring was beneath the trunk lid upholstery.

It's great for driving fast. It's even better since it's black and has 4 drs, so it goes fast without being noticed.

Still going strong and plan on driving it till maybe 200K.

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-I drive a couple Fords on a regular basis. Ranger, Explorer and F-150. None of them can compare. All of them are slow, rough around the edges, lousy on gas mileage and no fun. I drove a Mercury Cougar once and expected it to be fun. But Ford V-6's just seem sluggish, good only for long distance cruising.
-The New Beetle has better cornering and turning radius but isn't as fast even with the 1.8T. Has turbo lag.
-2001 Maxima SE auto, fast up to 135mph. Could've gone more. Fun even for an auto.