1. the 3.0 222hp!!
2. distinctive styling ( gotta love the rear end!
3. great interior design

1. ugly stock side markers
2. odd option packaging (i want dual power seats but that requires c&c + leather =(

I am so obsessed with this car.. it's such a beauty, i have the Super black/black interior (black goes well with the SE taillights). My max doesnt have the C&C package, i kinda regret not getting it because i want power seats (which should be standard on SE's IMO). the other SE's on the lot had C&C, along with leather and bose, which i didnt want because of the high price.. i am enjoyin this car very much and i cant wait til i get my clear side markers cuz the stock orange and red are frickin ugly!

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i compared between 01 accord lx v6, passat gls v6, avalon xl, galant es v6, used 99 TL (i really wanted a TL!! but its high miles 45k put me down)

- 5 spd transmission
- leather itnerior, climate control, dual srs/airbags
- bose system with 6 speakers
- powerful v6, great engine sound
- sun/moon roof, heated seats

- turning ability is not superb
- needs to redline higher then 6.5
- needs more then 190 horse stock (yes i know its more now)

I owned a 93 Maxima before buying this one. My old one had 192k miles on it before it finally died on me. This car is very reliable and I am still hooked on them. Definatley a great car. Many options, good speed, overall reliabilty. Jet black on tan leather is a nice look I though also.

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93 Maxima, same engine, just a little different, only younger so of cos its a tad bit better. Didn't bother comparing it to anyhting other then a 2001 Maxima SE and they had no 5spds so thats why I didn't get one of those.

Quiet, smooth ride and nimble response on the road. Quality design and layout of interior components. Everything appears to be well made inside and out. Great looks -- sporty, yet classey. More than adequate room in cabin and trunk -- very comfortable compared to the Accord (a lot of leg room). Fun to drive.

Runs on premium gas. Mileage probably isn't the best. Looks like it will be expensive to repair. To replace a lost key will cost me $80.

I've had this car for only three days but after driving a Honda Accord for 10 years, I can tell it's a great car. Although my new Nissan is a 2001 model (purchased a year ago in Sept. of 2000), this Maxima has 23,000 miles on it. Somebody before me loved to drive it, but it has been pampered inside and out. The car is awesome to drive -- very smooth, quiet and comfortable. Nissan has put a lot of quality into the design and production of the Maxima -- you can see, hear and feel it. I really like the looks of it (Icelantic White with 16'' alloy wheels) as well as the get-up-and-go that it has when I put petal down. It's been a lot of fun to drive and I'm proud to own one. So far, I highly recommend the Maxima.

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Honda Accord and Civic. Audi Quatro. Volkswagen Rabbit. Toyota Tercel.

- 222hp, very well matched for a four door with its weight
- comes in manual - 5 speed
- very nice look of the speedometers (white background)
- nice leather and very well built interior
- huge, comfortable seating, with new childseat system... (of course finding these new childseats is a challange - look at KMart they have them, no kiddin)

- very thin sheetmetal, what is this - they used recycled tuna cans?
- plastic molding underbody... Ok I think it maybe useful for something, but it is a pain for standard maintenance - such as oil change?
- rear suspension gives in on fast pulls.
- softy, spungy breaks...
- funny (plastic like) feel on the manual shifter..
- shifting to the last gear is troublesome. Sometimes it doesn't want to go to the 5th gear on the highway.

I have decided on this car and was looking at three very different cars. The other two was a 2001 Subaru WRX station and a VW Jetta diesel. And I picked the Maxima.

It is a well built car. It has all the standard features you look for; sunroof, leather, great factory stereo with cd changer, etc...
Powerful engine, but because of the weight of the car, it suffers.
Can't touch the factory turbo's that are out there, but decent. For the money, great value, can't beat it.

It should have had a better aerodynamic look to it, vs the boxy shape it has, but I am thinking of getting the aero kit from Nissan.
Also the front scoop in front of the radiator is dangerous.. The radiator is open for all road hazards... Why don' the manufacturers put a metal, shield in the front of these radiators?

Perfect for a family, who wants the decent size and engine power with all luxury amenities.

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I have not used anything similar in comparison but:
- used a honda del sol with a lot better suspension, braking. Of course the honda was slow vs this puppy.
- Had a 97 Dodge Avanger. Didn't listen friends and bought this problem child... It only looks nice, but that is it! It is sooooo slow and problematic.
- Had a jetta diesel. The interior is small but had great milage. I actually was thinking of getting another jetta diesel, but the large interior and more features on maxima (for the price) beat the jetta.
-

The Bose Stereo System
Large Trunk Space
Durability of the body
Comfortable leather seats
Smooth ride

Unattractive stock wheels for my year
Occasional pause when using power windows and sunroof. No long term effects

I love this car. It is strong, reliable, comfortable,and fast. I have not had any major problems with this car and even the little problems are far and few. It drive so, so, so smooth. The music system is wonderful. I carpool and my riders always comment on how nice it sounds. The color is nice. It is very roomy. I bought my car used in march of 1999. It was a good car for the money. The leather is in good shape still too. I had an accident in my car. Not to the fault of the car. My car came out with no dents and virtually scratchless. That is why i refer to my car as a strong vehicle. I would buy this car again in a split second. I have no second thoughts. I like the new model and would consider trading for it. It is classy.

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Test drove Honda Accord seats were not comfortable, felt close in or crowded, ride not as smooth

Strong engine. Quality. Comfort. Looks. Smooth Ride. Interior size.

Placement of Remote Trunk Opener, dome light and center console too far back for me.

Overall I am very happy with the car. It is my first Nissan and I would buy another if the price is right. It runs very strong but yet smooth. The controls are easy to reach the seats are comfortable, there is plenty of room for everyone and a good size trunk. I get decent gas mileage for a car this size, weight and a V6. I think the styling is OK, I have the spoiler and custom wheels tha help a lot. The interior I think looks good and I actually like the cloth pattern in my car. My only complaint would be the placement of the trunk opener, the center console and the dome light. However I am not a big person at 5'8" so perhaps that's why! :-)

This is a very good family sedan. I plan to keep it for at least 6 to 7 years. I owned a 95 Civic previous to the Maxima and am very happy with it. I am gald I bought this car, it took me a bit to get used to it since I drove a much smaller car for 6 years, but after 3+ months couldn't be happier.

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95 Honda Accord and 95 Civic (although not too similar being a sub-compact)

Reliability is better than expected. No leaks. No foul odors. no signs of wear on the original parts.

No unexpected weaknesses. I'd like more leg room and a telescoping steering wheel. I thought my clutch would be showing signs of weakness by now, but it's still strong because I've babied it needlessly.

I got a great deal on my 1997 GXE. How does $18,050 sound? I bought alloys and mud flaps wholesale and installed them myself.

After the dealer finally figured outhow to fix what was rubbing in the driver rocker panel when I first bought it, it's been a dream! The A/C compressor was replaced under warranty for being a little noisy at 6,000 miles and I haven't had a problem in the 50,000 miles I've driven since! I have yet to replace the front brake pads and the exhaust system looks and sounds like it's only a couple years old. Everything is as tight as new.

I enjoy the torque of this engine and can lug around town in 3rd gear when I'm lazy. On the highway, it's quiet and vibration free. The standard FM/tape is adequate and the radio has a great receiver. The accurate cruise control is one of my favorite features. It keeps within 1 mph of my setting in hilly road conditions.

This car will soon be replaced by an Altima V-6 and I'm expecting very few problems with that one. All my Japanese cars have been reliable.

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My 1991 Sentra SE-R was not quite as reliable, but even that car cost me very little for the 115,000 miles I put on it. The SE-R's original suspension, engine and tranny felt like new the day I sold it. The clutch was chattering a little and still pulling strong. A CV joint, and 2 suspension boots were replaced. A very solid car I enjoyed for 6+ years.

*Performance is decent, but I STRONGLY suggest after-market augmentation! W/ new 2002 models that may not be needed!
*Gas Mileage good
*Solid engine
*Roomy interior and great trunk space. Leather is doing fine. Make sure you CONDITION IT REGULARLY or it'll inevitably crack somewherew down the line. This applies to all cars w/ leather!
*17" wheels on SE a definite plus. (Paint on wheels a bit cheap, they finished the job about half way on each wheel it looks like! I'm going to trade up to 18 inchers eventually anyway. Tires are good but you'll eat 'em up if you are an enthusiastic driver.

*the Titanium gauges are cool and look very nice when lit up at night. Never did go for the BMW orange thing.
*Paint is holding up allright. I have a few war wounds that only I was responsible for. Color is Charcoal Gray.

*Turning radius is insufficient
*Shifter throw too long, like driving a UPS truck! (Corrected that real quick w/ Stillen Short Shifter!)
*Weird arm rest extension is weak and can easily pop up accident.
*Map lights are weak
* I've found on a few occasions that with a certain twist of your wrist that you can accidentaly lock the driver-side door in the same motion as you open it! (Very rare but weird.) AAA time.
*W/ comfort package you must buy the Bose sound system. For the extra $899 list price you could use that $ for much better system!
*Couldn't they have given the same look to the manual shifter as the automatic? The plate for shifting that is.
*Push-forward brights on turn indicator wand can cause you to accidentaly high beam someone.
*Lack of IRS!

THIS IS A FOLLOW UP REVIEW FROM MY PREVIOUS POST ON 2/12/01(?)

Well it's coming up on my car's 1st anniversary (Sept 5th '01) and I have thoroughly taken this car to the mat! I've gotten a lot of questions about the '01 SE (I had mistakenly listed it as being a '00 previously) and the after market stuff I've added to it. I have to say that my previous rating still stands, and that I have no serious complaints about the car thus far. The '02 Models are supposed to be out this Fall for the automatics, (yawn!) and the manuals in the winter or early next year. They're upping the anty by adding 38 more HP and will offer an optional, limited slip differential to compensate for '99-'01 lack of IRS. Darn, darn, darn! Oh I wish I waited a year but oh well. Someone asked me why I didn't get a Mustang Cobra for all the $ I sunk into vehicle performance and it's sound system . Well for one I wanted a car that had a power plant that could eat sand and ask for seconds, it's reliability is almost w/out question (Nissan dealer and service experiences aside.) You don't get that from a Fix Or Repair Daily 'Stang. Two I didn't want to be another hat-on-backwards schmoe that seems to populate the freeways in my area with alarming frequency.

All and all I'm just as thrilled w/ this car as when i first purchased it!

Wonderful engine. Interior room. Solid shifter. Decent mileage. Good fit and no shakes, rattles or falling away hardware. Seems like it will last forever. Almost no maintenance costs. Decent "snow car" with or without snow tires. Made in Japan and not US!

Starter gave out this spring along w/ haywire engine sensors = $700.
Cheap bumpers that scratch easily. Front suspension a little "under muscled" = lean and some lack of confidence in corners. Wife complains about seat comfort.

Overall, by far the best car I have owned. It certainly is the fastest in the 6.5 sec 0-60 range. The engine is very quiet and pulls from top to bottom of the rev ranges. No "scary noises" at high revs. Transmission throws are not the shortest, and remind me of older Brit cars, but after 7 years just as tight and precise as when new. Back seat room is appreciated along with decent trunk. Reliability has been absolutely perfect until just recently - 90k. Gas mileage near 25 in city and over 30 on the highway.

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Much more sure footed than 95 Honda EX, which has a "break away" tail end.
Last generation Camry claustrophobic in comparison. Half the price of a BMW and aside from cornering, a bigger, better and more reliable performer. No comparison against awkward American midsizers - e.g. Taurus. Design, construction and fit of car much, much better than US.

interior room trunk space, seat warmers in the winter:), v6 best in its class without a doubt, been 130 in it, pretty smooth

a/c not that strong, drive 2 fast i dont like to donate money to the police force.:)

very pleased with my test drive so i bought it, loved the dash, white and black durin day, light show at night. lots of room for a single 21 guy. all i got to say is that im a mustang fan, but needed a car all year around, maxima wasnt on my least, but i stop by nissan to test drive a fonteir, then i test drove a max, the rest is history/

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99 mustang v6, max is faster nicer in side, but the stang had the exterior look, other then that its hard to compare, a stang with a max