5 Spd. Transmission
Driving Quality (handling, speed, overall torque and power for the year)
Good trunk space

$$ to get them fixed. ( oh well, you want it, you pay for it :) )

When bought the car had 140k miles on it. It now has 191675 and I have had it for 2.5 years. Excellent car.

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None

Best V6 Engine on the planet, ride, price, stereo, etc. This car is not only a bargain but a great investment.

Absolutely none

Nissan rules! (I've owned 2 300ZXs with no problems) My wifes 1996 Maxima (I beg my wife to let me drive it sometimes because I hate my Chevy Blazer, just read my review of blazer)has over 90,000 miles and not one problem and the car still rides like new. Oh yea, we just did have to change a front headlight for $18.00 (again read my review of chevy blazer). If you are even thinking of purchasing a four door sports sedan for under $30,000, you only have one choice, the maxima. Don't be a fool and buy a Chrysler, ford or chevy unless you love to lose money. This car is not only the most reliable but it drives fast and stops on a dime. I have no doubt that this car will last 300,000 miles or beyond. In fact, I just might buy me the 2002 maxima (260HP is unbelievable) or 2002 altima (240HP) next year and just keep my crap chevy Blazer as a third vehicle for snowstorms.

Engine - award winning v6 - ultra smooth and powerful.
Interior - roomy and very quiet.
Reliability - Consumer Reports top rated mid sized sedan.

Nit Picking:
Ride (SE) - a bit harsh over bumps - not so for GXE
First gear is so short you gotta shift in like 1 second - can give you quite a yo-yo ride when in traffic.
Road noise - there is a little too much road noise at highway speeds. Noticable especially since engine noise at 80mph is virtually zero.
Rear seats could use proper headreasts.

Great car. For 22k, this car is a bargain for those seeking strong performance along with reliability and quiet. The engine is fantastic, but most of the power is in the top end, so you gotta keep it above 3500rpm to really the most out of it - but it loves it. I am still amazed how smooth and quiet this engine is at all rpm levels. I highly recommed the 5 speed for performance oriented drivers. Brakes are decent. Handling is decent. Ride is probably the weak point for the SE- it's a bit too harsh over small bumps. The GXE has a great ride, but a lot of body roll and much poorer handling.
The interior is tastefully done and extremely roomy. The stock sound system with in-dash cd is very well executed, though not as well as the previous model, I think. It sounds excellent. Seats are very good for this class. I drove from Boston to Florida in 27 hours in this car! 12 Hours in one shot, and no need to call a chiropractor. Headrests are also adjustable to a safe height unless you are really tall.

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1997 Maxima - 2000 has seats with more lateral suport, and engine has more torque. Definitely not a huge difference, but it was time to replace the 97's clutch, so I just got a new one. Wife really loved that decision.
Volvo v40 - Awesome seats. Better A/C. But, no contest in terms of smoothness. Volvo engines vibrate far more than anything by Nissan, Honda, or Toyota.

Speed, Power, Looks and Comfort. And the Bose system for any person. Like Rap It Bumps like it has Subs in the Back. Like Jazz you feel like your there. Listen to the books or sermons on tapes its sounds like you were there and could talk back to the guy.

The only thing i would like is maybe a good space to store More CD's

This Machine is Mad fast. Its Driver Cockpit is very well laid out and very cofortable. Everything you want is there. 220 HP in a sedan Pimp Bose Stereo System. Very Cofortable. Feels better than the My friends Mercedes C series car. I Whoop him everytime. Its Handeling is Great and braking too. The Lay out of everything is Perfect I think my car is the best a White GLE with Black Leather interior. And I'm 6'1" (6 feet 1 inches) and fit comfortably in there with lost of leg room in the back. Truck space is great and the arm rest is great for the people in the back. All together The GREATEST CAR EVER....

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well i can't compare to any other cars of mine cause the car before this was a 1989 toyota Corrolla. But its gott much more than my friends Mercedes C- Series and For thousands less. Speed, Power, and Interior is better than his Benz.

Speed, Power, Looks and Comfort. And the Bose system for any person. Like Rap It Bumps like it has Subs in the Back. Like Jazz you feel like your there. Listen to the books or sermons on tapes its sounds like you were there and could talk back to the guy.

The only thing i would like is maybe a good space to store More CD's

This Machine is Mad fast. Its Driver Cockpit is very well laid out and very cofortable. Everything you want is there. 220 HP in a sedan Pimp Bose Stereo System. Very Cofortable. Feels better than the My friends Mercedes C series car. I Whoop him everytime. Its Handeling is Great and braking too. The Lay out of everything is Perfect I think my car is the best a White GLE with Black Leather interior. And I'm 6'1" (6 feet 1 inches) and fit comfortably in there with lost of leg room in the back. Truck space is great and the arm rest is great for the people in the back. All together The GREATEST CAR EVER....

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well i can't compare to any other cars of mine cause the car before this was a 1989 toyota Corrolla. But its gott much more than my friends Mercedes C- Series and For thousands less. Speed, Power, and Interior is better than his Benz.

Mad good pick up. Good sound System JVC with a bass link

Its got no weaknesses its a warrior ki ki ki ki

This car has been reasonably good to us it has never broken down and now that we put a K&N in it it has better pickup.
And boy does it move beat any civic you can come by. We are planning to put neon carbon fiber lights and a carbon fiber dash so were not complaning.

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Your momma

LOTS of top end power for an automatic.
VERY reliable and durable.
Plenty of passenger space and creature comforts.
Keyless entry is very convenient.

Slow 0-60 for a 3.0 liter engine.
Not a 5 spd.
No 4 wheel disc brakes.
No sunroof.

I bought this car when it had 111k miles on it when I was 19. At the time I really just wanted a new car and the Maxima had always appealed to me. In retrospect the dealer I bought the car from bilked me with the eight grand price tag, but we are all young and foolish at one point. But thinking about it now I really cannot say that the car has given me any trouble. This car can really take some abuse. I drive the car hard every day and I have had no problems with it, besdies the usual brake wear, and general maintenance things that need to be done to all cars. The vehicle now has 146,000 miles and still runs as strong as ever. Highly recommended for reliability and comfort. I want to trade it for something a little smaller and sportier though.

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1990 Subaru Loyale (are you kidding?!)
1992 Chevy Cavalier (see above)

looks, style, comfort, mechanics, safety

over responsive, turning radius

This car is awesome! The maxima has great accelaration and it also drives quite comfortable at lower speeds. The maxima is overly responsive. I won't go techy on this vehicle because it would downplay the pleasure of driving this car. Although, Nissan did an awesome job!! I'm still having a tough time getting use to the turning radius; I misjudge parking this car all the time.

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beats anything in its field hands down price and quality...

One of the worlds best V-6 at 222hp
Quick and zippy
Reliable and safe
Smooth and supple ride
Clean and crisp steering
Virtually noisefree cabin
Extrememly cold A/C
Roomy interior leather styling and comfort
200 watt Bose 7 speaker soundsystem
Integrated Homelink transmitter

On the heavy side
Understeer (for those who drove BMW's it takes some gettin used to)
Large turning radius
Braking specs need to be improved
Does the traction control do anything?
Not enough selections for the fan on the AC (only 4 positions)

To sum it up simply, the car is great. There are a few downsides however the cars numerous positive aspects outshines them all. The amazing 222hp V6 is simply the best you can get in this price range. Accords and Camerys don't even come close. It accelerates like a beauty and is a great car for people who would like a sporty but don't intend on taking it to the local racing strip. The car is a bit on the hefty side so the corning tends to get mushy at the around 40-50 mph, a BMW would do this much better. However, the gracefully conservative but luxurious interior along with a supple and quiet ride make for hours of enjoyment on the road. The 200 watt Bose stereo also makes for quite a window shattering experience. Other simple charms such as the one touch driver window and sunroof are an added bonus.

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1998 BMW 328i - Handling is much better on this car, then again its a whole lot smaller and fitting your family in this car takes some work. The acceleration of this car is also much better, then again it was a manual and the maxima is an automatic.

1998 Acura Integra - Fun to drive, once again too small. Handles a bit better than the Maxima, seems to accelerate just the same. The interior left something to be desired.

2000 Nissan Altima - A nissan brethern. Definitely does not accelerate like the maxima and feels at times downright sluggish. Plenty of room for the family but don't expect to go to soccer practices with this. The interior reminds you of the Maxima but lacks the clean refinements and amenities.

1999 Honda Accord - The accord was nice but thats about it. The performance was definitely not as impressive as the Maxima but it gave it a shot. The Accord was a bit more sluggish but the interior was pretty nice. There was also plenty of room but no car mentioned has as much trunkroom as the Maxima. Nice for carrying big packages and groceries.

Acceleration - changing to K&N air filter next week to let the engine breathe a little better - the best price/performace enhancement available(5 to 7 more HP for less than $50)
Handling - thinking about adding a STB and rear sway-bar, but probably not until next spring
Great-sounding stereo - I work for a professional audio production company and all the techs and engineers {the "platinum ears" guys - mine are somewhere between silver & gold ;^) }here are amazed by the sound quality -and generally, they are not very impressed by Bose products!
Interior room and trunk size - but I've spent the last six years driving a 89 Prelude...

Driver's seat head-room - I'm 5'11" and my head's about an inch from touching the headliner - but I got used to the same thing in the Prelude - I was hoping that at least some of the interior space might be in the head-room department for the driver, not just the rear-seat occupants.

Purchased through a co-worker's brother's auto brokerage. Just over 80,000 miles on it and (except for the worn shifter knob and a couple of scratches on the front bumper) the interior and exterior are like new. The wife really likes the metallic pearl white paint and navy blue leather interior as well as the acceleration and handling - she drives it at least as hard as I do :^) Our 19 y/o son is almost afraid to let his friends ride in it, which I guess is a good thing.

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96 AccordEX - a little too spongy in handling for my taste and nowhere near the acceleration. The whole feel of the car is just too "middle of the road".
1996 Infinti G20 - basically a tarted-up Altima and hard to get parts for.