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.

FAAAST...reliable, comfortable, and looks great!!!

I got a DWI (DUI) with it!

This car moves....i really enjoyed driving this car. I've a lot of fast cars but this car tops them all (stock wise). I never owned a car that weighs as much as this car does and handle so sweet.

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VW GTI VR6, is a match box compared to the Maxima

Power and performance are excellent.
The looks are great.
The interior is beautiful, roomy and comfortable.

Oh why couldn't mine have the auto-dimming mirror from the I30 and next year's Maxima?
More interior storage is always welcome so why not have rear door pockets and a pocket on the driver's seat back as well?

This is my fourth Maxima -- I also had an Infiniti I30 for 5 years -- and is easily the best one so far. Each Maxima has been excellent and actually does what the car promises to do and this one is outstanding: it is comfortable, quiet, rides well, has wonderful power, is roomy, and has been totally reliable for a year and a half. I especially like the comfortable interior, with acreas of leg room front and back, comfortable seats, excellent air conditioning, and that beautiful dashboard. The adjustable centre armrest is a great idea as well. The car is good looking from all angles, inside and out, and after more than a year of use I like it better every day. In fact, I may never get rid of it.

If you're looking for a car that will cosset four passengers, that's easy to get into and out of, that is extremely comfortable, that will be equally good in town and on the highway, this is it! I am constantly amazed at how competent it is on the highway and even on our local rutted tracks that pass for streets it rides quietly and comfortably. Only the Avalon is significantly more comfortable, but it also costs $10,000 more for equivalent features. The car accelerates like a sports car, handles extremely well on twisty roads, and has very good brakes.

It's hard to imagine a better sound system as standard equipment in any vehicle. This Bose system can blow the windows out. And, it comes with a CD player plus a cassette player, for those of us who still use both media.

When I decided to trade in the old Infiniti I30, I found that a new one would have cost $6000 more than the Maxima. For that price I would have had a power rear window shade and a year longer warranty. Well, I bought an extended warranty and saved myself thousands, AND got a colour I wanted instead of one the company thought I should have. Yes, I think this is a wonderful car.

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I've always felt that Maximas were a cut above similar Accords and Camrys and this one certainly is. Why would you spend more for a BMW or Audi?

POWER and smoothness!! i love the way this car drives. everything about it is awesome.

the response time could be better.

my first impression about this car was that it was another family sedan with power that was probably the same as the camry and accord. i was suprised when i finally got behind the wheel and was able to see how smooth and powerful these cars are. i recently inherited the car from my parents and plan to keep it for a while. nice looks, great power.

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accord and camry...beats the crap out of both.

resale, motor, interior, stereo, long lasting

repair bills, brake dust on front wheels,

When I started to look for a good college car I settled on buying foreign. I looked at the Accord and Camry but found a great deal for 6K on a nice maxima. After a test drove I loved it. Very quiet, very smooth, and comfortable for my three hour drive to college. The quality of domestic vehicles in my price range we not even close to the maxima-not to mention Nissan's reputation for longevity. Although the car had 85K miles when i bought it I figured I could run it for at least a couple of years till I graduated and could trade up. Unfortunatley several things have gone wrong with my car. I realize that I have put about 50K additional miles on the car but the following is a list of repairs which I have had to make: ignition coil & distributor cap-$125.00, water pump-$180.00, front bushings-$225, rear electric window-$175.00, timing belt & tune-up(my choice)-$550, battery-$65, in addtion to these expenses, I am also putting off the following repairs, front struts-$400.00, muffler repair-$150, front brakes-$200, front wheel bearing-$200.00, and finally tires-$400. I fully realize that many of these problems are related to the fact that the car has 125,000 miles on it. In all honesty though I never thought that I would be sticking this kind of money into Nissan's "flagship model." In additon, I am very gentle to this car. I typically drive it 70-75 on interstate and never, I mean never try to race anyone or even corner hard and fast for that matter. I guess I am just kind of frustrated with having to spend nearly $2,000 on repairs for a vehicle which i thought would last a little longer.

The car is a very nice vehicle for what I paid for it. When I bought it the car was in exellent condition and still is. I usually get over 25 mpg with this car, and will even get over 30 on interstate. Everything on the interior of the car still looks and funtions perfectly. When the car was parked in city lot the antennae got ripped off but the tuner still works fine.

Will I buy another Nissan? I would love to own a newer maxima because I firmly believe in the engineering behind these cars. I feel the motor and transmission in the maxima is second to none, although I have spent money keeping mine running. My luck has not been the best with my maxima, but I still feel that Nissan puts out great car which can outlast domestics. competition.

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None

1 - Power - V-8 like acceleration
2 - Space
3 - Not as much a car for the masses like the boring Camry or Accord

1 - I like the overall styling, except for the back end - taillights - I like the newer style better
2 - The seats could have a little more support - with the way I drive I need more lateral support

This is about the greatest sports sedan out there for the buck. I have the 5 speed SE and it is a blast to drive. 0-60 mph in 6.7 secs? You can't get any better than that without buying a higher end $35K plus sports sedan. The only other sedan I can think is the Supercharged GTP Grand Prix, but thats a piece of crap domestic that falls apart after 60,000 miles. Plus it needs a supercharger to run with the max. I wonder how the 2002 runs with the bigger motor and 260 horse. Hmmmm.

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1 - 93' Sentra SE-R - A real screamer for a four banger. A real sleeper. But it doesn't have the low end grunt of the v-6 max.
2 - Lexas ES300 - More of a luxury car much more refined, quiet. Not a sports sedan like the Maxima. The max would eat it alive at the stoplights.

Acceleration, Value, Reliability

Power Steering Fluid leaks- Only problem ever!

WONDERFUL! I've drove this car day in and day out and being as old as it is, should be found on the side of the road. It simply runs forever! It also has great acceleration. My friends race me and I beat them with ease.

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BMW 325- Their basically the same except for the fact that the Nissan is louder under hard acceleration and a tad quicker.