Looks, affordability, POWER.

Hood flutter mentioned by others does exist, but I was looking for it. I hardly notice it. Head room in rear seat is a bit cramped, but I'm 6'3" and I don't sit in the back very often so again, not a big concern. May be a bit of a gas hog, but probably because I'm still punching it all the time to see what that engine has to offer. In summary - no real weaknesses at all in my opinion.

After using this site to research many vehicles (including ruling out several after hearing about all the problems had by their owners), I found the Nissan Maxima to have among the best reviews out there. Having had the car for about 6 weeks now, I can see why. I stayed away from the Bose system after reading about the trouble with it and find the factory CD to be more than adequate. The steering wheel controls make the radio very easy to operate without diverting the driver's attention from the road. This car is roomy, FAST, stylish and affordable. According to my mechanic, it is also solidly dependable. What more could you want? Thanks to the others for their reviews - they saved me a ton of time in the research department. I find the positive comments to be dead on.

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Camry (dog) and Jetta (reliable but too small).

well built and dependable, great ride and comfort,great stereo, very fast.

none luv these cars.

3 years ago brought my son the 1996 maxima, was so impressed with this car that this year bought my other son the 1995 maxima. excellent car, very little trouble with them . both cars have over 100k miles on them and only basic maintinace done to them, cv boots, starter on one but overall no problems. these cars have excellent pickup and passing capabilities. contrary to other posts i love the bose stereos in both these cars. both cars are gle models and gotta love the leather, sunroof, and all the extras. now that my sons have these, my wife and i will buy one for ourselves. always borrowing sons cars.

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95 gmc truck,91 chevy van, 69 mustang, datsun 280z,89 crown vic,

Nice quality car

won't start, scratches that the dealership won't fix, and the power window won't go back up and the dealership didn't have time to fix the problem

We have only had the car for a year and a half and half the time the car won't start on the first try. We will never buy another Nissan Maxima, especially with the service we get from Kings Auto Mall in Cincinnati. Good luck whoever has one.

ENGINE!!!! independent rear susp. and LOOKS!!!! interior appointments... heck, it even had heated outside mirrors!!!

Weak tranny. And the Bose system sucked ashe.

Bank repo'd it, so I am not sure where it's at... but... When I did have it, it was INCREDIBLE!!!!! Mine was a 92 SE with the VE30DE 190 hp 190 tq engine. Unfortunately, it was an auto. I mod'd the ish out of this car. I loved it's quasi BMW looks and the interior was amazing!!! I mean.. it even had carpet on the A pillars. The stock radio was shot, so I put in an Alpine, but forgot to put in new speakers.. heheheh... oh well, the speakers were out of the car most of the time anyway. I raced it to death... literally. Mods, Lowered it 2 inches with intrax springs and Tokico struts, put the 5spoke 98 SE wheels on it with Kumho zr 225/50's. I had a Place Racing Cold Air intake, a Warpspeed Ypipe(kinda like a header for a V6), a Catco High Flow Cat, and a Greddy SP cat back exhaust system, with a BMW 3 series headlight conversion, all PIAA lighting and PIAA 1700x fogs. I had a Sparco Flash 3 steering wheel and Razo Pedals, and a Levoc CF shift knob... I absolutely loved this car!!!! My best time in the qrtr mile was 15.5, Auto... and I loved to autocross it too. Then, the 3rd and fourth gears blew off the tranny and about two months later, the engine blew... 176k miles... not to bad for a race car that shouldv'e been pampered a bit more... I love it.

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1993 Mercury Topaz, 1983 Ford Thundebird, 1988 Chevy Beretta GT

Reliability...its POWER....v-6, picks up like a sport car. Roomier then the accord, and more powerful then a camry, and looks better then both. Bose system is Incredible !.its standard on an se, or even better the gle model with leather and bose.. More fun to drive then accord or camry, and has more character then both.

95 and 96 have knock sensor problems, the check engine light would come, and sometimes even if you take it off, it will come back on. Eventually i ignored it, or just took the bulb off.

Ok..your looking for a reliable car for a reasonable price. Then look no more. MAXIMA is your choice. I am a used car dealer, and i have bought and driven hundred of cars, from hondas and fords to mercedes and bmw. i strongly recommnend the maxima, my experience has been with 95,96,97 maximas. This is one of the most fun cars to drive, you can be driving 50 miles an hour and press gas pedal and it will throw you back. Its hard to find in mid size sedanand specially at the price of a maxima. If your still hesitant, look at the "car of the year" for the past 3 years.... they are the altima, the g35, and the 350z.. all made by nissan and has similar platform as the maxima

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camry, taurus, accord, intrepid, grand prix

The engine. Can't say enough. Strong pull and never feels like it can't handle what I ask of it. I love the 6-speed tranny. The sixth gear helps with the gas bill. I get about 28 miles per gallon right now. The seats are very comfortable and offer plenty of legroom. Overall, this car is just a pleasure to drive.

I think this is the most important column of this website. Here you will find the things that may or may not prevent you from buying a car, so take note as these are all creature comfort issues. 1) Radio. The BOSE system is not going to blow you away. No mid-range. a) The variable speed volume feature is annoying as the volume will decrease if you change a song on the steering wheel and then at (appears to be 15 seconds) the volume will jump to a higher volume. Extremely annoying way to implement a great feature. b) The radio knob and the temperature control knob are almost identical. (I use the steering wheel control anyway. c) The Track title/Disc Title option. If you burn a mudic CD with "Write text" feature, the title will appear for a song. With the 6 disc changer this can be a nice feature but again, it is done poorly. The feature must be turned on, otherwise it displays "No Title" accross the screen. Is it that difficult to detect this mode and change to the disc track/time mode? It can also only display something like 12 characters. No option to scroll through the text. 2) The seat memory control seems to work randomly. 3) Power outlet does not work.

While doing research for the best bang for the buck, it is quite difficult to do any better than the Maxima. Having owned many different types of cars, this is by far my favorite car to drive. I love the interior layout and the BOSE system is growing on me. The performace is second to none for the cash. Most other cars that can match the performance start at at least 4000$ more. The trunk is wide and easy to access, the legroom and ceiling space are just right and the moonroof open lever that they use is exactly the way it should be done. Can't explain, you have to see it for yourself

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Acura integra (too much money for the same features) Nissan Altima (No six-speed)

That sweet 3.0 V-6! City economy of 22mph in LA traffic and a heavy foot is unbelievable! Comfort, space and practicality. Bose audio. Julio from Superior Nissan in Mission Hills is the best service advisor I have ever delt with.

The parts keep wearing out and they cost twice as much as they should. Needs the generation 3 rear suspension. Needs a REAL fold down rear seat like my '90 Legacy had.

After having smaller cars the past 10 years (Miata, Probe GT, Sentra SE-R and others) I decided I wanted something more comfortable. I MUST have a stick-shift so I searched for the perfect car. Being a car guy I found only one car that met my needs for space, power, economy, class, reliability, and most important-Price! I searched for a couple months before I found my black on black cloth SE and it was worth it. With a Stillen/K&N air filter and Fidanza flywheel the car is even faster than stock. The ride and handling are good if not BMW perfect, the interior space and comfort is very good, and must have a ringer because the Bose CD/cassette in mine is superb despite other reviews I read. With the stock SE 5-star wheels and tinted windows my jet black car looks richer than the price paid and gets looks constantly. Reliability on the 80,000 mile car is a little less than spectacular. A new clutch, rear shocks, flywheel, front axles with boots, and an O2 sensor are a little excessive, but the engine is still strong and flexible. Overall the car is a 9 out of 10.

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Subaru Legacy LS Mazda Miata '91 Sentra SE-R

Potent VQ35DE Engine Roomy Interior Xenon HIDs Bang for the Buck Quotient Interior controls

Hood Vibration Pads/Rotors Wind Noise

This is one of those cars that tends to fall in the bang for the buck category. There isn't too much I can say about the VQ35DE motor that hasn't already been said. Smooth, refined, and most importantly, fast. As far as the interior is concerned, it is perfectly roomy for me considering my stature. Even with the sunroof, I have enough headroom. The controls fall in a very easy position for operation without having to take your eyes off the road. The Non-Bose (nee Clarion) sound system is pretty decent for a factory system. However, I have had to replace my head unit because the CD player went out. I also like the athletic lines of the vehicle, my HIDs, and having enough trunk space to pack for a week's vacation. However, there are some weaknesses to an otherwise fine sedan: a) Hood flutters at hwy speeds. There is a Technical Service Bulletin on this. I have applied it and the issue persists. b) Brakes. I have had to replace all 4 of my rotors on this car. The front two were burned terribly. This might be due to the stock pads. c) Paint. Every so often, I am going back to the dealer and trying to get rid of paint chips because of the soft paint. d) Wind Noise. There is a Technical Service Bulletin on that as well. I have applied it and it does reduce the noise. e) For those who complained about handling, there are ways to shore that up. Most folks get a Front Strut Tower Brace and Rear Sway Bar combo to flatten things out. Further enhancements can include springs, subframe connectors, and struts. This will not make your Max handle like a Beamer but you will be pretty close.

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'94 Maxima GXE

1)World class engine. Strong smooth power. No oil being used between oil changes. 2)Very attractive styling. New GLE alloys are beautiful as well as the improved tail lights. 3) 19 mpg city and 25 hwy. Not bad for this type of engine. 4)Transmission shifts superbly. The gated shifter is wonderful. No looking down is required. 5)Fit and finish both inside and out are top notch. 6)Handling straight and cornering are very nice. 7)Excellent brakes. 8)Very roomy inside. I am 6' 4" so this was a factor for me. Had to purchase without sunroof though. 9)Xenon headlights are super.

1)The driver ergonomics are off. This is due to the tilt steering wheel not going high enough. The result is that I have trouble seeing the top of the speedometer which is being cut off by the bottom of the steering wheel. If Nissan had monted the speedometer on the right there would be no problem. 2)The Bose stereo is a big dissapointment for me. It is lacking midrange and there is only minimum adjustments that can be made. 3)Automatic Air conditioning is very noisy during the initial cooldown and never seems to slow down enough on a hot day. 4)The lug nuts on the allow wheels are not long enough so you have to wrestle with them during intallation and removal. 5)The dead bedal has a bolt sticking out at the top which interferes with my foot. I do have a size 13. The shape needs to be improved on as well. 6)The controls on the steering wheel are not lighted. Dissapointing. Was this an oversight or cost issue? 7)I have saved by biggest dissapointment for last. Car is far to noisy. When I test drove I remember driving on streets and freeway with smooth pavement. All was wisper quiet. However, on cement or rough pavement the noise entering the cabin is unnaceptable.

Have had the car for about 9 months now. No problems to speak of. After reading all the positive reviews and getting the great price that I did I thought the purchase was a no brainer. My views have however change and I probably would not buy the car agin if I had to do it over due to the things I did not see/discover during the test drive. Make sure you drive the car over many different road surfaces prior to your decision. If anyone has any recommendations for better tires please send me a e-mail. See below.

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Toyota Cressida/Camry

Fast, Fast, and more fast Smooth ride, Great handeling, very confrontable, and looks great

gas, v-6 engine can go through some gas, but the performance that this car give is well worth it!

This car is awsome. I have had this car for almost a month now and it is by far the most fun I have had driving yet. This car is fast, handels well, and is so smooth. I have the 5spd SE model and this car is a rocket, the sterio is perfect, and motor is very soft.

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Ford Mustang GT(this car is faster), and Acura Integra