I love this car. It handles easily and gets great gas mileage.Very quiet and smooth ride. Great sound system. | driveway repairs brisbane

None . .

Good Looks (lots of compliments & wows from friends and family) Performance. fast & decent handling for such a big car.

Build / Design Quality - 19" Rims just not practical for family/sports sedan. about $200 per tire also. Also 19in Rims bend and crack rather easily. Before having to make my 1st payment to NMAC I had roughly 2000 in out of pocket repair costs. Also, design flaw in Tilt-telescoping steering column motor. Motor failed while completely retracted and tilted in the most upright position. $700 Nissan should have recalled this because it is a chronic problem with all nissans that have the power T&T wheel.

I purchased my maxima used. . . This is probably a better new car than used. I suppose The base "S" package is better because you will likely not have the power T&T and it will also come with slightly better wheel rim package 18" & 45 ratio..because potholes are the enemy of any passenger car tire bigger than 17" ... Maybe they should not sell the car in the NE...

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1999 Maxima

The Maxima has a great engine and subperb styling. I have owned 3 Maximas, 1990, 1999 and 2005. The 7th generation is the best design that Nissan has made. The interior is more upscale looking and is very comfortable. The 18 inch rims and wide tires definetly add better handling. Overall, it's a fun car to drive, especially when the engine goes above 4,500 RPMS. The Maxima has unbelieveable power and the engine is silkly smooth!

The suspension does get a little upset on an bumpy road that is uneven. This is to be expected considering the suspension even on the base model is very tight. The original Goodyear tires have to go as they are terrible in te snow and wear out quickly. I will look for better tires once the Goodyear's are worn out. I think I'll have a better feel for any shortcomings after owning the vehicle for 5 years.

Overall, the Maxima is sporty sedan that offers excellent performance. I believe that getting at least 200k miles on the Maxima is not out of the question. You get what you pay for when it comes to a vehicle. There are not many other vehicles for the price that will beat the Maxima in terms of performance. The Infiniti G series is a bit more sporty, however does not offer the same interior room or comfort. I believe that 2010 Maxima is keeper and my search is over. Even after the honeymoon, the excitement is still there. There will be no more vehicle purchases for many years.

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I have owned 3 other Maximas and was very satisfied. I have also owned an 03 and 06 Infiniti G35. The Maxima gets better gas mileage than the Infiniti with the same output in engine performance.

The 2010 3.5SV with Premium and Tech packages is a true hidden gem. Have had mine for 2 months and it is a great car. Ride is quiet, comfortable, and tight. You will want for nothing on the options side, heated (and cooled) seats, Nav, IPOD, Bluetooth, plus many more. The CVT is fuel efficient and with the paddle shifters or sport mode you would never know it is a CVT. Stereo is first class and with the music box (tech package) you can load 2000 songs. The seats are extremely comfortable and the stitching adds a touch of class. Engine is powerful (290hp) and car is quick for its size. Handles well and drives great. Dual Moonroofs and auto rear window shade add to total package.

The car could use a few more cubbies in front to hold things. Also, needs a sunglasses holder. Fuel economy is good...not great, but when you buy a 290hp car, not sure you're looking for 40mpg...I get 21 around town and recently got 27.5 on trip.

This car is really under the radar as I have seen few on the road. If you are looking at Acura, Lexus, etc...You owe it to yourself to look at this car. I have had many people get into this car and say "Maxima...I never thought they were this nice." Styling is great and front wheel drive handles well. Ride is smooth and tight and the car is so quiet. Voice activated phone, Nav, Bluetooth are great. I would tell everyone in the market for a new car to check this car out and you will be surprised and very satisfied.

Engine power and sound. Seat comfort. Programmable CVT transmission sport mode. Styling is brilliant and unusual (take a note Acura designers). Quiet road manners that allow the engine note to be heard. Great Nav system and backup camera. Large trunk. Great iPod interface. Huge glove box. Rattle free interior. Xenon headlights. Sensuous view out the windshield of the fender line and hood bulge.

Suspension is set up a 1/2" too high. Rear seats on the Sport/Premium packages only have a pass through and don't drop down completely. Plastic on the lower door panels doesn't seem as nice as the rest of the car. Sunroof buffets a slow to moderate speeds, needs a wind baffle.

A powerful sedan that has multiple personalities, which are conveyed by its interesting transmission and powerful engine (with a great Z engine note). Sportingly comfortable and entertaining handling. The Sport package has 19" wheels, stiffer springs and antiroll bars. Always insist on having the summer Bridgestone rubber, it is quieter and adds steering feel at the wheel (same wheel as the Z). Seats are very supportive and for the driver, thigh extensions, ala BMW. Sport package also includes heated seats, but counterintuitively, leaves out the cooling function available in the "premium" package. Exterior styling is fascinatingly sensuous, masculine and menacing from some angles. The fluid fenders emphasize the beautifully styled wheels. Headlights echo the Z and GTR. GTR touches also in the "haunches" of the rear which is better emphasized by the rear spoiler available in the sport package. So far, no service issues, the car is quiet and rattle free. Mileage is improving with each tank. Standard "D" for around town is best for mileage and takes advantage of the CVT's efficiency. Open highways and curvy roads are definitely enhanced by the "Ds" mode, where the car suddenly has a six speed transmission, that will downshift while braking into turns and the flappy paddles will hold a gear. Mileage on long trips has been about 24 mpg, while combined in town, 20, not bad for a nearly 300 horsepower car! The Tech package adds back up camera with predicted path grid, bluetooth, iPod interconnection cable, nav, 9 GB internal drive (it can record CD's) and a compact flash transfer point, which I used to listen to music off of a friend's computer...The nav/talk function is more deliberate than Acura's system, but there are shortcuts that are in the manual. Further, the Infinit-based nav system is intuitive and has good tactile feel. What would be really nice is to set up various computer mapping functions on this system, which would help program how the engine, transmission and traction control interact. One thing I haven't mentioned is torque steer: that is because it is so minimal it is not worth mentioning, Nissan has dropped the engine further down into the subframe support structure and used equal length half-shafts to keep the axles from canting at extreme steering angles.

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In shopping for a mid sized (and mid priced) performance sedan, I drove an Acura TL (too ugly), Audi A4 (moaning 2.0T engine), Infiniti G37S (bone jarring ride, too narrow), Cadillac CTS (uncomfortable), Mazda 6 (too loud and tinny, ugly interior), Hyundai Genesis 3.8 sedan (too heavy), VW CC 2.0T & VR6 (turbo, loud and peaky, VR6 better but engine moaned like it was being punished). BMW 328i (you could only buy a stripped one to compare with this group, too small inside).

Bulletproof engine with ferocious horsepower (for a family sedan), Comfort, beautiful styling, smooth ride, you feel safe when driving it, Traction Control is a big help.

Electrical systems seem to be struggling.

I was extremely happy to get into the Nissan Maxima. I have always loved these cars, and always thought they were among the best looking family Sedans. With the arrival of our first child, we moved up from our Ford Focus to the 2002 Nissan Maxima SE, which we bought used from a stealership in town.

I am a car buff, and talked my wife into spending a bit more on the Maxima. Our first impressions were utter happiness and joy with the step up in vehicles. The 255 horsepower engine gives you more power than you'll ever need in a family sedan, and the 17" rims look beautiful, and boy what a treat to drive. The seats are comfortable and lots of room for a car.

Driving the car on highways is pure bliss as she coasts along at 140 km/hr without even breaking a sweat.

Overall we have been quite enthusiastically happy with the car. Until the last months or so.

We're in Canada (Calgary, AB) and the first signs of weakness started showing up in the bitter cold of winter. The driver door doesn't close very well, sometimes the wipers don't engage when you spray the washer fluid, the radio started crapping out etc. That was last year.

As of this year, and as far as I can tell most problems have started up in the winter, here is the list of deficiencies:

- Sunroof randomly stopped working
- Wipers don't always work (you have to spray the washer fluid then turn on the wipers, in stead of doing both at the same time)
- Snow easily builds up around wheel wells making a wobble while driving.
- driver door doesn't close very well in the deep cold, when above -12 or so, it works fine.
- $1300 to fix a sensor in the fuel tank
- Radio crapped out last year, installed aftermarket head unit, now steering wheel controls don't work. Cruise Control still works.


Overall it has been a great car, and at 140,000 km's, it is holding up reasonably well. I was expecting the little things to last a bit longer, but the engine and mechanics have never let me down and I never worry about reliability.

color, paint quality

interior ergonomics

I like the styling, but the interior ergonomics need a little work. Just not as intuitive as Toyota interiors. Power is fair and factory tires need to be replaced with something quieter.

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bmw 3-series, toyota camry

Beautiful, horsepower, comfortable to travel in.

Gas, turning ratio, radio system (Bose speakers) not the best quality for a 36K vehicle.

I purchased a 2006 Nissan Maxima SE Elite Edition. The Elite addition is very over priced, it is basically just a bucket back seat and seat heaters for the back seat. It jumped the Maxima price like 3K. The Maxima has excellent pick up, yet terrible at gas. I have driven cars similar in its category and they do not waste as much fuel. The Maxima has a terrible turning ratio, when making U-Turns you can barely turn without hitting the curb or backing up.

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Lexus ES330

Good power, nice styling, and roomy inside and trunk.

Mechanically unsound, poor quality control, poor fit and finish, terrible turning radius. Dealer service and support from Nissan are horrible.

This car has been nothing but a headache from day one. For a 26K car it is not built to quality standards. Problems so far...Suspension noise sounds like something is loose and banging around on the front end, dealer replaced struts but it didn't help, We took it in to the dealer 5 times to fix the headlight that kept going out (we finally paid our ouwn mechanic $300 to rewire it Because Nissan couldn't seem to fix it), The dash was installed improperly and needed to be replaced, the goodyear tires on this car are terrible, the sidewalls have blown out on 9 so far (they cost $325 a piece) We did finally get money from goodyear and put dunlops on it, then the final straw was at 50000 miles the engine started knocking, took it in to the dealer and the idoits said it was a broken timing chain and not covered (funny that the engine still ran), after 9 weeks we finally got the car back with a new factory long block in it, what happened you ask? spun the main bearing. The new engine leaks all over my garage floor and runs terrible. Please do not buy this car, I would expect more from a mid twenty thousand vehicle. I've had Fords that are more dependable. We bought this car because we bought a 1993 Sentra new and has been a trouble free car, Good thing we still have the sentra because when we need reliable transportation we jump in the sentra and go. I always buy BMW's, and the wife will be driving one soon.

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1999 bmw m3, 1993 nissan sentra, 1993 honda accord, 1993 bmw 325i

QUALITY BUILD - it STILL feels and drives like it did when I bought it new with 3 km on the odometer
Heated Steering Wheel

BOSE, BOSE, BOSE - pfft, whatever!
Sunroof

Update from my 160,000 KM Update. My 2003 GLE now has over 240,000KM. And again, I continue to love this car. My ONLY problems then were a memory seat module which was replaced under warranty, and a sunroof that tilts but does not open - not fixed. Two new problems have emerged though.
1) The radio - the BOSE is crapped out. My CD skips on cold days, and the tweeter on the drivers side works intermittently in CD mode, though is fine with tapes and AM/FM - thinking the laser is the problem. I'd replace it but I know these stereos are notorious for this issue - so - screw it - I'll get an IPOD and run it through an FM transmitter or solder it directly to the board.
2) Minor issue - my drivers heated seat INDICATOR - yes the switch - light burned out - for awhile - it started up the other day again...go figure. The seat still heats though. I do wish the heater wouldn't be regulated though and shut off and on in intervals(our 98 maxima would get so hot your ass felt like it would combust).

Other than that, it runs like new. The heated steering wheel is such a champ!! Seriously, I love this car. I hope to drive it for another 7 years or more. Fully loaded, seats are great, and NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS!!

Strengths:
Reliability Interior Feel Steering wheel controls Auto Climate Control

Weaknesses:
I will list things that in retrospect would have made this car 100% perfect: Telescopic Steering Wheel - 2004 has it Dual Zone Climate Control (I reneg on my earlier review thinking this would be nice) Here's an important note though - my wife has a 2004 and we both like the 03 better. - the dual zone is a nice idea but in retrospect its useless because you still end up at the same interior temp. The 2004 however build doesn't feel as nice, front-end looks worse than the 2003, has more plastic, but it just feels cheaper and FEELS colder - the 03 feels better insulated for some reason, ride isn't as nice.
Seriously - thats it. Its not a BMW with all cool gadgets, but lacks NOTHING. WHAT A CAR!
Also, we bought (and then resold) an Infiniti FX45. Some notes on this vehicle - the interior felt SOLID, the NAV was great though a touchscreen would be better, the intelligent cruise is nice BUT it will detect semi-trailers in the next lane on freeways which is stupid so you have to drive on the yellow line to avoid that and it also does not come to a full stop in this mode - WTF - who's brainchild was that? Hey, lets make it so it shuts off at 10km/hr and force the driver to brake when he is least expecting it to have to do so! Furthermore, it was downright SCARY to drive on all-season tires. This thing meandered all over the road in wet conditions - we would weave down the road with about a 12" wiggle all the time. Snow tires stopped that, but it made us lose all sense of confidence in the vehicle and thus its gone to greener pastures.

I add this because the interior seats ARE nicer in Infiniti, but for the price my wife and I agreed that it just wasn't worth it, especially when you consider the V8 power just wasn't what I had hoped for (though it did beat my V6 3.5L Maxima off the line) and gas mileage was bad. For $70k in Infiniti vs the $33k Maxima, the Infiniti couldn't justify that great a difference in price - $5k maybe, certainly not $27k.

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1998 Maxima - excellent but no 3.5L
2004 Maxima - just not in the same league quality-wise
2003 Infiniti FX45 - very nice but too pricey for what you already had in the Maxima for 1/2 the price.