230,000+ Miles Supercar!

I bought my 1997 Nissan Maxima SE in 2000 with 37,000 miles. It came loaded with Bose audio, heated powered seats, powered sun roof, in a 5-speed manual. Six years later I have over 230,000 miles on the car -- it's going to hit 300,000, no problem!

Since I was a teenager, I've always wanted a Maxima (when they still had the boxy body shape). In 2000 when my Nissan Sentra had 194,000 miles, I decided to buy another car. I test drove a Cherokee Sport -- almost flipped it over on the test drive. Test drove a Mustang (not the GT) -- found it didn't have the pep or handling I expected. The Maxima handled extremely well (far better than the Mustang). I also really liked the luxury feel of it (Camry and Accord are not even in the same class! They compare to the Altima, not the Maxima). Interior and exterior construction quality is extremely high -- no cheap plastic parts that break off.

I love to drive, so I needed something that would make my friends comfortable and could take a lot of them -- the Maxima comfortably seats 5. I wanted something that I could use to carry material (that's why I looked at the Cherokee), so I got a Thule roof rack for the Maxima. It comes off quickly and I keep it in the trunk. Trips to HomeDepot are not a problem -- I can take lumber, sheetrock, etc. on the roof rack.

Bose audio system is THE BEST SOUNDING system I have ever heard! Each speaker has its own built-in amplifier -- the head unit is only a pre-amp. This helps deliver clear quality sound. Unfortunately, reliability of the Bose head unit is not as good as the rest of the car -- the CD and tape decks died, so I use a trunk-mounted CD changer that plays MP3's and transmits via an FM modulator (FM modulated sound quality sucks when compared to the built-in CD player).

Handling in snow is okay if you have H-rated tires. I previously used V-rated tires and found that the sleeker thread was a problem in the snow.

In my opinion, this car is most fun in a 5-speed manual transmission. Tried the automatic and it felt like driving an Oldsmobile -- no sporty feel at all. By the way, the 'higher resale value' of an automatic is bull! Do your homework -- automatics don't really resale much higher, but you pay a bunch more up front for it. Get the stick! It's FUN!!!

This car is perfect for long trips -- no back aches, etc. The seats are extremely comfortable, the car cruises at 80 mph effortlessly, keeping fairly low RPM's. Cruise control makes long trips a joy. I have driven this car everywhere over the NorthEast US.

My next car will probably be a 2003/2004 Maxima SE -- I don't like the 2005/2006. Nissan screwed up on that one!

I LOVE THIS CAR!!! It has NEVER let me down!