[jackman]

Okay, thanks for all of the advice from the Pub.  I picked up my car last night and feel good about my choice.  I would have rather gotten an American made car but there were no options (other than the Escape hybrid and it did not appeal to me).  The Maxima is way nicer looking in person, inside and out.  It's roomy, handles well, has a great interior and hauls A$$.  It is the fastest car I have ever owned. 

Here are a couple pictures from today:

[pjchappy]

Good choice!


Paul

[jackman]

One last picture.  Front shot!

[Mike Dzurko]

I've always liked the Maxima. Have owned three different Nissans, all very good vehicles. My wife loves her 09 Murano LE. Enjoy!

[Doublej]

Okay, thanks for all of the advice from the Pub.  I picked up my car last night and feel good about my choice.  I would have rather gotten an American made car but there were no options (other than the Escape hybrid and it did not appeal to me).  The Maxima is way nicer looking in person, inside and out.  It's roomy, handles well, has a great interior and hauls A$$.  It is the fastest car I have ever owned. 

I thought they were made in Smyrna, TN. That's not American? 

[jackman]

I thought they were made in Smyrna, TN. That's not American? 

You can tell how much research I did on this one.  Thanks!

[rodge827]

Nice Choice 
I had a '92 Maxima and a '93 pick-up.
Both were excellent autos and are STILL on the road!
Good luck,
Rodge

[jermmd]

Nice car. It looks a lot like my Infiniti G37x.

[Letitroll98]

Nice car, great color, but don't you think you should have gone for the green mist color to match your garage door and siding?   

[jackman]

Nice car, great color, but don't you think you should have gone for the green mist color to match your garage door and siding?   

Green mist?  It looks green in the picture but it's tan.   :DOvercast day and iPhone camera is a bad combo.  For the record, the car color is different than the little paint square I used to decide on color.  I like it but my last three care were silver.  I love silver but the dark color shows the curves much better.

[drphoto]

Jack, great looking car! I loved the original Maxima, but then Nissan seemed to have lost focus on the FDSC concept. Looks like they're back on track now.

[jackman]

Thanks Doc!  This is definately a FDSC.  It handles very well for a big car and hauls butt.  The CVT transmission is strange at low speeds because it doesn't shift at all unless you step on the gas.  The interior is very high quality and good looking.  I'm very happy I didn't get the VW CC because the Maxima is a much nicer car.  The VW was tight handling and good looking but the Maxima has much better acceleration (MUCH BETTER) and handles better.  I also needed something with more room and the interior of the Maxima is very roomy. 

I love driving this car because it can really throw you back in the seat when you mash the pedal.  My BMW is lighter and tighter handling.  It is much smaller and more utilitarian than the Maxima.  The Maxima is better for longer trips because it is quieter and smoother.  I love the BMW but the Maxima is more practical...and faster. 

[bregez]

The Maxima is a nice car.  You don’t see too many of them on the streets as Nissan has priced them into G37 Territory.   The VQ35DE is a great engine that has been around a long time.  More rough than its competitors, but also more fun to drive.  I just wish Nissan would drop that CVT, I don’t think that transmission takes full advantage of what the engine has to offer.   The 2005-2006 Maximas came with a 5-speed automatic or 6-speed manual, these cars feel much stronger than current Maximas even though they have less horsepower.

[jackman]

I think the CVT is used to get bettter mileage and agree that a standard tranny would be preferable.  The CVT is weird because I keep expecting it to shift at lower speeds and it doesn't.

I have never driven the older model maximas but this one is very powerful and fun to drive. 

[Philistine]

I specifically bought an Audi with CVT a few years ago. On paper it had the same mpg, acceleration and top speed as the manual gearbox - all of these parameters exceeded the performance of the automatic.  In practice it was a lot of fun to drive as you have an infinite number of gear ratios, once you get used to it you can finesse your driving skills to optimize mpg or max out the torque.  It just takes time to get used to, and once you do I'm sure you'll have fun.